RI State House, Newport

Cap Cod

It heavily rained most of the night. I slept in the car to avoid the hassle of setting up a tent in the rain. The campsite was nice, and I could see this would be a perfect place to spend a week at the beach. There is a pool, a lake and many outdoor activities. In October, most of the activities were shutdown and the tent sites were empty. I headed to Starbucks to get a table and a wi-fi connection. I wanted to plan the days trip and book a place to stay later that evening.

Providence, RI - State House

For some reason, traffic wasn’t heavy in Providence. I’ve been to providence a few times before and traffic was always backed up. Providence is an older city and the streets have evolved over time. The Interstate highways crisscross like a can of worms in the downtown area. I looked for parking on the street and didn’t find anything. So, I went to a paid lot and the attendant asked me what I was doing in Providence and how long I would be there. I realized it would be 30 dollars for a couple hours. He told me where I should try for street parking across from the train station. There were 4 spots free with a three-hour limit. So, the two hour stay cost 2.50 USD.

The capital was visible from the train station. As I walked towards the State House, It reminded me of an ancient building from Roman times (but still in excellent condition). The Wikipedia page describes it as neoclassical building designed representing partial revivals of the revivals of the Classical architecture of ancient Rome and (much less) ancient Greek architecture. I wouldn’t have know to call it that, but it definitely has that feel.

**RI State House:** View from a distance

Like in Maine, there are a lot of trees in front of the building obscuring the grandeur of the architecture. You’re also struck by the lack of people on the outskirts as well as at the building itself. You’re able to get as close to the building as you want.

A wide set of steps greets you as you come up the walkway. Halfway up the steps is a granite platform with an iron railing. I presume this was there in the early days when representatives would address a crowd gathered in front of the Capital. I thought about how things have changed.

This building was constructed from 1891 through 1901 during a booming economy in America. As I understand, this is the seventh State House for Rhode Island. I climbed the steps and looked out expecting to see a view down a street, much like in Washington, D.C. All that can be seen is the tops of trees and some buildings that tower above them.

I walked around the outside of the building to get a feel for the size of this building. It isn’t overly ornate. It needs cleaning much like a building in the heart of a large European city that has endured the exhaust of automobiles for decades. There’s a black soot that seems to highlight the buildings details.

At the back of the building there was a small group of tents protesting homelessness in Rhode Island. It seemed that each tent had someone present, and I watched as couple people came to relieve people in some of the tents. As I was taking a photo of the building from the back side, a man said, that’s a nice camera. We chatted about photography and the building itself. It turned out that he worked at the university and was a social worker that worked throughout New England. I asked him about the protest, and he explained some of the issues of homelessness to me.

The Credit Union building caught my eye. The architecture wasn’t as grand as the capital. It was simple, yet classic.

I stopped in the train station to grab a sandwich and look at the inside.

Newport – Castle Hill Lighthouse

I’ve been to Newport many times, but this time was different. The streets weren’t packed with tourists and there were no cruise ships in the harbor. I did see people shopping and a few yacht owners coming from the docks into town.

There are many things to see and do in and around Newport. Newport has a very interesting history going back centuries. I would have loved to stay here for a few weeks and just dig deeper into that history, but my purpose here today was to visit a lighthouse.

The Castle Hill Lighthouse is situated on private property. I’ve been here before when I walked to it from a place I had stayed nearby. Google Maps had trouble getting me to the lighthouse. If you enter “Castle Hill Inn” it will get you close. The valet at the inn told me to park at the bottom of the hill and I would see path to the lighthouse. All along this path are No Trespassing signs. I continued anyway.

It's a very short walk from the parking lot. The lighthouse sits on the other side of the hill as you approach. Only the top can be seen. It’s not a large lighthouse but is strategically placed to help ships navigate their way into the Narragansett Bay near Newport, RI. On the other side, of the waterway, is the Beavertail lighthouse. This is a good place to get views of the Atlantic ocean as well as the Narragansett Bay.

Birds and Fish

After leaving the lighthouse, I drove around the coast heading back into Newport. As I drove around Ocean Ave., there were thousands of sparrows swarming. I pulled over and got the camera. As I sat along the road, they swooped down several times around me flashing by me feet away. The would suddenly drop into the trees and field in front of me and then they go back to the skies repeating this exercise many times. I tried to get photos, but I didn’t do it justice.

A quarter of a mile further down Ocean Ave, I saw a man struggling with a fishing pool and pulled over. The strippers were running and these fisherman were pulling large fish out of the ocean. You could see a school of small fish in the water and the strippers going after them.

The fish had to be 28 inches in length to keep it. This one was 34 inches. He told me it was like fighting a small shark to get it in. They are very strong fish. He seemed very proud of this catch but handed it to a Vietnamese man that was standing beside me.

This guy seemed to be having the most success. While I stood there, he caught four strippers. He didn’t keep any of them. I’m not sure if they were too small or he was fishing catch-and-release.

There was a lot of excitement on the beach. It seemed that everyone fishing here was in on the action. As I learned, the strippers come and go. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you’ll see a lot of action.

Newport Public Library

I went to the Newport Public Library to escape the rain, do some online work and read. It was obvious the town has some money. This is a beautiful space. I’m not sure how this is in the summer, but there was plenty of parking for library use. There is a greeting area at the front but no one was there. This is probably there for all the tourist that come during the summer. I had a table to my self and relaxed for a couple of hours.

Fishermen's Memorial State Park and Campground

I checked in at the campsite. It was raining heavily again. There weren’t many tent campers in the area I was in. This is a beautiful state campground with very clean showers and restrooms. I can image this is packed in the summer months. They had tennis courts near by. The beach is only a few miles away. The town of Narragansett is very close and has many restaurants catering to the summer crowds. The staff is friendly and very helpful. I would definitely come back this area.

The Coast Guard House Restaurant

I wasn’t going to cook in the rain, so I found a restaurant that came highly rated on yelp and google, The Coast Guard House Restaurant. I was hoping to either sit at the bar or doing some reading. The bar was full and the lights were so dim I couldn’t read. I was given a seat in the corner because the restaurant was full. Unfortunately, I sat beside two guys and one talked for the entire time I was there. He was speaking loudly, and telling stories to his buddy that never said a word. He kept saying he as a lawyer, and talked about all the money he made and properties he owned all over the us. Clearly, he needed someone to listen to him talk.

I ordered a Narragansett lager, clam chowder and a kale salad. The chowder and beer were excellent, but they missed something with the salad. They didn’t get five stars from me.