Pasta Beach Newport

Take a bite of an Italian summer at Pasta Beach, year-round

If you've ever visited Newport during the cold weather months, you know that the cold, ocean wind can sometimes settle so uncomfortably—yet so easily—underneath your skin.

There are a few practical solutions to fend off this bone-chilling cold during daylight hours—either enjoy a slew of hot beverages throughout the day or find something warm and fresh to eat over a long lunch.

If you choose the latter, I'd recommend taking a table with friends at Pasta Beach.

Pasta Beach has three locations—in addition to Memorial Boulevard in Newport, RI and Rowe's Wharf in Boston, MA, the owners have opened a new restaurant in Wayland Square in Providence, RI as of August 2016.

I kept my lunch basic ordering the spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino, but if I felt more adventurous, it would be more difficult to choose from the menu.

As a former/pseudo-Newport resident, I'm embarrassed to admit that it's only the second time I've eaten there. I have no idea why. It's a warm, light atmosphere with fresh flowers and deliciously simple pasta. The location is in the Bellevue Avenue shopping district and has easy parking at the rear of the building and along Memorial Boulevard.

I'll be looking forward to coming back there during Salve Regina University's Governor's Ball weekend...

Holiday Shopping Parties in Newport

The season's begun for Christmas in Newport!

If you're checking off your holiday shopping list, you may as well have fun doing it. Here's a round-up of stores in Newport who want to help you spread holiday cheer in style.

Bellevue Avenue Holiday Stroll

Thursday, Dec. 3 at 3-7PM

If you're planning on doing your holiday shopping in Newport, this is the time to do it. Participating stores will have special offers and light refreshments to keep up the good holiday cheer on Bellevue and surrounding streets!

Find your holiday decor and hostess gifts at Chateau & Bungalow on William Street, spruce up your winter wardrobe with a few cashmere sweaters and premium denim at Laura Jean on Bellevue Avenue, then make your way up the street to find more amazing gifts for you and your loved ones!

J. McLaughlin's Holiday Sip & Shop for newportFILM

Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 3-7PM

As much as we love adding to our own wishlists for Christmas, it's always important to give back for all of the wonderful things in your life that you may take for granted. NewportFILM is a non-profit that makes a difference by engaging with the local and tourist communities about real-world issues—if you're an Aquidneck Island resident, this is an amazing organization in your backyard worth supporting. 

OceanCliff's Sip 'n Shop

Thursday, Dec. 10 at 5-8PM

If this event isn't one-stop shopping, then I don't know what is...

Audrain Automobile Museum

I don't know anything about cars--all I know is that I can pick out the most expensive car by sheer instinct, just like how I manage to find the most expensive pair of heels at a store.

The Audrain Automobile Museum on Bellevue Avenue, located down the street from the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Laura Jean Denim Shop, showcases some of the rarest and most expensive cars in the world. I stopped in last weekend to see their current exhibit, Supercar Evolution:

Our Supercar Evolution exhibit showcases a selection of the fastest and most efficient supercars ever built. They were chosen to exemplify incredible competitive technological advancements and historical significance borrowed from the race car programs of each manufacturer. 

Always judged by two standards, zero to sixty and top speed, the supercar is equally celebrated for individual styling and boldness of design. 

This exhibition highlights the evolution of the supercar, from the 1970s to modern day, utilizing unique and exciting examples from Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ford, Bugatti, McLaren, and de Tomaso.

2013 Lamborghini Aventador

2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse

Le Ciel Californien is the only one of its kind...  

A good portion of the exhibit was dedicated to Ferrari

1997 Ferrari F310B

2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale 

(Note: There's only 67 miles on it)

The Supercar Evolution exhibit is open until June 14, 2015. For more information on the Audrain Automobile Museum, visit their website. 

Bellevue Avenue Sidewalk Sale

Although I was hoping for beach-friendly weather this weekend, it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the annual sale on Bellevue Avenue in Newport!

I would recommend visiting Laura Jean Denim Shop for deals on premium denim and novelty tops. I scored a pair mixed media jeans by Sanctuary that I plan on wearing in the fall.

Rough Point and Doris Duke's Flower Gardens

In my four years in Newport, I have only visited the Breakers, Rosecliffe, and, as of today, Rough Point.

Doris Duke, the last owner of Rough Point, played a major role in restoring Newport to being a beautiful, living historical destination. Duke, who was a tobacco heiress who inherited a fortune from her father, bought over eighty  properties in Newport and restored them to their former glory. A traveler, an athlete, an avid learner and a compassionate person who believed in noblesse oblige, the idea that the wealthy have an obligation to give back, Duke left an estimated $1.2 billion fortune to the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation when she passed away in 1993. Rough Point, Duke's summer residence, is now part of the Newport Restoration Foundation, another organization founded by Doris Duke. 

I strongly recommend seeing Rough Point--the tour guide had not only given a full overview about the mansion, but also provided a full picture of who Doris Duke was. 

**To learn about Rough Point's current exhibit, "No Rules: The Personal Style of Doris Duke," read a Q&A with the exhibit's curator with About.com and the Providence Journal's article on the exhibit.

Photography is not permitted inside Rough Point, but I was able to get gorgeous shots of the grounds, including the flower gardens.

Doris Duke loved her camels. When Hurricane Bob hit, Doris kept the camels in the solarium to keep them protected from the elements. 

This small green passage reminded me of Binsey in Oxford

The view of the Cliff Walk and the ocean from the backyard 

Home Sweet Winter Wonderland

Being back home is nice, but it means that it's time to get a little more serious about the last semester: thesis, work, interning, networking and job hunting. I'm also still  jet-lagged and I refuse to change the time on my wrist watch from Paris time to Eastern Standard Time.

It snowed yesterday and will do so again tomorrow and over the weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to start getting ahead on work snowed in at home...

Bellevue Avenue

Hotel Viking

The Pell Bridge from the tolls

First Beach

Salve Regina University

Rosecliff

Last Friday I went on the Rosecliff mansion tour, the second part of "The Great Gatsby Experience" by Jane Pickens Theater. 

The tour was brief, because I went between my morning job and my afternoon job, but I hope to find an excuse to go again and listen to the audio for the haute couture part of the tour.

The grounds were gorgeous, despite the rain and fog. If anything, the sleepy weather made Rosecliff seem more like a dream.