Exchange Street, Portland
In Portland鈥檚 Old Port, Exchange Street has morphed from gritty printing press row into the neighborhood鈥檚 trendiest runway. By day, you鈥檒l sidestep well-heeled shoppers ducking into sleek fashion boutiques, while local gems鈥攖hink indie coffee spots (one even doubles as an Internet caf茅)鈥攂rew community spirit by the cup. Since 2015, tiny dance slippers have joined the mix at Exchange Street Studio, where ballerinas pirouette above the cobblestones.
A century ago, this street was all about the press: hoisting ink-stained banners day and night. The Press Herald Building, born in 1923 at Congress Street鈥檚 corner, grew up in 1948 to house Maine鈥檚 paper of record. After a 2015 facelift, its newsprint past gave way to plush pillows and cocktails at the Press Hotel, proving that newspapers can enjoy a revamp.
Believe it or not, by the late 鈥�60s, Exchange Street was flirting with dereliction. But gentrification swept in during the early 鈥�70s, and now the Old Port pulses with life鈥攆ilm festivals, seafood shacks, and a soundtrack of clinking glasses.
Exchange Street has traded printing presses for espresso machines and shopfront windows鈥攂ut it still knows how to keep the city talking.
A century ago, this street was all about the press: hoisting ink-stained banners day and night. The Press Herald Building, born in 1923 at Congress Street鈥檚 corner, grew up in 1948 to house Maine鈥檚 paper of record. After a 2015 facelift, its newsprint past gave way to plush pillows and cocktails at the Press Hotel, proving that newspapers can enjoy a revamp.
Believe it or not, by the late 鈥�60s, Exchange Street was flirting with dereliction. But gentrification swept in during the early 鈥�70s, and now the Old Port pulses with life鈥攆ilm festivals, seafood shacks, and a soundtrack of clinking glasses.
Exchange Street has traded printing presses for espresso machines and shopfront windows鈥攂ut it still knows how to keep the city talking.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Portland. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Download The 黑料吃瓜网 App
Exchange Street on Map
Sight Name: Exchange Street
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Portland, USA (See walking tours in Portland)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Portland, Maine
Create Your Own Walk in Portland
Creating your own self-guided walk in Portland is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Portland Maine Introduction Walking Tour
If New York is the city that never sleeps, Portland, Maine, is the city that daydreams with an ocean breeze. Jutting out into Casco Bay, this coastal gem balances big-city energy with the easygoing warmth of a neighborhood you鈥檝e known your whole life.
Long before lobster shacks and artisan coffee shops, the Algonquian people (populous indigenous American group) called this land... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Long before lobster shacks and artisan coffee shops, the Algonquian people (populous indigenous American group) called this land... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Historical Buildings Walking Tour
Portland, Maine may be small, but it packs centuries of history into its streets. Think of it as a living scrapbook鈥攕ome pages sing in stone, others whisper in brick, and all of them survived the city鈥檚 Great Fire of 1866, which could鈥檝e erased it all. Instead, Portland rebuilt in style, and today you can wander its historic core spotting everything from colonial leftovers to Victorian... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles