The New England Stereotype

Last week I was fortunate to have an abundance of free time because classes had ended for Milford seniors, so three of my closest friends, including fellow Patch blogger Monica Alves, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go to the beach! We decided on Newport's Easton's Beach, one of my personal favorites.

After a trip that took much longer than necessary, due to the mistakes made by my GPS, we arrived at the beautiful sea front. After a long and grueling school year, this trip was exactly what we all needed. The sun was blazing in the open expanse of clear blue sky and the air was perfectly warm. Although the water was bitterly cold, we didn’t seem to notice.

After some time in the water and on the sand, we walked through the town to Flo’s Crab Shack, a wonderful Mom and Pop joint that serves the most delicious fried seafood and the best lobster rolls around. We sat on the roof overlooking the bustling street and the crashing waves ahead. As we enjoyed our lunch, I realized that we were portraying the complete stereotype of typical New Englanders and that we were loving every second of it: seafood, Boston apparel that supports the Red Sox and Boston University, big sunglasses, Land’s End flip flops adorned with lobsters, a truck with a bumper sticker from the Cape, and saying “wicked” as a part of every sentence were all a part of our day in Newport.   

We returned to the beach, stuffed full with clams and lobster, and lay out in the sun. Later we walked around the beach and collected shells. During our walk we came across a baby turtle! We aptly named him Sheldon and let him sunbathe with us for a while. He was a happy little guy, but we weren’t sure what to do with him because he definitely wasn’t a sea turtle and there wasn’t really any fresh water in sight. We ended up putting him back where we found him, after deciding that this was the best thing to do.

After our adventure at the beach, we drove to downtown Newport and walked around for a little while. We ventured into a cupcake shop named Cupcake Charlie’s and enjoyed wonderful cupcakes that could make you cry because of how delicious they were. I bought a chocolate and peanut butter one, my go to flavor combination, and was amazed at how something so small could be so wonderful. The creative people behind the counter made a chocolate cake, filled it with fudge, and topped it off with rich peanut butter frosting and a peanut butter cup. Hands down, it was the best cup cake I have ever had. Then, as if we weren’t already full to the brim with sweets, we went to a fudge shop down the street. But it wasn’t just any fudge shop! Apparently, Pauly D of the reality show Jersey Shore had visited this very fudge shop a few days prior. That’s not what made this place special, however. This store, I forget the name at the moment, sells delicious homemade fudge, salt water taffy, and their signature elephant ear pastries. It’s definitely worth stopping by if you’re ever in the area!

We made our way home later that night, filled with amazing food and the knowledge that being a New England stereotype is the best way to live.