A day in the life of my neighborhood

[deadheadskier]

So, this morning I go to corner variety store for a breakfast sandwich. When I get there, the clerk is being yelled at by this guy in his 60's because they won't sell him beer. He's hammered. The guy proceeds to stumble out the door and fall flat on his face. He I assume breaks his nose and is bleeding all over the place. His face is completely smashed. Two cop cars and ambulance show up. They try and treat him, but he's screaming and refusing treatment. Meanwhile another guy is sitting across the street drinking a beer watching the event. The cops see him and say "Buddy what are you doing?" He responds "I'm drinking a beer, what the f$%k does it look like I'm doing?" Cops, "You can't drink on public property" Guy "F&^k you pigs!" So, he gets arrested.

Later I go out to leave to visit customers and see the original old guy walking around, busted up face, beer in hand. :lol:

Then when I get home, the landlord across the street is screaming at some other drunk who's sitting on the steps of his building drinking. More 'F&%k you this and that. While this is happening this giant fella comes barging out the basement door of that building (section 8 ) with a 2 x 4 in his hand screaming 'Who's got a F$%King problem and wants to get their A$$ kicked!" He looked like that WWF wrestler from the 80's with the 2 x 4

Only three weeks to go until I'm out of here. So, I can leave this crazy neighborhood that is one block off the town square, one of the nicest parts of town.

I don't even need to watch Cops, it's live everyday right here. But just like Cable TV, I pay to watch this through ridiculous state income taxes. These people get three free meals a day, food stamps and $750 a month cash to walk around wasted all the time starting crap with the Cops and everyday civilians. There is honestly no greater safe haven for bums than Portland, ME. For real, some of them travel from bus all the way from California to 'reside' here because the services are that friendly for them.

rant over

 

[BeanoNYC]

I read the news today, oh boy
about a lucky man who made the grave

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Post some video of smashface the next time. I already like him

 

[BeanoNYC]

Post some video of smashface the next time. I already like him

:lol:

 

[deadheadskier]

Even more absurd is all of these services and this everyday Live filming of Cops is within one block of Portland High School. Kids walk by this crap everyday on the way to school.

 

[Skier75]

WOW, that's crazy! I used to live in Portland and on Munjoy Hill(East End) and it wasn't that bad about 10yrs ago....... I mean there were some crazy stuff going on here and there, but I've heard that it's getting pretty bad now. That's pretty sad, cause Portland can be a fun city to do stuff in. Course I used to go down the Old Port with friends for happy hour, sometimes take the ferry over to Jones Landing on a Sunday afternoon for some beers. I loved living in the city, at the time. I was just up there for the Old Port Festival and have seen a lot of changes, there, brought back a lot of old memories. Still have friends and family in both Portland and South Portland......visiting once in while is nice, but I guess living here on a fairly quiet small pond is nice too. Not that we don't have our fair share of problems, but you can get that most places.....

 

[Warp Daddy]

Will be nice for you to put that scene in the rear view mirror !

 

[deadheadskier]

I read the news today, oh boy
about a lucky man who made the grave

actually this isn't so far from the truth either. There's been three shootings within a block of my building in the past year, fortunately none of them fatal.

 

[deadheadskier]

WOW, that's crazy! I used to live in Portland and on Munjoy Hill(East End) and it wasn't that bad about 10yrs ago....... I mean there were some crazy stuff going on here and there, but I've heard that it's getting pretty bad now. That's pretty sad, cause Portland can be a fun city to do stuff in. Course I used to go down the Old Port with friends for happy hour, sometimes take the ferry over to Jones Landing on a Sunday afternoon for some beers. I loved living in the city, at the time. I was just up there for the Old Port Festival and have seen a lot of changes, there, brought back a lot of old memories. Still have friends and family in both Portland and South Portland......visiting once in while is nice, but I guess living here on a fairly quiet small pond is nice too. Not that we don't have our fair share of problems, but you can get that most places.....

Munjoy isn't so bad, parts of it are super nice. Though there was a murder suicide at the foot of it on the 4th of July two years ago during the fireworks. They had to close off one of the routes off the hill when the fireworks ended, which made a cramped walk even tighter with 30 K pedestrians walking off the hill. I live a block west of Monument square where all of the social services facilities are.

I was at Old Port Fest this weekend too....good times. Portland is a great place outside of it being a refuge for the homeless. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for a lot of them and I'm glad they have good shelters, food and medical services available too them. That said, in my two and half years here, I would say that 95% of them are happy the way they are living. Free food, free health care, free shelter and $750 a month to spend on booze and drugs. It's supposedly the most generous stipend in the country.

 

[snoseek]

Don't worry New Hampshire is not nearly as friendly to unemployed drunks.

Maine sucks because of high taxes and little services to show for it. The roads are some of the worst ever. They really have perfected the art of nickel and dime, N.H. is a leach state meaning they do a great job getting money from out of staters keeping taxes low (except for the crazy property tax).

 

[hardline]

wow thats crazy. there is no way i could live in a place like that. i like mypeace an quite. happy your movin

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

So, this morning I go to corner variety store for a breakfast sandwich. When I get there, the clerk is being yelled at by this guy in his 60's because they won't sell him beer. He's hammered. The guy proceeds to stumble out the door and fall flat on his face. He I assume breaks his nose and is bleeding all over the place. His face is completely smashed. Two cop cars and ambulance show up. They try and treat him, but he's screaming and refusing treatment. Meanwhile another guy is sitting across the street drinking a beer watching the event. The cops see him and say "Buddy what are you doing?" He responds "I'm drinking a beer, what the f$%k does it look like I'm doing?" Cops, "You can't drink on public property" Guy "F&^k you pigs!" So, he gets arrested.

Later I go out to leave to visit customers and see the original old guy walking around, busted up face, beer in hand. :lol:

Then when I get home, the landlord across the street is screaming at some other drunk who's sitting on the steps of his building drinking. More 'F&%k you this and that. While this is happening this giant fella comes barging out the basement door of that building (section 8 ) with a 2 x 4 in his hand screaming 'Who's got a F$%King problem and wants to get their A$$ kicked!" He looked like that WWF wrestler from the 80's with the 2 x 4

Only three weeks to go until I'm out of here. So, I can leave this crazy neighborhood that is one block off the town square, one of the nicest parts of town.

I don't even need to watch Cops, it's live everyday right here. But just like Cable TV, I pay to watch this through ridiculous state income taxes. These people get three free meals a day, food stamps and $750 a month cash to walk around wasted all the time starting crap with the Cops and everyday civilians. There is honestly no greater safe haven for bums than Portland, ME. For real, some of them travel from bus all the way from California to 'reside' here because the services are that friendly for them.

rant over

Wow..I have lots of fond memories of the summer I lived in Maine. I lived down in Saco but would often come up to Portland to use the internet Cafe, walk around, go to the movies, and hit up the Ale House. I remember Portland being a really safe city..but also lots of hippies and bums...for a small city..there was always something going on. I haven't been back to Maine since I left there on August 13th 2002.

 

[deadheadskier]

Wow..I have lots of fond memories of the summer I lived in Maine. I lived down in Saco but would often come up to Portland to use the internet Cafe, walk around, go to the movies, and hit up the Ale House. I remember Portland being a really safe city..but also lots of hippies and bums...for a small city..there was always something going on. I haven't been back to Maine since I left there on August 13th 2002.

*sigh* RIP Ale House

That was my favorite bar in town. I was there at least one night a week for live music. Sadly, two summers ago the rich owners of the hotel next door forced them out. I actually met my girl there; not a drunken pick up , but introduced by a friend. I miss that place big time

 

[deadheadskier]

wow thats crazy. there is no way i could live in a place like that. i like mypeace an quite. happy your movin

The thing is that Portland for the most part is actually a GREAT small city. It's basically like a large Burlington, though not quite so college aged. Honestly, the only thing Burlington has on Portland is its proximity to great skiing. In every other way I would choose Portland over B town in a heart beat.

It just has small pockets of trouble that are remarkably close to the really nice areas. Within a block and half from the mess I described in this thread, you can buy half million dollar condos in a high rise. I took a chance on my neighborhood because it was supposed to be 'Up and Coming'. Unfortunately, it will never be nice with the shelters and soup kitchens around. Dealers, prostitutes and violence are drawn to it like flies on s$%t.

Overall I'm psyched to be moving though. A big part of it is the trash in my neighborhood that I'll be leaving behind. The bigger part though is the taxes. Snoseek pointed out high property taxes in NH which is true, but there's ZERO state income and sales tax in NH, cheaper gas taxes, everything; which all adds up to a big savings from living here.

There's a reason Maine is called Vacationland. It's a great place to take a vacation, but not to live. Sorry Bigbog and OSME who value Maine so much as a home. It has some great attributes and wonderful people, but the socio-economic structure of the state is a complete and total mess. During 2005 there were two states in the nation that went backwards financially. The first? Louisiana because Katrina. The second? Maine because of the morons that run this place.

 

[snoseek]

Wow..I have lots of fond memories of the summer I lived in Maine. I lived down in Saco but would often come up to Portland to use the internet Cafe, walk around, go to the movies, and hit up the Ale House. I remember Portland being a really safe city..but also lots of hippies and bums...for a small city..there was always something going on. I haven't been back to Maine since I left there on August 13th 2002.

But you were awfully close to Biddeford.

Don't get me wrong I lived 5 good years in Maine and stupid politics aside I really love it there. Most of the state is so unspoiled, you can really get away from all the tourist. Three of the summers were in ogunquit which is riddled with people but the beach is awesome there. Kittery was also an excellent place to live, so close to portsmouth without all the crazys.

 

[wa-loaf]

Maine is great! Get out of the city and you find beautiful victorians or farm houses with well kept yards and their neighbors have a trailer or tar paper shack and 3-4 cars up on blocks in the yard.

 

[deadheadskier]

But you were awfully close to Biddeford.

Don't get me wrong I lived 5 good years in Maine and stupid politics aside I really love it there. Most of the state is so unspoiled, you can really get away from all the tourist. Three of the summers were in ogunquit which is riddled with people but the beach is awesome there. Kittery was also an excellent place to live, so close to portsmouth without all the crazys.

Ogunquit beach is nice....far from my favorite though. Popham and Reid State Park Beaches about an hour north of Portland are far and away the nicest beaches I've ever seen on the east coast. Near Portland, Higgins Beach is pretty fantastic.

I'll miss the beaches, typically go two or three days a week in summer. I imagine from Newmarket I'll be spending my beach time at Long Sands in York, Rye in NH if I can get a parking spot or Plum Island in Newburyport. It will definitely take a bit more effort though. From here I'm on the beach in ten minutes, it'll be more like a half hour down there. Well, Hampton is only 15 minutes but.....

 

[ckofer]

Don't worry New Hampshire is not nearly as friendly to unemployed drunks.

.

Hence the Newmarket move. Most of the unemployed drunks do have UNH id's.:wink:

 

[marcski]

So, this morning I go to corner variety store for a breakfast sandwich. When I get there, the clerk is being yelled at by this guy in his 60's because they won't sell him beer. He's hammered. The guy proceeds to stumble out the door and fall flat on his face. He I assume breaks his nose and is bleeding all over the place. His face is completely smashed. Two cop cars and ambulance show up. They try and treat him, but he's screaming and refusing treatment. Meanwhile another guy is sitting across the street drinking a beer watching the event. The cops see him and say "Buddy what are you doing?" He responds "I'm drinking a beer, what the f$%k does it look like I'm doing?" Cops, "You can't drink on public property" Guy "F&^k you pigs!" So, he gets arrested.

Later I go out to leave to visit customers and see the original old guy walking around, busted up face, beer in hand. :lol:

Then when I get home, the landlord across the street is screaming at some other drunk who's sitting on the steps of his building drinking. More 'F&%k you this and that. While this is happening this giant fella comes barging out the basement door of that building (section 8 ) with a 2 x 4 in his hand screaming 'Who's got a F$%King problem and wants to get their A$$ kicked!" He looked like that WWF wrestler from the 80's with the 2 x 4

Only three weeks to go until I'm out of here. So, I can leave this crazy neighborhood that is one block off the town square, one of the nicest parts of town.

I don't even need to watch Cops, it's live everyday right here. But just like Cable TV, I pay to watch this through ridiculous state income taxes. These people get three free meals a day, food stamps and $750 a month cash to walk around wasted all the time starting crap with the Cops and everyday civilians. There is honestly no greater safe haven for bums than Portland, ME. For real, some of them travel from bus all the way from California to 'reside' here because the services are that friendly for them.

rant over

There appears to be a whole hell of a lot Shakin' down on Shakedown Street......

 

[deadheadskier]

There appears to be a whole hell of a lot Shakin' down on Shakedown Street......

for sure and no pokin' around needed.