This weekend is a holiday weekend at school. Tomorrow is Columbus Day and since Boston chooses to celebrate every holiday known to America, or any other country for that matter... there is no school tomorrow. Therefore, I decided to take a trip this weekend to break up the monotony of homework and to see some fun places. I had recently heard some neat things about Newport, Rhode Island, which is only about 70 miles from Boston College. It is right on the water and is famous for the gigantic historic mansions which line the coast.
I rented a zip car for the day today and off I went...!! It turned out to be a great day. The weather was fantastic (a little bit windy... but not too bad) and the view was beautiful. I drove right into the town center, which seemed to be a mix of a historic district and fisherman's wharf in San Francisco. The two main piers in town were loaded with tourists and dockside restaurants. Tourists were literally pouring out of tour buses at one point in the afternoon all lining up to take a tour of the harbor.
I wandered up and down the piers and the main street along the water and wandered into some shops before grabbing a cup a "chowda"... which tasted really good - especially with it being a bit chilly outside. After that, I went back into the car and drove onto the famous "Bellevue Ave" where the mansions are located. They are quite a site to see.... They are HUGE. Bellevue Ave. leads into Ocean Drive which is about a five mile drive along the coast (which appears to be U-shaped I think...) I drove along it 3 times it was so beautiful. A very different type of coast than I expected, but really pretty.
Here are some pictures...
This is actually still in Boston... it is the Newton City Hall (Boston College is in Newton)
The main pier in Newport, RI
There were lots of fishing boats near the end of the pier where the lobster/crab markets were... it smelled pretty fishy... haha... except it really did.
This is the view street side of the pier...
A view of the boats... there were so many!
The cobblestone street along the piers
A park in the center of town with either a Church or town hall in the background.
I thought this street sign was cool...
And let the beautiful house tours begin.... this is the beginning of Ocean Drive...
Cars were pulling over on the side of the road to look at the houses and the ocean... so I figured I should join in the fun and pull over too.
This is someone's back yard... as in private property and not a park!
These homes are incredible! They have almost a 180 degree, unobstructed view of the water
Fort Adams, which is part of Ocean Drive...
This is the Eisenhower house at Ford Adams....
Yours truly....
These home designs have been added to my "wish list"...
I drove by this house about 5 times... it is so cute. I thought of you Courtney driving past it... with the white picket fence and all.
This guy couldn't get his boat to turn around because of the wind...
Yet another cute home...
Trees outside the Breakers mansion (which was owned by the Vanderbilt family)...
Breakers Mansion... the back side (by the water)
It's enormous!... the yard is huge and there is probably a 220 degree view of the water overlooking a cliff...
A different mansion on Bellevue Ave.
This is Marble Mansion...
The International Tennis Hall of Fame...
The sunset against one of the city buildings
Sunset in Newport, RI
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