Escape to the East Coast!

Our anniversary and our birthdays were back in August. I was up to my eyeballs in work during trial-prep and then of course during trial itself. We never had a chance to celebrate any of our special days.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to give to a man who gives me so much, who charms me and brings daily laughter into my life, who loves me more than I sometimes feel I deserve, and who makes me so very happy every day of our life together. I thought and I thought, and I decided that his birthday and anniversary present would be a TRIP! It would be a trip full of all the things he loves and is passionate about. A trip would also allow us to escape on a much needed vacation.

I decided to take him to a Navy football game in Annapolis, Maryland, then to New York City to watch his beloved Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox at the new Yankee Stadium, and then a few days of rest, relaxation, and romance in Newport, Rhode Island. We pretty much escaped to the east coast. We made the Annapolis/Newport trip back in 2007, and we had a freaking blast, and this year it was even a thousand times better.

We started out in the charming city of Annapolis, where the United States Naval Academy is located. Ed graduated from there in 1990 and a big chunk of soul still lives on the academy grounds. It is a lovely, lovely town, right on the water with great history.
We tootled on foot about town for HOURS, sightseeing, eating, taking pictures (of course!), people-watching, drinking, laughing and chatting it up. Game weekends at the Academy are electric. There is so much energy and anticipation in the air. Annapolis is one of those rare towns where every single resident gets ready for the college game day and flies the Navy flag proudly.
Did I mention that we spent a lot of time eating?! Holy Cannoli. This picture is making me HUNGRY. The east coast of the U.S. has the best shellfish, hands down. I know, I know, I live in San Diego and some would say we have the best, but I beg to differ. While San Diego has great fish and exotic seafood, the east coast is tops when it comes to crab, lobster, mussels, clams, etc.

This was one of our favorite meals on our trip, an Eggs Florentine with Maryland lump crab and house potatoes. OH. MY. LORD. It was delicious. If you're ever in Annapolis, I highly recommend The Kitchen @137. It's run by a young couple who really demonstrate what it means to pay attention to every dish that leaves their kitchen. Bypass all the commercial chains and join them for an unforgettable breakfast! They have a lovely garden area in the back that is dog friendly, which made me miss my little furbabies to pieces.

While walking about town, you may find yourself running into a gaggle of GORGEOUS, young Midshipmen, which is what the Academy's students are called, or "Middies" for short. Jeezaloo. I saw these young, strapping lads walking towards me on the street and I couldn't help myself but to yell out, "Say Cheese!" and quickly snap a picture. They are SOOOO lucky I didn't discover this little hamlet of hotties when I was in my twenties....ha ha ha!!!

The Navy mascot is the very, very scary goat. Yes, you read right, a GOAT. There is a statue of Bill the Goat at the entrance to the Academy, and my usual tradition is to make Ed take a picture of me under Bill's balls. He absolutely HATES taking this picture for me every single time we go to Annapolis, and he puts up quite a fight, but I pester, beg, and threaten him enough that he always gives in. I just find it HYSTERICAL that Bill's balls have been rubbed so many times that they are shiny gold! If you zoom in you can see how golden they've become over the years. So, I'm not the ONLY one who does this, and Ed should just chill out and take the picture!

Navy played Western Kentucky and we had great seats. As you can tell, I really appreciated the view from our seats. ;-)
W.Kentucky's mascot is Big Red. He is essentially a red blob of a puppet. He is also one of Ed's FAVORITE mascots of all time. Whenever he shows up on the ESPN commercials, Ed has to stop everything and watch them. So, when he saw Big Red he turned into a toddler before my very eyes and just had to get a picture with him. It was so cute! Ed was thrilled to pieces that Big Red came up to the stands from the field to take a picture with us.

One of the most glorious things to watch at a Navy game is when each company of Middies marches in, lines up on the field, and salutes the entire stadium. I was especially proud that many, many of the leaders of the individual companies were female. You have no idea how cool that is. It is humbling to watch approximately 4,000 young men and women stand proudly, bravely, all of them knowing that after they graduate they will be heading to serve our country at war.
It started raining lightly while we were at the game, but we were prepared. Behold my lovely game attire. Am I the hotness or what?
Bill the Goat didn't quite make it into the stands for a picture like Big Red did, but I think he's cute nonetheless.

It was an awesome game and Navy got a glorious win 38-22. There was an announcement at the end of the game that the Commandent had decided to allow all Middies leave to stay out until 1 a.m., when normally they would have to return to their dorms immediately. So, we celebrated all night long, ate way too much, drank to the victors, and more or less rabble-roused all about Annapolis!!! Wahoo!
The next stop was New York, New York! This is the inaugural season for the new Yankee Stadium and I got tickets to what turned out to be one of the greatest games of this season. My Belov-Ed witnessed his Yankees clinching the AL East title, by beating the hated Red Sox no less. I cannot even begin to describe in words the cheesy ass grin on his face after the win.

I am a Cubs fan, but I do love me some Derek Jeter. That boy is classy hotness and delish!

Before the game I surprised Ed with a Reyn Spooner Yankees Hawaiian shirt. The one I'm wearing in this pic was the first one I'd bought him, but it was too small so he couldn't wear. I had to wait 3 years before Reyn Spooner designed another one. Well worth the wait!

One of the things I wanted to do, even though this was technically Ed's gift trip, was to go to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in NYC. I just love the hell out of that red-headed chef, so I had to go to Mesa Grill just to say that I did! Well, afterwards, I wish I hadn't . Ed really wanted to get a classic New York pizza pie and go back to our hotel room with some wine and beer and just hang out, but noooooo, I just had to go to Mesa Grill. After spending a TON of money for a terrible meal, I was dreaming of pizza all night long. This steak looks delicious in this photo, but it was soooo salty and dry,and every bite had giant pieces of fat that I had to spit out. Ed's chicken was dry as a bone, almost disintegrating with every cut. I was so disappointed, you don't even know! :-(

No more Mesa Grill for me ever again. I learned my lesson. Just because something is PRICEY doesn't mean it is better, or even good. (((sigh)))
So, after going 2 for 2 at his games, Ed and I were on our way to our next stop, Newport, Rhode Island. MMMMMMMMMM, I love that place. Our second time there together, and I realized this time that Newport is going to be where we will vacation for years to come, God willing. We even discussed possibly buying a little place up there. It is so quaint, so beautiful, so charming, so full of history, and so very welcoming. It is truly a lovely place.

Our first stop in Newport was Flo's Clam Shack. We were hungry after our flight and the aroma of clam chowder wafting out to the parking lot made my mouth water. We sat upstairs at the rooftop balcony and this was one of our views while we enjoyed our lunch....a young man sunbathing while his Golden Retriever enjoyed the breezy day. The Golden Girl reminded me of our littls girls who were at home.

While we were at Flo's, the Food Network was actually there filming for an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" which is set to air January or February. So, look out for the episode on Flo's Clam Shack and see if you can spot us! I had a cup of "chowda", 3 clam cakes, and a "Stuffie", which is a large quahog that is stuffed with breading, spices, and veggies. It is a little spicy, but not too much since they don't really do spicy up there New England. Seriously, I could eat clam cakes and Stuffies all damned day long.
Here is the Stuffie once I removed the rubber band and pulled open the quahog.
Our view to the left while we ate lunch.

When were in Annapolis, we had an absolutely horrible experience with a Bed & Breakfast. It was the second time we tried to book with them, and for the second time the owner messed up our reservation. It was very disappointing. But, our Bed & Breakfast in Newport MORE than made up for our dissapointing experience in Annapolis. We stayed at the Fair Street Inn and it was absolutely wonderful. It is run by Wayne and Denise and it is a place where you will actually FEEL that the owners care about what you need, what you think, and they want you to return. It was so clean and the rooms were amazing. The house is from the1800s and so much of its originality has been lovingly kept up.
There was a koi fish pond in the back and I couldn't believe how many different types of flowers, vegetables, plants, and trees were growing so happily literally everywhere.
Although autumn was beginning to settle in and many of the flowers were losing their petals, these peach colored dahlias were still happily smiling away. Denise & Wayne also had a bunch of these dahlias in little vases all throughout the dining room.
She was my favorite of them all.

I'd sit for a brief spell on the Adirondack chairs and watch the pretty dahlias bobbing in the wind, and then I'd take a picture of my feet. Hee hee. :-)

More fish pics.
Garden path to the pond.
The hostas and perennials were so healthy and happy.


This may look like an ordinary street corner to you, but it was at this very street corner where Ed rescued our bird, Captain Morgan, over 14 years ago from a delusional magician. After the Academy, Ed served in the Navy and taught surface warfare in Newport for many years. Just like the Academy, a chunk of Ed's soul still lives in Newport and he loves to come back here. Aaah, Captain Morgan, he sure does love Ed, and Ed loves his little green friend. :-)
What trip would be complete without me accosting random doggies on the street? Meet Oden the Mastiff. He was A BIIIIIG BOY!
He was also a sweetheart and happily posed for a picture with me.

Let me get back to the food here, ok? We ate dinner at Sardella's Italian Restaurant and let me just inform you that you'd be missing out on a grand Newport tradition if you skipped dinner here. On Monday nights there are dinner specials that will blow your mind and not your wallet. Trust me! We started out with Littleneck clams in the most heavenly garlic & onion broth, along with grilled lambchops served with a creamy cucumber dressing.
For dinner I had one of my favorites, linguine in wine and garlic sauce with steamed mussels. Mmmmm! Ed had the house chicken parmigiana.
For literally 1/4 of the price compared to the Mesa Grill, we had a dinner fit for kings and queens. Each one of us was carrying our own little food baby afterwards, but it was so worth it.

What? Did someone say food baby? Then what's this all about!? Well, yah, like it wasn't enough that we'd stuffed our faces at dinner, we walked for a while and then decided to stop in to Via Via for 'a slice' and pop. I remember thinking that the last time I had pizza after midnight was in law school, and boy did it feel good to be that bad again!
This is the view from the front door of the Fair Street Inn, another reason why we loved our B&B. It was literally steps away from everything in downtown Newport, including the waterfront. What you see in this picture is St. Mary's Parish, which is where JFK and Jackie were married, and where the Kenndeys sat in pew #10 whenever they attended mass.
It is now a historic shrine.
We attended mass there early one morning and it had to be the FASTEST Catholic masses I have ever attended with Ed, less than 30 minutes! It was a beautiful church and the woodwork was intricate and magnificent. I would have taken more pictures, but no sooner had mass ended then the lights were being shut off and everyone was being ushered out asap.
I stood here and imagined what Jacqueline Bouvier must have been thinking right before she walked down the aisle. Would she have walked if she'd known the heartache she would suffer so soon and so often? Something tells me she would have. I believe in true love.
This is the plaque at their pew.

After mass, we walked along the pier and off to the right you can see "my yacht" docked & waiting for me. Ha! Then we returned to the Inn for our breakfast, which I forgot to mention was outstanding. Wayne would make a gourmet, fresh breakfast for each of us every morning, and my favorite was his French toast and his expertise with eggs over medium. There is a hunger for breakfast that comes over you when you've walked and walked, breathing deep of salty, sea air, that is a hunger to rival any other.

This little guy is Oreo, and he belonged to a family from Louisville, Kentucky who had come to Newport for a family reunion. He was adorable! He was also a little cold and wanted to cuddle non-stop. I almost popped him in my pocket to take him home with me, but then I snapped out of my doggie madness.
We also met Oscar, Willie, and Daisy! The three of them almost made me cry with longing for my own three little babies!
The Brick Alley Pub is a restaurant that we love, and I think their clam chowder is one of the best. You see that little pedal airplane hanging up there? Well, Ed's uncle & auntie drove up from Connecticut to have lunch with us, and he wanted to see this plane because he had one when he was about 5 years old after World War II. It was so sweet watching his face as he stared up at the plane.

We took long, long, long walks along the water where I met this little lady.

And also Buddy the Beagle...if you look closely, you'll see him sniffing about. He was adorable and just jumped up in my lap when we got closer.
We live by ocean here in San Diego, but it never looks as striking and moody as the sea in New England.
This is Castle Hill, where we went to lunch with Uncle & Auntie. Ed's parents also came up for lunch with us, but we ate in town with them. Castle Hill is a gorgeous resort and hundreds of weddings are held there every year.
Castle Hill again...
There is a lobster glut this year and the prices are what they were back in 1984 apparently. This handsome man decided that I needed to have my first whole lobster experience...so we headed over to Salas' Upstairs. I was properly bibbed up...
And then the bad boy was served up. I might offend a lot of people, but I did not get what the big fuss is about when it comes to lobsters. I had juice flying everywhere and it was crazy work getting the lobster meat out, and when it was all done it amounted to a handful of a serving, and it's kind of sweet meat, which was kind of, ummm, unique.

I actually thought Ed's dish, the Clam Boil, was the better dish. Clams, potatoes, corn, Portuguese chorico sausage, onions, garlic and lemon. Wow!

This sign made me wish I were an unattended child.
We did lots of self-portraiting, especially after we'd tasted the local libations liberally.
Quite often the libations were consumed at the wharf, where the Black Pearl is one of our favorites. Fantastic chowder, chili, and great beer on tap.

Cutie pie.


All over Newport, you see t-shirts and billboards supporting either the Red Sox.....OR
the Yankees. These two groups of fans do NOT like each other, and these t-shirts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their animosity for each other.

We found a sports bar after our own hearts in Newport, one with comfy leather recliners and fantastic bar food...
...it's called Celtica and if you're Irish, you'll feel even more at home in this little joint.

Washington Park and Trinity Church in the background.
We enjoyed a beer at Cappy's, where a long, long time ago, a young Belov-Ed played on the softball team and his picture is still up on the wall. He's the last player on the right standing in the second row. How cute is he!?
Cappy's.
On our last day, we didn't want to leave, but we missed our Golden babies so. Before we could leave though, we had to stop off at Salas' Downstairs for the best sweet potatoes fries EVER...
...one more Stuffie for the road...
...a lobster roll for Belov-Ed...
...and a plate of the most magnificent Calamari Alla Mama, sauteed with olive oil, peppers, garlic, and olives. Dear God, it was so delicious!
Of course, I couldn't leave Newport without one more doggie picture. Meet Old English Rascal. He was a love puppy and how fitting that we saw him on our very last day. Something to tide us over until next year.
And now, for some videos from here and from there...

Big Red dancing and playing the saxophone...

The Brigade of Midshipmen all marched on...

Navy football team running on to the field and the Harrier jets fly over...

This guy decided that a Yankees win deserved a rock-out...

Mariano Rivera gets the last out and Yankees win! Listen closely and you'll hear my Belov-Ed yelling "See ya later Mass-holes!" as in assholes from Massachusetts. Good grief.

Windy lunch at Flo's Clam Shack...

Ed with uncle & auntie at Castle Hill...

The peaceful, wonderous Fair Street Inn at Newport.

It was quite a trip and we really needed to get away. As wonderous as our trip and time together was, it was so great to return to our home and our puppies. I hope you all had a great couple of weeks as well!