Finding adventure right here in Bangor

Maine is my home.

I grew up in southern Aroostook County in a tiny town called Crystal, population 269. I attended kindergarten through high school in the same building, graduating in a class of 28 students. I was raised to appreciate the utility of long johns and the benefits of going barefoot.

I love my hometown, but after graduating from the University of Maine in May 2015, I relocated to Bangor. For some Mainers, the Queen City is as far north as they’ll ever dare travel. But for me, a move south and a population of 32,000 was quite a change.

I’ve been to New York City and Boston. I’ve crossed the Atlantic and spent time studying abroad in Ireland. I’ve been to cities like Washington D.C. and Charlotte, but each of those trips was short lived. They weren’t my home.

Bangor is.

And because it is, I have to settle into a city and put down roots in a place that, at first, seemed overwhelming. How do you make new friends as a 23-year-old in a place like Bangor? How do you develop new interests and hobbies?

Because I kept myself so busy in high school and college, I didn’t allow myself time to discover new things to enjoy. Now I have the opportunity, and I don’t know what to do with it.

So I’m challenging myself to find new adventure right here.

Every week I will do something new. It might be attending an art exhibit or checking out a new restaurant. It might be visiting a local museum or going on a tour offered in the area. I’m going to find things that people settling into their new home of greater Bangor might enjoy — and I want your help.

I’ve lived in Bangor full time for about ten months, but there is plenty that I haven’t seen and done. Let me know what I should check out. Tell me about that hole-in-the-wall place no one else knows about. Keep me updated about local events and fun things to try out. Describe your experience here, there and everywhere. I want to experience it, too.

I’ll primarily write about what I do and talk to the people who make it happen. Hopefully I’ll improve my photography skills in the meantime so I can offer you visuals as well.

I may be a Mainer, but there’s nothing wrong with being a tourist in your own state. I love to travel, but that requires more time and money than I have at present – so I’ll make due with what we have right here, and I’ll share it with you while I’m at it.

BANGOR, MAINE -- 10/14/2014 -- The finished "Greetings from Bangor, Maine" mural is seen on the Union Street-facing side of the McGuire Building in Bangor. The giant painting will greet those entering downtown from either Brewer or Main St via the Waterfront. Ashley L. Conti | BDN

BANGOR, MAINE — 10/14/2014 — The finished “Greetings from Bangor, Maine” mural is seen on the Union Street-facing side of the McGuire Building in Bangor. The giant painting will greet those entering downtown from either Brewer or Main St via the Waterfront. Ashley L. Conti | BDN

Shelby Hartin

About Shelby Hartin

Shelby Hartin was born and raised in southern Aroostook County in a tiny town called Crystal, population 269. After graduating from the University of Maine in May 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism, she relocated to Bangor. She now works at the Bangor Daily News as a customer service representative slash features reporter and is making a new home for herself by discovering what Bangor has to offer. Every week she will do something new and blog about it. It might be attending an art exhibit or checking out a new restaurant. It might be visiting a local museum or going on a tour offered in the area. She’s going to find things that people settling into their home of greater Bangor might enjoy — and she wants your help.