Time to hit Federal Hill & Brown University

Just got in last night and had a great dinner at Union Station brewery.  Lobster Macaroni & Cheese - yum!

Staying at the Hilton next to Dunkin Doughnuts Center - looking to tackle the Newport Ferry today.

Distance: 86 miles
Sights:

Finally after over seven decades someone converted a run down eyesore of a building into a beautiful hotel. Congratulations on a job well done! This hotel is not only clean, stylish and conveniently located; the staff is impressive and has obviously been trained to anticipate customer needs. I have traveled to this area repeatedly throughout my career and have never been impressed with the hotel offerings. I now look forward to returning. Renaissance Hotels/Marriott have added a jewel to their portfolio!

This summer I came up with the idea to visit all 50 states in the US.  Now I know this isn't a new idea, but after traveling to other places around the world, I figured that it would also be a good idea to get to know my own country.

Now I have always wanted to go to Rhode Island since I was a little girl.  Why you ask?  Because it is there.  No, the truth is that when I saw that it was the tiniest state in the country I was sold.  I have even thought about having my first child there, only because I have never known anyone from Rhode Island before.  As you can see, I get crazy ideas in my head and run with them.

The day I visited Rhode Island I actually had the intention of visiting Connecticut only, but my friend Chip mentioned that we were very close to Rhode Island and could hit Providence in 45 minutes from where we were.  I jumped at the chance; who wouldn't?

it was a rainy day on our way to Providence.  I have to say there wasn't much there but interstates and a big water tower that made me a little nervous.  But once we saw the sign welcoming us, my spirits lifted.  First off Providence is close to the border so it didn't take long for us to get out of the car and onto the street.  The first place we visited was the Capitol Building, it was raining at that point so we didn't stay out long, not that there was much to do there on a Sunday in front of the Capitol building anyway.

After that we hopped back into the car and started cruising the streets.  Instead of staying on the main drag we decided to head up to the hills where we had seen some interesting architecture.  What we found was that Providence has a lot of colleges and universities.  That and churchs...hmmm...not a lot to do.  That and it was Sunday!

So we decided we needed to hit civilization, so we hit the mall since it was open.  Now normally when I visit places, I would not go to a mall, but we were desperate!  So we figured this would be interesting...well, for a mall. 

I have to say for a smaller city, the mall was pretty large.  So large that when we tried to leave we couldn't find our car, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Instead of a quick jaunt through the mall as we expected, we actually ended up staying a few hours.  I ended up buying $125 of stuff I didn't need; clothing, jewelry and candles; Yankee Candles, which Chip ended up breaking in the store.  He lifted it up by the lid.  Never a good idea, but he wasn't himself that day.  You could tell they were annoyed, but they were very nice about it.  Good thing I bought something to soften the blow.

After a while we got really hungry and decided to grab some dinner. Chip suggested a restaurant called Fire and Ice.  I wasn't so sure, but nothing else was open.  It was Sunday!  So we grabbed a couple of bowls, threw some food into them and took them to the grill where it was prepared to our liking.  It was pretty good until I saw the bill. $24 for a plate of food!  The woman asked if we wanted more, I told her we were done, she looked shocked.  I guess getting one round isn't usual.  But because I don't like to stuff myself, I paid the price...all $24 of it.  Per Person!  That is why I like to choose smaller less trendy venues, but you live and learn.

After dinner we decided it was time to leave, but we couldn't find our car because we didn't exit the right doors, but after the big dinner we needed the walk so it all worked out.  The rain finally started to clear as we hit the freeway.  But before we left, we were left with one of our most memorable visuals of Rhode Island; a neon blue cross looming over the gloom.  Because God loves neon, my friend.

I finally got to live the dream of going to the smallest state in the USA, Rhode Island.  It happened by accident which is usually how most people find themselves in Rhode Island.  Still I went with an open mind and a loving heart and had a great time, even though it was a Sunday and not a lot was open.

I hadn't been to a mall that big in a while, but then again I only go to the mall about three times a year and it's in Portland, Oregon which really leaves a lot to be desired.  I got a few great shirts, some candles and even got lost in the catacombs of the mall parking lot.  Good times!

If you have a hankerin' to hear more about Rhode Island take a look here:

http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/17362

I have to say I wasn't impressed by the Fire and Ice. It is a Mongolian grill type place where you choose what you want such as meats, vegetables, sauces and they cook it up right in front of you. I have been to a few of these places in the past and this one was probably my least favorite. The sauces weren’t that exceptional and I felt it was too expensive for what is was. Especially if you aren’t a big eater and don’t plan on gorging yourself. The décor was fun and the staff was very nice as well, so all was not lost…

We went for an an hour drive from CT to RI to try an american style mongolian BBQ restaurant. the ambience is whimsical and modern. this is a popular college hang out. there is a 4ft in radius bbq stove top in the middle of the food bar section. i would only go here on a weekday. you can walk in, sit and eat. i would like to come back to try the brunch. PRO: if you like "all-u-can-eat" in a flat price of $16.99 CON: you won't enjoy eating together. you will be spending time waiting for your food to be cooked. The food bar is stocked and re-stocked throughout the day with fresh vegetables, seafood, chicken, beef, udon noodles, pasta and more. All you have to do is take a bowl and pile it high with whatever you want. We even have a hamburger bar, with fresh ground beef and all the fixins'. After you decide on what you want, choose from one of our sauces, like Greenberg's Teriyaki, Fajita and more. Take our sauce and your bowl up to the grill and watch as our chefs prepare your meal for you. We'll even bring warm tortillas and rice to your table for you to enjoy with your meal. While the exact selection changes daily, you're sure to find a wide range of choices that includes: Sirloin, Chicken Breast, Turkey, Lamb, Salmon, Calamari, Shrimp, Scallops, Sausage, Hamburger, Tofu and more. For fresh vegetables, our market is the place. Again, the exact selections depend on the day . . . but with an average of forty different vegetables, finding something you love will never be a problem. A typical day at the market includes: red onions, green peppers, jalapeño peppers, chopped fresh garlic, water chestnuts, broccoli, snow peas, tomatoes, black olives, roasted red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, squash, zucchini and more. We always have at least ten different sauces for you to choose from, like Zesty Pomodoro, Sweet Chili, Fajita and more. Plus, when you get to the grill, we can also add soy sauce or hot sauce to your meal! Just take your bowl and sauce up to the grill and we'll get cooking for you. Our grill chefs will get your meal back to you in just a few minutes. So take a moment to relax by the grill and before you know it, your meal will be ready for you to enjoy. And don't forget, there will be warm tortillas and rice waiting for you when you get back to your table.

On my way south from Boston I stopped overnight in Providence to visit Sigel, another camp friend, and get a taste of college life.  I actually got a taste last year when I stayed with Merry, but I still find it fun & fascinating!  We don't have so much of the college-dorm-lifestyle in Australia, so it always seems slightly tv/movie-like to see that this is really how people do college in America. 

So we had dinner, Sigel wrote a paper, and we went to see a movied - King of Kong - it was absolutely hilarious!  It's actually a documentary about the battle over the world-record title for playing Donkey Kong - it was actually quite fascinating, & frustrating, & funny (do you like my alliteration there?) and you should all go see it!

After getting my rental car, I drove to the Roger Williams National Memorial.  I try to visit as many of the national parks as possible; this site took only about fifteen minutes, but it also provided parking as I explored the area.  I walked up to the State House where I started to look around on my own but when I wandered into the library, an older woman offered to give me a tour of the building.  I loved this one-on-one experience.  Helen was very knowledgeable about the building and gave me time to take pictures.  Later I took a self-guided tour around Brown University (picked the pamphlet up in the Admissions Office).  Being summer the campus wasn't too busy but by no means was it dead.  One of the libraries even had an exhibit of writings from early America on display which the history lover in me enjoyed browsing.

Best brownies in the world.

While I was living in Boston last year, one of my friends, Shane, was living in Providence, Rhode Island, right around the corner from Brown University. A few of my friends and I visited Shane for a weekend, where we sampled Providence's excellent night life! This was my second time in Providence, I also visited it the year before, when I attended The Killers' concert!

I think the nightclub we went to was called Fish Club. It was a decent club, quite busy, plenty of underagers I'd say (myself included at the time)! There was an excellent buzz around the area in general, with plenty of parties. We crashed in Shane's house for the night and the following morning we got up and headed into downtown Providence, hoping to find a bar showing a Munster rugby match that was on. We weren't able to find one, in fact one Irish pub was just opening up and when we asked the waitress if they had the rugby she responded: "What's rugby?" Oh well, Munster won that match, and went on to win the final too!

We were very hungover from the night before, but managed to have a bite to eat in the Cheesecake Factory in Providence Mall. The mall was cool, even bigger than Cambridgeside Galleria which we thought was gigantic! It has all the stores you'd expect a megasized American mall to have, from the Abercrombie, Hollister and American Eagle, to Discovery Channel, Apple, etc. etc. etc. We found some amusing Fidelity advertisements, with random things about IRA on them. Of course to Americans they would have read IRA as Individual Retirement Account, but us Irish would read it as Irish Republican Army. The IRA have a huge involvement in the history of conflict in Northern Ireland, and when we see signs like "Cure for the common IRA" and "Show your IRA some TLC" it is very funny! :)

Today I moved on from my island haven & headed to Providence, Rhode Island. My sole reason for stopping here was to visit the Culinary Archives & Museum, and it was definitely worth it! They have a huge collection of culinary-related stuff - stoves, utensils, gadgets, presidential menus & china, info on chefs & a big exhibition on the history of the American diner.

So I spent nearly three hours exploring, and it was really interesting. And that's when I decided this was part of the beauty of travelling solo - coz seriously, how many of my friends would actually have wanted to spend three hours in a culinary museum?

I just found out that I will be returning to Greece in September for a whole year!  Until then, hard work and lots of planning.  We will have another trip with the students in December/January, and I am hard at work on the textbook already.