Jazz Breakfast at Portland Museum of Art

Sundays were created for relaxation (or recuperation, depending on how late your Saturday went). And brunch exists because - let's face it - being functional at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday just isn't right.

Besides, it feels good to roll out of bed late in the morning, hover over the coffee pot in your PJs and then kick back on the couch for some well-earned TV time.

But it is possible to maintain that leisurely Sunday sentiment and still DO something. Heck, even something cultural [gasp!].

The Portland Museum of Art hosts Sunday Jazz Breakfasts from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Sunday from fall through spring. The featured band each week includes the likes of Port City Jazz and Sean Mencher and his Rhythm Kings.

Enjoying the jazz is free with the cost of admission ($10 for adults) so once the music stops you can still roam the exhibits.

Even better - the art and jazz combo.

When we entered the museum a couple Sundays back, the music welcomed us in just as clearly as the woman at the admissions counter. I didn't need to ask where to head for the jazz breakfast - I just followed my ears.

From the main floor you can peer down into the cafe and watch the band from above (and pretend to be the Puppet Master, if that's your idea of fun). Thanks to the open architecture of the building, the jazz tunes float throughout the museum. The music makes an ideal soundtrack to an art appreciation morning.

But if you're hungry you can head down the stairs and take advantage of the a la carte breakfast spread. Choose from bagels, croissants, scones and a featured hot entree (quiche perhaps). There's fruit salad, too, in case you're trying to adhere to your new-found passion: the gluten-free diet.

It's a cafeteria-style set up - well, minus the cafeteria tables. There are 10 or so tables at the back of the room, though those were well-crowded when we got there.

Instead, find a seat in one of the rows upon rows of folding chairs. It isn't as easy to chow your bagel and hold your coffee at the same time here, but you can make it work.

There's definitely an excellent turnout for these regular breakfasts - and you may be shocked to learn that the crowd errs on the side of "older."

Yes, it's true. Gray hair and orthopedic shoes were in abundance. But don't let that deter you young whippersnappers. The jazz is fabulous, the coffee well-caffeinated and the art patiently waiting your perusal.

Food and a flick at Smitty's Cinema

Going to the movies. It's been a fall-back option to the "What do you want to do tonight?" question for decades. It's not the most creative suggestion, but it works thanks to its simplicity and cheapness.

Dinner is inevitably added to the plan as a pre-movie warm up. But the thing about dinner is you're often compelled to, you know, talk. Have a conversation. Swap stories.

It's a lot of effort some nights. But try eating in silence just once and suddenly you're "awkward" and "no longer needed at the office."

Bless Smitty's Cinemas for providing a conversation-free dining experience. All you need to do is sit back, chew your fries and watch the big ol' screen up front.

Smitty's in Biddeford (there's also one in Sanford) looks like any other movie theater at the outset. Brightly patterned carpeting flecked with escapee popcorn, the scent of microwaved butter, the electronic gunfire of a video game audible from the arcade.

The real Smitty's draw isn't obvious until you press through the door to the theater. Goodbye rows of tightly packed seats. Hello table for six! Hello rolling, reclining chair from heaven!

There are a handful of tables in the theater - and rows of seats up front if you're really hankering for the traditional theater experience. If you didn't grab a menu from the ticket counter a waiter will bring you one. That's right - a waiter.

It's a dinner-while-you-movie kind of theater. The menu consists of the deep fried basics like chicken fingers and fries, burgers and nachos. Beer ($2.99 Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Light, Miller Light, Coors Light, Rolling Rock and Michelob Ultra), a few mixed drinks ($4.99 Bacardi and cola or Bacardi and punch) and even wine is available as well.

Doors open long before the movie starts, so you can snag a table and get chowin' if you don't want food distracting you from your movie concentration. But you can order when the lights go down, too, if you dig the screen-watching/burger-chewing combo.

The theater is dark during the movie, though still well-lit enough for you to see what you're eating. Three cheers for that - since we were brought a side sauce that appeared to be growing some sort of fuzz. The waitress apologized profusely for the hairy marinara, but the full bill came at the end of the meal. Oh well.

It's a different way to see a regular old movie - with a bigger screen than your apartment and more personal space than other theaters. And being able to sip a couple of beers while you watch (without having to hide the bottle under your coat jacket) is kind of nice.

It isn't gourmet dinning here, but that's not the point. You don't go FOR the food - you go because there IS food (and drink).