There were plenty of empty seats on my flight from Edinburgh on Monday 2 October, 2017.
Having paid an introductory fare of only £69 for a flight to Providence, Rhode Island, without needing to pay extra for a seat booking, my budget New England trip was off to a good start.
The Norwegian Airlines plane chased the sun across the Atlantic but it had set by the time we landed at TF Green airport, Warwick, RI (six miles south of Providence).
As one of the first to leave the plane at a quiet airport, it was possible to clear the passport and border controls without delay.
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| TF Green airport, Warwick (Providence), RI |
A short walk across a nearly empty car park and a small jump down onto the Post Road pavement was a quick way to reach the nearby Best Western Airport Inn without needing to organise and wait for a hotel transfer.
Prior research had identified Dave's Bar & Grille as the closest bar with local beers available.
This was another short walk further along Post Road, this time without any luggage to haul.
A recent
facebook post had mentioned that
Grey Sail Brewing Captain's Daughter IPA (8.5% ABV) was on tap so this was my first (16oz) pint of the evening. A pale Rhode Island beer that I would recommend.
The island bar was efficiently managed and it was nice to have a seat with a view although the sports TV channels were not of much interest to me.
The lighting was dim and not well suited for reading the menu. With food served until late, my failure to order a dish was a missed opportunity, in retrospect.
It was even harder to read the long list of beers on tap, with newly added beers shaded.
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| Bass handle spotted on right |
Later study showed that as well as local and national beers there were several from Europe, 4 from England (Bass Ale, Boddingtons Pub Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale & Old Speckled Hen, 2 from Ireland (Guinness, Smithwick's Ale), 2 from Belgium (Palm Belgian Amber & Stella Artois) and 3 from Germany (BraufactuM Progusta, Radeberger & Sch
รถfferhoffer Grapefruit Radler).
While studying the tap list I spotted the sampler offer - Four 5 oz glasses for $6.50 and so decided there would be time to stay a bit longer. My choice included two seasonal pumpkin beers - (2nd from L)
Shipyard Pumpkinhead (4.7%) and (R)
Southern Tier Warlock Imperial Stout (10.0%) which was a delicious beer to end with. The other beers were (L) from Rhode Island,
Whalers Brewing East Coast IPA (6.5%) and (3rd from L)
Sam Adams Octoberfest (5.3%).
While I drank my way through these beers in strength order, there was a chance to introduce myself to two groups sat near me at a corner of the bar. By this time they had moved on from drinking beer to rounds of exotic shots and it was nice to be included in their conversation and to feel at home in a faraway bar.
Before leaving, my helpful female bartender took the trouble to write out a list of local breweries for me to look out for on my trip. This included
Foolproof Brewing,
Bucket Brewery,
Crooked Current Brewery,
Proclamation Ale Company and
Tilted Barn Brewery.
Don't miss a visit to Dave's Bar & Grille if you ever fly to Providence, RI.
Dave's Bar & Grille, 2339 Post Road, Warwick, Rhode Island
Tel. +1 401-739-7444
Facebook:
Daves's Bar and Grille
Tuesday, 3 October, 2017
Post Road is a busy road and on my way to catch the train to Providence I took a photo which shows the fine weather and the overhead pedestrian link from the station to the airport.
The Boston based MBTA commuter rail service stretches as far as Wickford Junction in Rhode Island, the furthest point south on the map above.
A free fare offer on the MBTA train from TF Green / Warwick, one stop from Wickford Junction, to Providence, was a pleasant surprise.
You can find further blog posts, from the remaining six days of my New England trip, as listed on the map above.
