Feature Friday: Meet Addie D.

Happy Friday one and all! I hope you all had a wonderful week, and are ready to kick off the start of the weekend with Feature Friday! This week we have the pleasure of getting to meet a fellow travel blogger, Addie. She is the personality behind Traveling Mrs. There, she shares her adventures, as well as useful tips and advice for others who may be visiting the same locations. Today, Addie is sharing with us about a trip she took to Newport, Rhode Island! Check out what she has to say, and to see her incredible pictures!

1. Thank you for being a part of Feature Friday. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hey! I’m Addie. I love hanging out with my family, coffee, reading novels, sports, having a good Netflix binge, ice cream (or maybe desserts in general), and God. I took my first (non-family) trip to New York City when I was 13, and have had the travel bug ever since. It’s my passion, and the thing that I look forward to when I am at home in the regular daily grind. I am just like everyone else. I work a full time job, live in a house and have a lot of material possessions. I make time for travel because I love it, and I always find a way to make the next trip possible.

2. What country do you call home?
I was born and raised in the US – Cincinnati, Ohio to be specific. Most foreigners I’ve met think that Ohio is full of cornfields in the middle of nowhere, but there are some huge cities and has so much to offer!

3. Which city did you recently travel to?

Newport, Rhode Island – you know that teeny tiny state in New England.

4. How long was the journey?
What we thought was supposed to be a 13 hour drive turned into a 15 hour drive because of traffic going through Connecticut. We planned the timing of going through Connecticut much more strategically on the way home.

5. Why did you travel to Newport?
My cousin went to school there and my uncle told me about how beautiful it was, after some research we decided that we definitely wanted to take a trip and experience it for ourselves.

6. What native dish was your favorite to eat?
Well, I am a dessert girl, so naturally my favorite dish was an “Awful Awful”. It’s an ice cream shake from the Newport Creamery.

7. What was the most unique thing you ate?
There wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary for me, but some may find that the ‘Hot Wiener’ is unique. It’s basically a hot dog covered with mustard and meatsauce.

8. What was your most unique mode of transportation?

Our feet – not really that unique, but we took a lot of long walks on this vacation.

9. What as the weather like during your trip?
It was a bit chilly, but not cold, a little rainy, and sometimes sunny. It was actually pretty nice. If I went again, I would go at the hottest part of the year because it was just a little too chilly to take advantage of the beaches and sailing that Newport has to offer.

10. Where was your favorite place to go in the city? Why?

I loved the Cliff Walk. It’s a great way to get outside and get moving and it is so incredibly scenic – you’re walking the shoreline. Other than the natural beauty, you also get to see some of the mansions that are situated right behind the trail.

11. What was the funniest thing that happened to you on this trip?

Well, on the cliff walk, there are a couple different sections. A nicely paved section, a bumpy section, and an uneven rock filled rugged section. So we started where it was paved and decided that it looked nice enough to bring the stroller with my daughter’s bucket seat. It worked out so well, until we got to the really rugged part. There are signs that warn you about the rough terrain, but we didn’t think it would last too long and that we’d be ok. We were wrong. Here we are walking on a cliff, me carrying a folded up stroller trying to maneuver over steep rocks, and my husband carrying our daughter in her bucket seat (peacefully sleeping). It was the hardest ‘hike’ I’ve ever done and definitely a sight to be seen.

12. Did you learn anything during this trip?
I learned a lot. Most importantly I learned that what people say about it being too difficult to travel once you have kids is completely false. It is definitely a little more challenging, but it is not too difficult and we have so stories that we wouldn’t have without her. 

13. What was the best part about your trip?

Spending time with my family and walking down the street to the beach to watch the waves. I also enjoyed sitting on the porch of the rental house and admiring the huge rhododendrons that were on the property.

14. What was the most challenging part about your trip?
Learning how to change our traveling habits now that we have a little one was the most challenging. Before, we just left the house and started exploring when we wanted to. Now we were trying to guess when nap time was going to be, make sure the diaper bag was packed, and maneuver all the baby gear. It was different, but not for the worse!

15. What is your favorite picture you took on this trip?
We took my daughter down to the beach to watch the sunset and she absolutely loved watching and listening to the waves. It was so precious.

16. How does this city compare to your home city? Were your expectations met, or did they differ completely?

Newport is definitely different than my hometown. There is more of a beach town vibe in Newport, and Cincinnati is more of a city vibe. Cincinnati is also a lot bigger than Newport – it was smaller than I thought it would be. Other than that though, I honestly didn’t really know what to expect other than that I thought there would be a lot of people biking down the main Bellevue drag to see the mansions because I thought a friend told me they did that once – I didn’t see one biker looking at the mansions. All in all it was a very relaxed but sophisticated town and I’d be very happy to visit again.

17. If you were to go to Newport again, what would you do differently?
As I alluded to when you asked about the weather, I would go at a different time of the year. I think I’d choose August when I could take advantage of the water activities, but also curb a little bit of the summer tourism.

18. If someone else was to go to this city, what advice or tips would you give them?

You don’t need to see ALL of the mansions. Pick a couple that interests you and spend the rest of the time exploring the other things the city has to offer. My favorite was the Breakers, and if you’re only going to see one, it’s the one I recommend. It is the biggest one with the most over the top décor and has a great view of the ocean. You also get an audio tour with admission so you get to learn something too.

19. Anything else you want to share about your trip?
For anyone traveling with a baby, if you happen to be renting a car, stay away from the Ford Fiesta. The compact vehicle just doesn’t fit a baby seat and two adults with luggage 🙂

20. Do you have any more travel plans lined up? Where to next?
I sure do – right now I am working on a trip to Peru to hike Machu Picchu. We’ve toyed with the idea of making the trip a whole tour of South America, but we haven’t decided on that for sure.

Thank you Addie for being a part of Feature Friday! I enjoyed getting to learn a little about you, as well as about Newport. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Rhode Island, and if I have, it was when I was really young so I have no recollection of it. It was nice and refreshing to read about a city that doesn’t necessarily get a lot of coverage in the travelsphere. I’d love to take a trip up there sometime, and explore the city! Also, your daughter is precious! That smile in the picture on the porch is seriously the cutest thing ever! Best of luck planning your next trip – it sounds like it’s going to be a fun one! Thanks again Addie, for taking the time to share with us about your trip! Safe travels on your next adventure.

Did you enjoy what you read? Get to know more about Addie!

Addie has a passion for travel, and she loves to do so whenever she has the opportunity. Her goal is to inspire others to make time for their travel dreams, and to give tips & tricks to make it easier and more affordable. Connect with Addie at the following:

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