Shamrockin' the Bus- Newport St. Paddy's Day Parade

First bus trip to write about! The Newport St. Patrick's Day parade!! 

So, I've done this trip about a zillion times since I grew up in Newport. I visit there frequently so it wasn't really a huge adventure, but it was still a fun time. The buses that travel between Providence and Newport are routes 14 and 60. I was visiting Newport to go to my friend Brigid's pre-parade breakfast which started at 9:30. Route 14 schedule has it arriving in Newport at 9:04 so that was my best option. I prefer the 14 over the 60 for a direct route to Newport when I can because it tends to have fewer passengers, where the 60 is usually pretty full for a good part of the trip. Since I was travelling from the origin point all the way to the last stop, the route I was taking didn't matter. The route 14 goes through "West Bay"..so it travels from Providence to the airport in Warwick, through East Greenwich, and North Kingstown. It gets a little bit tricky because the 14 splits...one trip will travel to Narragansett, and  another trip takes you to Newport so you need to be aware when you're reading the schedule and boarding the bus. The Newport trip goes through Jamestown and then to Newport. It's a really nice ride, and the morning of the parade was really nice and I got to take in some really great views on the way down.

I've ridden the 14 bunches of times and it might start of a little crowded in the bus but never packed full. Usually  people get out at the airport,  and a few more stops along the way and maybe 5 or 6 people ride all the way to Newport. On parade day, however, it was a whole different story. Parade goers thought ahead and decided to leave the cars at home and take the bus over. It was pretty obvious that most of them were newbies to the bus system. I always forget how daunting and intimidating it is the first few times riding a bus..where does the money go, where to sit, when to get out..in written word it seems simple but it really is sort of overwhelming at first.

I was seated near a group of about 8 younger folks, all seemed to be in their early 20's, most of whom fell into the "newbie" bus rider category. And obviously heading to the parade as they were adorably dressed head to toe in festive green garb. I overheard them talking about riding the bus and the condition of the buses and it didn't sound like it was something that thrilled them, to put it politely haha. However, when I asked them if they would ride the bus more often if it was more frequent in their area, and ran later they were very enthusiastic that they would...especially late night trips between Newport and Providence for night life. 

So, we arrived at the Newport Gateway Center in Newport right around 9 as planned. It's about a 20 minute walk to my friends house in the neighborhood referred to as the Fifth Ward. The parade started at 11, and as I headed down America's Cup Blvd  to Thames Street at 9:00am there were already people claiming their seats along the parade route. As I walked further into Newport, there were more and more people milling about, setting up their yards for the day. I noticed quite a few beer pong tables going up,too!. (National Sport of Irish Americans!) 

After a great visit with friends, complete with pre-parade breakfast and Irish coffee, I headed back down towards the parade route. I decided to leave on a bus early in the afternoon to avoid the crowds later in the day, knowing the later it got the more rambunctious (drunk) the crowds would be. 

Along the parade it was a sea of folks in green. Families gathered at one end while party was going on pretty much every where else. Walking against the boisterous crowd got difficult at some points but I had two marriage proposals from people I had never met..totally worth it. (I declined both) 

The parade was great. Lots of bagpipers and drums, a few marching bands, and just lots and lots of fun. It had been about ten years since I had been to the St. Patrick's Day Parade and I'm really glad I went! One of the highlights for me was a quick hug from my uncle who was marching in the parade with the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Dept. Lots of pics and some videos to share, I hope you enjoy! 

Peace, love and shamrocks!
-Bridget the Happy Bus Girl

http://www.newportirish.com/parade.html