Newport, Rhode Island -- June 2001: Day 1

We arrived at year two with new jobs for each of us, but still a reluctance to venture out too far outside the safety bubble of New England.  We decided to celebrate our anniversary weekend this time a little further away, in Newport Rhode Island.  We wanted the champagne luxury of The Breakers on our Coca-cola budget, so we booked The Adele Turner Inn (somehow twice the cost of our inn in Maine!).   We stayed in the Great Gatsby Suite, complete with memorabilia from the 1974 film, filmed in Newport.  The two-room suite included a sitting area with fireplace . . .and a whirlpool tub?!  It was a little Poconos-ish to have a bathtub right in the living room, by the front door, but it was much appreciated after two marathon days of schlepping to every mansion in Newport.  We arrived just in time for "tea" and wolfed down what was left in the dining room.  We had been delayed due to another torrential rainstorm while driving (the second in two years?  Maybe traveling in New England in June was not such a good idea).

Fun fact: Beatrice Turner, daughter of Adele was a kooky socialite from the 1930's who spent her days painting self-portraits.  A thousand of them. 

One of the bonuses of staying at the Adele Turner Inn was our proximity to Newport's waterfront, in walking distance.  For dinner, we stopped at The Red Parrot Restaurant.  After way too many cookies during tea time, I got Skinny Minnies, a raw veggie platter with dip, and a frozen drink the size of my head.  H got Cajun Shrimp.  After a few drinks at a neighborhood bar, we headed back to the Inn to watch Casablanca, part of the video library. 

Kennebunkport, ME -- June 2000

As part of The Hubby's and my unofficial marriage vows, we decided to travel to every state, one a year for the next fifty years.  Being poor our first year of marriage, we decided to keep it local and stay in New England.  So, stop #1 was Kennebunkport, ME.  We thought we were headed out on this great road trip, but we didn't realize it was less than an hour from home!  Along the way, we had to stop for some of the awesome blueberry pie at The Maine Diner in Wells.   A tuna melt (me) and The Eddie Andelan (hot dogs and mac n' cheese for him) completed the meal.

After lunch, it was off to the lovely Cross Trees Inn (now closed).  We had an attic suite, tastefully decorated in warm sage, with a separate sitting room and a HUGE bathroom (the cast of the Real World could fit in the whirlpool tub).  Innkeepers Dennis and Keith took such good care of us, leaving little treats in our room (chocolate covered strawberries, fudgey brownies, decanters of port).  Keith, also a lawyer by day, made gourmet breakfasts, such as herbed baked eggs and pecan french toast.  It is still one of the best inns we'd ever stayed at!  I'm sorry to see it gone!

While in Kennebunkport, we spent some time walking around and checking out the sites.  Dock Square has cute little shops, for browsing art galleries and gift shops.  After working up an appetite from our stroll, we stopped at Federal Jack's, a brew pub, for a light dinner.  We each tried a beer sampler and I munched on a hummus plate while The Hubby had a burger.

The next morning, we checked out the Brick Store Museum, a collection of art and artifacts pertaining to the Kennebunks.  It wasn't the most fascinating place, but it was a good way to kill the morning (and I was still getting my travelers legs at this point).  The most interesting information were the pictures from the resort community of Kennebunk in the early 1900's.  Next, we went on a Kennebunkport Historical Society self-guided walking tour.   I felt a little funny standing in people's front yards while consulting my guidebook, but it was a good way to dive deep into the history of the area and check out the cute little wedding-cake style houses close-up.  We had our fill our Kennebunkport minutiae at this point, and it was too cold to go kayaking (for us anyway) so we headed to the Tom's of Maine Factory, home of many natural personal care products.  We were hoping for a tour, but a lesson in doing research, I learned that they must be booked in advance.  Instead, we settled on the factory store and purchased lots of seconds (mouthwash! toothpaste!) at a big discount.

Back at the Inn, Dennis directed us to Goose Rock Beach.  It was still chilly, but we enjoyed watching the surf roll in.  We had to get back to the inn, though, for our big dinner at The White Barn Inn.  In ten years and almost as many places, this is by far, still, one of the best restaurants we have ever eaten at.  We arrived in a torrential downpour, but by the time we were seated, the sun broke through and gave way to a breathtaking golden light in the dining room.  Inside, it was a simple, rustic, yet elegantly decorated barn.  I think there may have been some famous people in the dining room as well as there were a couple of people wearing sunglasses (at night, no less)/  We started with martinis, shaken to perfection.  Next, we ordered a bottle of Bad Dog Wine to go with dinner (the second cheapest on the menu and a fun name, my go-to strategy for ordering wine in a nice restaurant).  It was a prix fixe menu, but there were plenty of options for both of us.  I chose lobster with snow peas and corn in a cream sauce and H. had lamb.  The food was wonderful and the service was incredible.  When I excused myself to the ladies room (which had real hand towels, not paper!), my napkin was neatly refolded on the table and there were a few waiters standing by to escort me back/ pull out my chair.  All the attention was a little embarrassing, but worth the price of admission for sure.  It wasn't a cheap date, but it was a memorable way to celebrate our first anniversary.

The next morning, it was time to go.  But we did get some bargain shopping done in Kittery, which was on our way home.  All in all, we had a great week in Maine.  One down, 49 to go!


For more information, check out this site by the Kennebunkport Business Association.

Welcome to the Jungle

I can't believe it has taken me ten years to get to this.  When we first began traveling a decade ago, we didn't have a digital camera and there were no blogs.  All I had was my trusty notebook, in which I scribbled in along the way.  Now, here I am with thousands of digital pictures and a half-full notebook and I realized I should start sharing all of my research and experiences.

As a sister site to Cold Sake, this blog will highlight some of my travels throughout the years, with a focus on food and fun.  I will link whenever possible (though I'm sure some places no longer exist from the last ten years!).  Please feel free to use what I learned as your own jumping off point!