We May Get a Ski Village Set-Up in Downtown Portsmouth

How cool is this?! There’s a chance that the main streets of downtown Portsmouth might turn into a temporary winter ski village set-up.

According to SeacoastOnline.com, an informal pitch was made to the Citizen Response Task Force to allow outdoor activities and events to happen downtown, just like a ski village operates in the winter. The article reported that included in the proposal was making sure there is adequate and safe room for utility and emergency trucks to go by – obviously an important thing to consider.

Can you imagine rolling up to Market Square and coming across basically a winter wonderland? Especially since a ton of us got robbed of the usual amazing Seacoast summer because of COVID – this would just be such an awesome way to keep people wanting to go downtown.

A few Portsmouth restaurants are down with it, too, planning to drop heat lamps in the outdoor bar areas they built during the warmer months so they can keep utilizing that space in the colder months, according to Seacoast Online.

Plus, with four Portsmouth restaurants having to close down temporarily due to COVID-19 exposures (Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Café, Flatbread Company, the Rosa and Martingale Wharf), there’s a solid chance that customers may not be fully comfortable with indoor dining right now.

Having that outdoor option could possibly keep people more at ease and not cause them to avoid going out.

Honestly, as TERRIBLE (and I do mean terrible – it’s been AWFUL) as COVID as been, at the same time, it’s really forced people in general and especially businesses to get creative. We live in one of the most amazing areas to be in during summer and early fall. And as much as 95% of us hate snow, you can’t tell me you don’t love being outside sometime after a fresh snowfall to just take it in.

Not to mention, how many of us will go up to the mountains with our ski friends with no other plans than to sit in the lodge all day warming up with our favorite winter cocktail while our friends do runs on the slopes? It’d basically be like being at a ski lodge, but outdoors (yet still warm from the heat lamps) and only 5-10 minutes away from home!

That’s more money to spend on your favorite drinks and an Uber/Lyft (remember kids, don’t drink and drive) that you won’t be spending on a weekend at a lodge/resort!

I’m SO HERE for this! Plus – imagine all the adult-beverage-fueled snowball fights! Most of 2020 has been a real kick to the gut, but the Seacoast could TOTALLY THRIVE for winter 2020!