MAPS - basement pub in Portland, Maine

Leafing through the information folder for guests at my airbnb place in Portland, Maine, on Tuesday 3 October, 2017, MAPS caught my eye in a section '6 underground bars in Portland that you need to visit'.

A few hours later, walking down the brick pavement of moonlit Market Street, I was disappointed to discover that MAPS is closed on Tuesdays!

However, a plan for Wednesday evening was now established - return to MAPS at 64a Market Street!

Twenty hours later, after sleeping and brewery tours at Allagash Brewing Co and Shipyard Brewing Co it was time for a late lunch and a bus ride that would take me along the Eastern Promenade, ringing the Munjoy Hill neighbourhood, of Portland's peninsular.

This circular journey on route #1 would make good use of my $5 METRO local day pass ticket before darkness fell. After a warm day, there was a draught through the bus from open windows and an opportunity to take photos through the opening.

Returning to MAPS, it was a relief to hear the sounds of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and find that a stool was free at the end of the bar. From the list of 8 draft beers I chose the Oxbow Tourist Season Nelson Sauvin ($7 / 12 oz).

This seemed appropriate both for the name and for the fact that Oxbow Blending & Bottling is only about 1/2 mile away from MAPS. (Oxbow Brewery is based in a renovated barn in rural Newcastle, Maine.).

My neighbour at the bar toasted my beer with his oversized, football-themed beer mug and I learned later that he made the clever illuminated map, behind the bar, showing in real-time where there is daylight around the world..
By the time I had finished the Oxbow beer, I had friendly new neighbours, Matthew and Teresa, so it made sense to order a further beer.

Kyle, bar owner and DJ for the vinyl albums behind the bar, gave me a taste of Bissell Brothers The Substance Ale quickly followed by a16 oz tumbler-style glass full of the hazy New England IPA. The Substance Ale, brewed in Portland, has tropical fruit flavours and was a favourite beer on my brief trip to the USA.

Chatting with Matthew and Teresa, I learned that the fall colours were disappointing this year partly as a result of many leaves having black spots after a dry summer. Matthew (from Utah) and Teresa met up when she was travelling around the country years ago as a 22 year old. Their first months together were difficult, scratching a living with a tent as a home and getting temporary jobs but since then they have been able to travel to Europe and Scotland together.

Matthew impressed me with his knowledge of the historical importance of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. Teresa and I agreed that 'pubs are great'. Indeed, for a solo traveller especially, talking to people when visiting pubs and bars can be a great way to make a visit to a new place memorable.

Before leaving, I persuaded Kyle to pose for a photo behind the bar and in front of his vinyl albums with a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA branch magazine, which I left with him so that he and his English wife, Vikki, could read it at some point.

Finally, there was also an opportunity to visit the restroom, near the entrance, where I had been told am historic London Underground tube map was part of the decor. This was another of several interesting maps which make the bar well worth a special visit.

MAPS, 64a Market Street, Portland, Maine.
Facebook page: portlandmaine.MAPS 
Open (October 2017):
Wed - Sun - from 4pm