What a wonderful whirlwind my golf quest has been! Playing golf has opened up so many avenues for me. I’ve made lifetime friends, I’m learning how to slow down (just a wee bit! Ha!), I’m discovering all types of golf courses, not just the Donald Ross ones, and more importantly, I’m learning to live in the moment and enjoy every second. So with that intro, let me introduce you to a few new (to me) places on the Eastern seaboard.
1st stop: Providence, Rhode Island
My birth state (actually I was born in Fallriver, MA which was close to my hometown of Barrington, RI.)
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs about a “no frills” hotel, here’s another one. It’s located in the area of Providence called the Downcity Arts District and within walking distance of cute restaurants and bars. Why I say, “no frills,” is because there’s no bellman, so you need to bring your own luggage up to your room in the very old elevator (EEK!). When you call the front desk for more chips (yep!) the front desk person has to bring them up to you and leave the front desk empty temporarily. The way we communicated was via text. Usually, with a “no frills” hotel, there isn’t any restaurant, however, at The Dean, there’s a restaurant next door. It was closed because of the pandemic when I was there and has now re-opened for pop-ups. I was lucky enough to enjoy a Bangladesh/Pakistani pop-up. The food was amazing and the chef was adorable. I had my first Kombucha wine as there was no champagne on the menu and I liked it! There was supposedly a karaoke lounge which I missed but I did take advantage of the trendy coffee shop downstairs by the petite lobby. The rooms were small, especially the black-tiled bathrooms but they were so cool. The bed was so comfy. Even though these contemporary hotels have “no frills”, like The Dean, they have charm. The Dean Hotel was actually built in 1912!
From the hotel, I was able to walk to each of the following restaurants.
This is your typical fancy upscale steakhouse with an impressive champagne and wine list. Though, I had to have a cup of New England clam chowda! It’s located along the riverfront where they have the Water Fire show. Nice location. Need a drink recommendation to go with the clam chowda? Just Ask!
The walk to this old Italian restaurant was more extensive, but worth every minute. I walked along the Michael S. Van Listen Memorial bridge in Providence which is a beautiful river walk. It’s considered a footbridge (no cars!) crossing the Providence River. It connects Providence’s Fox Point Neighborhood to the city’s Jewelry District and just opened in 2019. This is a must-do in Providence and I just stumbled upon it heading to the restaurant. I didn’t have a reservation at Al Forno so I simply sat at the bar of this old Italian restaurant. Old meaning, it opened in 1980! Ha! I ordered a wood-oven pepperoni pizza and a made-to-order wood-oven pumpkin tart. It was out of this world! Good ol’ Providence!
Oh, I almost forgot! I played golf at the RI Country Club with an old high school friend of mine! Growing up, I would drive by this golf course all the time and now I actually played golf on it! It was superb and one of my favorite places on my golf quest! Stay tuned for Part 2 where I head to the big apple!
All aboard!
