Newport

Newport, Rhode Island

17th Oct 2015 711 photos taken 177 miles driven

After a week working with teammates at Twitter Boston, I decided to rent a car and explore nearby Newport that Saturday. Newport is a scenic seaside city filled with history; It's among few cities with the most remaining colonial buildings.

With no real plans in mind, I just parked near the waterfront and walked around that area as well as historic Thames Street.

Bowen's Wharf

I walked across from Thames Street to explore Bowen's Wharf, which had a large seafood festival for the weekend. The wharf was a thriving seaport dating back to the 18th century, having since evolved into a shopping and dining destination.

I ventured back to Thames Street and walked around the neighborhood for an hour on the way back to my car, which was several miles away at this point. I swung by a local coffee shop, Empire Tea & Coffee, to snag a cappuccino while trying to find out where to go next.

The Breakers

My search led me to check out one of Newport's famous mansions, The Breakers. There are some fourteen historic mansions and landscapes where Newport's wealthy lived during the Gilded Age.

The Breakers is now considered a national historic landmark. It was the summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and features 70 rooms spanning 62,482 square feet.

Castle Hill Lighthouse

And now for the reason I came to Newport in the first place: Castle Hill Lighthouse. After having seen numerous photos of this lighthouse over the years, I had to come visit when I realized I was only a 90 minute drive away.

Of course with any such beautiful landmark, you're bound to find other photographers. Especially at sunset. This guy was out there shooting the lighthouse for the same hour or two that I hung around.

He brought a real tripod and square ND filters so I'm sure he got some great shots. I had been traveling for two weeks so I only had a GR2 backpack to fit clothes and gear, which meant I only brought a tiny tripod.

I Googled this ship — turns out it was in a movie with Pierce Brosnan!

I hung around for another hour or so to capture sunset and dusk shots of the famed lighthouse overlooking Narragansett Bay. It's still an active navigational aid for ships coming into the East Passage and is part of the National Register of Historic Places.

At this point it very dark but I was able to eke out some long exposures.

The White Horse Tavern

★★★★★

After making my way back to the car, which was a challenge as it was pitch black and I couldn't easily find the trail that led me there, I ventured to America's oldest bar. Established in 1673, The White Horse Tavern was a popular haunt for colonists, sailors and even founding fathers.

I got the 45-day dry aged prime ribeye.. 💯.

Photos BY PAUL STAMATIOU
© Paul Stamatiou