If y’all follow me on social media, you already know that I just spent a long, crazy, hectic weekend on the East Coast, visiting my dad, my best friend, New York City and a few places in New England.
Out of all the things I did in four short days, I selected seven highlights that I want to share with you all because they’ve been insanely cool experiences.
1-Shopping at Providence Place in Providence, RI
Providence, RI may be a small city, but it has one of the largest and best malls I’ve ever been to. Most of the stores in there are very affordable, and some of them I can’t even find in Chicago! (cough cough… KIKO Milano). My parents live in Providence, and every time I go visit them, I already know that I’ll be shopping. If you’re ever in Providence, make sure to dedicate one afternoon to checking out this beauty of a mall. Click here for a full list of stores and restaurants.
2- Dining at Trafford in Warren, RI
Trafford is the name of a beautiful restaurant in Warren, RI. Their location on the waterfront is just excellent, with an incredible view of the harbor. The food is mainly fish and seafood, and it’s really tasty. The fried clams are one of the specialties of the area, but everything I’ve tried on the menu was delicious, from the fried calamari to the pan seared tuna filet!
Check out that sunset though!
3- Dining at Ford’s Lobster in Noank, CT
Ford’s Lobster has it all. The restaurant itself is bomb and the location is bomb – you pretty much eat ON the ocean, and if you’re winning at life and own a boat, you can eat on your boat and they’ll send a server to wait on you there. On top of that, their famous lobster is obviously bomb. Talking about bomb, I ate an utterly delicious entrée at Ford’s Lobster called The Lobster Bomb. Picture this: a bread bowl, buttered and toasted, filled halfway with lobster bisque, then packed with half a pound of lobster meat, and finally topped with more lobster bisque. Literally #foodporn.
More pretty sunsets for your enjoyment. No filter needed.
Unfortunately, it was already dark once we got our food, but shoutout to my dad for working the lighting for this last pic of my beloved Lobster Bomb.
4- New York City, in general
NYC has my heart. Not in the same way as Milano or Chicago do, because I don’t think I could ever survive living in NYC, but it is definitely one of my favorite places to visit. It just has SO MUCH to see and to do, it is unlike anywhere else in the world. You go from walking and shopping among skyscrapers to checking out cool stores in Tribeca, or from walking on the Highline to meeting the cutest pups in Greenwich Village.
Chelsea Market in Manhattan.
Views from the Highline.
Honeybear, Greenwich Village’s best looking pup.
If New York City itself wasn’t enough, this time I had the pleasure of walking through it with my best friend from Italy, who was here for a training campaign with the Italian navy. Do you have any idea what a blissful experience it is to walk around Times Square or Fifth Avenue with your best friend after you’ve dreamed of moments like these all your childhood?
5- Party on Board on the Amerigo Vespucci Ship
This was by far the coolest experience I was part of this past weekend. I would’ve never thought that, at some point of my life, I would find myself on a ship in New York City partying with the Italian navy. However, life is full of surprises.
My best friend from Italy, Enni, is part of the Italian navy. As part of their training campaign, earlier this month, her “class” traveled to Canada and the United States. As of right now, they are currently on their journey across the ocean to make it back to Europe. However, before doing so, they stopped in NYC for a few days and organized a party on the ship that Enni invited me to.
It was overall a very exciting experience. The ship, for example, was absolutely stunning, it looked straight out of a movie, and being part of a celebration on it felt at the same time adventurous, luxurious, fun and exclusive. It was also the closest thing to an Italian party I’ve ever seen in the US. Amazing food, great American, EDM and Italian music, great dancers and overall a great crowd. The company was so fun and the view of Manhattan was outstanding. On top of that, I was able to experience all of that with my best friend by my side. Oh what a night!
The beautiful Amerigo Vespucci ship.
The view from the ship.
Met another Italian girl living in the States before boarding!
My best friend Enni and I on the Amerigo Vespucci ship!
6- The Empire State Building at 1am in NYC
Yes, enjoying the view of Manhattan from the top of the Empire State Building is cliché AF. I agree. However, seeing all of the city lights shine at 1am was an unforgettable experience. New York City truly is the city that never sleeps.
7- Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI
I’ve always had a love for European and North American folk music. If you know me personally, you might know that I love what in Italian is called “canzoni popolari” (aka “songs of the people”), as well as Americana and country music. Well, this past Sunday I was able to attend the Newport Folk Festival, where I saw live singers such as the American Acoustic, Nathaniel Rateliff, John Prine, and most importantly Rhiannon Giddens, who’s been one of my favorite singers for these past few years and who delivered an amazing, soul-filled, cathartic performance. She pretty much took us to church and I can’t even begin to describe what an incredibly fulfilling experience seeing her live was.
As per usual, I’m always open to new suggestions from locals and/or experienced travelers. Know some cool New England, East Coast or NYC spots to recommend? Drop them below or message me!
