Newport

To stoke up for a full day, we decided to try out the Modern Diner, one of the first diners in the Rhode Island where they first appeared. The place took us back to the forties with its green vinyl seats and chrome accents. Breakfast was good and not wastefully (waistfully) filling.

Roger Williams was a Founder Father who truly believed all people had a right to follow their own religion. He put that belief into practice in founding Rhode Island. In the 1600s, Jews who had fled the Inquisition in Spain and wanted to leave the Netherlands, sailed to the new land and established a community in Newport, RI. There they built the first synagogue in the US and brought a young rabbi, Isaac Touro, from Amsterdam.

We learned from a congregant the history of the Touro Synagogue and saw the Judaica items that have been preserved as well as a 600 year old Torah inscribed on deer skin. It is the oldest US synagogue to continue to provide for its members. The synagogue is orthodox, keeping men and women separate, and Sephardic, Mediterranean in practice and observance.

I have to announce that we have put our house up for sale and are debating which of the many homes along the Cliff Walk of Newport to purchase. We will be upsizing but it’s worth it for the spectacular view and the classy neighbors.



We took a Living History Tour of the Astor’s Beechwood Estate. The “cousin,” “housekeeper,” “butler,” and “maid” were all actors and musicians in residence in the home for the season (a year). Their tour was excellent, treating us as guests invited to dinner the next evening. They shared intimate gossip and details of managing a home for the leader of The 400.


Our walk along the wall let us see the view the owners of these mansions enjoyed on a regular basis.