2020 didn’t turn out at all how we had planned (I can still remember my mom saying, around New Year’s, that she thought it was going to be a good year because it was “a nice number”), so why not take a little detour to the 1920’s?

The other day we booked an hour of sightseeing with Newport Classic Car Tours, which has been around since 2018, and got to take a spin around town in a vintage 1924 Studebaker Convertible, the closest we’ll probably ever get to being able to channel some Gatsby movie glam in our daily lives.

Speaking of which, the 1974 version starring Bob Redford and Mia Farrow was filmed in NPT and both Rosecliff and Marble House stood in for Gatsby’s West Egg (Long Island) manse during shooting. (Not too shabby!)

As for our tour, let me say one thing: Is there anything better than cruising down Ocean Drive (also known as Ten Mile Drive) in a spiffy antique convertible on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in August?

It was windy, though, so hold on to that hat you’re wearing for added sun protection because with one strong gust, you might come this close to losing it.

Beyond that, we did get to see (from a distance) and hear about the mansion that Campbell’s Soup built (okay, the CS heiress) that now belongs to Judge Judith Sheindlin, Hammersmith Farm (Jackie’s O’s childhood home), Leno’s place, and a lot more.

Our guide was friendly and engaging and we walked away from our 60 or so minutes feeling pretty darn good about the whole thing.

I mean, he even stopped in front of everyone’s favorite cove and snapped a few photos of us (think one of those houses in the background belongs to the former host of NBC’s Tonight Show) that we could share later on social.

At $40 a ticket, I would say it was money well spent, especially this summer when we’re all searching for open air things to do.

*For more details, check out NewportClassicCarsRI.com.