Digital Diary – My Rhode Island Recap!

My number one goal for 2025 is to be more spontaneous. I WILL thrust myself outside of my comfort zone. I WILL make plans and not bail on them at the last second. I WILL embrace diverting from my own mental schedule (I’m shaking in my boots). So, to honor the commitment I made to myself at midnight on January 1, my roommate and I decided to pack up the car and make a weekend excursion to Providence, Rhode Island. 

Wow, I thought. Look how fun and spontaneous and worldly I’m being! In a few weeks, I’m going to explore a new place I’ve never been to before! This train of thought prevailed when the trip was one month, two weeks, one week out. And then, the night before, I was hit with a brick wall of dread. Suddenly, my brain was hyper-focused on all of the homework I probably wouldn’t be able to complete until we returned Sunday night and how I’d be living in a space that was not my own. 

Of course, I survived to tell the tale and brought home the most amazing memories with me, and I’d like to publicly pat myself on the back for not panicking about every little thing all weekend. If there’s one thing I wish I could tell my younger self, my future self, and every other overthinker out there, it’s this: the homework gets done; the laundry gets cleaned; take chances, and make time for fun because one day you’ll wake up and regret all the missed opportunities and all the lost time you did nothing with. 

So, with that, let me recap my trip:

My internal clock had me up and awake at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday to witness one of the most beautifully soft sunrises I’ve ever seen. I was quite literally pressed up against the window, snapping pictures of it (dear VSCO users, I’m sorry). The sun was shining, something I feel like I haven’t experienced in a long, long time, and it felt like a good omen that our trip started out so wonderfully. 

“Beautiful” really just encapsulates everything about Providence. The city itself was exactly as I envisioned a sprawling, Northeastern coastal town — tall, colorful houses, picturesque little shops, local restaurants, and coffee stops. My roommate Annika introduced me to The Nitro Bar, THE most adorable, aesthetic coffee shop I have ever seen. I could have sat and basked in its good vibes and energy for a whole day. On Saturday, we made a pit stop here before zipping up our coats and donning our hats and gloves for the beach! 

Despite it literally being winter, seeing sand and a body of water larger than the Allegheny River was actually healing. It was seriously exactly what my heart and soul needed, and I did in fact run to poke the water with my finger. Of course, in true Sofi fashion, I brought my digital camera and forced everyone to let me take pictures of them and of the beautiful coastline (and apparently Taylor Swift’s house, which is awesome? How soon can she let me move in.) 

OH! And how can I forget? Before the beach, we grabbed breakfast at this super cute (you see the theme here) bagel shop, where I surprisingly tried cream cheese for the very first time (it was yum and hot honey flavored, which I’m obsessed with, Annika will tell you. I have been caught multiple times eating straight from the bottle of hot honey I own). 

Later that day we went on the hunt for the only souvenir I desperately wanted (which of course meant I played it cool, so no one felt obligated to truly hunt one down for me) – a postcard. Somehow I ended up buying four, so I’d call it a success, and they’re adorable and now adorning my bedroom wall. 

Also, let me backtrack for a minute. I am the pickiest eater I know, so when I say I tried cream cheese for the first time, I mean this is so wild you should be gasping and tearing out your hair in shock. Keeping this in mind. What I’m about to tell you will probably send you to the hospital, so maybe sit down if you aren’t already.

I ate an OYSTER.

GUYS you so seriously do not understand the sheer magnitude of this event. I do NOT eat seafood, and an oyster is like the most seafoody seafood I can think of. Like, oysters are straight OCEAN. AND I ATE IT. I DIGESTED IT. If you want the video, hit me up. It’s fire. 

Saturday night was filled with a delicious dinner made by my lovely friend Jacob and then a slice of chocolate mousse cake from yet another cutesy dessert shop down the street. At this point, it started to snow, but like, the floaty, whimsical kind of snow, and it was like walking through an actual snow globe. I sort of got emotional. It was just so, so beautiful. The rest of the evening was filled with so much love and laughter. Sunday morning was extremely bittersweet, but I was more than excited to stop back at The Nitro Bar for coffee before embarking on the long journey home (ever spun out on the highway? Now I can say I have! Yay! *we were fine, it gave us a good laugh actually, I promise*). 

And remember what I said in the beginning? My homework got done. I did my laundry. I still had time to relax, and I corrected my sleep schedule in one night. 

Needless to say, I left my heart in Rhode Island and will hopefully be back to retrieve it soon. And you should totally plan your own trip to literally anywhere because the world is waiting for you. 

With love, 

Your newest Rhode Island enthusiast. 

• rhodeisland
• weekend