Naval Station Newport

Naval Station Newport: the Navy's finishing school, set in a Rhode Island town so picturesque it hurts — Gilded Age mansions (the Breakers, Marble House, Rosecliff) line the Cliff Walk like a museum of what 'rich' meant before billionaires ruined the word. OCS candidates are running up and down hills in the freezing rain while War College students are debating grand strategy over coffee in buildings with fireplaces, and the class divide on this base makes the British Royal Navy look egalitarian. The Naval War College is where the Navy's future admirals learn to think, which is either reassuring or terrifying depending on how you feel about the current crop. OCS is the Navy's officer-producing crucible for prior-enlisted and civilians — 13 weeks of someone convincing you that you are in fact not smart enough, fit enough, or loud enough, until suddenly you are. Newport is gorgeous in every season: sailing regattas in summer, fall foliage reflecting off Narragansett Bay, and snow-covered mansions in winter that look like a Wes Anderson film. The seafood is mandatory — clam chowder, lobster rolls, oysters on the half shell, and the Clam Shack is worth the 45-minute wait because nothing that good should come quickly. Thames Street has bars that have been ruining naval careers since the sailing Navy. Providence is 30 minutes north with a food scene that punches way above its weight class.