This year I spent my birthday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was my first visit, but unfortunately I don’t have much to share… I was in a hotel meeting room most of the time. I did to get outside for about an hour before dinner. There are a large number of shops, restaurants and bars in the area and it’s a very walkable downtown. There’s brick everywhere and the city’s got an old New England feel to it. The Piscataqua River forms the border between New Hampshire and Maine. If you decide to visit, it’s just a quick ride over the bridge to go outlet shopping in Kittery. I knew we wouldn’t have any free meals on our own, so I didn’t research a single place to eat. A fellow board member mentioned the chowder at the River House came highly recommended so we split a cup. This isn’t the usual New England clam chowder, it has fish in it as well.