Total: $19.
New Friends: Amy, Mike, Burt, Walt
Tourist attraction confession: The Breakers, in Newport, RI
Anti-tourist victory: Eating octopus for the first time with awesome locals.
This morning I got up and toured the most opulent of all the Newport Mansions, The Breakers.
It was touristy---but amazing.
Much like Graceland in the self-tour-with-headphones style, and level of fanny-pack attraction....but, it made Graceland look plain, modest, and tiny in it's over the top size and gawdy-ness.
And if you know me, you know that I am gawdy...so this place was truly a disgusting display of wealth. Jaw-dropping awe indeed, but....gross and "conspicuous consumption". My friend noted that it was pretty "irresponsible".
Everything was carved, everything was marble, leather, gold, platinum or draped with several different unapologetically rich fabrics. Too much, too much, too much. (For the Queen of Too Much to say this....you know you have to be dealing with something awfully unlawful).
The size of it is just.... silly.
It is..... I must say, a must see---even though I hate tourists and the places they love. As long as you have an irreverent partner (Thanks, Nancy)---you will have a good time. I did, and I did.
The highlight of the tour is the second floor balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with nothing to spoil the view except other tourists. Ones from other countries yelling over the earphones which were turned up high and right up against my drums.
If there's one thing you learn from tourist attractions, it's how stupid people spoil everything. Not to sound angry, but....I sure would have loved to see The Breakers without clueless, oblivious, idiots not paying attention to the fact that they weren't the only people on the tour, thereby NOT ALLOWING ME to pretend that I was ;).---(Yes, I hear the irony.)
Anyway, I am glad I went...believe it or not, because it made me feel conscientious, modest, brilliant, humble and frugal. :) Thank you, The Breakers. I needed that.
Tour of JUST The Breakers, is $19. I had a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a 1/2 tuna for lunch. (Already paid for).
----------------------------------------------------
After The Newport Mansion tour, I drove back towards Providence to an area called Cranston. It is here that I would meet up with some of the nicest, most generous strangers I would ever meet. Mike and Amy.
They had a couple of old friends in from out of town, and were doing their 4th annual "Taste Of Providence". They are both chefs. They went to a farmer's market's and got all of these delectable ingredients to fashion a 10 course tapas menu...complete with pairings of beverages and cocktails.
It was an overwhelming experience in the best possible way.
We had: Corn tostadas with black bean/cilantro and lime puree', topped with queso fresca. Clams in coconut milk with curry and cilantro. BBQ-ed Octopus. Caprese salad (Best, sweetest, crispest tomatoes I have ever tasted). Bulgoki lettuce wraps, and tons of cocktails made from scratch. Fresh squeezed lemonade with delicious tequila, strained cucumber and ginger with cucumber gin, A delicious tequila, lime and grapefruit soda (Ting) concoction....
I really want to get going to Salem in the morning...but, they are going to have scallops a la Eggs Benedict style, Scrambled eggs with pigeon, and do something or other with Lobster?? I think?... I'm tickled they asked me, but I feel like exploring tomorrow. I've been in Rhode Island a while now.
Anyway, I really felt lucky to have been invited to have such a great experience with these sweet and talented people. The Gods shined down on me tonight for sure. Thank you Amy and Mike (and Burt and Walt). I had so much fun and y'all are amazing.
Tomorrow, I meet Sarah---the nursing student, who was kind enough to let a strange girl from Texas stay on her couch in Salem. I'm pretty f-ing excited. The moon will be full......
(I'll do Tapas photos tomorrow. I'm tired.)
