I am an optimist. My window shows our new snow depth gauge standing proudly above a few inches of decorative snow. Do I worry that at this time last year the ground was bare? No. Do I think that by mid-February of last year it would have struggled to keep its head visible? Certainly not. The squirrel’s tracks in the snow do not have to be at waist level to be appreciated.
You don’t have to be an optimist to visit Portsmouth during the winter. Our shops and restaurants remain open, as eating and shopping know no season. The Music Hall offers an eclectic collection of shows from Trombone Shorty to the Capital Steps to The Moth Mainstage and movies like Room and Chi-raq. The club scene features local favorites like the Soggy Po’ Boys and Dub Apocalypse. Theater offerings include Because of the Women (West End Studio Theater), Satchmo at the Waldorf (Seacoast Rep) and Antigone (Player’s Ring).
If you need a special event to coax you from your winter’s slumber how about the Fire and Ice Festival (Feb. 10-15), professional skaters at the Puddle Dock skating ring at Strawbery Banke (Feb. 26-27) and it doesn’t get much more special than Restaurant Week (March 31 – April 9).
So try a walk on the bright side. At the Portsmouth Brewery I always find it so much better to imagine the glass half full.