Our last day in Maine got off to a slightly rocky start. I was feeling awful after a very sleepless night and couldn’t even meet up with my family for our last breakfast before they left to go back to Oklahoma. It was not the way I’d hoped to end the trip, but we did get to say goodbye to everyone before they left and we had an amazing time so it all worked out.
Although due to the lack of sleep I kind of wished I could snap my fingers and be transported to my own bed, we still had two more days on the road and I was determined to make the most of them.
We grabbed breakfast to-go from Tandem Coffee, a cute and trendy coffee shop in a renovated gas station/laundromat, and hit the road once again.
The first leg of the trip was pretty painful, but the heated conversations Tom and I had about Kevin Durant leaving the Thunder kept me awake.
Fortunately, we had an easy day on the itinerary and didn’t have any super long drives. We stopped first in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island for lunch and a wander.
Several people recommended a stop in Newport during this trip, so we knew we had to make it happen. Sadly, it didn’t work out to stay there overnight, geographically or financially but the few hours we were able to spend in this adorable city by the sea were a delight.
We had lunch at Belle’s Cafe, a casual waterfront cafe at the Newport Shipyard. The food was tasty and reasonably priced, and seemed to be more of a local hot spot than a tourist attraction. The shipyard was a bustling place and it was fun to gawk at the huge boats and people watch for a bit.
After lunch we walked over to Bowen’s Wharf for ice cream at Sprinkles. I was again a little surprised at the hot weather so far North. The ice cream cooled us down a bit but kept us from exploring as much as we might have.
Instead, we wandered back to the car for the Ten Mile Drive, or Ocean Drive, and more gorgeous ocean views. I will live by the sea at some point in my life. It’s decided.
While there was much more we’d liked to have seen in Newport, my energy levels were at an all-time low so we cut the exploration short and headed to our final destination for the night – The Dean Hotel in Providence.
This is such a cool, funky hotel in a great location. I loved the minimalist decor and the eco-friendly focus, and loved that they allow pets with no fee and even provide each canine guest with a free, organic treat.
It was tempting to collapse in bed and not move again until morning, but I wanted to at least catch a glimpse of what Providence had to offer.
To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this stop. We’d actually planned to spend most of the day in Newport and just drive to Providence to crash, but I’m really glad it didn’t work out that way. Of all the towns we visited over the course of the road trip, I found Providence to be the most intriguing. It doesn’t have the small town mystique of Manchester or the laid-back vibe of Bar Harbor, but there was something about it that felt almost electric.
While I would love to “summer” in Bar Harbor, return to Manchester for the Fall foliage and spend a week exploring Portland’s food scene – Providence is a place I could actually see myself living full-time.
Of course, this is a snap judgement based on our very short visit. We saw very little of the city, and missed out completely on the riverfront action, so take my impressions with a grain of salt.
What we did see, however, was a beautiful mix of 18th and 19th century architecture and old, industrial buildings with loads of character.
There are also five colleges in Providence, resulting in an overtly creative atmosphere. The street art and numerous sculptures we stumbled upon in just a short walk around our hotel’s neighborhood were incredibly inspiring.
There’s something really wonderful about wandering around a city you’ve never been in before with absolutely no agenda and your eyes wide open.
Eventually we got hungry, and settled into an outdoor table at Rosalina. This restaurant is a lot like Providence itself, a quirky combination of old world charm and modern industry, and most importantly, delicious Italian food.
After dinner we returned to The Dean for a relaxing final evening of our amazing vacation. It was sad to see our trip coming to an end, but we had one final day on the road to look forward to and a lifetime of memories in the rear view.
Stay tuned for the final post about our road trip… eventually. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
The way you described Providence is how I have felt about a lot of Midwest American cities that I have visited in recent years – Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Indianapolis. I’m not exactly sure what it is about these cities that attracts my attention. But, you can tell that they have been working really hard to reinvent themselves as more than just a “stopover for the night” for travellers. Well, maybe not Detroit just yet, but I do see a lot of potential for it to be a hip tourist attraction as it has the culture, history, and sports scene to deliver.
Isn’t it funny how we’re all drawn to different places in the world, often for a completely intangible reason? That’s one of the things I love so much about traveling. I’ve actually heard a lot of interesting things about Detroit lately that have really piqued my interest. I’ll have to make more of a point to travel to the Midwest in the future!