For the occasion of my son’s 40th Birthday, we made the 5-hour drive from Cape Cod, Mass to New Rochelle, NY where my son now lives. We broke the 5-hour trip up by stopping for lunch in Old Lyme, Connecticut at a lovely restaurant by the name of The Hangry Goose. It was a beautiful day for dining al fresco on the restaurant’s patio overlooking the Lieutenant River.
After picking Ben up at his apartment building, we enjoyed a lovely, leisurely dinner at 179 Bar & Grill, which served up a delicious selection of drinks & entrees. This was our second visit to 179 Bar & Grill. My son and I had Christmas Eve dinner here last December and enjoyed the experience then as well. It may well become a regular during my visits with him as it is convenient to his new apartment, offering consistently good service, ambiance and cuisine.
The time flew by too quickly, as it always does with these visits, but, it is time I always treasure with my son… as I know he does with me.
We stayed the night in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, a short drive over the Connecticut state border from Westchester County, NY.
On Sunday morning, we enjoyed strolling the shops lining Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut before meeting more family for brunch in Westport, Connecticut. Here we had brunch with my 92-year old uncle, my cousin and her husband at Rive Bistro in Saugatuck.
The name Rive Bistro means riverbank, and this delightful French bistro sits right at the edge of the Saugatuck river serving up a slice of Parisian Bistro culture in the heart of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Another wonderful restaurant choice for its picturesque setting, fine cuisine and exemplary service. Perfect for catching up with family while enjoying a delightful meal on a beautiful day.
Instead of making the long drive back to the Cape that day, we decided to spend the night in Providence, Rhode Island, to break up the trip back. We chose to stay in The Beatrice, a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Providence. We could not have been any happier with this choice. From the moment we pulled up to the front entrance to the moment we left, our stay at The Beatrice exceeded all expectations. We now have a new standard for researching and booking future hotel stays.
The valet at The Beatrice asked us if we had dinner reservations, and when he learned that we didn’t, he was more than happy to offer his suggestions. As well, he quickly paged a bellhop to take our bags to our room while we checked in.
Entering the elegant hotel lobby we greatly admired the fine decor, high ceilings and elaborate lighting fixture sparkling down from the high ceilings.
The young lady at the check-in desk was equally accommodating. When she asked if we had dinner reservations, we told her the valet’s recommendation. She quickly checked the recommended restaurant, Camille’s, online only to inform us it was closed that night, to which she then offered us her own recommendation, Costantino’s, which we took her up on. She then offered to make the reservation for us, checked us in, gave us two room keys and directed us to our rooms. This is what luxury hotel service should be.
I had upgraded our room from a Standard King to a Grand King, which included a desk and a reading chair. I was glad I did. Room 302 was a few floors up in a quiet corner of the building and could not be more beautiful, clean or luxurious.
Standard to all rooms at The Beatrice are heated bidet toilets, heated towel racks, plush bathrobes, Dyson hair dryers, a sunbeam clothes steamer, crisp white Matouk linens on the bed and soft, clean, fluffy white towels in the bathroom. A jewel box of a room, we embraced the luxurious details, and settled in for a quick nap, shower and change before we called an Uber to take us for dinner at Costantino’s on Federal Hill.
Costantino’s Venda Bar & Ristorante offers several distinct dining areas as options: a lively bar area up front and a more intimate indoor dining area with white tablecloths in the back of the building, both of which open up to an expansive, more casual patio area, reminiscent of an Italian piazza with fountains, umbrella’d tables and very often, live music. We chose the patio, where we thoroughly enjoyed people watching amidst the live music and professional waitstaff service. The venue attracts a wide range of patrons, from couples and families to tourists and students… all of whom seemed to enjoy it for the same reasons we did: ambiance, live music, good food, professional service… We ordered a bottle of wine, and entrees. Soaked in a sun setting over this perfect evening and setting we enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner date night, before taking an uber back to our hotel.
The next morning, we awoke to enjoy a leisurely morning with coffee service provided in the lobby before a shower and change. We enjoyed a light breakfast at Hope & Main, before packing our bags and checking out of the hotel, where the staff kindly loaded our bags in our car and offered to hold the car for a few hours while we set off to explore the city on foot.
We wanted to check out the well-reputed RISD Museum. Sadly, as we would soon discover, the museum is closed on Mondays, as is the Providence Atheneum, another attraction in the area. So, we paid a visit to the RISD store, an art lovers paradise, which may have provided inspiration to my inner artist for future projects.
A little more walking before we decided to hit the road back to the Cape. We will return to Providence to see and do more of what the city has to offer on another occasion.
Back on the Cape, we had one day to unwind before we took off the following day for a long weekend in Bradenton, Florida. More to follow.
