I am up in Rhode Island for a few days attending a conference.
I woke up at 4 a.m. and made it to off-site airport parking around 5 a.m. I was assigned a pretty good seat in row 2C on JetBlue. It was really spacious.
I arrived at a small airport in Warwick, Rhode Island (Providence). I saw some snow on the ground when flying in. It was around 32 degrees when we landed. Winds were around 20 to 30 mph with some gusts of up to 45 mph! I waited for the shuttle. Newport is about 30 miles from the airport.
My room wasn’t ready, so I took off to see some things people and trip advisor told me about. The Hyatt, the conference hotel, is on an island. It was snowing and windy as I was trying to walk across the bridge. I made it to a Visitor’s Center. They mapped out a way I could see the mansions and do the Cliff Walk. I went to the White Horse Tavern to eat some clam chowder. Evidently, there are a few different ones – one red, one white, and one broth-like. Afterwards, I found a bus and went to see some of the mansions including The Breakers and The Elms. I didn’t go in. I just walked around and walked the Cliff Walk.
I went into the International Tennis Hall of Frame. It is $15 to enter, but it was Bank of America day today. Anyone who had a BoA credit card could enter for free, so I was able to get in for free. It was neat to see some of the items in the exhibit. Tennis players are smaller than they appear on tv. The museum has a hologram of Rodger Federer speaking to you about why he loves tennis. It was neat to see the outfits of the players.
Later, I saw the church where JFK and Jackie Kennedy were married. I ate again on Thames Street. I had a slice of lobster pizza and a bowl of New England Clam Chowder.
I made it back to the hotel. The water is right outside my window. It is quite nice, but I feel I am on a boat.
I don’t think I fully described how cold 35 degrees with 20 to 30 mph winds feels — to a person who is used to 70 to 85 degrees days. I don’t think I will explore much more before I leave on Wednesday night.