As Providence would have it.

I’m typing this in what is possibly the coolest sea-side motel on Earth, on the outskirts of Rockport, Maine. Why, you dear reader, ask? Because it has an iMac:



A G3 Cobalt version at that, not too much different from my own G3 at home, except this one is running OS X 10.1 – a waaaay early version. Now my iBook has a buddy. But anywhoo.



Where to begin but where we left off: in Rhode Island. I woke up yesterday (Monday) morning on the coast of Connecticut, hit the road to see Rhode Island, grabbing a great breakfast at E & J’s Diner in Wickford, and zooming up to Providence.





It really is a lovely town. Did you know it floods during hurricanes? I kid you not:



It happened during the early 1900s. And did you know Brown University is there? THE Brown University? I didn’t. It was a pleasant surprise. I parked at a garage off Washington St. and pulled my bike out of the back of my car to finally give it a spin. Everything was going great until I actually tried to ride the thing. The rear wheel was rubbing against the frame, but I ignored it and took the bike downtown and up to where the college was.



That’s when things went horribly wrong. I walked the bike to the top of a giant hill, got back on the bike, started pedaling, and almost ended up flying over the handlebars in front of two toothsome college co-eds.

Clamoring off the bike, I noticed the tire was almost embedded into the bike frame, and the bike frame itself was bent. Seeing no hope, and figuring out no other options, my bike is now the proud resident of Rockafeller Library on campus:



I look at it this way: lame horses get shot. My bike could still have a long life for some broke student.

Depressed, I figured the best way to kill a few minutes was to try to use the internet connection at the library. Also a no-go.

ME: “I’m a guest. Is there a problem with me coming in to use the library?”

LADY [with funny accent]: “You have to come in with someone who has a pass. You can’t just get in here by saying you’re a guest.”

Right she was. After all, they pay her to be mean like that. Between the night before and the morning, Monday was off to a great start.



It’s a good thing Providence was small, because by abandoning my bike I had to hoof it back the garage. Brown was a beautiful place, and I got to check out the Rhode Island School of Design and its wonderful gift shop. There was a neat little cookie shop in this place called the Arcade, so I grabbed a quick snack before leaving town.



On my way out of Rhode Island, I picked up a few winery brochures. But first was Fort Barton in Tiverton, a bay-facing hill that gave a panoramic view of the sea.



Next it was off to Westport Rivers winery, just south of Westport, Mass (as they say). A guy named Chris helped me sample some bubbly wines (their specialty) and talked with me about the trip. This happens everywhere, but Chris was just a bit older than me, and I was surprised at his knowledge about the Revolutionary War.



The wine must’ve helped my thinking, because in the winery parking lot I realized I had to be in Boston that night instead of tonight (Tuesday), which makes more sense. I had to cut a few things out of the schedule to make it to Boston at a decent time. After all, there’s tons to see there. And we’ll get to it in the next entry. Stay tuned!

Tags: boston, fort barton, providence, rhode island, westport winery