A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront

I was quite happy in my highrise in Boston when I was handed the opportunity to come live on Conanicut Island, across the bridge from Newport, RI for a few months. Those months turned into years and now, though I adore Boston, I have been well and thoroughly seduced by these green and blue islands in Narragansett Bay. And Newport is the center of this seduction.

Newport, of course was one of the first major cities in the colonies. It was the home of sea captains who placed pineapples on their doorsteps when they were home as a symbol of hospitality and open doors. Today, you can still see the stone pineapple everywhere in the town.

The unique seaside city was even larger than Boston in Colonial Times, but because of the destruction of the Revolutionary War when it was a British command post and so a prime target, it lost its first city status.

Washington stopped here and it was in the city’s Truro Synagogue, the oldest Jewish synagogue in the United States, that his declaration of tolerance was read. His statue (originally designed in 1797) stands in front of the Redwood Athenaeum and Library (the oldest Athenaeum in the nation, since it was established in 1747.) Today, the statue welcomes visitor to this library/art gallery with all of its original treasures.

The city boomed in the 19^th century after the Civil War when the Gilded Age society built its stunning homes (known as the "cottages") here and spent summers vying with one another for the top spots, the best parties, the flashiest lives. Vanderbilts and Astors, America’s aristocrats, outdid each other with such fabulous homes as the Breakers and Chateau Sur Mer. The Preservation Society keeps the houses open these days and they host thousands of visitors a year with daily tours in the summers and various activities throughout the year. Christmas at the mansions is an unparalleled way to spend the winter holidays.

A stroll along the Cliff Walk, that winds along the top of the cliffs in the back of the mansions is a marvelous adventure and gives lovely views of both the sea and the homes above.

Each summer the city revels in music. The whole month of July is devoted to a classical music festival. There are concerts all over the city, including several in the mansions, and elegant performances on the lawns and in great halls. In August, of course, come the incredible Folk Festival and the Jazz Festival with top flight singers and musicians both in concerts and around town. It was at the Newport Folk festival, after all, that Bob Dylan shocked the folk world by going electric in 1965.

But the land isn’t the only attraction. Newport is a sailing center. The Kennedys often sailed from here (JFK and Jackie were married here) and the America Cup has had its terminus here. The International Yacht Restoration School is a fascinating place to spend an afternoon, watching students and teachers together build the beautiful craft.

Cruise ships from all nations stop here and international tourists often crowd the streets, getting the flavor of colonial America.

There are ferries and seal watch ships and fishing boats and kayaks as well. The grand Boat Show is a highlight of a Newporter’s year. Across the brige in Jamestown, a Fool’s Regatta is held each year in which participants rig up anything they can, from cardboard boxes to sheets of plastic to sail a course. Anyone who finsihes without sinking is praised and the creativity gets wilder each year. Newport is very much about the water.

The lighthouses that dot Narragnasett Bay still work, and one of them, Rose Island, rents out by the week for deputy lighthouse keepers. Another, in the shadow of the Jamestown Bridge, was recently refurbished for the first time since it was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938! It’s comforting blue light flashes out over the water and across the bridge to guide small boats past it in the bad weather.

Newport is seductive in its history and it’s life. The grand old lady of Narragansett Bay, she still weaves her magic over those who find her.