Old School Vs. New School Watch Hill
So, this week I'm incredibly fortunate to be blogging from Watch Hill. My fam's been coming here for ages actually. One of my brother's proposed to his wife over sandwiches from the Bay Street Deli back in the day. We used to browse the used bookstore near the carousel all the time (throwback to that and The Aqua Shop, a fav of one of my nieces when she was little). And I even spent a few nights in the original Ocean House (the one that was leveled) back in the 90's. Spoiler Alert: the NEW one's way, WAY better. Now I say all this because I feel like it qualifies me to bring you this Top 5 Old Classic Vs. New Classic WH List, so here goes:
1. Flying Horse Carousel (Old Classic) vs. Aviva Electric Bikes (New Classic)
Flying Horses #forever (the only one of its kind still in operation in 2016), but I just spied Aviva's today and it's neat, you can either buy or rent an electric bike there. Just the thing for zipping around town!
2. T-Shirt/Sweatshirt Shop Across From The WH Yacht Club (Old Classic) vs. Angela Moore On One Bay Street (New Classic)
Every summer, we load up on tee's and pullovers at this little shop, set back from Bay Street, because you can never have enough to throw on after a day at beach, when it gets chilly at night, etc. I also made a stop this week at the brand new Angela Moore that's opened at the top of Bay St. tho and I am officially in love with their selection of 'statement' straw hats (NOT leaving town without at least one), summer weight sweaters & colorful tops and dresses.
3. St. Clair's & The Candy Box (Old Classic) vs. Below Deck at the OH (New Classic)
We've already made two trips to the iconic St. Clair's (for housemade ice cream...No one ever says "Annex".) and the Candy Box, but Below Deck is equally fab-u-lous. Their gelato is light and delicious and I love the idea of it as a post-beach treat after an afternoon under the signature blue umbrellas at the OH's Dune Cottage. (PS - They also have donuts, which are huge as far as trending sweets go.)
4. Henry Ford, Clark Gable & Albert Einstein (Old Classic Celebs Who Summer'ed in Watch Hill) vs. Conan O'Brien, Taylor Swift & a bunch of other famous faces I've been sworn to secrecy about (New Classic Celebs Who Love WH)
We ran into Conan once and he could not have been nicer, even posing for a photo with my sister-in-law who's a dedicated viewer of his program. I hear T. Swift is equally as lovely. In other words, ya never know who you'll see. (PS - If you haven't seen any Clark Gable movies, start stalking TCM for It Happened One Night, co-starring Claudette Colbert, the Julia Roberts of that time to Gable's Clooney.
5. Olympia Tea Room (Old Classic) vs. Olympia Tea Room (New Classic)
The locals and people in the know throughout RI didn't need anything in Vanity Fair telling them how great the Olympia Tea Room is 'cuz those people are probably already regulars. If you haven't been, it's only some of the most consistently outstanding food in the area. From salads and apps to their mussels, grilled pizza or pasta, it's all terrif. Want a table without a long wait, especially post VF mention? Mid week is your best bet. (PS - They are celebrating 100 years in biz this year.)
Ciao for Now,
Patty J
Photo Credits: Flying Horse Carousel photos courtesy of Ashley Farney; all others courtesy of PattyJ.com and the PattyJDotCom Instagram