Newport RI - The Waterfront Downtown....

We stayed at the Newport Marriott throughout the entire trip. It was mainly for convenience as RG's conference was held there. The main draw of the hotel is its location at the heart of the downtown and right next to the Visitor Information Center. It was a decent hotel but nothing spectacular about it...we got the room at a very attractive rate. We had requested for a room with king size bed but it wasn't available....so the staff gave us a twin double-bed room overlooking the harbor. The room was reasonably spacious....I did like the high ceiling and the view of the downtown skyline and the harbor.

Isn't the view from the hotel room lovely? I took this photo from the window on a clear blue day.
We could also see the downtown skyline from our room.
A short walking distance (less than 5min walk) from our hotel is the Bowen's Wharf where there are plentiful waterfront restaurants and quaint shops for you to choose from.


Near the Washington Square (stone throw from Marriott) is the Museum of Newport History and more restaurants and shops.
And then there's Thames Street which is really like the heart and soul of downtown. Here, you'll find fun, food and entertainment along the entire stretch of Thames St.



And yes, there are many "tourist traps" along Thames Street where you can load up on souvenirs to bring back home. Of course, RG and I did our fair share of touristy shopping...and our loot - 6 lighthouse ornaments & a handful of magnets (of the different US states that we've been to).
There were also interesting antique and bric-a-brac shops.
And I found art in the most unlikely places like this......
......and this!
There were also numerous interesting looking places of worship in the downtown area of Newport.

And I found 2 pairs of shoes dangling from the power cables!
The entire downtown area is very walkable....just make sure you've got a nice warm jacket (it was 30+F and very windy on a couple of days when I was there and it was FREEZING!) and a comfortable pair of walking shoes! And when you are tired, just find a nice place to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the world go by.