It was more like an eat-cation than a vacation.

New York was a whirlwind of walking and eating and beautiful sunny weather and standing in long lines. We spent a long morning at the MOMA, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, stood in 6 separate lines at the Empire State Building, and walked and walked and walked. It was a wonderful time, but I'm still surprised at all the things we didn't do and didn't see. The days flew by in a kind of sunny haze and we left with so much more to explore. More for next time.

After the big city, we took the train to visit my husband's best friend and his wife, who live in Narragansett, Rhode Island. There the weather was cool and rainy and we ate well and relaxed. It was like having two different trips - I feel doubly vacationed and doubly renewed.

NYC Food highlights:

Lombardi's Pizza: Really and truly the best pizza I've ever had. Double-cut pepperoni. Perfect crust. I truly understand the whole coal-fired oven thing. It does make the best pizza.

The Shake Shack: We stood in the legendary line in Madison Square Park for nearly an hour for a Purple Cow, a Shackburger, and a Hopscotch concrete (custard, homemade caramel sauce, Valrhona chocolate, and toffee). One of us even got pooped on by a bird while we waited. It was worth it. Even with the poop.

Papaya King: My first actual hot dog in more than 20 years. We had their all-beef hot dogs with everything (sauerkraut and tomato-simmered onions) along with a Papaya and a Mango juice. We were elbow-to-elbow eating with people at the counter and I fell in love with big city life for a minute or two.

Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza and Penne: The pizza had salty prosciutto and tender roasted asparagus. The pasta had toasted breadcrumbs and tart cheddar cheese. It was delicious and beautiful to look at and something of a revelation late at night on a dark NYC block with not much else going on. I felt like we had stumbled upon a tasty secret.

RI Food highlights:

Iggy's Doughboys and Chowder House (Narragansett, RI): Easily the best fish sandwich I've had in my entire life. More fish than fried, and eating one at a picnic table outside with a bottle of White Birch Beer and a cup of their excellent white chowder was a joyful experience. We talked about how good our sandwiches were for at least the next hour.

La Salle Bakery (Providence, RI): We got a box of stuff to take home and picked at it over the next two days. Each thing we tasted was somehow better than the last thing. Ricotta pie. Chocolate-dipped cannoli. Carrot cupcake. Chocolate macaroon. My mouth is watering with the remembering of all of it.

Mamma Luisa (Newport, RI): We had a beautifully composed salad with dates, goat cheese, grapes and walnuts, and a perfectly sized portion of real Italian pasta which was absolutely delectable in every way. Tart capers and olives, al dente pasta, and really warm bread with olive oil. The best service I've had in months, too.

Olga's Cup and Saucer (Providence, RI): Beautiful pizzas, even more beautiful desserts. Their mint chocolate cupcake is worth the price of one plane ticket.

To see a few more food photos from the trip, check out my Flickr page.