157 Cafe & Bar Specials 7/29/10

Soup: Beef & Barley

Catch of the day: Spicy Green Beans & Lobster Stirfry w/ Red Curry Paste, Served over Basmati Rice.

Pasta of the Day: Seafood Bordeaux; Haddock, Shrimp, Scallops & Lobster in a Light Herbed Tomato Sauce.

Vegetarian: Greek Stuffed Peppers; Roasted Peppers Stuffed w/ Feta Cheese, Spinach & Artichokes, Topped w/ Marinara.

We have a full service Lobby Bar and the best veiw in town at The Top Of The East. So come on over to THE Eastland Park Hotel for dinner and some drinks!

Father's Day Special

Father's Day is this Sunday June 20!  Trying to figure out what to do with dad on Father's Day?
How about a lunch at Top of the East?  We have a couple great Father's Day Specials.

All Dads get their choice of a free Appetizer from 11am to midnight.  Just mention the Father's Day Special.
Dad's Choice of Free Appetizer Include:

Vegetable Quesadilla  

Beer & Caraway Onion Rings

Blue Cheese Tater Tots

In addition to the Free Appetizer everyone will enjoy $1 off all bottled beer all day.  

Happy Birthday to....

83 Years ago today the Eastland Hotel opened its doors for business and has been the grand dame of Portland hotels ever since.

This is a brief history of the Hotel.

  Construction plans for Portland’s newest high-rise hotel were announced in 1925. The hotel was conceived and built by Portland’s visionary hotelier, Henry P. Rines, who also owned and operated the Congress Square Hotel. The new hotel, which cost $2 million, was connected to the Congress Square Hotel, forming the largest hotel north of New York.

The Hotel was designed by local architect Herbert Rhodes and included 241 guest rooms and apartments. Construction of the twelve-story hotel was completed in 15 months and featured a brick, limestone and plaster exterior with steel casement windows.
A name-the-new-hotel contest was held, with $100 in gold awarded to Portland resident C.E. Weeks for his entry, The Eastland.
The Eastland Hotel opened its doors with lavish ceremonies on June 15, 1927, just one day after Charles Lindburgh flew solo across the Atlantic. Flying over Portland’s State Pier, radio personality Graham McNamee and governor Ralph O. Brewster dropped the keys to the hotel’s front door into Portland’s Harbor, signifying that the Eastland would never close.
Henry P. Rines and his wife, Adeline (the first woman to practice law in Cumberland County) were frequent travelers to Europe and the Middle East. Their travels impressed them and the lobby and restaurants of their new hotel were fashioned after their favorite locations abroad.
The hotel entrance was designed to resemble an old Spanish patio with stone benches, a colorful red and yellow striped awning, slate floor, and red tiled roofs for balcony effects.
The steps beside the front door led downstairs to the grill, (then called the Sunrise Gateway Room) and a barbershop. This room was later renovated to become the popular post-war Polynesian lounge, the Hawaiian Hut and in 1990 became the Sonesta’s state-of-the-art function room, Cumberland Hall (now known as the Eastland Park Hotel’s Longfellow Hall).
The Eastland lobby featured a beamed ceiling supported by massive pillars. The wrought iron candelabras were copied from old fixtures in a Madrid café. Several wall sconces in the lobby cleverly simulated old Spanish flowerpots with trailing vines.
The street-level shopping arcade included a beauty shop, “Ask Mr. Foster” travel information service, the Chisholm newsstand, and the House of Conant Tailor and Valet Service. A Delicatessen was later established to provide bakery products and coffee to the hotel apartment tenants.
The Danish Tea Room (now the Greenhouse, a private function room) was an authentic reproduction of an 18th century tavern, which was located in the marketplace of Ribe, the capitol of medieval Denmark. The tavern had not been remodeled in over 150 years, and the Rines family used it as the model for their new restaurant.
Old pieces of Baroque-style furniture were imported from Denmark to furnish “The Skenkstuen” (the room where patrons are served). These pieces included pine tables worn smooth by years of use, corner cupboards, an antique clock and a billegerovn heating chamber that drew hot air from the chimney in the adjacent room.
The Spanish Baronial Dining Room, later named the State of Maine Ballroom featured an oak floor, carved adornments on the entranceway and balcony, and antique Spanish lanterns. The beam supports were decorated with sculpted armor.
Charles Lindburgh himself visited the Eastland in July 1927. “The Lone Eagle” flew into Old Orchard Beach, spoke to crowds at Deering Oaks Park, returned to the Eastland to rest and was honored at a banquet attended by 700 people in this room (now called the Eastland Ballroom).
The Egyptian Dining Room (now known as Adeline’s Grille at the Eastland Park) featured marble steps, stately columns, and richly painted murals. The Egyptian Dining Room served elegant meals nightly. The cost of a four-course steak dinner in 1927 was $1.95.
Located on the top floor of the Eastland, Hotel postcards described the Sun Parlor as “more than 300 feet above sea level, high above all the surrounding buildings, affording guests beautiful views of the harbor, ocean, the suburbs of Portland and distant White Mountains”. After the repeal of prohibition laws, the Sun Parlor became a popular cocktail lounge, still known as the Top of the East.
The guest rooms and apartments offered the utmost in luxury and convenience, including private baths, telephones, daily maid service, spinet desks an the latest modern amenity, “disappearing beds” that fold into the wall.

Each hotel room was also equipped with a cone loud speaker allowing guests to tune in WCSH radio programs. Maine’s premiere commercial broadcasting company, WCSH, was named for the adjoining Congress Square Hotel, which housed the radio station.

Old Port Festival

The 37th Annual Old Port Festival will take place Sunday June 13 from 11am to 5pm.  A human-powered parade kicks off the festival at 11:00am followed by tons of live music, food, shopping, and fun!  Check out the map of events 

The Eastland Park Hotel is a short walk from all of the activities of the Old Port Festival, stay with us and walk down the the festival and you will not have to worry about finding parking in the Old Port.

Portland Museum of Art Slow Food Night

SLOW FOOD NIGHT AT 

THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART

Join the Museum and Slow Food Portland for an evening of beautiful art and bountiful delectables.

Thursday, June 3
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25/$20 Museum and Slow Food members.
Portland Museum of Art

Take a long, slow look at the exquisite still-life paintings in the exhibition Objects of Wonder, and savor samples of the best Maine has to offer in locally grown food. Guest speaker Nancy Harmon Jenkins is a nationally known food writer and historian who resides in Italy and Maine. She is an expert in sustainable agriculture and farm-to-market connections and will talk about Maine’s bounty. Enjoy an evening with friends who share your interest in promoting Maine-grown food. Cash bar.

Proceeds to benefit Education Programs at the Portland Museum of Art.

The Portland Museum of Art is located directly across Congress Street from the Eastland Park Hotel
Make a night of the Slow Food Night at the Museum and Stop off at Top of The East for a drink before or after the event Top of The East will be open until 1am on Thursday.  Our Happy Hour Special for Thursday from 4pm to 6pm is $1 off all Martini's and Manhattan's

State Theatre in Portland will reopen!

The Bowery Presents, an independent promotion company based in New York City, and Alex Crothers of Higher Ground Presents, an independent promoter and a fixture in the New England music scene, have announced The Bowery Presents, an independent promotion company based in New York City, and Alex Crothers of Higher Ground Presents, an independent promoter and a fixture in the New England music scene, have announced today that they have signed a deal with Stone Coast Properties to reopen the State Theatre in Portland, Maine. Music industry veteran and Portland local Lauren Wayne will serve as General Manager of the State Theater and will lead the charge in booking the venue, with the first shows slated to begin this fall. The historic theatre has been closed since 2006, and the new partnership between The Bowery Presents and Alex Crothers will continue the upgrades to the historic theatre started by the owners.

The Bowery Presents and Mr. Crothers will be equal partners in operating and programming all music events at the State Theatre, with Lauren Wayne reporting to both parties. The group expects to book approximately 80 shows a year with a cross section of live music from diverse performers. In addition to the State Theatre, the partnership will explore options to book other venues and festivals in the area and develop marketing and partnerships opportunities for their concerts.

Great news for the city, what a great venue!  The State Theater is located directly across High Street from the Eastland Park Hotel. Please keep us in mind when you attend any of the 80+ events the State Theater is expecting to host. 

Portland Air Show

The 2010 Portland International Jetport Aviation Exposition will take place Saturday, June 12, 9 AM - 4 PM and Sunday, June 13, 9 AM - 3 PM.  Free Admission. The annual Aviation Exposition as well as having a very wide and interesting display of aircraft will also include the MS Society of Maine 'Plane Pull' in which sponsored teams of 25 will compete to see who can pull a Boeing 757 weighing over 200,000 pounds, 178 feet long with a wing span of 124 feet, the furthest is a set period of time. All funds raised will benefit the MS Society. Aircraft of display include: HISTORICAL AIRCRAFT: C-47, Dakota Military Transport B-25, Mitchell Bomber SNJ-5, Texan Navy Trainer T-34, Mentor Military Trainer L4A, Cub Military Liason DC-3, SkyTrain Airliner Yak-52, Romanian Trainer Standard Bi-plane MILITARY AIRCRAFT: KC-10, Extender KC-135, Stratotanker A-10, Thunderbolt F-15, Eagle F-16, Fighting Falcon T-6, Texan 2 T-38, Talon HU-25, Falcon Jet (USCG) HH-60, Blackhawk Helo SH-60, Jayhawk (USCG) Helo  The Aviation Exposition is a static display meaning the planes will all be on the ground to walk around and look at, some you can even get inside.  There is a fly over scheduled for Saturday around noon of a B2 Stealth Bomber. 

The Eastland Park Hotel is proud to sponsor this annual event.
If you would like to create a team for the MS Society of Maine Plane Pull you can sign up at this link.

Sea Dog Brewing Co. Dog Days BBQ

Dog Days BBQ
Sunday, May 23  11am-4pm
Sea Dog Brewing - South Portland, Maine

Bring the family, (pooch included) to the Dog Days BBQ being held outside Sea Dog South Portland. Enjoy a delicious barbecue, plus live bands, cold drafts, margaritas, dog grooming, a dog psychic, and much more.

Adults are $15.00, kids are $8.00, children under 8 are free!

All proceeds will go to the following charities: The Coastal Humane Society in Brunswick, and The Animal Refuge League of Westbrook. So come spoil yourself and your dog for a good cause. The fun will romp from 11am - 4pm. Sea Dog is located at 125 Western Avenue in sunny South Portland. Call 871-7000 for more info.

Come spend a day with the entire family at Sea Dog Brewing Company and support a great cause!  Remember the Eastland Park Hotel is pet friendly
 

Sail Maine Open House

Sail Maine Free Sailing and Open House

Sunday May 23 from 10am-3pm Rain or Shine

The Open House includes free sailboat rides in Portland Harbor, shore side boat rigging, knot tying demonstrations, and a marine yard sale.

Located on the Portland Waterfront Sail Maine is a non-profit organization formed to support sailing in Maine at the grass-roots, community level. Sail Maine connects people of all ages and abilities to the coast of Maine through fun and affordable sailing education, recreation, and competition, stimulating individual growth and creating community.

For more information about the event or about Sail Maine visit them online www.sailmaine.org

For more information about the Eastland Park Hotel visit us online www.eastlandparkhotel.com

Portland Museum of Art 2010 Exhibition Schedule

Portland Museum of Art announces its 2010 exhibition schedule. 

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

Modernism and Masquerade: Max Beckmann (1884–1950)
Through May 23, 2010

This exhibition features the graphic work of German print master Max Beckmann (1884–1950), providing important focus on the artist whose powerful approach to the human condition continues to move and inspire viewers. Featuring approximately 40 prints from the Museum’s permanent collection and from private collections, the exhibition explores Beckmann’s portrait work as well as his treatment of scenes of both gaiety—the circus and theatre—and alienation.
Exhibition information: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4812.shtml

Objects of Wonder:
Four Centuries of Still Life from the Norton Museum of Art
Through June 6, 2010

Still-life works embrace a moment in time and create a memory that combines real life and its representation in art. Objects of Wonder: Four Centuries of Still Life from the Norton Museum of Art is a selection of more than 50 paintings, sculptures, and photographs from the 17th through the 20th centuries that focuses on the depiction of inanimate objects. Featured artists include Marsden Hartley, Henri Matisse, Robert Mapplethorpe, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall. This exhibition presents important works that illustrate both aspects of the genre—objects as stand-alone imagery and those serving as one element of a larger composition. The out-of-the-ordinary assortment of works come together to form such themes as table settings, flowers, fruits and vegetables, fish, and works in three dimensions.
Exhibition information: www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4290.shtml

Division and Discovery: Recent Work by Frederick Lynch
Through July 11, 2010

As an abstract painter, Maine artist Frederick Lynch (born 1935) uses a system of repeated geometries and mathematical divisions to explore a multitude of visual possibilities. His paintings evoke the type of order and chaos found in patterns of nature—branching, veining of leaves, and molecular systems. This exhibition of 25 recent works by Lynch pairs his large painted canvases with smaller sections of each of his paintings.
Exhibition information: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4684.shtml


UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Winslow Homer and the Poetics of Place
June 5 through September 6, 2010

The relationship between Winslow Homer (1836–1910) and the Portland Museum of Art is long-standing and intimate. Homer exhibited at the Museum in his lifetime and in the course of the 20th century the Museum has become a symbolic home for the artist. In honor of the centennial of Homer’s death, this exhibition will showcase the Museum’s collection of Homer watercolors and oils on canvas. Featuring approximately 20 works, it will be the first time since 1988 that all of these works will be on view in the Charles Shipman Payson Building. In 2006, the Museum purchased his studio at Prouts Neck and is currently involved in a major conservation and restoration project at that storied site. The Winslow Homer Studio restoration will be completed in 2012.
Exhibition information: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4788.shtml

American Moderns:
Masterworks on Paper from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 1910–1960
June 24 through September 12, 2010

American Moderns will showcase more than 100 works on paper from the collection of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, by nationally recognized artists such as Edward Hopper, John Marin, and Rockwell Kent. This is the first in-depth examination and presentation of the Atheneum’s American modernist works on paper. Beginning with the Ashcan school, including works by John Sloan and William Glackens, the exhibition will trace the emergence of American modernism with John Marin and Georgia O’Keeffe, concluding with strong examples of postwar realism, with works by Ellsworth Kelly and Andrew Wyeth. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see paintings by Edward Hopper depicting scenes of Maine in the state.
Exhibition images: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4746.shtml

Anna Hepler: Makeshift
July 24 through October 17, 2010

In July, Maine artist Anna Hepler will construct a monumental installation inside the Museum’s Great Hall. Made from a nest-like mesh of salvaged and sewn sheet plastic, The Great Haul will take advantage of the Museum’s expansive entry space. A second exhibition of Hepler’s work, on view in the fourth floor gallery, will feature a series of cyanotype prints (or blue prints) made from digital photographs of small sculptures, and like her large installations, these works are defined by light. This will be Hepler’s first solo exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art, and this exhibition is the first in a series called Circa that will explore compelling aspects of contemporary art in the state of Maine.
Exhibition information: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4957.shtml

John Haberle: Master of Illusion
September 18 through December 12, 2010

Combining a masterful technique with sly, witty historical and personal references to American life from 1870 to 1910, today John Haberle (1856–1933) is considered one of the most accomplished American trompe l’oeil (meaning to “fool the eye”) painters. This exhibition will feature approximately 20 paintings and drawings from the New Britain Museum of American Art along with works from our collection, other museums and private collections. Alluding to the moral and political issues of the time, Haberle’s paintings juxtaposes newspaper clippings, tickets, and money with objects such as a pocket watch, playing cards, and rosary beads. The slight but ingenious details make each of Haberle’s paintings exceedingly complex. He spent most of his life in or near his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked as an engraver, draftsman, lithographer, and as a custodian and preparator at Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Exhibition images: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4972.shtml

Debating Modern Photography: The Triumph of Group f/64
September 30 through December 5, 2010

In the 1930s, a small group of California photographers challenged the painterly, soft-focus Pictorialist style of the day. They argued that photography could only advance as an art if its practitioners exploited characteristics inherent to the camera’s mechanical nature. This small association of innovators created Group f/64, named after the camera aperture which produces great depth of field and sharp focus. The exhibition will revisit this debate and includes images by photographers in Group f/64 such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Sonya Noskowiak, and Willard Van Dyke, as well as images by such Pictorialists such as Anne Brigman, William Dassonville, Johan Hagemeyer, William Mortensen, and Karl Struss. With more than 100 works by 16 artists, Debating Modern Photography will offer a feast for the eyes while illustrating both sides of a high-stakes debate. Outstanding examples of the clean edges and bold forms of Group f/64 will stand in sharp contrast to the romantic, hand-crafted Pictorialist work that includes ¬elegant portraits, tonalist landscapes, and allegorical studies.
Exhibition information: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4849.shtml

False Documents and Other Illusions
October 30, 2010 through January 2, 2011

Trompe l’oeil, meaning to “fool the eye,” in the traditional sense usually references painting in which objects appear to be real rather than rendered. It is only upon closer investigation, if at all, that the illusion may be revealed. Contemporary artists have employed trompe l’oeil tactics as a tool for deception in works of all media, ranging from performance and video, to sculpture and installation. This exhibition will showcase a spectrum of approaches with works by artists from Maine and beyond, drawn from both the permanent collection and loans. This exhibition is part of the new series called Circa that explores compelling aspects of contemporary art in the state of Maine.

Rackstraw Downes: Onsite Paintings, 1972–2008
December 16, 2010 through March 20, 2011

This is the first major survey of paintings by the MacArthur Foundation “genuis” award-winning artist Rackstraw Downes (born 1939). Featuring more than 30 works, many of them multiple-part canvases, the exhibition will showcase his minutely detailed paintings of exterior and interior panoramic scenes of the American land- and urbanscape during from 1972 to 2008. The exhibition will trace the artist’s career through major examples of his work that were painted in Maine, Texas, New Jeresy, and New York, including two haunting depictions of the untenanted interior spaces in the World Trade Center in 1998.
Exhibition images: http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/4975.shtml

The Portland Museum of Art is located just across the street from the Eastland Park Hotel.  Make plans to come visit Beautiful Portland, Maine, and stay at the Historic Eastland Park Hotel.