Rocks, Waves, Boats, and Cakes:Rhode Island

Nearly all my adult years have been spent as an adopted Southerner, yet my roots are steeped in Rhode Island. Bring on the crunchy fried chicken, shrimp and grits, banana pudding, both Western & Eastern North Carolina BBQ (vinegar, tomato, whatever, all tasty). But in my heart, I’m a lobsta cracking, chowda slurping, clamcake chomping, Red Sox loving New Englander.

Deciding to return to my native homeland to reunite with family and friends, driving was the most exhaustively sensible option for my two week sojourn, a 14.5 hour trek from Raleigh to the Ocean State. I know, who does this? Actually, with strategic overnights enroute, totally manageable. Off I went.  First stop: Annapolis, my former hometown. Hosted by my sista from another mista, Marybeth, we devoured crab cakes and rosé, topped off with lively chatter. An utterly perfect evening.

Up at dawn next day to battle predictably grueling traffic thru NYC, I finally arrived in Rhode Island 8.5 frazzled hours later, wearily landing in Narragansett for the night. Scanning shards of rocks fringing the beach, I deeply inhaled fragrant salt air sweeping across a crescent shoreline. Heaven. Soothing tired tootsies in the bold Atlantic was balm for my soul, a mental and physical refresher. A two mile beach walk drained tensions, restored balance.

Dilemma. Where to eat? Rhode Island’s foodie scene has exploded in recent years. Sustenance from youth into adulthood was simple - fish & chips, burgers or dogs with fries, stuffies (quahogs), steamers (clams), anything Italian, Portuguese kale soup, hot weiners, plus summertime Del’s lemonade  and Azorean malasadas (doughboys). These days, one can find all that plus Asian fusion, traditional to creative seafood fare, farm fresh cuisine, Creole, and taquerias, reflecting population diversity.

Culinary goals were simple: consume fish daily. My hungry heart led me to Surf Shack (https://surfshackri.com ), walkable from the beach, which served up scrumptious calamari from nearby Pt. Judith waters.  Next menu item: zombie sleep. With coffee in hand after sunrise, my beach chair and I found an ideal sandy spot on Narragansett Town Beach, later walking the shelly shoreline, working up a lunch appetite. Aunt Carries for chowder and clam cakes was the ticket (https://auntcarriesri.com). Generations have stood here in line, waiting for crispy clam cakes served with New England style (white) clam chowder, still reasonably priced. Sea views, on the house.

I was hosted that evening by a dear friend in her lovely historic Charlestown home just down the coast road. Jodi is a delightful travel trade partner, innovator and founder of The Epicurean Concierge https://theepicureanconcierge.com. A creative dynamo, she built a successful enterprise offering customized travel experiences throughout France (highly recommend!). Our visit and sumptuous dinner was filled with global topics, trade trends, and of course, girl talk. A trip highlight.

Heading on to trendy Providence for the weekend, I met up with childhood chums in Wayland Square, starting with lively convos over dinner at McBride's Irish Pub https://mcbrides-pub.com. Stuffies!

Saturday: a sweaty Zumba class with girlfriend Susan, my energy equal, followed by late night laughs aplenty. Staying at her comfy East Side home was a special treat. We met as tots in kindergarten; Susan is the first friend I ever made on this earth. We rode out the 60’s to early 70’s together, graduated high school, took divergent paths as young adults. Reconnecting as grownups, our friendship ranks among my most cherished; we share a carefree sense of adventure and zest for life. Walking our old Fox Point neighborhood sparked memories of family, school life, and shenanigans with fellow girly adventurers.

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, Providence was a livable working class city, a jewelry mecca and silver capital where Gorham, Coro, Catamore, and Speidel once thrived. Even before multiple factory closures from the 70’s onward, urban decay was prevalent. As a youngster, I took zigzag routes “downcity” to avoid South Main Street’s broken sidewalks, boarded up businesses and houses. Fast forward today: it’s morphed into a vibrant urban oasis. Once blight, now bright with inviting green spaces, cozy parks, luscious eateries, walkways and bridges, bike lanes, food trucks along the Providence River. Gondola rides? Genius!  It did my heart good to see this city now flourishing with multicultural cuisine, artsy shops, hosting local and national events.

Despite pouring rain Saturday, we headed to Susan's cozy Matunuck beach cottage for the night, chatting into the wee hours. Lively banter, intense discussions, endless laughs. Always memorable. Sunday morning, clouds parted, sun emerged, treating us to a full day of walking, visiting old friends, shelling, grabbing lunch at the Ocean Mist https://www.oceanmist.net . True words: the road to a friend’s house is never long.

Hubby Eric arrived Monday, just in time for dinner with nephew Jonathan and family at artistically delicious CAV in downtown Providence (https://cavrestaurant.com). Loved our dining experience! Situated in the jewelry district, CAV is one of many novel businesses using  repurposed factory and mill buildings, serving up succulent cuisine & crafty cocktails by a smiling staff, surrounded by global artifacts, with a welcoming outdoor patio.

Next day: a trip to Block Island on the Pt Judith ferry. Memories galore here.  Though it’s now an affluent haven, “the Island” began as a respite for the working class, with cheap ferry rides and affordable guest houses.

My family spent several idyllic summer vacations on BI through the 60’s, staying at the Dodge house, steps away from the pier. Old man Dodge also rented bicycles for 50 cents a day. One year, I wanted an “English”, a faster multi speed bike. Mr Dodge said no, I was too young, breaking my 8 year old heart. When I was handed the usual iron maiden coaster bike, he reminded me to stay within Old Harbor confines. Ha. I sped off on that bike past New Harbor, the state beach, up and down every dusty side road until I was good and ready to return.

Having booked the Island ferry a month in advance, we'd secured an early arrival. https://www.blockislandferry.com A gloomy day it was, skies overcast when we boarded at Galilee. Fog and wind briefly threatened our plans. Crossing the breakwater outside the channel, the sun broke through the clouds. An hour later, we arrived Old Harbor, packed away rain jackets, inhaled the air, and relished the warm rays beaming down.  Within minutes, we pushed off on our rental bikes to explore and this time, I did get that 10 speed bike. Wished we'd taken the electric option. Cycling up and around some of those same old roads, to New Harbor, back along the beach, those hills were a beast! Hopped on the 4pm ferry back to Galilee, stopping for beers & clam cakes, lazily watching the fishing boats swoosh into the harbor with their catches. A grand day.

Among our most memorable meals:  lobster bisque, stuffies, oysters & swordfish at The Coast Guard House in Narragansett https://thecoastguardhouse.com. Sweeping Atlantic views, superb cuisine, picturesque spot. We are sure to return!

After skipping through Jamestown, we enjoyed a drizzly lunch (award winning chowder, naturally) at the Black Pearl in Newport https://www.blackpearlnewport.com. The next few days were spent catching up with cherished galpals from Providence to Warwick before heading home, stopping in Philly & Annapolis enroute to Raleigh. Time with precious friends is life well spent.

I consider myself a lucky girl to have traveled abundantly with a plethora of seaside experiences near and far. While having soaked up a mere smidgen of North Carolina's 300+ miles of boogey boarding coastline, I unabashedly love and favor this family & dog friendly heavenly haven. Windswept dunes, sea oats dotting sugar sand, historic lighthouses, prismatic sunsets ~ I'm smitten with the singular beauty of our NC beaches, especially the Outer Banks (they’re all free!). But as a Little Rhody hometown girl, the familiar charm, craggy shorelines, fishing villages, local grub, and seaside traditions of native beaches is truly unsurpassed. Paradox? Nah. My loyalties aren't divided, they're culturally blended. Call me a 'Gansett chugging Northerner, sassy Southerner, but as a diehard Sox fan, just don't call me a relocated Yankee.

My beloved Rhode Island. Picture a vibrant metropolis, foodie mecca, easily navigable state hosting quaint seaside towns, rock sculpted shorelines, with waves both surfable and swimmable. Is the water cold? Ridiculously so. Is it worth the plunge? Come find out.