I didn't originally have Newport on my destination list. I actually had no plans to visit here at all. But when I started investigating historic homes and mansions to visit all over the country, Newport popped up. They have a lot of preserved mansions here. So it got added to my route. Then with the recent shake up in my sleeping arrangement plans for this week, I got to spend a full day here.
Interruption: So as I was writing this I had what could have been an awful interruption. I was lying here in my bed with the windows open again like last night and I heard: "Bang. BANG. SCREEEEEECH. BANG BANG BANG." Uh oh, that didn't sound good. I wonder what that was. Look out the front window...guy on a phone telling someone there had been a car accident. Not good. So I threw on my robe and grabbed my phone and went downstairs and outside. Notice that the car of the woman I'm staying with has some serious damage. With dread, go to check my car. Well, the driver's side mirror is bent the wrong direction and the back of it is missing. But upon further inspection, I couldn't find anything more wrong with it. A flood of relief for me. But my host's car looks totaled to my untrained eye. So I go back upstairs, wake her up and tell her what happened. I put on a pair of flip flops and head back downstairs. At this point, a cop is walking with a girl who is crying, saying "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I'll pay for everything!" The cop is trying to get her to calm down and make sure she's ok, but she's inconsolable. When he has a minute, I ask him who my host and I should talk to about our cars. He says another officer is on the way, but I should grab my license and registration. So I go back upstairs again, tell my host that she should bring her license and registration down as well, grab mine and head back down. Just as I get back down there, another cop arrived and took pictures, took down all of my information and gave me the accident report number. She also took down all of the information for my host. A witness from across the street was hanging out and she and I found the back of my mirror and I grabbed my duct tape from my trunk (because of course I have some) and we taped the casing back on. Well, the mirror mechanism doesn't work, but I manually positioned the mirror and it'll work for now. I may see if I can get it fixed while I'm in Philly with my parents, but, even if I don't, it's functional and I was really fortunate. Seriously - it could have been SO much worse. My host's car isn't drive-able and she'll have to get it towed and then likely will have to deal with getting a replacement. I can't even imagine. And through all of this, I was totally at ease. The officer even commented on how calm I was. But the girl that was driving was apparently drunk, texting, and possibly without a license. Oh, and it was her dad's car. So we'll see how that all plays out. Good times. Or not.
So that just happened. But back to where I was before all that excitement happened. Ummmmm......oh yeah, full day in Newport. Hey - had I stuck to my original plan, I wouldn't have been here tonight and my car wouldn't have been side swiped. C'est la vie. So I spent the better part of today doing a volksmarch that took me around the city and to various mansions. I hit up Kingscote, The Breakers (the biggest one in the area), Rosecliff (which is where Great Gatsby was filmed), Chateau-sur-Mer, and The Elms, which was my favorite. You know, after a while, these historic houses start to become a little blase. I mean, they're still really impressive, but they become very similar and I end up noticing the smaller things and the regional and time period differences. I also really like understanding the changes that the houses have undergone over the years. Now, I did a ton of walking - outside of the mansions, I did about 8 miles and if you add in all of the walking within the mansions, I'm sure it was over 10 miles. I was basically on my feet for 7 1/2 hours straight, most of it walking. Exhausting. My legs felt like they were going to fall off.
I then stopped at a place called Scales and Shells for dinner and had some oysters on the half shell (Blue Point, I think was the variety), and some clams in white sauce over linguine. So good. The glass of wine helped my legs of jelly as well. Then I just came back here to the apartment, hung out for a while and dealt with the whole car situation.
I forgot to write yesterday about my thoughts about my schedule once I come home and I don't feel like writing about that now, so maybe tomorrow. Someone remind me?
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