BIT OF EVERYTHING. CHENG. WE HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY HERE. IT’S A NICE WATERFRONT NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE ARE MORE SEATS AVAILABLE IN RESTAURANTS IN THE CITY THAN THERE ARE ACTUAL RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH. PORTSMOUTH IS NEW HAMPSHIRE’S OLDEST SETTLEMENT, SECOND OLDEST CITY, FIRST CAPITAL, AND ONLY SEAPORT. ESTABLISHED IN 1623, THIS CITY CONTINUES TO BE A LIVELY DESTINY, ESPECIALLY DOWNTOWN. IT’S LIKE A SMALLER BOSTON, ALMOST BRICK BUILDINGS LINE THE STREETS. WE HAD A FIRE IN THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, AND FOR LIKE 50 YEARS YOU COULD ONLY BUILD A BRICK TO PREVENT FIRES HOUSED INSIDE MANY INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES. THERE’S MAYBE ONE CHAIN, THIRD GENERATION RESTAURATEUR JOHN TENAYA’S, ALONG WITH CHEF STEVE JAMES, HAVE OWNED THE POPULAR CAFE POPP OVER ON THE SQUARE SINCE 2006. I SAID TO STEVE, I’D REALLY LIKE TO NAME THIS PLACE AFTER SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE VERY PROUD OF. SPECIFIC TO THIS REGION. HE SAYS, WELL, POPOVERS YEAR ONE, THEY SOLD NEARLY 29,000 POPOVERS. NOW THEY’RE BAKING UP TO A THOUSAND OF THESE GOLDEN BROWN CLASSIC NEW ENGLAND PASTRIES A DAY. MADE FROM FIVE INGREDIENTS, POPOVERS EARN THEIR NAME BECAUSE THE BATTER PUFFS ALL OVER THE PAN, GIVING IT ITS FLUFFY TOP. SO IT’S VERY, VERY LIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHERE YOU GET THAT TEXTURE. AND THEN BAKING IT AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE WITH THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF MOISTURE. AND THAT’S HOW YOU GET TO THE CRISPINESS ON THE OUTSIDE. AND THE NICE HOLY, DELICATE, BUTTERY, EGGY POPOVER. THERE ARE ENDLESS WAYS TO ENJOY A POPOVER HERE WITH EGG AND CHEESE, CHICKEN SALAD, OR EVEN ICE CREAM. THERE’S LITERALLY NOTHING WE HAVEN’T TRIED. FOR ME, IT’S THE OLD FASHIONED WAY. JUST WITH MAPLE BUTTER. PORTSMOUTH IS A WALKABLE CITY AND HAS A VARIETY OF BOUTIQUES TO EXPLORE, INCLUDING PAT LONERGAN’S INSIDE OUT. IF IT DOESN’T MAKE ME SMILE, IT DOESN’T MAKE IN THE STORE. PAT, WHO OWNS SOLARI SALON AND SPA RIGHT NEXT DOOR, FILLS THE SHOP WITH GOODS FROM SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES WORLDWIDE. AND WHEN CHOOSING MERCHANDISE, SHE KEEPS ONE FEELING IN MIND ED COZY. I THINK OUR SOCIETY REALLY REALIZES THEY WANT TO BE COMFORTABLE ALL THE TIME, SO IF IT’S NOT SOFT AND COZY, IT DOESN’T MAKE IT IN THE STORE. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ALL DAY LONG WE HEAR, MY GOD, IT’S SO SOFT, IT’S SO SOFT, IT’S SO SOFT. AND SO WE’RE REALLY KNOWN FOR THAT HERE. YOU’LL FIND CASUAL CLOTHING FOR MEN, WOMEN, KIDS, PETS AND EVEN A CRAFT COCKTAIL SECTION. YOU MIGHT WANT TO INDULGE IN A CRAFT COCKTAIL OR TWO. NO JUDGMENT ON YOUR FREE TIME IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN IS STRAWBERY BANKE MUSEUM, A LIVING, OPEN AIR HISTORY MUSEUM. THE MUSEUM WAS INCORPORATED IN 1958. THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WAS GOING TO BE TORN DOWN SO A GROUP OF PORTSMOUTH CITIZENS BOUGHT THE LAND TO PRESERVE OUR HISTORY AND SHOW PEOPLE HOW THINGS WERE IN THE PAST. THE MUSEUM COVERS THE PERIOD ROUGHLY BETWEEN. 1690 AND THE 1950S. WE TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE, THE EVERYDAY, ORDINARY PEOPLE THAT LIVED HERE, CONNECTING THEM TO PEOPLE TODAY AND MAKING THEM RELEVANT. EXPLORE HISTORIC HOMES SUCH AS THE WALSH HOUSE OF 1802, THE HOME OF A SEA CAPTAIN. PARTICIPATE IN HANDS ON ACTIVITIES, DISCOVER CHANGING EXHIBITS ON THIS DAY, IT’S BABY ANIMALS, AND EVEN INTERACT WITH PERIOD ROLE PLAYERS. MEET MRS. TUCKER. FROM 1943. WELL, I AIN’T ONE TO GOSSIP, DEAR, BUT YOU KNOW WELL, YOU CAN’T HELP BUT SEE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT’S GOING ON. YEAH. NOW, I WON’T TELL MRS. TUCKER. I HEAR THERE’S A MAN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOUGHT A PIECE OF MEAT ON THE BLACK MARKET. OH. HIS WIFE SWEARS EMBARKED AT HER WHEN SHE WAS COOKING IT. OH, WELL, YOU DEAL THEM WITH SCOUNDRELS RIGHT ON. THAT NOTE, WE END OUR VISIT WITH A NIGHT’S STAY AT HOTEL THAXTER. THE CHIC, INTIMATE HOTEL HOUSED IN AN 1860S CHURCH BUILDING. IT WAS THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. AFTER THAT, IT WAS THE SALVATION ARMY, THE SALVATION ARMY THEN WANTED TO DOWNSIZE, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME THE BUILDING WAS PUT UP ON THE MARKET AND SOLD TO US. AFTER A THREE YEAR RENOVATION, HOTEL THAXTER OPENED IN DECEMBER 2022. THIS IS THE THIRD INN FOR OWNERS AMANDA AND JAY MCSHERRY, WHO ALSO OWN MANY PORTSMOUTH RESTAURANTS, INCLUDING LOCAL FAVORITE JUMPIN JAY’S HOTEL. THAXTER, NAMED AFTER PORTSMOUTH NATIVE AND WRITER CELIA THAXTER, VER IS A BLEND OF HISTORIC DETAILS WITH MODERN TOUCHES. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LOSING YOUR KEYS HERE. EVERYTHING IS CODE OPERATED. ED. 15 ROOMS ON SITE AND A RESTAURANT NICHINAN SERVING JAPANESE CUISINE. CHEF ANDREW SWANSON RECOMMENDS THE PORK BELLY. HIRATA BUNS. ARGUABLY THE MOST ORDERED ITEM ON THE MENU, AND IT WAS A STAPLE FROM DAY ONE. ONE OF MANY THINGS TO ENJOY IN PORTSMOUTH, AND WE BARELY SCRATCH THE SURFACE. TILL NEXT TIME I’M. HOTEL BAXTER RATES VARY DEPENDING ON THE SEASON. OFF SEASON RATES START AT ROUGHLY $200 IN PEAK SEASON IS AT 400. THE RESTAURANT AT THE HOTEL NICHINAN WAS NAMED AFTER A CITY IN JAPAN. IT’S CONSIDERED TO BE A SISTER CITY TO PORTSMOUTH AND BACK TO STRAWBERY BANKE. THE NAME COMES FROM THE EARLY COLONISTS WHO FOUND WILD STRAWBERRIES GROWING ALONG THE BANKS OF THE PISCATAQUA RIVER, SO THEY CALLED THEIR THEIR COMMUNITY STRAWBERRY BANK