Driving along the Newport Bridge, the sight of millions of luminescent sailboats and cliffs mesmerize me. Newport, RI has been home for a while. My family and I never get enough of the quaint cobblestone town and the over-sized extraordinary summer cottages that decorate the divine streets of Newport. It is tradition for my family, my cousins, and I to go up together the weekend after school is let out. Once our families arrive, we never want to leave. After we step foot in picturesque Newport, RI, our families stop for lunch at a miniscule, yet widely known seafood shack right across the street from the seaweed-infested shore. “Flows Clam Shack” is delicious. Clam chowder, fried seafood platters, and crisp fish and chips fully satisfy my taste buds. Immediately after the whole family is stuffed to the tee and cannot even function with the amount of food consumed, we hit the famous Cliff Walk.

The Cliff walk is breath taking. There are no words to describe the beauty.  Massive cliffs overlook the sparkling sea, creating an effortless view of the hundreds of polished sailboats floating alongside the choppy, New England water. The walk is roughly 3.5 miles all the way to the end. After walking about half way, enormous rocks engraved into the Cliffside become the walking path. Tiny secluded beaches are revealed as you keep walking, making it hard to not stop and just lay on the graveled, scorching sand. After walking along the never-ending sea, we hit the town. Little cobblestone streets trim the tiny boutiques and the quaint, fancy restaurants. While the food is tasty and the shopping is constant, magical hidden piers rave with blasting music, and endless crowds of over-joyed people. The best time to head into town is during the evening. Hundreds of yachts light up alongside the piers, open decks with couples and families dining illuminate the atmosphere, and lines crowded with people about one mile long stretch out of cute little ice cream shops. If you are lucky, radiant fireworks crowd the sky, masking the bright stars with colors of neon reds and rich blues. The aroma of the salty bay overwhelms the air. As my family and I stroll along the antique, effervescent streets, the smell of fresh vanilla and cookie dough ice cream suffocate my nose. I can’t help but feel like I am at home.

Although the town of Newport is overpoweringly lively and beautiful, massive mansions once owned by the affluent lineage, the Vanderbilt’s, steel all the fame. While strolling on top of the fresh cut, perfectly green acres of land, one can’t help but ask, how such wealth was accumulated? The Vanderbilt family was known for their groundbreaking development, the railroad system. Plush ruby carpets twine down the grand staircase; pure gold trimmings ornament the marvelous walls, and thousands of spectacular diamonds encrust the oversized chandeliers. The most glorious part of the colossal estate is the ongoing deck, overlooking the vast, glimmering ocean. Marble floors cool as ice lead the way towards the most extravagant gates one will witness in a lifetime. Viewing the crystal ocean and the clean, perfect cut grass from the 3rd story floor just adds to the extravagance. After discovering the ins and outs of the Breakers Mansion, summer cottage to the Vanderbilt family back in the gilded age, we pack up the car for a picnic on the other side of the island.

Driving thirty minutes leads us out of Newport, onto the other side of the island filled with rocks and cottages available for families to rent out during the summer. The windows open with the sound of the crashing waves on steel rock, formulating goose bumps onto my burnt skin. We settle next to a state park right across the street from the sea. Beautiful. Once unloading the car with sandwiches, and blankets, our families set up camp right on the cliffs of the shore. Nothing is as beautiful as looking into vast open waters with no endpoint. Just searching and searching for something out there to spring up and convince you that the ocean doesn’t just end. Crispy potato chips and chicken salad sandwiches are gobbled up within about five minutes. The kids run around flying kites in the air, laughing and suddenly crying because they accidently let go of the string. This day is the ideal day. The day you dream about. The day you yearn to experience. Looking into the eyes of your baby cousins, your sisters, your parents, your aunts and uncles, nothing is more perfect than that one moment, right there, on that cliff.