Newport
What a beautiful place to spend the last days of summer! Newport, Rhode Island is a seaside city famous for its sailing, seafood, and mansions on the cliffside. I wish we were here longer than the few days, because there was so much more I had saved on my Yelp lists. (More for next time!) We were lucky that the weather was favorable while we were here, so we spent most of our time dining and exploring outdoors. (Note: We are still in COVID times, so people are required to wear masks around in public. But surprisingly, we found that many residents did not.)
Newport is definitely walkable, especially in downtown and on the Wharfs. However, you may want to either drive your own car or rent one to get to the vineyards, mansions, and other places not in Newport proper. There are also bikes and scooter rentals available.
On our first night, we didn’t do too much except explore the downtown Broadway District, which was just steps away from where we were staying. We ventured out for dinner a bit later (maybe after 7) and found that some places had already closed for the night. Fun fact: There are a lot of bar/grills and Irish-style pubs here, so if you’re a fan of beer, definitely stop by one of these places and try their drafts! I unknowingly chose a really great place, because my legs were getting tired, and also I was amused by the name of the restaurant. I typically don’t go for “bar food,” but this place’s food was so yummy and so fresh. At Pour Judgement (So. Clever.) we were greeted by the sweetest and funniest waitress, who brought us in to our quarantine-style booth. We ordered the:
Guacamole with fresh salsa, herb sour cream (so good), and house seasoned chips
Tuna Melt on sourdough with tomato and bacon
Blackened Fish Burrito with cod, house made kimchi, scallions, and sour cream
We also got their special draft IPA and hard cider, which were both fragrant and light! Peep my Asian glow in the gallery below. Also peep the stupid pimple that decided to tag along our vacation, ugh! Everything here honestly exceeded our expectations, and we are definitely coming back here the next time we visit Newport. The portions were also very generous here (or I just eat like a bird, so says Tim), and I had to take home half my tuna melt, but it made for the best leftovers snack. Pour Judgement - but a great decision.
After dinner, we wanted to walk along the water and then take the scenic route home. We started by Long Wharf (where the beautiful cover photo was taken!) On the way back, we saw many homes (they have little name tags!) that were built in the 1700’s and even earlier.
The next day, we got breakfast at a popular locale called Corner Cafe. Not sure if these are COVID hours, but they are open from 8:30 to 3:00pm. After we left our names with the waitress, we waited for about 35 minutes, and luckily got a booth seat inside! The coffee was not the best - granted, I am a huge coffee snob - but our main dishes were great!!
Breakfast @ Corner Cafe in Newport, RI
After breakfast, we headed down the island to visit the famed cliffside mansions. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the visitation hours have been shortened, so we were only able to visit one mansion - so we chose The Breakers. The entire house is so opulent and grand, it’s hard to believe this was only used as a summer home by the Vanderbilt’s - but it was fun to imagine what it would be like to live here back then. I believe all of the aged mansions are meticulously kept by some historical preservation society, and most are open to the public for viewing as a sort of museum. Aside from the gift shop in the lower level, each room has sectioned off areas where the original furnishings sat.
For our last hurrah in town, we wanted to export Bowen’s Wharf. Aside from restaurants and preppy clothing stores, we came across many gift shops - there is literally a store called “Tourist Trap.” Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying a “Newport” hat (see photo below). Lastly, we needed to try Newport’s lobster rolls. You can’t visit a state in New England and not their their take on the lobster roll. Thanks to Yelp, I found exactly the kind of spot I was looking for - Easton’s Beach Shack, located straight on the beach. The roll there was fresh, buttery, and overflowing with lobster!
The next morning, we stopped by Starbucks to get my must-have Starbucks “You Are Here” collection cups from Rhode Island, then over to a well-known coffee shop to get fuel for the road, and prepared for the next leg of our little vacation. Cheers, off to Boston!
Oat Milk Iced Coffee & Iced Mocha Coffee