Summerguide 2011

I’m driving behind a New Mexico license plate–yellow with red letters in celebration of how much sunshine they enjoy in the great American Southwest. “If you love your ‘Land of Enchantment’ so much,” I laugh, “what brings you to Vacationland?”

Because we’re ‘cool,’ for one thing–‘the nation’s air-conditioner.’

Then, too, New Mexico sunshine comes cheap, the way views of the Atlantic come cheap here. Can you believe the shimmering slice of Rockland Harbor the Rockland Dunkin’ Donuts indifferently sits on? Don’t you love the Hannafords in South Portland with the luxury to turn its back on sparkling views of the Portland skyline?

Maine’s rare and ethereal sunshine is more exotic for its fragility, for the way our blue dungeon fog swallows our coastline in the morning before lifting its veil to expose the sun’s icy, extraordinary rays.

I love Emily Dickinson’s line, “I’ll tell you how the Sun rose–A Ribbon at a time.” Did you know that no fewer than three places in Maine claim to catch the first precious rays of sunshine to greet the United States each morning? (See our related story “Who’s On First Sunrise?” on page 58). This summer, it’s time to meet our sunshine personally.

Consider the romance (or lack thereof) implied by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) list of the sunniest cities in America. To Portland’s 57 percent, Yuma, Arizona, pants with a crispy-fried 90 percent. Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tucson have  85 percent, followed by Key West at 76 and Miami at 70 percent.

Maybe our 57-percent sunshine ‘solution’ is not so bad after all! On the dark side, there’s Juneau, Alaska, America’s ice tray, with just 30 percent sunshine. For the full list, visit portlandmagazine.com/sun.

Besides, whoever said fog isn’t beautiful? Steve Martin has quipped, “A day without sunshine is, well, night,” but the flip side of that is, “A city without fog is demystified.” Assuming you’re not an extraterrestrial, which city would make the most intriguing date–the diaphanous world capitals of London, San Francisco, Portland…or Roswell, New Mexico (74 percent)? Because on top of being flattened by too much sun, I hear Roswell’s a little spacey.