Newport, R.I.
So, you want to visit quaint, old, rich old Newport. Well, Newport is not without its merits, but there are things about it you should know. First it's on an island and people who live on islands are about 90% peculiar, especially rich ones. There's lots of greed, drugs and general snobbery. You can't visit without being noticed as a tourist.
There are eight distinct groups besides you, the tourist---the rich, the rich boating crowd distinct, (oh, so very distinct,) poor whites, poor blacks, snotty college students, Navy personnel, merchants, and of all things, a really bigoted and sullen 5th Ward Irish group.
The trouble is that all of these groups hate each other. No one gets along with anyone outside their own group. Newport is the most
hateful of cities!
Be careful in certain bars at night--there are terrible fights, and blood flows. Almost all 'townies,' but no immunity for the visitor.
Never wander to the eastern end of Thames Street, or you ask for trouble and it has a way of finding the visitors. There are a lot of other places to stay away from--just ask around.
I left Newport in 1990. On my way out, I was in neutral at a light and my LTD slowly rolled back and very gently tapped a guy in a brand new mini-truck thing. I saw him tear out of it to assess his damage and give me a few lashing words. Being fed up with Newport, I just tromped the accelerator and ran the light, wanting to avoid another Newport-style confrontation. In winter, Newport is just a truly nasty little town; in summer it's got its merits, as I said, but still...
Across the bay in Jamestown, R.I. and a digression...
Now here's a contrast! A lot of people get sick of Newport for good reasons, and the lucky ones get clued in to lovely Jamestown, an
escape from pandemonium to serenity. Jamestown is beautiful. New construction has been modest over the years because the water supply is limited--some summers Jamestown has to buy water from North
Kingston across the west bay via a large pipe running across the old bridge There is a new bridge, but the old one has yet to be
dismantled . So Jamestown remains its old self.
I've lived there three times for extended periods, got to know everyone from Jamestown. Nice people, all. The worst crimes are purses stolen from unlocked cars.
There a few boutiques., but little commercialism. It is truly quaint, still. There are one or two 'tourist' bars,' and The Narragansett
Cafe, is a quaint locals bar all winter and a hot spot in summer.
I stood right next to JFK Jr. one night, not nearly as tall or handsome as he was portrayed--while the Secret Service dudes found a suitable table for he and Darryl Hannah, who stepped out of a limo and entered in full regalia, once they located a suitable table for them. The secret service dudes were so obvious--but I was used to seeing that from US Navy associations with them.
The Jamestown Inn was a run down but still lovely mansion at the north tip of the island. It had a bar and apartments to rent--I lived there for three years--best place I ever lived. I had the good luck of living above the unused kitchen in an apartment connected to but detached from the main building. Very private. The loudest of music from high powered amplifiers never bothered anyone.
One quiet summer day I decided to go to down to the bar--all beautiful, Austrian oak, built for the wedding of its owner's
daughter in 1895. The carved panels all around its walls told a story, they say, but none of us ever figured it out.
There were a few locals at the bar. And a man playing pool alone in a room off the bar, having a drink. Pool is a favorite for me so I put my quarters up and he was happy to have somebody to play.
We both played decent eight-ball. During the second game I took a good look at him--and it struck me--it was Mickey Rooney! When I realized I approached him and said "You're Mickey Rooney." He had to deny it, but his height, looks, and voice gave him away. His response was subtle but telling.
Other things about 'JT'are a Coast Guard Station and museum and tour if you wanted it at 'Beaver tail,' the very southernmost point on the island and shaped like beaver tail on a map. There is a very weird foghorn--not very loud, like the old one, but probably better. Its purpose is to warn ships--from there to Point Judith R.I. that that is renowned to be the worst and most dangerous piece of water on the East coast. Many ships have gone down there over many years. There's a sunken German submarine somewhere to the east of Point Judith and it is a scuba diver's delight. At 50 feet, there is no light at all. But it is a major attraction. Most get to it and just look around. The foolhardy go inside the 62-year-old salt water rusted hulk.
There is a another museum downtown which is very interesting, a fine library, a beautiful town dock area, never crowded, and serenity all over. Ted Williams showed up one day looking property over.
I don't know if he bought anything. He is much taller than we all thought.
There is a Jamestown Band. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Joe England and Mr. Baker, owner of one of the two pharmacies in town. I had the pleasure of playing my clarinet in that band. Quite unstructured, we all had a good time. I still have the expensive monogrammed heavy cotton shirt we used for parades, etc. There were some 'ringers' in that band--old veteran good players. One man, probably the best trumpet player and musician around who went down with a battleship at Pearl Harbor but survived. You never ever asked him a thing about that!
One more thing. There were three members of the Pease family in the band, Barbara, trumpet, and professional symphonic world renowned piano tuner, --she told me once she could hear a 'cent', one one hundredth of a half step, Sue, who played flute and Fred, who played bass horn. Their father, retired USN Captain Pease, lived with Fred and I met him. He worked with Dr. Edgerton (Edge-er-ton) in pioneer stop-action photography. You have probably seen the apple pierced by a fast bullet--it's pretty famous. There is the famous milk splash too. And there is another one with a foot in contact with and depressing a football right before it went on its way. That foot was Captain Peases's. I met it too...
Lots of other things--go see.
There are eight distinct groups besides you, the tourist---the rich, the rich boating crowd distinct, (oh, so very distinct,) poor whites, poor blacks, snotty college students, Navy personnel, merchants, and of all things, a really bigoted and sullen 5th Ward Irish group.
The trouble is that all of these groups hate each other. No one gets along with anyone outside their own group. Newport is the most
hateful of cities!
Be careful in certain bars at night--there are terrible fights, and blood flows. Almost all 'townies,' but no immunity for the visitor.
Never wander to the eastern end of Thames Street, or you ask for trouble and it has a way of finding the visitors. There are a lot of other places to stay away from--just ask around.
I left Newport in 1990. On my way out, I was in neutral at a light and my LTD slowly rolled back and very gently tapped a guy in a brand new mini-truck thing. I saw him tear out of it to assess his damage and give me a few lashing words. Being fed up with Newport, I just tromped the accelerator and ran the light, wanting to avoid another Newport-style confrontation. In winter, Newport is just a truly nasty little town; in summer it's got its merits, as I said, but still...
Across the bay in Jamestown, R.I. and a digression...
Now here's a contrast! A lot of people get sick of Newport for good reasons, and the lucky ones get clued in to lovely Jamestown, an
escape from pandemonium to serenity. Jamestown is beautiful. New construction has been modest over the years because the water supply is limited--some summers Jamestown has to buy water from North
Kingston across the west bay via a large pipe running across the old bridge There is a new bridge, but the old one has yet to be
dismantled . So Jamestown remains its old self.
I've lived there three times for extended periods, got to know everyone from Jamestown. Nice people, all. The worst crimes are purses stolen from unlocked cars.
There a few boutiques., but little commercialism. It is truly quaint, still. There are one or two 'tourist' bars,' and The Narragansett
Cafe, is a quaint locals bar all winter and a hot spot in summer.
I stood right next to JFK Jr. one night, not nearly as tall or handsome as he was portrayed--while the Secret Service dudes found a suitable table for he and Darryl Hannah, who stepped out of a limo and entered in full regalia, once they located a suitable table for them. The secret service dudes were so obvious--but I was used to seeing that from US Navy associations with them.
The Jamestown Inn was a run down but still lovely mansion at the north tip of the island. It had a bar and apartments to rent--I lived there for three years--best place I ever lived. I had the good luck of living above the unused kitchen in an apartment connected to but detached from the main building. Very private. The loudest of music from high powered amplifiers never bothered anyone.
One quiet summer day I decided to go to down to the bar--all beautiful, Austrian oak, built for the wedding of its owner's
daughter in 1895. The carved panels all around its walls told a story, they say, but none of us ever figured it out.
There were a few locals at the bar. And a man playing pool alone in a room off the bar, having a drink. Pool is a favorite for me so I put my quarters up and he was happy to have somebody to play.
We both played decent eight-ball. During the second game I took a good look at him--and it struck me--it was Mickey Rooney! When I realized I approached him and said "You're Mickey Rooney." He had to deny it, but his height, looks, and voice gave him away. His response was subtle but telling.
Other things about 'JT'are a Coast Guard Station and museum and tour if you wanted it at 'Beaver tail,' the very southernmost point on the island and shaped like beaver tail on a map. There is a very weird foghorn--not very loud, like the old one, but probably better. Its purpose is to warn ships--from there to Point Judith R.I. that that is renowned to be the worst and most dangerous piece of water on the East coast. Many ships have gone down there over many years. There's a sunken German submarine somewhere to the east of Point Judith and it is a scuba diver's delight. At 50 feet, there is no light at all. But it is a major attraction. Most get to it and just look around. The foolhardy go inside the 62-year-old salt water rusted hulk.
There is a another museum downtown which is very interesting, a fine library, a beautiful town dock area, never crowded, and serenity all over. Ted Williams showed up one day looking property over.
I don't know if he bought anything. He is much taller than we all thought.
There is a Jamestown Band. Founded in 1992 by Dr. Joe England and Mr. Baker, owner of one of the two pharmacies in town. I had the pleasure of playing my clarinet in that band. Quite unstructured, we all had a good time. I still have the expensive monogrammed heavy cotton shirt we used for parades, etc. There were some 'ringers' in that band--old veteran good players. One man, probably the best trumpet player and musician around who went down with a battleship at Pearl Harbor but survived. You never ever asked him a thing about that!
One more thing. There were three members of the Pease family in the band, Barbara, trumpet, and professional symphonic world renowned piano tuner, --she told me once she could hear a 'cent', one one hundredth of a half step, Sue, who played flute and Fred, who played bass horn. Their father, retired USN Captain Pease, lived with Fred and I met him. He worked with Dr. Edgerton (Edge-er-ton) in pioneer stop-action photography. You have probably seen the apple pierced by a fast bullet--it's pretty famous. There is the famous milk splash too. And there is another one with a foot in contact with and depressing a football right before it went on its way. That foot was Captain Peases's. I met it too...
Lots of other things--go see.
posted by Tom at 4:48 PM
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