Most of our time was spent in Newport - best known for its annual Folk and Jazz Festivals. Newport is also known for its lighthouses, stately mansions and tourists visiting said places. With a sunny day and a relatively comfortable temperature of 76 degrees, we were among the abundance of visitors taking in Newport.
However, this abundance of tourists made navigating Newport something of a challenge especially with its narrow streets. Equally challenging was Christopher finding his way around Newport. We must have changed directions half a dozen times on foot while he was gathering directions on his phone. While in Christopher's vehicle, there was also some trouble in locating the entrance to Castle Hill Lighthouse (pictured above) on Ocean Drive. But second time around, Christopher found the right turn and we would get to where we needed to go and were rewarded with serene scenery and the sea air.
All of this navigation built quite the appetite. I told Christopher we had returned to his car from visiting Castle Hill Lighthouse, "Now we eat!!!" Somehow this would get lost in translation and during the course of the ride, Christopher indicated he would drive me back into Massachusetts. I thought we were going to eat in Newport first. Admittedly, with the abundance of people there were an abundance of crowded restaurants and finding an establishment wouldn't be easy. Still, if I was going to visit Newport, I didn't want to eat at a Burger King on the highway.
As we drove North into Portsmouth, I spotted a sign which read "Valley Inn Restaurant" and I suggested that we go there. Christopher found the sign to be creepy. But I was focused on my stomach instead of signage and insisted we give the place a try.
What we found was a large Italian family restaurant reconstructed from an 17th Century farmhouse. The ambience was dark yet cozy despite its spaciousness. As it turned out, Christopher had grounds for getting the heebie-jeebies as the place has been haunted by the ghost of Rebecca Cornell who burned to death either by accident or by foul play more than 350 years ago.
Phantom or no phantom, the Valley Inn Restaurant proved to be a delight for both of us. Christopher enjoyed stuffed quahogs and penne with meat sauce while I devoured a shrimp cocktail and an entire tomato basil pizza without cheese.
For me, the only spooky thing about the Valley Inn Restaurant was the low partitions in the men's bathroom did not offer any privacy. I was more mortified at the thought of someone walking in the bathroom and seeing my head above one of the stalls than I was of any ghost. Fortunately, this did not come to pass. Although the partitions were low, at least they were there. I cannot say the same about the men's bathroom at the Cloisters Cafe on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. But that is a different story for a different day and a different subject.
Although there were a few small snafus, at least I did not fall down, tear my pants and bloody my knee as I did at the end of last year's Providence trip. For better or for worse, I am grateful to be able to travel from Boston to Providence for only $10, catch up with Christopher and explore Rhode Island. I'm not sure what form my next Rhode Island adventure with Christopher will take but I am already looking forward to it.
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