I adopted a garden in downtown Bangor, and you should, too

This is the garden plot I adopted through the Adopt A Garden program. It's looking a little sad right now, but I'll be sprucing it up with pansies this Saturday at "The Big Dig."

Living on the second floor of a four-unit apartment building isn’t exactly conducive to gardening. I attempted planting vegetables in planters on my tiny deck last summer. They were mildly successful — if you consider two tomatoes, a green pepper and a handful of herbs mildly successful. I’ve always loved gardens. I regularly daydream about […]

New to Bangor? Here’s how to recycle here

These stickers let city workers know they can pick up your recyclables.

Moving to a new place is exciting. There’s an entirely new community of people to meet, places to visit and things to see. But then there are the other things, too — the “taking care of business” kind of stuff that you need to worry about. Such as recycling. When I was a child, I […]

How a pay-it-forward chain at Dunkin’ Donuts made Bangor feel like home

My mom and I at the University of Maine Honors College banquet in May 2015.

My mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer when she was 34 years old. I was 14 at the time, a freshman in high school, and didn’t fully understand the severity of the situation. But I knew enough to realize I might lose my mom. What I didn’t know was how my hometown would […]

Enduring legends of Bangor’s own ‘Lover’s Leap’

An old postcard, circa 1920, shows Lover's Leap and the old Maxfield tannery, which burned in the '70s. This photo is from the collection of Richard Shaw.

Forbidden love. The ever-enduring plotline traverses centuries and cultures, appearing in stories that help tell the story of a place and its people. Bangor, Maine, is no exception. I had heard of Lover’s Leap on the Kenduskeag Stream before. I meandered down the winding trail that hugs the banks of the stream last summer and […]

New vintage store in downtown Bangor is like going home

Ivy & Lace at 173 Park Street, Suite 3 in Bangor opened in December of 2015. It offers a variety vintage items at reasonable prices and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Can we go thrift shopping?” my sister Mataya asked over the phone as we planned our weekend together last Friday. I responded with an enthusiastic “yes,” and started to throw ideas her way. We could go to Goodwill, of course, and maybe the Salvation Army. “There’s a new place called Ivy & Lace I want […]

The home I hope to find in Bangor

Mattawamkeag River in Island Falls, Maine, as seen from the bridge on Old Patten Road in September 2015.

“This is the story of a small town tucked away in the great north woods of Maine. Its history — more or less typical of that of scores of other rural towns in this part of the State — carries little of more than local interest, because nothing extraordinary ever occurred in Crystal.” In 1937, […]

Discovering a taste of Europe in Bangor, Maine

Bangor Resident Ingrid Perkins came to the United States in the '60s from Germany. Having been here for over four decades she became one of the unique fixtures in Bangor known for her German Shop where she sells items imported from Europe. Bangor Daily News/Gabor Degre Publication Date: December 1, 2007

Roses, mini carnations, succulents. Geraniums lined one side of the greenhouse and giant pots of pure white calla lilies lined the other. Old-fashioned lamps and lights hung from the ceiling and tantalizing aromas wafted from the the tables set up for the many vendors that filled the space with their homemade goods. It was a […]

Pulitzer Prize winners to visit Bangor Public Library

Books line the walls at Pro Libris Bookshop at 10 Third Street in Bangor.

On Wednesday I posted about my love of books and the local bookshop I recently discovered, Pro Libris. Today I offer you some information about an upcoming event at the book-iest of places: the Bangor Public Library. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s most prestigious award. To celebrate, the the University […]

Pro Libris Bookshop one of Bangor’s hidden gems

Pro Libris Bookshop is located at 10 Third Street in Bangor and has been in operation since 1980.

Magic exists in this world. It smells like the dog-eared pages of a well-loved paperback and sounds like the muffled quiet found between stacks of secondhand books. I can get lost in a bookshop, scanning titles and running my finger along the spines of wizened hardcovers. I’ll sit on the floor between towers of stories, […]

Finding adventure right here in Bangor

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

I’m going to find things that people settling into their new home of greater Bangor might enjoy — and I want your help.