One week after our dash to the Carolinas, it was finally time to celebrate our one year (and one month) anniversary! That Friday, we rushed home after work, packed up the car, and headed off to Newport, Rhode Island. The town, on the edge of Narragansett Bay, is about a three hour drive from New York - we would arrive just in time for a dinner. As we listened to the Magellan spout directions, we realized that the interstate would not take us there - I suppose that's how Newport has maintained its old world charm. So after driving halfway through Rhode Island, we swapped the crowded interstate for local roads near the tiny town of Exeter.
By the time we claimed our Hyatt reservations, it was a too late to be touristy. We ordered room service for two (very good, by the way), purchased "The DaVinci Code" on pay-per-view, and settled in for the night. We awoke the next morning, after sleeping late, to the sound of rain and blustering winds. Neptune was angry, but even he couldn't mask the beautiful scenery outside each of our three picture windows. After a slow morning, we decided to take a trip "into town" for lunch (we read the wharf was a good starting point). Within a few minutes, though, we realized that their wharf isn't for fisherman - it's for yachtsmen. Everything in Newport is so artfully crafted and pristine looking, even the little Thai restaurant we stopped at for lunch.
After some pad thai, we went next door for coffee and then made our way back to the hotel. We stayed there, chilling out, for a few hours before touring the city some more. On our second outing, we wandered our way out to Bellevue Avenue. If you haven't heard of it before, maybe you've heard of its homes: Chateau-sur-Mer, Rosecliff, and of course, The Breakers. We actually did a couple of laps around Rosecliff...if we ever go back, I see an official tour in our future. No time for that on this trip, though, but we did have reservations for the dinner train! We were at the train depot around six o'clock - along with a bunch of other dinner guests. There was even one train car completely reserved for a wedding reception.
Having posed for our obligatory souvenir photo, we were ushered inside and to our private table. Every table was outfitted with four (heavy) cushioned metal chairs and was decorated with a tealight and flower centerpiece. The entire meal lasted about two hours, with sunset views of the aircraft carriers USS Saratoga and USS Forrestal. To my surprise, the three-course service was both very well presented and quite flavorful. They even decorated each of our plates with a purple orchid - it reminded me of Hawaii. While the experience wasn't exactly cheap, and the bathrooms were more train than restaurant, it was definitely an experience worth repeating. With our hotel within sight of the station, it was a quick trip back once the ride was over.
The next morning, we checked out of the hotel and set off for our second (and last) scheduled activity of the weekend. We had noon reservations to meet a penguin at Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium. As soon as we pulled in (self-parking), we realized that the facility would be very intimate. This was not Sea World. This was more like the place a really rich uncle might build. Since we were early, we took the opportunity to look around and grab a bite of lunch. Even on a gray and drizzly day, the place appeared to be hopping with short people. One little guy even pulled the cafeteria fire alarm...the firemen didn't seem too pleased. Though we did sneak a peek at the belugas and some floating jellies, it wasn't long before our penguin guide awaited.
The way Tracy talked, she had been with the Aquarium her whole life. She was a volunteer, then an intern, and now she was a trainer and, today, our liason into the world of penguins. The ten of us sat in a circle on plastic steps inside a quiet room, and after some ground rules Tracy released baby "blue-red" from his puppy crate. He was allowed to wander about while she educated us on penguins and Mystic's penguin program. Later, after everyone got a chance to pet his back and touch his wing, he was carefully placed back into his crate. We eventually walked back with her to the main exhibit, where she placed him with his colony just before the afternoon feeding. We stuck around to watch him swim, and checked out most of the other exhibits, before walking slowly back to the car and our ride to New York.