"It will never happen to me," I told countless friends over the years after being asked if I would spend just one summer elsewhere than Jersey and especially, LBI.

"Never."

Well, to borrow a phrase from James Bond, I'll never say never again.

Maybe things had changed too much for the worse.  Developers tearing down old Jersey Shore landmarks for luxury condos no one outside a rap star could afford.  Landlords whose greed reached stratospheric levels.  Towns issuing $500 tickets for simply accompanying a member of the opposite sex down the middle of the street after a night at the Ketch. 

Time for change.  Been south.  Let's try north. So when I had a unique chance to hop in a great house in Newport, Rhode Island, I figured I'd give it a try. 

It didn't take long to find out that Newport was different from any place I had ever been.  By car, you cross two spectacularly long-bridges with ocean views over the Narragansett Bay that makes you feel like you are entering a different world.  By train or bus from Port Authority to Providence, there is a connecting Catamaran fast ferry similar to the one from Wall Street to Sandy Hook that shoots you out into the bay itself and docks in the heart of Newport's waterfront. 

I've tried both routes.  Each time, the usual drama in back in Hoboken has seemed light years away.  Stress - gone.

In just two months, I realize how cool this town is.  Awesome bars by the dozens - most of them outdoors, rarely a line, all within walking distance.  Architecture that takes you back to the days of Paul Revere.  Free beaches.  Yes, free.  Fresh lobsters straight off the dock.  Sailboat captains who will take anybody who looks like fun out for a sunset cruise - especially if you bring the booze.  Eye-popping mansions - which are open to the public - that help make a rainy day worth the effort of getting out of bed.   "Beach Mondays" at the ultra-serene Second Beach.  American flags flying everywhere.  Rents that are a third of the cost at the Jersey Shore.  It's all there for the taking.

You want a great Saturday Happy Hour?  Try the Atlantic Beach Club - known as The ABC - right on First Beach, live bands every afternoon, and fantastic frozen drinks.  There you can get your boogie on, mingle with others at the open-air tables, or simply take your drink back to the beach.

Looking for a rockin' scene at night?   The Dockside features one of the best cover bands I have ever heard - "Those Guys" - on Friday nights and there is an accompanying outdoor deck bar next to the club.  On Saturday nights, there are numerous options from the upscale Cooke House, to the date-wowing Newport Blues Café, to the jammin' bands at The Landing and Garden.  But if you like your live music outdoors with about 500 drunken prospects, you'll love Christies. 

And for those of you who consider Sunday night at the Parker House a quasi-religious event, imagine putting the entire bar outdoors, same scene, much smaller lines, and no cover.  Welcome to Sunday night The West Deck.

On a recent Tuesday at The Madison, I almost choked on my drink to learn that Jersey Shore towns are outlawing Beirut tables.  Unlike the wimps in Trenton who permit the taxing of public beach access and the amnesia-stricken shore town mayors who have clearly forgotten who really pays the bills, Rhode Island is run by people who "get it".

First of all, Beirut tables are not only allowed in Newport, they are expected.  Try throwing a party without one and you are committing a social fo'pah.  The local police are so pedestrian friendly they actually block traffic outside the late-night pizza place to ensure safe passage for the drunken and hungry masses.   And get this - Rhode Island is the only state in the nation that still celebrates World War II Victory Day in August - thus creating a fourth summer holiday weekend that is mostly recognized as a statewide Beach Monday.

The Summer of 2005 may be just two weekends from closing shop, but you still have time to take advantage of one of the best kept beach secrets in Hoboken.   With scores of small motels and historic B&Bs to choose from, Newport, Rhode Island could be just the medicine you need to cure those late-summer blues.