Kurt Kneeds A Lobster Roll

Friday Trip Back Home

Sigh...so today we drive back home. It has been an adventure starting with my knee replacement on March 1st and celebrating my rehab and recovery with a Slice Of Heaven at Mystic Pizza and a lobster roll in Rhode Island. We think we would certainly return to Little Rhody, The Ocean State. There is much to see and much to do and we were only here for a couple of days.

Goodbye Pleasant View Inn and Atlantic Ocean in Westerly, Rhode Island.....

Hello Ohio on I-80 near Youngstown. Cheri drove every mile.

Total miles for this trip...1,672.6

Thursday - This Spud's For You

Since it will be our last full day in the beautiful state of Rhode Island we decided to make it an exploration day. We had a couple of ideas, but we were just going to hit the road.

Our first stop was in Pawtucket and the world famous Hasbro Toy Company. These are just corporate offices and there is no factory and no tour BUT there is a Mr. Potato Head photo opportunity! This was cool because we got to drive around town and see how the locals live.

Next stop, McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox. There was no game but we went to the gift shop and then sort of wandered around the stadium so we could find the bathroom! Too bad there was not a game...that would have been fun.

Lunch time!! We used Yelp to find a place for lunch and and found a little neighborhood bar called the Heritage Tap Bar and Grill. There was a bar with 10 or so stools and maybe a half dozen tables. The barmaid/waitress was a gritty New Englander but she was sweet. Cheri had an avocado burger and I had the biggest crab cake sandwich ever!!

After lunch we were not quite sure what to do so we figured we would hop over to Providence and see some of the sights in the state capital. There are many many historic homes and sights. The most exciting thing we saw was Cheri's face when I turned the wrong way into the steep hill of a one way street!! Lucky for us the first potential head on collision was avoided because the driver was very courteous and allowed us to turn around...whew...that was close one!! We saw the State Capital Building, Roger Williams Park, and many other old and wonderful things. We hope to come back and really spend some time here someday because there is so much to see.

We had dinner reservations at The Coast Guard House in Narraganset later so it was time to head back to southwest Rhode Island. Too bad for us the timing wasn't quite right...we were in that time warp of it's too early to go to one place and too late to go to another so we spent the time driving back down the Shore Road for about the hundredth time....a little boring at this point but we managed to spot a thing or two we had not noticed before.

We did want to have a Del's Frozen Lemonade because it's a Rhode Island original. It's pretty much Italian Ice/slushy but we had a laugh when my first taste started to go down the wrong pipe and I coughed and sputtered and spat out what was still in my mouth. Cheri thought I spat it out because I didn't like it.

Okay...on to the Coast Guard House for dinner! This is a beautiful place on the ocean in Narraganset. There was the rumor of a whale nearby but we did not spot it. For dinner we shared an order of lobster macaroni and cheese. It was worth every penny!!

It was still daylight and it was our last day so we drove back to Watch Hill and have some ice cream while rubbing elbows with the wealthy in a beautiful location. That's the way to end the last day of vacation.

Hasbro in Pawtucket

Mr Potato Head info

2 potato heads

Mr Potato Head getting fresh with Cheri!!

Lunch stop. 266 Grand Ave. Pawtucket, RI

The locals love this place and now we do too.

It's PAWS, mascot of the Pawtucket Red Sox...The PawSox.

McCoy Stadium

On the way to Providence

Rhode Island State Capital Building

One Mini and one polar bear at Dusty's on Narraganset Beach

Del's Frozen Lemonade

The Towers of Narraganset Beach

Coast Gard House Restaurant

1/2 order of Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

A Rhode Island cottage

Ice cream at St Clair Annex in Watch Hill

Do not get between a wealthy woman and her ice cream in exclusive Watch Hill

What We Did On Wednesday - Newport

On Wednesday we got up early because we had 10:00 am reservations for the Gilded Age Trolly Tour in Newport. The GPS said it would take about 45 minutes to drive there and we figured if we left early we would have time to explore Newport a bit. Well, it's a good thing we left some time because they are doing roadwork on the Pell Bridge that crosses the bay into Newport. Traffic was at a standstill and it took forever (gulp) to get across the bridge.

We made our way to the Newport Visitor Center to meet the trolly and when we met Carlos, our driver, we found that we were the only two on the tour!! Perfect. The tour took us all around Newport pointing out historic sites. We saw some forts, some important early American buildings, the church where JFK and Jackie were married, and a whole lot more. The highlight was seeing the many mansions built at the turn of the century....wow, they are something to behold. The tour price included our tickets to tour The Breakers, the summer home of the Vanderbilts. It was a self guided tour with an audio device. What a place...and they only used it for 4 - 8 weeks a year.

After returning to the visitor center we walked to Newport Seaport to find some lunch. We ate at a local place called Belle's. The tour guide mentioned it so we figured if it was good enough for him we might like it too! It was casual, the food was good, and we ate right on the wharf next to some huge yachts. This town drips money.

When we were done we walked to the International Tennis Hall Of Fame. It was worth the 11 dollar AARP rate but it was not exceptional....except for the building itself. Beautiful! We had a drink court side and enjoyed the view.

By the time we walked back to where the car was we were hot and thirsty and my legs needed a break so we stopped at the Lobster Bar to rest....and have a drink,

It was dinner time by the time we got back to Westerly so we went into town and had dinner at the Bridge Restaurant. Fish and chips for me and a crabcake for Cheri. Mmm mmm!!!

For one last stop we went to Watch Hill, right down the street from our hotel, parked, and walked out to the lighthouse. Walking was great because we got to see some of the homes on the street right up close. Unbelievable....

That wrapped up the day and we were exhausted.