Newport: I'd Love To Live There! (Proxam's 2nd Anniversary W/O)
Written: Oct 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: nice for a short vacation, Thames St., friendly people, nice beaches, small size
Cons: crowded streets - not enough parking areas
The Bottom Line: I would love to go to Newport again because it's such a lively city!
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| jetbluefan1's Full Review: Newport |
Newport, Rhode Island must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The scenery is something special, and the city is so clean. Also, there are some rich, stuck-up...uh...I mean...nice people who have made their homes there. But seriously, the people in Newport are so friendly and are always looking to help tourists. I’ll get to that later...
Newport doesn’t have an airport. This is because Rhode Island is such a small state that it can only handle one major airport - that’s Providence International Airport. This airport is served by US Airways, Southwest, Northwest, Continental, United, American and Delta. It’s very convenient to Newport and is your best bet for getting into Newport if you want to fly. I believe that you can find flights from Providence to parts of Florida, New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
We decided to drive to Newport. We were coming from the Attitash Mountains in New Hampshire. It was a pretty long drive, and we had to go through Boston. In Boston, we chose the car-pool lane, but it turned to to actually be slower than the regular lanes. I would try to avoid going through Boston if you’re trying to get to Newport, and maybe try Springfield which has much less traffic.
Newport isn’t one of those huge cities like Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco. It’s not even average-sized like Buffalo, New Orleans or Milwaukee. It’s actually pretty small. The area that Newport takes up is very limited - but it’s large enough for several hotels, a strip of stores and restaurants, a marina and of course - a casino!
We stayed in two different places when we went to Newport. The first place we stayed was at Fairfield Newport at Long Wharf. This resort is a Fairfield Resort, and we really enjoyed our stay there. It’s right on the marina and Thames St. is nearby. Its units were very spacious and clean. The pool was a bit small, but the workout room was nice, and the staff members were very friendly.
We also stayed at the Howard Johnson, Middletown. It was okay, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for accommodations next time I go to the Newport area. The room was extremely outdated, and the Applebee’s linked to the hotel wasn’t that great. There was a problem with our key one day, and we couldn’t get inside our room. It turned out that we were checked out a day early.
The Howard Johnson wasn’t located near the downtown area of Newport. If you are looking for somewhere near Thames St., you may want to try the Hotel Viking or any hotel that’s located on the marina. You won’t find any hotels on the beaches since the beaches are located mostly in residential areas.
Oh yeah, the beaches! These beaches in Newport are nice for New England, but they don’t compare to Fort Lauderdale’s beaches which are superb. The beach in Newport is called 1st Beach. 2nd Beach is located in Middletown, and I believe 3rd Beach is located there also. 1st Beach’s parking prices are a bit different that Middletown’s because it’s located in the actual Newport District.
Our waitress at Brick Alley Restaurant & Pub told us about all the different beaches. She told us that 1st Beach was mainly for surfers. We drove by it on our way to 2nd Beach, and it looked like a very nice, clean beach. Right off the sand is the Newport Aquarium. The beach didn’t look too crowded when we drove by several times.
We drove by 3rd Beach and walked on the sand on a rainy day. It’s not located on the ocean, so the water is much calmer as if it’s on the Gulf. I noticed that the beach is good for little kids who are just learning to swim; the beach doesn’t become too deep, and since the water is calm, a little kid will be able to handle it better. But that’s compared to 2nd Beach...
...this beach is the coolest. Yeah, $10 parking, but still the coolest. The waves are huge, but the water is cold. When we went, it was over 80 degrees out, but the water was still freezing. 2nd Beach is definitely the most popular beach out of all three, and I definitely think it was the best. It’s located between two strips of land - sort of like a bay. The water is clean, but watch out for the fish! We saw a few while swimming, but they swam away quickly.
Cliff Walk is this something-mile long path along the backyards of Newport mansions. This path takes you from 1st Beach out to the peninsula. We walked on this path and saw many beautiful mansions. The walk was scenic since we could look on one side and see gorgeous homes, and look on the other side to see the sparkling ocean.
If you get sick of the beach (please, who could get sick of the beach?), check out Thames St. This street is home to all the great night-life in Newport. You’ll find a bunch of bars, a club or two, many fantastic restaurants, and of course - stores! The street’s peak hours are 9:00-early morning. We went at 11:00pm once, and it was packed.
On Thames St., I would recommend hitting Brick Alley Restaurant & Pub or Newport Blues Restaurant. Brick Alley had very friendly service and great food. My Club Sandwich was extremely well cooked and very tasty. The atmosphere was very laid back and the restaurant was very clean. The menu was huge and was full of many luscious items.
Newport Blues Restaurant was a bit pricey, but the food was good and everyone was friendly. On certain nights they have blues bands playing to attract customers. The restaurant isn’t that busy at 5:00-7:00, but it becomes pretty full around 9:00. At 10:00, only a certain age group is allowed in. I’m not sure if this applies for the fall or winter, but this did apply for our trip this summer.
One aspect of Newport that I hate is all the one-way streets. I also found that the cars parked on the side of the one-way streets were very annoying; I felt unsafe driving on the roads. The roads are also very confusing, but they were well paved. I think that a parking garage would really help cut the amount of congestion on the streets in Newport. There are no really big parking lots, and that makes people park on side roads.
I think Newport is a nice place to vacation if you’re looking to relax and maybe get just a teensy bit wild. The beaches are a great place to spend your days, and Thames St. is just perfect for the night life. There really isn’t much to do in Newport except for the beaches and Thames St., but I’ll happily deal with that!
This review is for Proxam’s 2nd Anniversary W/O. We were supposed to write about
‘Home Sweet Home’, but I already wrote about my home in Rochester. So the next-best thing I could do was write about somewhere I would like to live. That place is Newport because it’s safe, small, yet very lively and fun....but I surely can’t afford to buy real estate there. Check out the Write-Off page at: http://www.epinions.com/content_3548618884
Come on in an join the fun if you’re a member of the site! Drew would like to have you.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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