Small quirky towns are one of my favorite things (as evidenced in my love for Athens)--I love the cracked sidewalks and odd looking storefronts, the coffee shops full of people reading and chatting, and of course, the restaurants that define the local food culture. When you pair any of those things with the coast, however, it all becomes exponentially better.
I swooned over Portsmouth--it is literally my city soul mate. The colorful houses and proximity to the ocean would be enough, but with the most adorable specialty shops and seafood restaurants lining its streets, I couldn't stop gushing over it. I even spotted a few legal offices in town (and a courthouse!) which is enough to convince me that it needs to be added to my list of future employment destinations after graduation. And as if I needed more reasons to love Portsmouth, I was also informed that Samantha Brown resides there. Be still my heart.
We went to Breaking New Grounds Bakery & Cafe a few times for gelato, cake, and coffee. Between us all we sampled the Creme Brulee Cheesecake, the Turtle Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake (holy heavens was this one good), and a Marbled Raspberry cake. My sister and I also tried their gelato--chocolate chip and donatella. The donatella was essentially nutella gelato and it was amazing. We only saw it there once which was tragic. As if I didn't eat enough dessert though.
Although I could eat seafood all day every day, my sister isn't too fond of it, so we had to compromise on some restaurants that everyone could be happy with. We settled on BG's Boathouse which was a little kitschy, but it was on the water and gave us a lovely sunset view.
I feasted on oysters and lobster bisque and we left stuffed, sunburned, and completely blissed out.