Weekend in Rhode Island ... and Mystic, Conn.

Ice cream and a view ... is there any better way to end a weekend getaway?

We had seen everything we wanted to see in Providence and done everything we wanted to do, but we certainly couldn't waste our holiday by going straight home. Instead, we decided on an impromptu stop in Mystic, Conn.

Everything I knew about the village comes from the movie "Mystic Pizza," which was actually filmed in the area. Truth be told, I still don't know too much more. It was so hot that we mostly saw Mystic from the comfort of our air conditioned car.

We did make two stops, however. The first was for some so-so seafood -- clam fritters and clam chowder, neither of which seemed to have much of the namesake ingredient. We had counted on exploring the town by foot, but neither of us felt up to it. Instead, we decided to drive down the main street and make our way back to the interstate.

But then Paul spotted Drawbridge Ice Cream.

All weekend I had been saying I wanted to stop at a "real" ice cream parlor. Then, just as we were crossing a drawbridge over the Mystic River, this one appeared.

And just as we saw it, the car parked closest to the parlor pulled away. Obviously, a higher power was telling Paul to pull over and get me ice cream. And by a "higher power," I mean me.

We took our single-scoop waffle cones (blueberry ice cream for me, mint chocolate chip for Paul) to the shaded deck on the river and watched the afternoon pass us by.

We never did see the drawbridge go up.

But our sojourn to Mystic wasn't quite over. Can you really say you've been there without seeing the Mystic Pizza? Who knows if it really is "a slice of heaven," but it probably would have been better than those clam fritters.

Weekend in Rhode Island: Newport

I walked away from Newport, Rhode Island, with a horrible sunburn and a nasty bruise, but also with memories of some of the best, most beautiful views I've ever seen in my life.

We spend July 4th in Newport, about an hour away from Providence, knowing very little of what to expect. Paul knew there were mansions. I knew there were lighthouses. We figured we'd split the day exploring them and then maybe go to the beach.

Not quite.

At the visitor's center, Paul saw a sign about the Cliff Walk, a 3 1/2 mile hike along the rocky coast of the Atlantic Ocean. So we took a trolley that dropped us off about a 1/2 mile away and started walking.

It was gorgeous.

The first part of the walk was easy, over smooth sidewalks with bunches of trees here and there offering much-needed shade. Luckily, the sun was hidden behind the clouds for the last part of the walk, when the path involved mostly skipping from one gigantic rock to the next, hoping you wouldn't sprain your ankle or stumble your way into the sea.

Part of the Cliff Walk

Despite my inappropriate choice of footwear -- Paul's old running shoes were much better than my sandals -- the walk was well worth the time and effort. Mansions with innumerable windows and decks lined one side of the path ...


... and on the other side was just the blue, blue ocean, occasionally dotted with a sailboat or some real-life watering holes. Paul and I stopped at a couple: once, to see a few guys much braver than me jump about two stories into the water below.


At another, the rocks were much closer to the water. I ventured toward a tidal pool and promptly fell straight in, giving me a nasty bruise on my left thigh (which didn't hurt until Paul pointed it out to me that night).

Me, climbing out of a tidal pool

Newport proper reminded me a lot of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, except with fewer mountains and more sailboats. They all cater to tourists and day-trippers, however, with lots of shops and restaurants and a vacation-like atmosphere.

We didn't eat at the touristy spots, but the places we did eat brunch and supper ended up being my favorite meals of the weekend getaway.

I chose the Corner Cafe for brunch because I read about the Portuguese influence (somewhat common in Rhode Island and the nearby parts of Massachusetts) in some of their dishes. I had french toast made with Portuguese sweet bread, covered in a raspberry compote, melon chunks and more whipped cream than rightly belongs on a dessert, let alone a brunch dish. Delicious.


For supper we went a few miles outside of Newport to Anthony's Seafood. We split a giant platter of fried clams, and I also tried a local specialty: a stuffed quahog. A quahog (pronounced COE-hog) is a clam, and the meat is mixed with items like onions, sausage and breadcrumbs and then stuffed on top of the shell. It reminded me of a crab cake.


I was afraid Newport would be a little high-falutin' -- an impression that didn't immediately go away when I noticed the TV in the corner of the cafe at brunch wasn't showing ESPN highlights (like any normal Ohio or New York establishment) but a tennis match instead. I was quickly won over, however, by the views and the food. I would gladly return.

Weekend in Rhode Island: Providence

Rarely have I received such bank for my buck as I did this past weekend in Rhode Island.

I'm not talking money, although everything was pretty cheap. From our $60/night hotel room (thanks, Priceline!) to our $4.75 22-ounce beers, I could never complain. But really I'm talking about how little effort I put into the getaway compared to how much I got in return.

We decided to take advantage of the three-day weekend only last Tuesday, hurriedly booked a room and spent two nights "planning" the vacation. And by planning, I mean that I chose a couple of brunch spots, and Paul picked out where to have a few evening drinks.

That's it.

Our base was Providence, the capitol. The city has fewer than 200,000 residents, and I was happily surprised that the downtown area was so lively and active. The Providence River cuts the city in two, with downtown proper on one side and Brown University on the other. Riverside restaurants were full after the sun went down, and we certainly weren't the only ones taking an evening stroll along the water.

Providence wasn't impressive so much for its tall buildings, but for the way it mingled modern architecture with historic structures. The city had an excellent designer: It seemed that down every street you could see an old-timey steeple, monument or building. There was a surprise at every turn, like:

The Statehouse

Signs

Views

Reflections

We spent all day Saturday and then Sunday evening exploring Providence by foot, even catching the fireworks from afar, on one of the city's several bridges.

We spent Saturday and Sunday evening at two microbreweries within walking distance of our hotel. We were quite amused at the chalkboard at Union Station Brewery. If the beer would've been holding another beer instead of a drink with an umbrella, would it have been cannibalism?

The location of our hotel couldn't have been more convenient, but the view certainly could have been better-- we couldn't see much more than another wall of the same building. All was forgiven, however, when I saw that we had been assigned to a handicapped room. I think the bathroom was bigger than our entire apartment.

Providence was pleasant, but I feel like I saw all that I wanted to in about 10 hours. Next stop: Newport. But first, more of Providence ...