Remains of TR and Dinner in Newport

The entrance to the Korean Catholic Apostolate near where we stayed on Long Island. I didn't get the sign in the picture, but for some reason this struck us as interesting.

On day two of our trip, we enjoyed a late-breakfast at a local diner in Woodbury, NY, and then went back to Oyster Bay to see Theodore Roosevelt's burial site. He and his wife decided where they wanted to be buried earlier in their lives when some sort of health scare came up. Instead of being buried in NYC or somewhere more fashionable, they decided to be buried on the hill of the local cemetery. It is a very peaceful spot overlooking the water. We hiked up to it and paid our respects before heading out for Newport, Rhode Island.

We ended up hitting one more of New York's boroughs as we left Long Island - the Bronx. The drive was about four hours and was very pretty. We added two more states to our list of states we've been to together - Connecticut and Rhode Island! One tradition we have is to always hold hands as we pass over state lines. It is fun to celebrate that kind of progress as we road trip! One thing that really struck me as we drove was how much the water is interwoven into the coastal New Englander's life. I know that is kind of a "duh" statement, but when you are constantly driving by water or over bridges, it kind of hits you again and again. Maybe that comes from growing up in a desert. Tony didn't seem to be nearly as impressed by it...

Overlook onto Mystic, Connecticut, from the highway. Very pretty area!

We checked into our hotel in Newport and Tony took a well-deserved nap after doing ALL of the driving! I worked on some schoolwork, and then we headed downtown to have dinner at The Black Pearl restaurant. And no, it's not some Disney-related theme restaurant. It is a real nice local restaurant with no link to Pirates of the Carribean. The Black Pearl has arguably some of the most famous clam chowdah in Newport. It was definitely yummy! Tony has been looking forward to this for a LONG time!!!

We ate outside on the harbor watching the boats-for-hire come in from their last runs. All we needed was the chowder and a couple of salads. We walked around the downtown area for a while. It has lots of little shops and restaurants, most of which were still open pretty late at night. We also got some ice cream before heading back to the hotel for a good night's rest.