Out and about isn’t a phrase I’m using much these days, as we complete our second full week of near-lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak in New York State—unless I’m referring to taking a walk around my neighborhood or on my town’s rail trail. Like many avid travelers, I’m feeling the strain of being, well, constrained, while also understanding that it’s in everyone’s best interest if we all just stay put.

So while I’m sticking close to home, I’m spending a lot of time scrolling through my Google Photos of recent trips, plus the thousands of images I’ve saved from older sojourns on my computer. I think we’re all feeling a bit thirsty for places other than our own living room couches, so I’ll be sharing some of my trips here, including this Snapshot Travel Guide of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that I created for the Greylock Glass.

Portsmouth is a breath of fresh air for a bunch of reasons. Although it’s not a coastal town, it has the feel of one, complete with a brick-bedecked, historic downtown brimming with options for dining, shopping, and entertainment. (Is it a little overpriced? Yep. But not as badly as many East Coast cities.)

Portsmouth has roughly the same population of its better-known Atlantic cousin, Portland, Maine (about an hour north), but it doesn’t get the same amount of tourist traffic. Translation: you’re less likely to fight for a parking space in Portsmouth, especially if you plan your trip in the spring, fall, or winter.

And if you’re expecting the “cold”  New Englander stereotype, you’ll be awfully surprised by the people of Portsmouth. Most are friendly and quick to make suggestions, and some can be downright chatty. For a state with such a hard-line motto—which its tourism board quietly removed from its marketing—it’s an awfully cheerful place.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is such a photogenic city that I had an overflow of great images from this trip, and many didn’t make the initial cut. So check out a couple of my also-rans here, then head over to the Glass to see the full guide.