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Dive bars and neighborhood watering holes are having a tough go of it in Portland lately. Last year it was Sangillo's shut down by the city, then Mama's CrowBar unceremoniously booted by a new landlord to make way for the old boys network of Munjoy Hill. Now Forest Gardens, one of Maine's essential dive bars for around 80 years, is on the chopping block for a potential suburban-style pharmacy from CVS, according to the Portland Press Herald. What's wrong with self-medicating?
All is not yet lost, the paper reports: "City officials are considering whether three of the five buildings located between 351 and 379 Forest Ave. should be designated as historic and spared the wrecking ball." Portland's Historic Preservation Board will conduct a preliminary review on Wednesday.
In the meantime, as you decide where to direct your outrage, keep in mind that CVS currently has a store at 449 Forest Avenue, less than half a mile away from the proposed new development. The nearest pub, The Great Lost Bear, is a full half-mile away.