The half-decade I spent living in a small apartment on Islington Street was undoubtedly one of the best times of my life. Apt 3 at 524 Islington St. was a modest, two bedroom, second story apartment with an outdated kitchen and bathroom (both eventually renovated), a deck and back staircase (also renovated) and two front facing windows that often served as my looking glass into the busy world below.

My living space was curiously situated inside a 114+ year old house, along with four other apartments, each of which contained their own unique set of neighbors over the years—some of whom loved to drop acid and sit on our conjoined deck and stare at the stars and others who it appears were never quite able to figure out what day was Trash Day. I still get riled up thinking about all the trash I lugged to the curb over the years. The guys who dropped acid didn’t bother me as much.

Anyways, it’s been a little over three months since I moved out of my apartment on Islington Street and into a house about a mile way on Woodlawn Circle. I miss it. I still haven’t quite acclimated to this type of residential life. It feels odd not hearing the sound of someone beeping at someone else because they are waiting in line for Dunkin Donuts. It feels strange not finding random garbage at my front door. It feels unnatural not to see cars and people zooming by at any time of day or night. The silence where I live now is foreign, but very welcome.

Not long after moving away from Islington Street I wrote down some of favorite and least favorite parts of living along that busy stretch of roadway. The list grew and grew, and eventually somehow metamorphosed itself into a tongue and cheek tribute of sorts—an ode, a ballad, a eulogy of what life was like living on Islington Street.

Seeing as the city recently held “visioning sessions” on the future of my beloved street, I figured what better time to share my thoughts than now. I truly believe Islington Street is the coronary artery that feeds the heart of Portsmouth. There is, in my opinion, no other thoroughfare that so adequately represents this city. These are my observations for anyone considering living on Islington Street. Enjoy!

10 Things To Know About Living on Islington Street

1. Beware of Drunken Zombie Herds — A herd of young intoxicated revelers can be routinely seen roaming up and down Islington Street on any given night of the week, leaving behind trails of god knows what along the way. These drunken herds grow in size and strength as the night progresses, and are most prevalent on the weekends during the summer months. Overserved and overstuffed on Joe’s New York Pizza, the members of this sloshed slew of twenty-something are harmless, but have been known to make some questionable decisions

2. Don’t Get Gas Here — For some reason gasoline prices on Islington Street are much higher than anywhere else in the city. All three gas stations—Sunoco, Mobil on the Run, and Ampet—all boast prices that are at least 10-cents higher than anywhere else in the city. While it may be tempting to gas up close to home, you’ll save some pennies by heading to Route One or the Route One Bypass.

3. Best Coffee Selection in the City — You can’t go wrong with any of the many coffee drinking opportunities along the roughly one mile stretch of Islington Street starting from Gallaghers Plaza and heading into the downtown. Options include; Port City Coffee Roasters, White Heron Café, Dunkin Donuts and Caffe Kilim—all very popular coffee shops. And for those early risers, there’s always the New England Coffee being brewed at the Sunoco and Mobil on the Run. (Disclaimer: No offense Starbucks lovers and diehard BNG fans!)

4. Prepare for Trash Day Tribulations — This busy artery that runs into the heart of Portsmouth turns into a virtual minefield of garbage cans and green recycling bins on trash day. Whether it is the overzealous public works employees who I swear enjoy punting recycling bins, or those windy mornings that send your trash receptacles rolling into the road, be prepared to hate trash day. And because of how close some homes are, don’t’ be surprised if one morning you have 4 trash bins, and later that afternoon you have 8 (true story).

5. Your Chance of Being Hit By a Car is Very High — There really is no safe place to cross Islington Street, no matter where you look along this heavily traveled corridor. The cross walks that do exist go unnoticed to drivers, who tend to hum up and down the road at a speedy pace. Oddly enough the most popular place to cross the street in front of Caffé Kilim has no cross walk whatsoever, and has been the scene of numerous car vs pedestrian accidents over the years. Bicyclists should also beware, Islington Street is narrow and fast so it’s best you keep your head on a swivel.

6. You’ve Got Everything You Need Here — Everything you need, you can find on Islington Street. If you need a bible the Christian Book Store has what you need. There’s two pharmacy’s – CVS and Rite Aid – there’s at least two places to get your haircut, there’s multiple dentists, and an auto repair shop. There’s a place to get team jerseys made, a vacuum repair shop, lawyers offices, a supermarket, a TV repair shop, etc. Need I go on?

7. Food, Food and More Food — You name it, Islington Street has got it…well kind of. There are multiple pizza joints, a fast food Chinese restaurant called Hong Kong Express, STREET, a kick-ass burger place in Lexie’s and the always eclectic The Kitchen. There are numerous other dining establishment situated along the corridor that I could mention, the best of which is Mojo’s BBQ Grill & Tavern.

8. There’s Never a Dull Moment — Islington Street is a magnet for memorable people, places and events. Characters like Yalcin Yazgan, proprietor of Caffe Kilim. It’s not rare to see Yalcin outside of his place chatting with locals. You can read about him, and many other legendary locals, in my book. The Christmas Parade shoots right down Islington Street every year, which I enjoyed because I could sit on my stoop with an adult beverage and watch. The Veterans Day Parade also heads down a part of Islington Street and culminates at Goodwin Park. Not everything on Islington Street is positive however. There were at least 3 robberies that took place on Islington St while I lived there. Two of the robberies occurred at a bank right across my apartment, and the other was at a Rite Aid Pharmacy a little further down. There have also been countless car accidents. There was even a report of a shady gentleman approaching women asking if they wanted to see his pantyhose.

9. History Happened Here — The aforementioned Goodwin Park contains easily one of the most interesting and well-designed monuments in the city. Known as the Portsmouth’s Sailors and Soldiers Monument, this Civil War monument is considered the largest white bronze monument in New Hampshire, according to the local author J. Dennis Robinson. Among my most favorite, yet questionable tidbits of history, involves Paul Revere, months before his infamous Midnight Ride, riding into Portsmouth to warn citizens of a potential British troop landing. The ride, dubbed The Portsmouth Alarm, is considered by some to be the official “first strike” of the American Revolution. I was talking about the ride with a local historian not long ago and it was mentioned that many believe Revere rode right down Islington Street on his way into Portsmouth. Although it is sheer conjecture…I like to think he did!

10. Don’t Blink…It’s Going to Change — Sadly, but understandably, things are bound to change along Islington Street. The city for years has talked about improving the stretch extending from the Bartlett Street underpass to Maplewood Avenue. The project, although a few years out, will involve “a comprehensive full road reconstruction” as well as various streetscape improvements. Old buildings will surely be torn down, properties will change hands and new buildings will be built. The city is also expected to work on something known as Character-Based Zoning for Islington Street, which when implemented will have a major impact on what type of buildings, businesses and homes can be constructed along the streetscape.

Thanks for reading!