Newport, Rhode Island will always hold a special place in my heart.
Why?
Well, it’s where I proposed to my beautiful wife.
So when the opportunity arose to return to Newport this past weekend, you bet that we cleared our schedules for a weekend getaway.
… And I wanted to share with you a few simple lessons I learned (or, rather, was reminded of) while we were away.
Anyway: being such a special place for us, we spent a little extra to grab a beautiful oceanfront cottage.
Now, my wife and I are far from fancy folk.
Sure, we splurged on our accommodations.
But when it came to finding places to eat and drink, we didn’t look to five-star restaurants or the Castle Hill Inn’s dining room.
Instead, we wanted to dine like the locals — so we went to find some smaller-time restaurants in the Broadway area of Newport.
For lunch, we headed to a place called Scratch.
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover
Scratch looked… “meh,” to say the least.
They still had the old tenant’s sign hanging behind theirs.
We were this close to trying another place…
Then we said “screw it” and decided to eat at Scratch.
And WOW, were we glad we did.
Those sandwiches were to die for. Plus, they had plenty of delicious soups, chilis, and desserts.
For dinner, we checked out another place called Corner Cafe.
Again, it was a small cafe, but their dinner was out of this world.
Naturally, we visited for breakfast the following morning.
And I swear was it the best breakfast I ever had — freshly-squeezed OJ and all!
Consider this: we were moments away from never discovering these hidden gems.
But because we didn’t judge books by their covers, we now have a few favorite food spots in Newport.
And to think, there are probably dozens of other restaurants in the area we missed…
But anyway, you should avoid judging books by their covers, and always try new things. You never know what you might find.
It Pays to Be Friendly and Welcoming As Much As Possible
If the food didn’t get us to come back, the service and atmosphere sure did.
Everyone was friendly at the restaurants we visited — from the staff to other restaurant patrons.
We felt welcomed and appreciated at almost every establishment, so we’ll definitely be coming back.
This applies to nearly anything in life.
If you’re friendly and upbeat in business, well, customers will enjoy doing business with you.
If you’re bringing positive energy to work, your coworkers and boss will take notice.
If you take the same approach to personal relationships, people will love being around you.
In today’s world where it seems like there’s never-ending bad news, it pays (literally and otherwise) to be friendly and welcoming.
Experiences > Money
Like I said earlier, my wife and I didn’t go all out with dining.
Scratch, the Corner Cafe, and those other places were relatively inexpensive.
However, we felt much more at home in those places.
Fancy restaurants with $150 steaks have their place, but dining at one of those establishments can feel too formal for many.
Everyone’s so, well, fancy.
You sometimes almost feel some weird pressure to look like you have status or wealth.
Whereas sometimes, you have an amazing time just hanging out, having great conversations, and eating good food. That’s me.
People in those small-time local places tend to be down to earth, and I love it.
More money doesn’t always equal a better experience. Sometimes, the cheap or free things are the most memorable.
I can’t wait to return to Newport.
Completely unrelated: