One Year Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday was my one year wedding anniversary!! WOOHOO! I can't believe how fast time has flown since I got married to the man of my dreams.

This post isn't about my wonderful year being married. I swear it has something to do with living in Rhode Island. I had to preface the topic with the anniversary because if it wasn't an important day I probably would have never found this gem in Providence.

This "gem" I am talking about is Camille's Restaurant in Federal Hill Providence. Seriously the best meal I have had in such a long time! I got the California Hot Tub Martini and the Silver Fox Martini (AMAZING) For dinner I got the seared scallops.

Not only does this presentation look amazing it tastes even more amazing. My husband got a Caesar Salad to start and the Lasagna. He was too full to finish but kept trying to eat just one last bite because it was SO good!

The service was impeccable! Our waiter was so nice and helpful. Around just enough but not too much. Gave his opinion on drinks when asked and was very personable. There was a great family Italian vibe there and I love that. 

We made our reservations on OpenTable and I put in the special occasion box that it was our wedding anniversary and at the end of the meal we were presented with this:

So delicious!! On top of those 2 chocolate sticks is a chocolate butterfly! AMAZING it was a piece of art and tasted SO good!

Needless to say I would give this place 5 stars. Food was great, service was great and well it helps that my company was great too :)

Here is their website for some more information:

http://www.camillesonthehill.com/

ENJOY!!

Skydive Newport!!

I have always wanted to go skydiving and I think that this summer I am going to hopefully go! If not this summer definitely before we make our next move. I first noticed that there was skydiving in Newport when I was working the 7th hole (little snack shack) on the golf course. About every 30 mins I would hear a plane's engine slow down wait wait wait AHHHHHH!!! If you listen closely you can hear the people screaming, then they would pull the parachute and glide on down.

I asked someone where they skydive. To my surprise there is a little itty bitty airport called Newport State Airport. I have never ever noticed an airport on the island before, it must just be for private planes (wouldn't that be nice) and the skydivers.

This would be something I would want to do before my time is up here in Rhode Island! I was taking a look at their website: http://www.skydivenewport.com/ and it looks like you are able to see the whole island and water and everything!! I am itching to do this soon.

Here are some pictures of other peoples jumps and WHEN not if I do this I will take theirs down and post my own!!

Can I Go In The Water Yet?!?!?!

Summer is so close I can taste it! I have gotten back to work on my beverage cart at the golf course which means the season has begun! It's only a matter of time before I am wearing shorts and on my way to the beach!

Last summer we found out that at the Navy Base you can rent powerboats and sailboats! You have to take their training course before they let you take a boat out. We went with a friend who already took and passed this course so we were able to have some fun out on the water!

For the powerboat, which is what we took, is $10 and hour (doesn't include fuel), $40 for half day (includes 1 full tank), and $80 for a full day (includes 2 tanks of gas) They aren't the nicest boats around thats for sure and they aren't the type of boats you can wakeboard off the back but for a day on the water you can't beat the price!

I know absolutely nothing about sailing, but the rental place on base has 2 different types of sailboats. One is called Rhodes and that is $9.50 an hour or $46 for a full day. The other one is called Shields, this is $16 and hour and $90 a day. Based on prices I'm gonna take an educated guess and say that Shields is the better choice.

If you are not in the military don't fret! Of course I have looked up places to rent outside of the base. There is a place right in Newport called Adventure Watersports. They have boats, jet skis and kayaks for rent. I am not going to write about all the prices and types of boats but I will tell you they have 3 different types of powerboats, 2 different jet skis and single or double kayaks. I will show you the pictures from their website! I love pictures :) Here is their website so you can go check it out when the temperatures start to get up there again!

http://newportriwatersports.com/blog/rentals/

3 Seater Jet Ski

2 Seater Jet Ski

 21 Angler, 135hp 

 14 McKee Craft

13 Boston Whaler 

 Single or Double Kayaks                                                       

Concerts, Comedians and Boats! OH MY!!

Downtown Newport there is the Newport Yachting Center. This is where they hold all kinds of events for Newport.

Last summer I was fortunate enough to get invited to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at this venue. It is really cool there! Very small which made me feel like it is more of a community event then a full blown concert! If you go with someone who is from Newport (like I did) that is when you will really see how small the town really is. Everyone knows everyone.
Here are a couple pictures from the concert... Sorry they are blurry my phone camera at night isn't the best.

Not only do they hold concerts there they have comedy shows (with some big names) this summer Lisa Lamponelli, Gabriel Iglesias, Joan Rivers (is she actually a comedian?) They have Boat Shows, Cook-offs, Octoberfest, all SORTS of events! It really is an awesome place to attend if you come during a time when there is stuff going on. So summer time.

You can find the calendar of events here :

http://www.newportwaterfrontevents.com/

ENJOY!!

I FOUND A TRADER JOES and other wonderful stores!!!!

It's been a crazy couple of days so sorry for the delay!

I was the happiest girl when I found out there is a Trader Joe's here in Rhode Island. It isn't on the Island but it is here in the state. Anything in RI seems like it is right next door. Trader Joe's is about 35 mins away in Warwick over the Newport bridge.

For those of you who don't know Trader Joe's please never talk to me again. No just kidding, but really go find one right now. Stop reading this, go and then come back and continue reading. It is like adult Disneyland, well actually Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond are adult Disneyland but this is a pretty close second.

Anyway, Sara told me she heard someone say there was a Trader Joe's here, so we looked it up and went there right away and we were so giddy all day long after that! I got things I didn't even need because I was there and felt I needed to buy everything I saw. I texted my sister to see if she wanted anything because, sadly she doesn't have a Trader Joe's. I am so excited I get to send her yummy treats!

Like these dried mango slices!!!! SOOO GOOD!

To our surprise Warwick is crawling with amazing things! Not only is there a Trader Joe's, there is a Chipotle RIGHT across the street from it! Then down the road about a mile is a Whole Foods!! You know you are getting older when you get excited about grocery stores.

That was a wonderful day when I found out these places are right here in our itty bitty state :)

Newport Vineyards

I have always wanted to go wine tasting. I am not a regular wine drinker but want to try something new. When my Dad and Anita were in town we did a wine fermentation dinner at 41 North and that got my taste buds ready to try some more new wines.

On my way into work I noticed that there is a wine vineyard right here in Middletown! HOW convenient!

They do wine tours/tastings daily at 1pm and 3pm. They are open 7 days a week, Monday-Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm.

I have not been there before but it looks really cool. They have thousands of rows of locally-grown grapes for their wines. The best time to visit is during Fall. You can book private events and they already have a list of preferred vendors that they work with. There are 3 different areas you can host your party; the Wine Garden, the Tent and the Garden.

What is also really cool is that the vineyard will work with you to create your own wine label! I would do that in a heartbeat, well once my husband and I actually start to drink and enjoy wines. It would be a really cool gift for someone too!

My apartment complex was giving out free wine tastings to the Newport Vineyard to new tenets, I unfortunately moved in before this special. We are going to tag along with friends who did get this special. I will once again post about my experience when we get out and do it! I am looking forward to this new experience and hoping that it will expand my wine knowledge and wine palette.

There are other vineyards in the state but only one other on the island it is called Greenvale Vineyards. They are located in Portsmouth. I choose to write about Newport Vineyards because it is only 5 miles from Newport. For information on that vineyard you can check their website out at:
http://www.greenvale.com/

For more information on this wine vineyard their website is:
http://www.newportvineyards.com/

LET'S GO DRINK SOME WINE!!

FIELDSTONES

For some odd reason I can never remember the name of this restaurant. I LOVE the food, the atmosphere, the everything but I can't remember the name ever. FIELDSTONES FIELDSTONES FIELDSTONES. Maybe now I can.

Ryan, Sara, Brandon and I went out to dinner after Sara and I got back from our cake decorating class at Michaels, which on a completely unrelated note, SO MUCH FUN!

I was first introduced to this place by my friend Jessica. She said that she and her husband always go there for dinner and I need to try it. Then one night after we saw a movie with her mom we went, and I loved it so much we went back for my birthday!

I have been telling Ryan that I need to take him there because it is so delicious and he would really like it. So last night we finally went.

When you get 4 people at the same table saying how good their individual meal is you know you have found a good place to eat. I got the Patriot Nachos, HUGE HUGE plate piled high with deliciousness. Ryan got Shepard's Pie, said it was really really good. Sara got an Asian Salmon Salad, she said she LOVED it. Brandon got the Sam Adams Beer Battered Shrimp with Fries, he said that his shrimp were huge and really good. So basically everything was amazing like I told them it would be.

Like other restaurants they have specials. The one that I saw was Monday and Tuesday nights Margaritas and Fajitas for $13.95. Who doesn't like specials right?

Fieldstones is in Portsmouth which is the last town on the island if you are heading towards Mass. It is located at 980 East Main Rd. Portsmouth RI.


For more information about this amazing place their website is:
http://www.atlanticgrille.net/fs/

SO GO, EAT AND ENJOY!! We do!

Titanic and Bowling

Since yesterday was the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic sinking I thought it would be appropriate to share a fun fact. Then I will move onto my next topic.

FUN FACT: The Titanic sank 1,300 miles east of Boston and Boston is only 1 hour and 15 minutes from Newport. Pretty interesting I thought. 

Now that I have paid my respect to the Titanic, I will move on to a more fun topic, BOWLING!!

If you are in Newport and you are in the military you will know that the Navy base right in the center of the island.

For those lucky enough to go on it there are a number of useful things. One of those things I have found to be really fun is the bowling alley. It is cheap and really nice inside (surprisingly). Their hours are kinda screwy too. Sunday thru Thursday they close at 8!! So we decided to venture off this island to try to find bowling else where during the week.

For those of you who are not able to go onto the Navy base there aren't many options (well ANY) options for bowing on the island. Ryan, Sara, Brandon and I went to Old Mountain Lanes in Wakefield. It is just over the Newport bridge about 30 minutes away. They have some great specials! Monday thru Thursday they have bottomless bowling starting at 9pm. 3 hours of bowling including shoe rental for $9.95 a person, can't beat it! We went, we bowled, we had a BLAST!

In Massachusetts they have Candlepin Bowling. I personally have never heard of it before, but from what I have heard it sounds like so much fun. You can only do it in Massachusetts though. They are tall skinny pins and you have to knock them down with a really little ball. Once I try it I will let you know how it is!

So there are some options for bowling, but none on the island unless you are military or have military friends, unfortunately.

Spring Is Here!!

Winter is over and Spring has sprung. As I am writing this I am at work enjoying the sun and warmth, 62 degrees to be exact. I never thought I would think 62 degrees was warm. This is "winter" weather for California but I guess you start to adapt to the cold living here. Since Spring is here that means Summer is next!! YAY :)

I cannot wait for this summer. There are SO many things I would like to try. Since we moved here July 1st last year, Ryan and I didn't really explore our options for activities because we were so wrapped up in setting up our apartment and making sure we knew where our essential places were.

This summer, WATCH OUT I am going to try to do as much as I can in the 3-4 months of nice weather we have. Which brings me to my next topic, stand up paddle boarding also known as SUP.

I saw it in California wanted to try it.
Heard the celebrities love it, want to try it.
Heard it is a great whole body work out want to try it.

 So why keep wanting? I am doing! So when the water warms up (higher that 50) I am renting paddle boards, going with or without someone. My dad always told me you can't wait for someone else to go out and have a good time or else you wont ever go.

Paddle boarding in Newport should be really fun to be able to go all around the yachts and sailboats. Then maybe stop and grab some lunch downtown. You can either take your board out into Newport harbor or I hear 1st (Easton's) beach is a big place to do it as well.

There are 3 known places in Middletown that rent SUP's but one I always hear about, that I will most likely use, is Island Sports. I can't find much information from their website about rentals but I have been told they do in fact rent boards.

When I do try this out I will be sure to write about it and post pictures from my personal expierence. The good, the bad and the ugly, I will write about it all. I just hope there is no bad, how could there be? Being out on the water in summer there is nothing bad about that. Im sure "awkward" would be a better word than "ugly" but you will hear about it all!!

FORE!

I know I said I would write about what there is to do in Newport but it is such a small state, it should really be its own town. So there are a number of things to do outside the little town of Newport. On Aquidneck Island there are the towns Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth.

Today Ryan and I went golfing at Newport National in Middletown. It is a golf course I know very well because, well, I work there! I am the beverage cart girl (beer bitch, beer wench, beer lady, hey you girl) haha. Well on the off chance I am not working I get to go play some golf.

It is (I'm not saying this because I work there) a really nice course! It got ranked #1 public golf course in Rhode Island!! You have an ocean view on a nice clear day on about 4 different holes. The maintenance crew really keeps those greens smooth and the fairways clear. The course plays pretty fast in my opinion, all of a sudden you look at your score card and you are on hole 12! I am not saying it is an easy course to play. If you slice it or hook it, OOPS there goes your ball better hit another.

There is obviously the cart going around the course pretty much all day and there is a little shack called "the 7th Hole" it is at the end of 6, beginning of 7 and the end of 8. So you have plenty of chances to get something if you didn't get anything from the beverage cart by then. The course just got BRAND new carts too and they are speedy!

There are a number of other courses around Middletown, Portsmouth and other towns but I have never played at any of them. Why would I, it's competition :) BUT I did hear that Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club is really nice as well. For how small the state is there are TONS of golf courses around. So if you are coming here and you like to golf better pack up those clubs!!

For more information about Newport National Gold Club here is their website: http://www.newportnational.com/

ENJOY YOUR ROUND!!

^^ Newport National hole #12

Who's Line is it Anyway?

I don't know if anyone remembers the show "Who's line is it anyways" but it was with Drew Carey (when he was fat and funny) and he takes suggestions from the audience and the comedians have to act them out, IMPROV!

 In downtown Newport on Friday and Saturday nights there is a place called the Firehouse Theatre, they do improv there! I went for the first time with some friends and it was the funniest thing I have ever been to. I haven't ever been to anything like that before so it definitely was a treat.

It is $10 and BYOB. It is about an hour maybe an hour and a half (I wasn't really paying attention to the clock) and I was laughing so hard the whole entire time. I might have even snorted a couple times. It makes it even more fun when they take the suggestion you have yelled out to them.

This isn't something that a lot of people know about and it isn't on the Newport "things to do" website, so I guess you could call it the best kept secret. I definitely recommend going and seeing it, you will be entertained I promise! :)

Here is their website for more information:
http://www.firehousetheater.org/

Dr. Seuss Cars!

Last weekend for Easter my Dad and his wife Anita came to Newport to visit Ryan and I. One of the things I have always wanted to do in downtown Newport was ride these 3 wheeled scooter car things. I call them Dr. Seuss cars.

They are the goofiest things I have ever seen and the best part is you have to wear helmets! Everyone stares at you when you drive by so we just started honking and waving to everyone. I laughed the WHOLE time we were driving around. My Dad and Anita loved them too! So they are great for the whole family!  

I highly recommend renting these cars to tour Newport, I think it is the best way to see the town. They go pretty fast too! You can take them anywhere but highways and bridges (DUH!). It's $50 for the first hour and $35 for every hour after that.  

You can take them around to see the mansions, pull over anywhere you want, park pretty much where ever you want. AMAZING! 

Their website is http://www.scooterworldri.com/ for more information. 

Here are some pictures from our adventure!

Welcome to Newport!

I have decided to start this blog for those who are moving to Newport or just visiting.

I have been in Newport RI for almost a year now. My first question when I got here was, what is there to do?! The answer I got almost every time I asked was "Well there is a good bar scene downtown!" Don't get me wrong there is a good bar scene but being the lame 22 year-old I am, I don't drink often. I was looking for more activity ideas but didn't seem to get any.

Coming from Orange County where there was something to do everyday during every season, there seemed like there was nothing to do here in Newport.

So I have thought that I would write this blog in hopes to help those visiting and moving here to find fun things to do without feeling like all you can do is go out and drink.

I will try to write everyday all the things that I have done so far and things I have heard are fun to do. Those things that I hear are fun I will try to go out and do! I have made (thanks to pinterest) an activity jar of things my husband and I should go out and try. Somethings we have done some we have not. I will also let you all know of great restaurants and food stores to shop :) So day one will start tomorrow but for now.


WELCOME TO NEWPORT RHODE ISLAND!