Deck Shoes and Capris: Newport, RI (May, 2004)
By The Cranky Yankee
(photos by C. LeBeau)
Every Memorial Day weekend, the Joey Zone and I take off to New England Parts Unknown, and this year’s destination was Newport, RI. What could possible be anomalous about Newport, land of rich yuppies? Well, Joey and I, for one…we stuck out like sore thumbs. Dressed in black, in our gothic-tinged middle-age, driving an old (yet reliable!) Ford Escort with decorative bumper sticker motif, and all we can see for miles were Audis, Saabs, BMWs, and high-end SUVs, all amongst a sea of people colored with name-brand pastel and white summer clothing. Oh sure, there were the occasional tourist-types…over-weight, dressed in highly inappropriate clothing for their size (those guys with the big guts in jams and Hawaii shirts get to me, not to mention the fat old women in muumuus and shorts), but at least they stayed with the summer-fun theme.
Never-the-less, Newport isn’t all nouveau
(or faux) rich and gaudy mansions. We did find some very interesting
things
to do and see, and we learned that the city has an
intriguing (but under appreciated) Colonial history that includes piracy,
slave-trading,
ghosts, and enemy occupation, as well as scuttle-butt about the rich, 19th
century mansion dwellers on Bellevue Avenue. We also did a lot of
shopping, and
I indulged in my expensive hobby of photography (15
rolls of film!...mostly gravestones and architecture.)
First, what we didn’t see: our book-selling, old hippie buddy, Michael Borden and Green Animals Topiary Gardens. The former, who lives in Portsmouth, was not available for a drop-in (his mother is ill), although we did talk on the phone a bit. Borden’s a trip… this guy IS a walking anomaly. He always has a million stories to tell and has the uncanny ability to know EXACTLY what kinds of books we’re looking for. Borden is also a fellow pack-rat and has some of the most outrageous stuff hanging around his house. He tipped us to some out-of-the-way places to check around Newport as well.
The latter, the Topiary Gardens also in Portsmouth, was not open yet for the season, even though its website and pamphlets say they were. We found out when buying tickets for the various tours we wanted to take. Joey had read up on the Victorian fancy of shaping trees and learned that the garden’s house had a Victorian toy collection as well. He was majorly disappointed.
We stopped at the
Motel 6 (Tom Bodett left the light on for us!) to check on our reservations,
and then headed downtown to the conveniently located
Gateway Visitor Center on America’s Cup Avenue. Parking was no problem…as
long as we got there early (luckily we’re early risers). By 11am, the place is
packed and nothing is available by 2pm. Newport is a walkable city, and
there’s a constant stream of buses and trolleys for those who are not inclined.
We’re glad we walked as we would have missed all the nooks and crannies tucked
within the city
limits.
There are lots of places to eat, ranging from cheap and
greasy to ridiculously chi-chi. Our favorite 
breakfast place was
Bishop’s 4th
St. Diner at the Connell Highway Rotary. Big, cheap breakfasts with jonny
cakes, a Rhode Island specialty…hmmm, I liked mine with Tabasco. Another good
all-day breakfast and lunch stop was Mel’s Caferino, on Broadway.
Inexpensive fish and chips were the order
for lunch, and the fish was crispy and fresh. For a more exotic touch, we went to Istanbul (around the corner from the
Colony House, RI’s first state house) for Turkish food. I had a wonderful fava bean pita
pocket and Joey Zone had his favorite: Turkish coffee which was
served in a little fancy cup. Naturally, he ate the coffee mud at the bottom of
the cup…he always does.
For extravagance, we enjoyed a bay-side lunch at the oh-so swanky restaurant, Christie’s, on the wharf…a nice plate of fresh raw oysters and 2 ½ lbs of Maine steamers. And of course, we couldn’t leave without stopping at the famous Flo’s Clam Shack in Middletown, just over the Newport line. They live up to their reputation; they were the best fried clams I’ve ever had. Their clam cakes were damn fine, too. Joey adds that the cheeseburger was pretty good as well.
One of the things that pleasantly caught me by surprised was all the Colonial era houses up and down the little streets and roadways near the center of town. These were not Colonial Revivalist types either, but the old and well-preserved real deal. Here is Newport’s story in a nutshell: from the 1600s and on, Newport became a bustling port town, thanks in part to its policy of religious tolerance. By the mid 1700s, it was one of the most successful ports in Colonial America. Many of the Colonial houses still standing there are from this period. However, during the Revolutionary War, the town was occupied by English forces. After two years, the English finally left, but the city never recovered economically. An additional blow to the local economy happened when the American Industrial Revolution seemed to pass it by.
Yet, in the long run, it was a boon.
Wealthy businessmen discovered its pristine beaches and isolation and made it
into a resort town for the rich. During the 1800s, Newport saw the
gentrification of the city by many of the rich Victorians who built the
magnificence mansions (“summer cottages” to them). Although the Great
Depression drove some of the rich out (many lost their fortunes), Newport has
bounced back yet again on its reputation as a resort town for vacationers.
Many of the grand mansions were bought and restored and have become tourist
attractions.
The
Colonial houses have been restored as well. The reason for so many of
these houses still standing
was due to Newport’s lack of industrialization…the
old neighborhoods were never knocked down for
“progress”
as in 
many other New England towns and cities. One gets a
real sense of history while walking up and down these
little streets. And being a fan of Colonial architecture, I’m personally
bowled over by it all. The residents have done a
fantastic job in
renovating and preserving the buildings. Visitors can
take self-guided tours of the neighborhoods or, as we did, sign up for a guided
tour complete with historical stories about various houses.
The Colonial history really hit home when we went on one of the Ghost Tours of Newport. The guide told some great stories about the various places and houses we stopped at. Many of the stories are featured in Haunted Newport by Eleyne Austen Sharp (who was signing her book at Treasures of Newport souvenir shop the first day we were there, but did not go), although there were some great stories not in the book, too. We stopped at many “haunted” sites including the White Horse Tavern, the Admiral Farragut Inn, Brick Alley (also known as Blood Alley), and the Vernon House (Washington actually slept there!). But during the whole tour, we did not experience any ghosts…bummer. One story we were told about involved a building near Washington Square Park. A fellow climbed to the 4th floor of building and jumped. Just as he jumped, he let out a blood-curdling scream and then hit the ground with a very loud crunch! To this day, people claim to hear his scream and landing in the late night on the anniversary of the event. During the weekend, every time we passed the area, we strained to hear the “crack and splat”…alas, nothing.
While
listening to the tour guide explain some of our surroundings, a local drunk
walked up and started bothering the tourists, “Hey, any of you people going to
Jamestown after this operation? I need a ride to Jamestown!” Our
group chased him away. Joey remarked that it was nice to see we brought a
little bit of Willimantic with us. I said, “No, Joey, didn’t you see the
tan and the Tommy Hilfiger hat? Newport has a higher class of street
bums here!” At the end of tour, the guide explained that people should be careful about
bringing antiques home as it is known that sometimes spirits
go with them. Joey piped up and offered, “Yeah, and they might ask for a
ride to Jamestown!” The group laughed.
The mansions on Bellevue Avenue are really something to
behold. One can walk or drive up and
down the street to look at them or even
stroll on some of the grounds for free. But it does cost to tour them. We only
went into one mansion,
Belcourt Castle, which holds many priceless furniture and artwork and is
reputed to be the most haunted. The owners, the Tinneys, are a family of restorators and art collectors and have turned the place into a museum. We did
not go on the Belcourt Ghost Tour (it’s held on
Thursday nights), but
we did go on the Candlelight Tour. The place is
certainly breathtaking and the collection is awe-inspiring for those who love
European and Oriental art. We saw and felt no ghosts, though!
Other places we toured and visited were the Newport Historical Society (where I bought a copy of Mallet & Chisel: Gravestone Carvers of Newport, Rhode Island, in the 18th Century by Vincent F. Luti) and the Museum of Newport History. The NHS is home to the oldest typewriter in the U.S. When we first walked in, I asked about it and got a quizzical look from the director. He said it was in storage. As we walked towards the display area, we overheard him say to the secretary, “Gee, I guess that’s our big claim to fame.” The MNH is an extension of the NHS and had a very good exhibit set-up. I recommend it to familiarize oneself with Newport before taking in the rest of the city.
And speaking of
cemeteries…of course we visited many of the cemeteries and burial grounds in
the area, including Common Burial Ground, a Jewish cemetery, and the burial
ground at Trinity Church. We even visited one that was practically in
someone’s backyard, up in one of the Colonial neighborhoods. Though
Trinity is reputed to be haunted, we still
ran into no ghosts.
Monday morning, we took a ride around Ocean
Drive and visited some of the lovely beaches (Joey got
sunburned). We
ended up at Fort Adams State Park, where we toured the vast and cavernous Fort
Adams. Let me tell you something…if you get a chance to visit the fort, do
it! Fans
of urban exploration will love this place. It is
AWESOME! Despite the fact that the place still needs some
renovating, the guide took us into many of the old quarters, rifle and canon
rooms, around and on top of the walls, and deep into a tunnel! I could
have spent all day there exploring! Alas…still no ghosts.
What else did we see around Newport? A couple of guys
dressed as pirates walking into
Aidan’s Irish Pub shouting “A vast there!” and “Arrg!,” an older gentleman
dressed in period Colonial military garb in a
bookstore on Bellevue (looking for
military books), and some old guy that was the spitting
image of the Gloucester Fisherman (complete with yellow slicker, 
chin whiskers,
and pipe!)
Overall, we had an enjoyable time and I would return to revisit and explore more of the Colonial neighborhoods and cemeteries, as well as visit the topiary garden and our buddy, Mike. Also, there are other tours at the mansions and around town I would be interested in checking out, and there is always nearby Middletown and Portsmouth with their history, too. And just once, I would like to walk the entire length of the Cliff Walk. And maybe next time…we might run into a ghost or two. ;-)