Blogs from Newport, Rhode Island, United States, North America - page 2

Poet, novelist and travel writer William Graham is a resident of Stowe, Vermont. He is the author of “Seven Continents: A Travel Memoir." His most recent novella is "Greenfields." Visit his author page on Amazon.com and Audible.com The late 19th century in the United States was an era of rapid industrialization and urban expansion. Fortunes were made by such titans as Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Astor, Gould, Carnegie and others. This was a period when the term "conspicuous consumption" was also coined. The period was also called the "gilded age," from the novel of the same name by Mark Twain. The term was not meant as a compliment; rather the words were meant as an indictment of the rich families whose vast wealth masked serious social issues with a thin gold gilding. Newport, Rhode Island was the epicenter ... read more

Today we drove southwest of Plymouth about 60 miles to Providence Rhode Island. It is a very pretty town situated on the Atlantic Ocean. This year the town is celebrating its 375th anniversary. Many of the streets are very narrow. There are many homes and buildings on the National Historical Register. As we were approaching the town, you can see many mansions built high above the water. There is a walk called the Cliff Walk that you can take below the homes that is about 3.5 miles long. We walked a portion of the walk and then decided to drive into town to see what was there. Parking is a premium there. It costs $2.50 to park just half an hour. We were going to have lunch downtown but decided to drive a little farther away ... read more

Friday:Last full day of the cruise, we dropped anchor off shore from Newport, Rhode Island. A tender trip later and we were on a hop-on/off trolley driving towards the cliff-top walk and the opulent mansions that characterise Newport. A brief stroll along the cliff-top walk saw us outside The Breakers, the most magnificent of the mansions - former summer cottage of the VandeBilts. The tour, including audio narration, was fascinating and a genuine insight into the decadence of the era. We took in one more mansion, the aptly named Marble House, again courtesy of another Mrs VanDeBilt. Later on, we speculated that the US does audio-tours really well - National Trust, please note!! Back on board we ate, by ourselves!!, and then set about packing - what joy!! A brandy over a few numbers from the ... read more

We love Newport and are treating ourselves to the luxury of a couple of nights at the little family-run West Wind Marina in the heart of town. Actually, you could describe every marina (except the one on Goat Island) as being in the heart of Newport. The marinas are strung along the entire several-mile length of the main waterfront. The people who run this marina are both competent and friendly. The showers are good. The WiFi is good. And best of all, we can stroll ashore and are immediately in the middle of Thames Street, with all of Newport to choose from. Several big boats are docked on the outer face of the marina, but there are very few little boats (like Pavane) on the inner docks. It is amazing how promptly this part of New ... read more

Geo: 41.4921, -71.3113We started the morning with a little fog, but no rain. We had a nice 3-3/4 hour drive, but hit some nasty traffic through the construction around Boston.At 11:30, we arrived at the RV campground in Middleton, about 3 miles from Newport, and was less than impressed. The facility was crap, the manager had no personality, but the place was very close to Newport. We rode our bikes the short distance into Newport and loved it. We did the Cliff Walk, and then walked around the waterfront shops and restaurants.We got back to the RV around 8:00 pm, and had a relaxing evening.... read more