Revisiting Newport

Last week I had a business meeting in Connecticut. Instead of the usual -jump on a plane, grab a rental car, crash at a hotel, spend all day at meetings, only to check out of the hotel, return the car, and jump back on the plane- I decided to take the fam and enjoy a long weekend in Newport afterward.

We spent Wednesday driving, and I must say our new, gas-guzzling SUV is a lot nicer to travel in then our yuppie mobile (a.k.a Subaru Outback). Our new car allowed us to put a box of toys between the girls and allow them to entertain each other. Madison could also listen to her own music via headphones, which allowed us to listen to Shelly's favorite political talk radio (or ESPN Radio during Shelly's catnaps).

(The Girls)
I think in Shelly's mind, she was planning on spending the weekend at Gooseberry Beach, catching up with Brooke. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Danny happened to drop by Newport the same weekend we visited. Shelly did get to spend the whole weekend catching up with Brooke, but the only sand she sat on was that left in Brooke's car.

The only compliment I will pay to the Wyndham -the hotel we stayed at- is that it had a great indoor/outdoor pool. This saved the weekend from disaster. Since it rained every day, all day the kids had little to do but swim. While Shelly and Brooke caught up, Wayne and I spent the the whole weekend in the Wyndham's pool, catching Madison and Barrett at the bottom of the water slide and chasing Brittan between the indoor and outdoor pool. Actually, nothing could have tired the kids out more.

For me, the food, drinks, and company highlighted my weekend. From an Alex (the local catering chef) prepared meal Friday night to George's Pizza Sunday night, we did not eat a bad meal. As much as I enjoyed Alex's homemade French toast Brook on Saturday morning, my favorite meal came Saturday night. Saturday night, while the girls shopped lower Thames, Wayne and I wandered into one of my favorite Newport bars, Zelda's. Established by a well-known local sailor, Zelda's bar emulates the Newport's sailing tradition. It doesn't hurt that they poor healthy servings. As Wayne and I sipped our cocktails and watched the Red Sox beat up Toronto, making idle chit-chat with other patrons, I could see myself doing this for the next 50 years. After the girls came in and enjoyed a cocktail of their own, we head to Pronto's. If you can visit only one restaurant in Newport, I recommend Pronto's. Far from a tourist destination and with limited seating, Pronto's offers an intimate atmosphere with great food and wine. I always recommend the homemade raviolli or fish special. Of course, we also visit Pronto's because they serve one of our favorite wines, Ponzi . A night on the town with Brook and Wayne made the whole trip. After that, it did not matter to me if it rained all weekend, for Saturday night reminded me of the civilization Shelly and I long to recapture.

Sunday was more of the same as Saturday, and before we know it, Monday came and we had to start our drive home. All-in-all, it was a great, but too short, visit to Newport.
(Saying Goodbye)