Rhode Island Day 1
Last weekend we made a trip to Rhode Island to see the leaves changing and to check off a state neither of us had ever been to before. I wanted to test out the “travel hacking” I’ve been learning, so we got tickets on Jet Blue to fly into Providence, RI. Not the best value, but it cost us nothing and had a better-than-cash redemption so it was a good trial. Plus, the flight was direct from Orlando to Providence.
Our first stop was Wickford Village, where we stopped on the way to Newport, where we’d be staying. Wickford Village is the cutest little town; I could totally imagine us living there! Well, except in winter.
For lunch, we had some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever tasted – and that’s saying something since I live at the beach in Florida. The restaurant is called Wickford on the Water and their food was just incredible! We had steamed mussels and cocktails to start. Then Pete had fish and chips, and I had a fried fish Reuben sandwich.
The scenery was really pretty too. The outdoor patio overlooked the waters of Wickford Cove.
After lunch, we walked around the village and took in the sights and some of the beautiful leaves changing colors. We stopped into an oil and vinegar store and made a small purchase, and did a little window shopping at a few other establishments. Then we walked past where we’d parked and saw several old-fashioned churches, along with lots of color-changing trees. The fall foliage was the whole reason we went, so that was exciting!
If you look closely at the third-from-last photo above, you’ll see a sign we thought was really cute. It says “on this site in 1897 nothing happened”! How historic.
After our stroll, we drove on to Newport. We had booked accommodations at Admiral Sim’s House, an adorable bed & breakfast. Our room was large and even had a small little kitchenette. We spent some time on the gazebo on the grounds, then walked down to Easton Pond, checking out the leaves on the way, and looking for birds.
Finally we went to dinner at Mamma Luisa’s, where I had carbonara (very properly done!) and Pete had veal saltimboca (I didn’t get a picture). Dessert was lemon Italian ice that was served inside a frozen lemon. Our server said another pair of diners tried to eat the lemon, thinking it was part of the dessert, then tried to return it for being too hard. She had to explain to them that the lemon itself was just for display and a container. (Personally, I was glad she explained that to us, because I’m afraid I might have thought the same thing!)
We had a bit of trouble parking, but finally found a spot on the street. The staff up front wasn’t the most welcoming, but our server was really good and the food was worth all the parking trouble! I am very picky about carbonara; if it has cream or peas, it’s not made right, and so many US restaurants use both. Although the photo above isn’t very good, it shows what carbonara should look like!
Due to all the travel, this day was long and we were planning to get up early the next day for birding. So we headed back to the B&B for a good night’s sleep.
