{Outfit 1: Elegancia Jacket, Nine West Dress, Uniqlo Scarf, J. Crew Boots}
{Outfit 2: Old Navy Jacket, Ralph Lauren Dress, Tommy Hilfiger Top, J. Crew Boots}

Eric and I used to hop on the Fung Wah bus all of the time to take the $15 trip to Boston, but this time around we went out of our way to try some new things while we were in Massachusetts. We used Salem as our home base (hotel prices in Boston were insane because of the marathon), and I think it was one of the highlights of our trip. While Salem may be most widely known for the infamous witch trials and  other “supernatural” occurrences (a fact which they pander to immensely for the tourist crowd), the city also boasts a rich maritime history and the wonderful Peabody Essex Museum. We stayed at the Hawthorne Hotel which may or may not be haunted. Ghosts asides, the pancakes in the main dining room were out of this world, and I would gladly return for the breakfast alone.

We spent the day at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum before venturing into Boston for a stroll along Newbury Street and dinner at one of our favorite restaurants: Grotto. I’ve sung its praises before, but the garlic soup and spaghetti with meatballs will knock your socks off!

{Outfit 1: Elegancia Jacket, H&M Pants, Uniqlo Scarf, J. Crew Boots}
{Outfit 2: Old Navy Jacket, J. Crew Shirt, Forever 21 Jeans, Vintage Coach Purse, Bass Shoes}

Next stop: Newport, RI… where the mansions are huge, and the seafood fine!

We spent a couple of nights at the historic Hotel Viking where we were pleasured and pampered to our heart’s content.  Between daydreaming about life inside of The Breakers, savoring the Portuguese clam chowder at Anthony’s, strolling the Cliff Walk, and enjoying a beautiful seaside lunch at The Mooring, I’m not sure what I enjoyed most in Newport.  But I do know one thing for certain: I will definitely be returning for the Newport Regatta this summer!

For me, dressing for road trips is all about comfort. And since there was quite a bit of a chill in the air the further north we traveled, I relied a lot upon my fall weather classics even though I was not-so-secretly pining for my spring favorites. In the end, I was too busy soaking up the many sights and flavors of this trip to worry about my outfits (well… at least not too much). One thing I was very about happy about was digging my cute little bow shoes out of hibernation. They are some of the cutest, comfiest shoes I own.  I bought this pair a few years ago, so they might be hard to track down.  No one does a cute nerd shoe like Bass (I think I’m up to 5 pairs now!) so you really can’t go wrong with any of their styles. 

More Nerdy Shoes from Bass :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

{Tommy Hilfiger Coat, Michael Kors Trench Dress (see more ways I’ve worn it HERE), H&M Elbow Patch Shirt, J. Crew Field Boots (Extra 30% off w/ Code GOSHOP), Bulova Watch, Street Vendor Bracelets}

We spent the day in Providence, RI during our road trip and had so much fun.  Our first stop was Brown University where we strolled the campus and enjoyed the scenery.  After that, we stuffed our faces at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs (this pic didn’t make the cut, but here it is for your viewing pleasure).  With our bellies full, we toured the art museum at Rhode Island School of Design and checked out a few shops and art galleries in the downtown area.

After walking off the calories from lunch, we tucked into The Dorrance for an amazing dinner that I won’t soon forget. Housed inside of a grand, old-style former bank building, The Dorrance serves up creative New England cuisine in a wonderfully elegant setting.  A meal like this may have set us back a pretty penny in NYC (assuming we could get reservations!),  so we ate to our hearts’ content and reveled in the personalized attention we received from our waiter. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping by.  The pretzel bread they serve before your meal alone is worth the trip!

More Trench Dresses :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

P.S. Today’s post is linked up with the following:
The Totally Awesome Blog Hop | Monday Bloom Linkup |#FundayMonday |Mix It Mondays | Manic Monday | Personal Style Monday