Our friend Ellen Hoke is in Neweport, RI attending the America's Cup World Series, and has been updating a blog about her experience. The official ACWS media coverage is fairly complete, and Ellen brings fresh, travel-blog style perspective to attending the ACWS.
"...When booking this trip I discovered that there are not a lot of hotels in Newport. There seemed to be a lot of Bed and Breakfast places which were equally as expensive as the hotels. Availability was scarce. I then looked at VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) and found a room in a house that looked to be quite central. The price was right so I booked it. With VRBO you never know exactly what you're getting into, but I had been happy with other booking so I figured it was worth the risk. Photos, as I know well, can be deceiving and clearly not everyone on VRBO hires a professional photographer to display their listings.
As my shuttle from the airport drove a few of us from Providence to Newport I was taking it all in and enjoying the view, amped up on adrenalin and caffeine at that point. As we crossed the Claiborne Pell Bridge that takes you into Newport, I squinted just to be sure I was seeing things right. There in the distance, looking down between Rose Island and Goat Island I saw them - standing proudly on their moorings, those impressive wings. I noticed a bunch of white tents and figured that must be Fort Adams. And then they were gone, as we headed off the bridge into town.My shuttle was driving down this incredibly charming street, lined with rather large homes and a few B&B's when the driver stopped the van. This was where he was dropping me off. I was a bit puzzled, but got out with all my luggage. My driver pointed to an old, slightly rusted iron gate and said that was where I was going. Beyond the gate, I looked up, past the stately oak tree in the perfectly manicured front lawn, to a front porch where a lady sat reading a book. "Ellen - is that you?" came the greeting from the lady as she put down her book. I must be at the right place. As I entered the gate, in front of me stood a beautiful old home built sometime around the 1850's that had been wonderfully restored by the current owners. The lady took me inside and showed me the front room which I have all to my self, with an en-suite bath."
Check out more here.
