DESTINATIONS — THE US
Looking for New England
Anna Hart finds three towns to suit foodies, partygoers and the smart set
N
ew England looms large in the imagination of the
British traveller, calling to mind spiffy Ivy League college towns, the preppy sailing clubs of Ralph Lauren photoshoots and lakeside holiday cabins fringed with rusty-leafed woodland. But when it comes to translating these images into solid travel plans, we often falter: it’s hard to know where to start, beyond the cliché of genteel fly-drives and leaf-peeping in the Fall. However, over the past few summers, the sleepy holiday towns of New England have woken up, and today offer international travellers stylish digs, sumptuous eats and deal-clinching activities like helicopter trips and hot-air balloon adventures. A tour around three standout New England towns – foodie Providence, stylish Newport and creative Provincetown – is the
best way to get under the skin of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As a gateway city, Boston
makes for a much softer landing than New York. Most visitors will want a night or two to stroll the Freedom Trail, do a food-crawl inside Faneuil Hall Marketplace, catch a baseball game at Fenway Park and feast on freshly-shucked oysters at the Union Oyster House. But for travellers wanting to skip the city altogether, setting off from Boston Logan rather than the NYC airports means you can be checking into your hotel in Providence, Newport or Provincetown in under two hours.
l DINE IN STYLE IN PROVIDENCE This former factory town has reinvented itself as a culinary capital, with many of America’s top chefs cutting their teeth at prestigious cookery schools
such as Johnson and Wales and Chef Walter’s Cooking School. Innovative gourmet eats are found at the Asian-influenced North run by James Mark, and Birch, an ambitious 18-seater focusing on foraged herbs and local seafood. For a more neighbourhood scene, head to the Italian quarter of Federal Hill, where Venda Ravioli Italian Marketplace stocks more than 150 varieties of fresh and frozen pasta. “Simple Italian restaurants have existed here on Federal Hill since the first immigrants arrived in Rhode Island, where male workers would typically arrive a few months before sending for their wives and children,” explains Walter Potenza, a restaurateur and culinary educator. “Corner restaurants offered monthly subscriptions for hungry migrant workers.” But food isn’t the only draw. As the home of Rhode Island
School of Design, Providence’s homeware and fashion stores are outstanding. Swing by the beautifully restored Arcade – America’s oldest indoor mall – and wander design emporiums such as Clover and Homestyle, before
Birch, Providence
2 July 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 59
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