And we’re off! Headed to Rhode Island for a few days with Natali & Allen!
Quick pit stop at Grey Sail for some beers to go since they’re only open for tasting Thursday - Sunday, but it was one of Allen’s top breweries to visit.
We got the Peter Cotton Hoppy Red, Schooner's Winter Ale, Captain's Daughter IPA, and Dave's Coffee Stout. Can't wait to try these out at home!
Late lunch and brews on the patio with N&A after our drive up. Flights are a little expensive, and nothing really wowed us here. Clearly Kev was hungry!
Much better than Trinity! We were a little late for our reservation but they extended our time slot so we had 2 hours instead of just 90 min. There were many IPAs to choose from and they had a nice outdoor seating in an alleyway off the main road. Allen had flights. Kev and I split 4 pints instead of doing a flight; our favorites were the 5.2 Anniversary and Nelson Sees All. There were even fruity sours for Natali, although the fruit + marshmallow sour was too strange for anyone to like.
Separated from N&A and checked into our Urban Oasis AirBnB. After our original AirBnB host changed the bed from a queen to a full and then canceled on us - we found ourselves in a scramble to find a new place to stay. We ended up at this spot in the Blackstone neighborhood instead of downtown Providence. Despite some jungle-like photos and having to go through the host’s living room to get to our third floor apartment, the apartment is really cozy, cute, and clean! We will definitely be happy here for 5 nights, even without a full kitchen (still had a fridge, microwave, and extensive coffee bar!).
“Tequila may not be the answer, but it’s worth a shot.” Great dinner at OZ tonight. We were originally going to go to their sister restaurant, Zaco Taco, but ultimately decided to try this new spot which opened in April.
Service started off slow with some confusion about who was servicing our table, but our eventual waiter comp’d our drinks which was a nice touch. Kev’s Twister margarita had cinnamon-infused tequila with cotton candy which sounded strange but was actually quite good. All of the tacos were also yummy (pork, beef, chicken satay); as was the salsa and rainbow esquites (corn).
Post dinner food coma. Headed back to the AirBnB for the night. Great first day of vacation!
Of course MC was up before Kevin, so she snuck in a barre class and some coffee. Then we mobilized with some breakfast on the go and headed off to Newport!
Took the scenic Cliff Walk as a Cliff “Run” to combine exercise and sight seeing. The total walk out and back was about 7 miles; I think we ran 6 1/2 of the 7. Glad we did this on a weekday instead of the weekend when it would’ve been much more crowded. You really can’t see as many mansions as I expected, but the ocean views were fantastic!
Del’s Lemonade! We were planning to find the storefront shop, but ended up finding the truck right after finishing the Cliff Walk. It was a refreshing treat post run but it wasn’t as lemony as either of us wanted it to be.
Despite the mixed reviews, we decided to give Flo's a try and were quite pleased with lunch. The $9.95 combo special is the best deal - fried fish sandwich with fries and a soda (or beer). Delicious!
Met up with N&A at Newport Vineyards/ Taproot Brewery. We were here more for their combo of beer and wine offerings than anything else; the drinks were good, but we didn’t buy anything to bring home. .They were strict about the 90 minute reservation limit but afterwards they let you walk through the vineyard with your drinks. Natali and I took some awkward post Covid photos 🤓
Javi was ready to go home, so Kevin and I were on our own for the next beer garden. We played three rounds of trivia (only for 5 points), saw a mean looking chicken, and really enjoyed their passion fruit sour.
First time in downtown Providence. It was a little chilly out, but Kevin convinced us to rely on the heat lamps instead of eating inside which was the right call. Stuffed and happy! Headed home to shower (finally!!) and sleep.
Despite waking up to some construction noise around 7, we stayed in bed mostly asleep til 8:30. We put our plans to go to Arcadia Management Area on hold because it’s apparently hunting season and some AllTrails reviews say you need to wear an orange vest to avoid being hunted or getting fined. We quickly pivoted to a Plan B hike option and headed out around 9:3.
Hiked most of the trails looping through Wolf Hill Forrest Preserve - Mary Mowery, Ken Weber, and WWII Memorial trails. Not too strenuous, but there were a few ups-and-downs over rocks to keep us entertained; we had the trails almost entirely to ourselves!
Kevin’s Reddit research led us to Dee’s and Yelp reviews influenced him to order a Grinder Italian sub. It was super tiny inside but there was a massive line for lunchtime pickup so I bet it’ll be good! We’re saving our sandwiches to eat at the brewery...
Don’t worry - we managed to finish them both! 😂
Quick stop at REI to exchange my hiking shoes! We were in and out in no time and managed to save $30 for my dad!
Met up with N&A at this tucked away brewery in what felt like a random parking lot. Despite the location, they had a great selection of beers. No flights, but they did allow us to buy a mixed 4-pack which was exciting. My fave was the Ooooh Plumberries, and KK’s was the Middle Tooth.
Relocated for a change of scenery and were not disappointed by the back patio area of Apponaug Brewing Copany; the river made us all want to be camping! The beers were sadly nothing to write home about. Natali fell in love with the “two beavers” brewery logo, and we learned that it represents the two woman founders... beavers... LOL.
Quick pit stop home for showers before heading to Atwells Street for Atwells Al Fresco dining!
Al Fresco on Atwells wasn’t exactly what we thought it would be - the street was blocked for cars but the restaurants weren’t taking up the entire street. We had two reservations, and opted for Massimos because Old Canteen didn’t have outdoor seating. We think it’ll be busier as the summer goes on given it was still a little chilly.
The place was packed - inside and outside - which led to a 30 minutes for our reserved table. The food service was pretty slow, but MC’s fig pork chop with gnocchi was delicious; Kev’s pasta with buratta and meatballs was just OK.
Had trouble getting an Uber home (apparently there are hardly any drivers around!), but finally made it. MC whacked her head on the slanted ceiling, so it was a bumpy end to the night.
After icing her bumped head, MC tried to sneak in a barre class before Kevin woke up but he woke up too early! Finished up barre, packed up, and headed off for our run at East Bay Bike Path.
Ran 25% of the East Bay Bike Path (7.87mi out and back along the 14.5mi one way trail). Scenic run along the river alongside an old railroad track. For it being Saturday morning, thankfully it wasn’t as crowded as we thought it would be.
We did exactly as the PVDonuts sign said after our run - treat to self! After a short wait outside, we got three massive brioche donuts: French toast brioche (KK fave), brown sugar apple fritter, and coffee milk (MC fave). We brought our haul home and enjoyed them while sitting on the front stoop.
Showered, changed, and back out the door!
Quick stop for lunch for two Rhode Island staples - coffee milk (milk with sweet coffee syrup) and hot wieners. Google research indicated Olneyville NY System was the place to go for both. Kev got the All the Way wiener topped with ground beef, spicy mustard, celery salt and onions (hold the onions though) which he clearly liked. MC got plain with ketchup which was no surprise.
No reservations required so we headed here without any other set plans for Saturday; N&A met up with us too! MC liked the Petal Party, and Kevin got the I am a Raspberry Donut. We each liked our own and ended up taking home a mixed 4-pack.
Migrated across the street to Moniker and lucked into a fire pit seat with plenty of bench space for Javi even without a reservation. MC really liked the Torteweizen sour so we took hone a 4-pack of this too. Our beer collection is adding up!
Solid spot for delivery / takeout pizza in the neighborhood. We didn’t make dinner plans and found ourselves lacking options, so we ordered a large Piemonte Special which has red sauce, sausage, and ricotta cheese and enjoyed it with Netflix, local beers, and leftover wine!
Instead of rushing to get a barre class in, MC enjoyed coffee and her book while Kev slept. Eventually we embarked on a (normal length) run around the neighborhood and Blackstone Blvd. Park. It was hot (already 82) and humid, so MC had to walk a few times but we still made it to our destination with sub 8:00 min miles!
Second day in a row ending a run with sweet treats - this time from a bakery that started as a small corner bakery and now has several locations around RI/MA and even distributes to Whole Foods. We likened Seven Stars to a Choc au Pain or smaller Panera; it was good but a little commercialized. Next time we’ll try to remember that we prefer donuts than other baked pastries :) Ate in a shaded spot outside the bakery, and enjoyed our iced coffee on the walk home. MC’s boss called (boo!).
Such good Greek food on Trinity St. nearby the Brown campus. MC finally got the salad (with falafel) she was looking for and Kev got the falafel wrap. It’s not surprising that this place has been in business for 25 years!
Thankfully we were able to get a shaded spot for some live music and brews at Buttonwood.
Awful awful
Up early because of the water main work being done in the neighborhood; thankfully the water wasn’t turned off at 7:30 like the city said it would be so our morning routine wasn’t impacted 🤣 Packed up the car and headed off to hike before heading home.
Hike