Tag: Newport

Just for Fun, Newport

So long sweet summer…

by Allie1 Comment on So long sweet summer…

When you live in a resort town, summer can end so abruptly it feels like someone has flipped a switch and shut off the summer goodness in the blink of an eye. There’s that bittersweet celebration of Labor Day weekend, three days filled with all the best B’s (BBQs, beaches, boats, beers, bliss…) and then there’s “the Tueday after.”  Most of us are still high on our end of summer buzz, suntans still shimmering, sundresses and still sandals still on, but as the days of September roll on, the talk of “Fall” and “Apple Picking” and “Pumpkin Spiced EVERYTHING” quickly fill the void of Summer’s sad departure.

Here in Newport, the end of summer literally happens overnight.  And that night – contrary to popular belief – is not Labor Day evening (although there is definitely a noticeably lighter feel to the town as most of the summer people trickle out of town over the following few days), but the real last blast of Summer is actually the Newport International Boat Show which I attended for the first time this year.  The boat community (AKA the “yachties”) show up in their finest Nantucket Red (cough PINK cough) pants to either A) shop for boats (the lucky ones) B) show the boats, clean the boats serve the drinks, etc. or C) (this is where I fit in) marvel at the boats and hope that they let you on a few without an appointment!

It was a beautiful day and we got to go on a few boats and walk the docks and even slurp down a couple free beverage samples (sweet tea vodka!) but for the average boat owning wannabe like myself, the $18 entry fee wasn’t quite worth it.  Especially when you can go next door to the Lobster Bar and buy a round for the same price (which is exactly where we ended up after about an hour or so of ooohing and ahhing at the shiny boats).

So as the first storm of Autumn blows in, and I run along the empty beach, see the browning leaves blow around the cobble stone of Thames, and make the semi-annual switch from iced coffee to hot, I say a little goodbye to summer and look forward to all those upcoming perks of Fall for a Newport local, including restaurant specials! no traffic! beer and wings! apple picking! and about a million other things I’ll continue to share in the coming months.

Happy Fall friends! (Now throw on a scarf, lace up your suede booties, and go get yourself a pumpkin-apple-carmel-spiced-chai-cider and welcome the season in style)… 🙂

Newport, NYC

Newport for Newbies…

by AllieLeave a Comment on Newport for Newbies…

Your first week in Newport – especially when you’ve never lived outside of NY state – can be an eye-opening experience to say the least. My boyfriend doesn’t blog, but if he did, he’d probably have a laundry list of “differences” to point out between lil’ rhody and the big apple.  Since I’m his roomie now, I’ll graciously share what we’ve both learned over the past week – him being a complete Newport Newbie and me being a born-again, after nearly 6 years away in NY.

  • Things move a little…slower up here.  There’s just not the same “sense of urgency” that NY’ers have.  People live up here for the laid back lifestyle, which I’ll be the first to admit I adore, but every once in a while I feel the urge to say “move it along folks! (expletive deleted!)”
  • If you’re not from RI, you’ve probably never had an Awful Awful.  It might not even sound appealing but trust me, IT IS.
  • You’re just going to have to learn to view pizza in a new way.  It won’t be a staple food anymore and you’re not going to “grab a slice” like you used to.  Even if you do find a (rare) place that actually sells it by the slice, it’s sadly not the same.  Possible replacement meals include chowder, stuffies and lobster rolls so really, whose complaining?
  • The bars close at what time??  In NY, bars don’t close – or at least anytime that concerns you when you’re in your 30’s.  You’ll be long gone and fast asleep before “closing time” hits the juke box in NY, but in RI, you’re always staying ’til closing because if you can’t stay out until 1am, well that’s just sad…
  • Cabs around here are of the pedi variety. As in, they’re actually bikes.  Sure we had these in NYC but we also had about 10 million actual motor vehicle cabs racing through the streets at ANY given hour.  Here in Newport, if you’re not driving, you’re either walking, biking it or having someone else pedal you around.  Except for those few and far between orange mini-van things (newsflash RI, cabs are YEL-LOW not orange…) cabs are pretty much non-existent.  The upside?  I’m getting great exercise walking to and from work everyday and the view can’t be beat!

As a Newport to NYC to Newport transplant, I was prepared for the differences and am about 90% adjusted to being back in the good old Port of New.  I know it’s a lifestyle that I can get onboard with and it’ll feel like home again a lot quicker than NYC did. The little things like the friendly lady at the coffee shop, that bartender who remembers my name (and if I’m very lucky, my drink order!) and the nautical style I love so much remind me of why I chose to move back and comfort me as I get re-acquainted.  Although the adjustment may be slightly slower for my Newport Newbie BF, I feel confident that he’ll learn to love it just like I did so many years ago.  Now if only we could get a NY bagel shop and ban those damn “Yankees Suck” chants we’d be all set!

Newport

My Triumphant Return…

by AllieLeave a Comment on My Triumphant Return…

When I last left off, I was leaving NYC unsure of where I was headed but sure nevertheless that I was headed somewhere.  Well folks, I’ve returned to my twenty-something stomping grounds as an older, wiser, non-single, non-tray-carrying (or dropping) version of my former self.

The rumors are true – I am officially a Newport, RI resident once again! So how did I end up back where I started (ironically about a half mile from the scene of this blog’s masthead photo)?  The short answer is: I had a feeling.  I read the signs. I did what felt right in the moment.  I went with my gut.  I made a decision.  I made a choice. And here I am.  In the matter of two months I got a new job (SM/Digital Marketing for a social impact agency where my clients actually change lives, change minds and (attempt to) change the world), got a new apartment (a two-story, charming little place with a 200-year-old elm tree in the backyard) and somehow convinced my boyfriend to come along for the ride (I think).

People keep asking me if I miss NYC because really, it all happened pretty damn fast!  To be honest, this past week was the first time since leaving that I had a NYC nostalgia episode.  It came in the form of reading Emily Giffin’s latest beach read, set on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. And even though every NY’er without a trust fund knows that it’s never as glamorous as the book makes it sound – I still had an “ohmygod I don’t live there anymore” moment of panic…but then I looked up from my kindle and out at the Atlantic Ocean and rolling hills of Newport’s Cliff Walk…and got over it pretty quickly.

So as I attempt to resurrect the Allie Zog Blog, I do so with a new angle.  I’ll be blogging about returning to a place where I spent my post-college “glory years”, going from an independent NYC girl to a co-habitating Newport couple, and most importantly I’ll be commenting on all the unique, crazy, overrated, underrated, and downright awesomeness that Newport has to offer.  I’m one part local, one part tourist and one part NYC snob, so I guarantee to provide some pretty interesting commentary!  Join me, won’t you?

Livin' and Lovin', Travel

Back from Vacay…

by AllieLeave a Comment on Back from Vacay…

I’m back! Back from a week of relaxation in the mountains of Arizona, where my biggest concern was how I wanted my eggs prepared each morning and whether I would prefer to ride bikes, go sightseeing, do something “sporty” or just lounge on the patio reading my new Kindle all day. It was a lot a different from life in the big city so for that reason, it was truly a vacation.

That being said, I realized the beauty of vacations – they are an escape from your normal everyday life and are meant to be temporary. When I lived in Newport, RI people used to tell me my life was like a permanent vacation (which was kinda true) but that got me thinking…what’s so wrong with that??

I think you can determine where your truly meant to live by where you’d vacation if money were no object. My vacation destination preference always, always, always would be a beach. It could be argued that if I lived by a beach I might choose to explore big metropolis’ or jungles or deserts on my vacations – not true. When I lived ON a beach, I still vacationed to other beaches. To me, beaches are like snowflakes in that no two are exactly alike. I dream about experiencing new beaches and beach towns and comparing them all one-day in some giant interactive info-graphic… (the nerd in me speaks)

Sure I want to see other cities (London, Paris, Sydney and Rio De Janiero top my international list), sure I love escaping to some fresh country or mountain air and there are definitely a few non-beach places on my list of must-go’s (Alaska and Central America’s rain forest region to name a few) but my ultimate win vacation destination is beach.

I understand why living at the beach may not be the most practical. I get why people flock to big cities. I obviously appreciate how “lucky” I am to live and work here. I just think that people who do live here aren’t always outwardly honest about how it really is (unless their rich, then yeah, their life probably rocks). If you’re like me and don’t have a trust fund, a rent-controlled apartment or a driver, then you probably do that thing NY’ers do where you convince yourself that your life is really awesome and it’s totally normal to spend $2000 plus a month to live in a glorified closet because yeah, you can tell all your friends that you live in “the city” (because to NY’ers there is only one!). <– *Editor’s note – I sometimes do this too…

I know how after a glorious NYC filled weekend of brunching and central parking and frolicking or even an excitement-filled weeknight adventure (complete with bar-hopping and bomb scares on a Tuesday night) you start to feel that “I love it here and could never live anywhere else” feeling. Despite all my whining on this blog, I’ve felt it often – I promise! My one difference is when I leave the city I am not filled with that “omg I miss it and need to go back” feeling that I hear others are (or claim to be). I am more often than not thinking how I could be happy in X-place and how if I lived in X-place I’d probably be able to have all the things I dream about but can’t afford in NY (little things like…say…a closet, or outdoor space, or somewhere to store my beach chair…)

So what do you think folks, is life meant to be a beach or should I stick it out in NYC just a little bit longer? Comments please!