BY CAILIN BURKE

Tara and I decided that we desperately needed to see something new and get out of the city for a bit, and Tara had the great idea to go to Newport, Rhode Island! It had always been on my list and since it is their off-season right now, it was a really affordable trip. Tara couldn’t take a lot of time off from work, so this was the perfect way to getaway for a few days and see a brand new place, without actually going too far. Newport ended up being the perfect choice because it really felt like a vacation, complete with the ocean on one side of the island, Narragansett Bay on the other, an amazing hotel, and tons of seafood. We were there for a couple of days and did too much for just one post, so part II and III of our trip will be coming up shortly.

On our first day, we spent some of it driving, and since our route took us through New Haven, I thought it would be fun to stop at Yale and just walk around the grounds for a bit. New Haven was actually having their St. Patrick’s Day Parade on that day so streets were blocked and the city was crazy, but that meant Yale was totally quiet and relaxing to walk around. It’s actually an open campus, which means the school is broken up throughout the regular city of New Haven, compared to my college where everything is enclosed in one area. It was cool to see a school that was different than what I’m used to, and although my college does have a lot of the beautiful stone buildings, Yale’s come with a lot of history. Their modern looking library was one of my favorites though!

We then got back on the road and made it to Newport shortly after. We checked into our awesome hotel that Tara found, The Attwater. After endless deliberating and several pro/con lists, we decided that the Attwater would be the best choice as we loved their trendy decor, unique small plates breakfasts, and the fact that they had a great winter deal! Just look at our room and the common areas!

After unpacking our things, we headed to dinner at The Black Pearl, a restaurant that was said to have the best clam chowder in all of Newport. Tara and I love our clam chowder so we had this at the top of our list. It’s on Bannister’s Wharf which is a cute little area next to the bay filled with shops. Since it was off-season, it wasn’t crowded with tourists which was nice, but I can imagine this place in the summer filled with vacationers. So, on to the clam chowder… the rumors were not wrong. This clam chowder was amazing! The bowls they came in were huge and we didn’t even bother to order anything else because we knew we’d be so full. This place is a must-stop in Newport, and in the summer they even have outdoor seating overlooking the bay! It definitely was a great way to start off our trip and get ready for the full day of Newport exploring ahead. Stay tuned for part II: tackling the Cliff Walk!