Cross the state line into Massachusetts and enter a whole new world of luxury. Harwich’s Wequassett Resort and Golf Club is worth a visit in any season, but now that spring has arrived in New England and the weather is warmer every day, it’s time to get in the car and go. The tulips are blooming in their manicured gardens, life is back in the frog pond, and it’s finally warm enough to take a barefoot walk on the beach.
With sweeping views of Pleasant Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Wequassett was recently awarded the prestigious five star rating in Forbes Travel Guide - one of only six added to the list this year, and the only property on Cape Cod to hold the distinction. It’s not hard to see why. The property is home to a collection of historic buildings that hold 120 luxurious guest rooms and suites, with not just two pools, but two private beaches as well. The four restaurants offer casual and fine dining options for any meal. And the golf at Cape Cod National - an 18 hole championship course - is unmatched.
Twenty-eight Atlantic is the hotel’s signature fine dining restaurant, where Executive Chef James Hackney serves a menu of gourmet twists on iconic New England dishes. Thoreau’s, in the bar area of twenty-eight Atlantic, is a casual and delicious tavern. The Outer Bar and Grille serves impeccable coastal cuisine. Libaytion, a beachfront bar, is a place to relax and enjoy a cocktail in the summer months.
For fun, Wequassett offers boating and sailing lessons, kayak rentals, tennis courts and endless bike paths. The Children’s Center offers innovative and educational programming for toddlers through teenagers, and boasts a pirate ship playground straight out of a storybook. Swimming, sailing and tennis lessons will keep them engaged during the day, and at night there are movies and teen activities. The annual Cape Cod Jazz Festival starts June 30, and offers live music every Tuesday and Wednesday night through … More
Now that the paving of the street is completed, Hope Street merchants and their neighbors are finally regaining full use of their turf. So the obvious question is how did the most recent three-plus month dislocation impact businesses on the street? The answer was more positive than we expected.
Lynn Williams, owner of the popular Seven Stars Bakery, is perhaps the best place to start. “I just ran my figures over the period, and I guess I’d say I’m off about 10% over the period,” she reports. “But that said, the street work had to be done and I see it as part of my civic responsibility, though I’m certainly glad it’s over.” She also echoes what seems to be an almost unanimous sentiment among the merchants in praise of the professionalism of the Narragansett Bay Commission. “There were problems of course, but no surprises. They communicated well with us.”
Asher Schofield of Frog and Toad, and president of the Hope Street Merchant’s Association, confirmed this assessment of the NBC. “They got ahead of the process and met with us to ensure a minimum amount of confusion. They certainly sought our input on the wording and the positioning of signs along the street. It was quite different than when National Grid just appeared on our streets ready to start digging during our important holiday season without so much as a warning. I’d give them an F minus.
But meanwhile, our group saw this project as an opportunity to improve our neighborhood. We hired a designer to sketch out some possible changes that could be implemented before the NBC left the street, and they were certainly receptive to many of our suggestions. The improvements ended up not costing the taxpayers anything and were implemented without stress to the city.”
In terms of business, Frog and Toad actually did just fine during the roadwork. “If this project were in a totally car dependent location like Seekonk it … More
Get your om on outside for a great cause. Body Kneads Yoga in Cranston is offering free Yoga on the square classes each Sunday in August from 4-5pm at the Gazebo in Garden City. There is no cost to participate, though donations to Big Sisters of RI are welcomed. All attendees who donate will receive a goodie bag from the series sponsor, Whole Foods Market. No pre-registration necessary; just drop by with your mat.
Keep your summer workout mojo going throughout August – it’s still bikini season, after all. Each Thursday morning in August at 7am, work out with Josh Bird of CrossFit Providence, who will be leading a complimentary CrossFit-inspired Boot Camp class. The class will meet at the Lululemon Athletica’s Wayland Square showroom, at 145 Wayland Avenue in Providence. Participants will then run to Brown Street Park to get the workout started. This free community class is a great way to try something new or to supplement an already intense workout schedule. More
Part of what gives Providence its creative cutting edge is the presence of the colleges and universities. Every year, thousands of young, motivated students are hard at work in our city, and they can be a powerful resource for new ideas. (For evidence, see the student-run A Better World By Design conference at Brown and RISD.) Now StyleWeek Providence is trying to leverage that resource to find the future of fashion through SEED, a new student design competition.
Fifteen designs were chosen from hundreds submitted by students in local and regional schools like University of Rhode Island, Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, School of Fashion Design in Boston and Massachusetts College of Art. On January 24, those designs will grace the StyleWeek stage at the Providence Biltmore in a competition judged by five industry professionals. Judges include Bob Grant of event sponsor Swarovski Crystal; Lisa Pierpoint, founder of Boston lifestyle website Boldfacers.com; designer Daniela Corte; Good Morning Providence anchor Doreen Scanlon; Paul Brooks, Chairman of the Providence Tourism Council; and Boston television journalist Elizabeth Hopkins (formerly of Fox Providence's Rhode Show).
The winning designer will receive a $500 cash prize, along with an installation at StyleWeek Spring/Summer 2013, and two months of marketing/PR representation from StyleWeek. Buy tickets and learn more at StyleWeek's website. More
CRIME ALERT
January 11, 2012
Sent by Amy Battisti, School Counselor of the Nathan Bishop Middle School
There have been reports of a boy walking around the Nathan Bishop neighborhood, knocking on doors, saying he is an 8th grader at Bishop named Dante Johnson and has a brother dying of leukemia and is collecting cash for help with medical bills…the problem is that we have no 8th grader or anyone by that name at Bishop. The police have been notified. Please call them if this boy comes to your door and please do not give him any money.
Providence Police Department
Phone: 401.272.3121
For Emergencies: Dial 911 More
Writers are an odd lot. They choose to spend their time in solitary pursuit, forever erasing and deleting, cursing themselves at regular intervals. Blame it on writer’s block or lack of talent, but occasionally a writer just gets... stuck. If you can relate (who can’t?), you’ll be relieved to learn of Frequency Providence, a community of writers who band together to help each other grow creatively.
The arts group offers a range of writing workshops, volunteer assignments (such as editing non-fiction publications) and events so that participants can network, engage and learn. If you’ve been shy to share your writing thus far, now’s the time – get feedback from your peers or from the instructors, all of whom have many years of experience under their belts. It’s a supportive environment that can only help your creativity flourish. More
Fancy a soirée with live music and a dash of glamour? FUZE Iced Tea and Glamour Magazine have teamed up with style blogger Melanie Patterson of RadicalDarling.com to host a special one-night event: Glamour Live Providence! (All devout Glamour Magazine readers are encouraged, nay, ordered to attend!) But this event is not just for those fashionistas who worship style tips and love a good excuse to get dressed up for a party (guilty as charged). If you love local music and free food as much as I do, then this event will definitely satisfy your cravings – gastrointestinal or otherwise. Local band Dylan Sevey and the Gentlemen will be performing alongside DJ Abby Duran. While you're jamming out, be sure to enjoy some complimentary LA style Mexican cuisine from Mijos Taco Truck. If that's not cool enough, the event is free! But, before you take a trip down to The Spot Underground make sure you RSVP to glamourliveRI@condenast.com. Join me this Wednesday, August 14th from 7-9pm and be sure to indugle in whatever (this is an 18+ event.) See you there! More
Recently, I was taking a class up in Boston that required me to spend a bit of time every Monday night in the North End. What struck me every time was not so much the wealth of great Italian food available on Hanover Street – surely Providence can give Boston a run for its money in that department, at least on quality, if not quantity – but rather how busy the streets and businesses are. On a Monday night. Sadly, there isn’t anywhere in our fair city that can boast that kind of volume that early in the week – and that was just one of many busy streets in Boston.
That contrast got me to thinking about Providence’s density problem. Simply put, there just aren’t enough people in this city. We now live in the third largest city in New England, with just about 178,000 people in Providence proper, where not too long ago we were second only to Boston. Now Worcester has a higher population. While some of you may be thinking, That’s exactly why I live in Providence: because it’s not overcrowded, I would counter that cities are supposed to be crowded. If you want room to breathe and stretch out, move to the suburbs. Cities thrive on a bustling, dense ecosystem of businesses, commercial thoroughfares, residents, visitors and workers that is surprisingly delicate. The very things that make cities such interesting, exciting places to be – whether theaters, restaurants, the arts, festivals, parks – can’t survive without enough people around to patronize them. And as with any other business, the rates of return and response are pretty low: if you want to get 10,000 people to attend a festival, you need to be drawing from a population of several hundred thousand. With developers and city leaders clamoring for more housing Downtown, stocks of unsold condos around the city, and the increasing number of boarded up houses on the West End and South Side, the city could easily support a population of 225,000, … More
An innocent teen falls for a boy from the wrong side of town. These star-crossed lovers try to be together against the odds — cue drugs, gore and drama. We’ve all heard it before. But this time the boy is a zombie and the girl is the daughter of a famous scientist. Now we’re talking.
Head to Theater 82 this month for an original zombie musical, Menace of the Morgue. Written and directed by Cranston’s John McKenna and presented by the Marley Bridges Theater Company in collaboration with the Artists’ Exchange, Menace of the Morgue is a zombie love story paying homage to 1960’s psychedelic horror films.
Sounds a little too intense for the kids? The theater will also be performing a shorter, family-friendly version, Doctor Menace’s Family Variety Hour of Zombies. You’d have to be (un)dead not to go!
Theater 82. 82 Rolfe Square, Cranston. October 4-26. Friday & Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Visit their website to purchase tickets.
Some may decry this unfounded, but whatever the opinion may be, in my house, ice cream and gelato are year-round celebratory desserts. With the opening of Dolce Gelateria (270 Wickenden St.) in early May, city-dwellers can now enjoy some homemade ice cream and gelato all year long, with flavors like sea salt caramel cannoli gelato and ice cream favor- ite, death by chocolate. Here’s a little tip: log on to Twitter and check out their page (@Dolce_Gelateria). You might just catch a rainy day deal of ice cream/gelato freebies or a discounted day pass for students and military members. What’s more exciting than the words “free” and “gelato” in the same sentence? Open Mon-Thurs 12- 10pm; Fri-Sat 12-11pm. More
With the warm weather of summer now fading into October’s sweater weather, the East Side sees the appearance of two new ice cream shops. Over on Thayer, in the corner store once occupied by Symposium Books, is the East Side’s relocated Ben & Jerry’s (224 Thayer). At the time of writing, the store expects to open on October 1, though hints at a possible later opening on October 15.
A few streets away, on Wickenden, Sweet Berry Frozen Yogurt joins the growing number of ice cream/gelato shops now stationed on the small street. Located next to Amy’s Cafe and across from Coffee Exchange, this little shop is sure to see a ton of foot traffic directed its way, even with the winter nip nestling comfortably into the air.
If you can’t get to the food, than the food will come to you. While this is the mentality of most food trucks, it is the spirit of giving that will separate Food4Good’s food truck apart. The plan is simple really. Besides just providing a delicious array of options like flavored wings to the people of Providence, this food truck will really be a cover for an even cleverer model – a mobile soup kitchen. For every $5 spent from the food truck, Food4Good can provide two meals for those in need. According to Food4Good, “nearly 14% of Rhode Islanders have cut meal sizes, skipped meals or run out of food.” Food4Good food truck can translate one quick bite into a meal for those with a little less change to spare, making it quite a worthy cause. Conducting a fundraiser on the site Food Start, this non-profit organization is open to donations until November 1, and is already gaining momentum. To support this endeavor, visit their website.
I went to a lot of ballparks over the summer. We took a trip to the Midwest to visit family and decided to squeeze in as many games in the Bigs as we could along the way. Our seats were pretty good, especially the ones at Camden Yards in Baltimore, where the Sox played the Orioles. It was a thrill to see David Ortiz hit a homer. I stood up and yelped in a very undignified way. It was boiling hot, so I turned the sleeves of my black T-shirt into a tank top. A lot of other people did the same thing; it’s dress-down day every day in a ballpark.
Baseball came to me late in life. I played softball in middle school and then there was a big gap until I went to a Red Sox game at Fenway when I was in my 30s. My companions were three friends, all guys familiar with the sport. They knew what a walk-off home run was; I did not. I was bored and couldn’t wait for the game to end. The only thing I remember is that one of the guys was a vegetarian who called his body a temple. He was eating a bag of greasy chips. I thought, “Why is a vegetarian eating a bag of greasy chips?’’
Fast forward many years and I am married with two boys who know the difference between a change-up and a knuckle ball and can even throw the pitches with some authority. In no time, baseball gear has become as common in our house as Legos and toy fire trucks. Little league, fall ball and AAU dominate our evenings and weekends. Our one television is tuned to MLB games and the chatter of sportscasters 24/7. I am learning something about the game; I am learning to love it.
My husband arranged our trip. He reserved the airline tickets, booked the hotel rooms and, with my older son, Peder, bought the baseball tickets. This is something they like to do together. You can see what a ballpark looks like online now, so it’s easy to pick out seats. It always takes the two of them a long time to decide, sometimes days. The father-son bonding is at its peak. I don’t get involved, although I do get … More
The historic Governor Henry Lippitt Mansion at the corner Hope and Angell Streets will hold its fourth annual Vampire Spooktacular this month. Everyone is invited to dress up in costumes and enjoy food, drink and special Halloween Vampire performances that kids of all ages can, uh, sink their teeth into. The event will be held on October 25 from 8-11pm. The Lippitt Mansion seems like the perfect haunt for this kind of event, so enjoy. For specifics, visit their website.
One of the newer fall traditions in Providence is the annual Halloween Iron Pour at the always-entertaining Steel Yard in Olneyville (27 Sims Avenue). In conjunction with the Iron Guild, the event will be held on Saturday, October 26 and will also feature live entertainment, music and food. Check out their website for more details and specifics about this most photo-worthy event. And it rains, it pours... but not until the 26th.
Imagine our surprise when these sweet cupcakes arrived at our office this morning. Clearly, someone at the newly renamed Big Blue Bug Solutions, formerly New England Pest Control, knows that the best way to get our attention is with food. It seems like the name change was inevitable, given the fact that their mascot, the famed "big blue bug" Nibbles Woodaway, is one of the best-known and most iconic corporate symbols in New England. We wish them luck with the name change, and thanks for the sweet treat (from the also iconic Wrights Dairy Farm, no less). More
Clad in, the haute clothing and accessories boutique in Wayland Square, will be offering a rather different evening as they go theatrical and sponsor Tziporah Salamon performing her one-woman show entitled The Fabric of My Life: A Sartorial Autobiography at RISD Auditorium on October 3 from 7-9pm. A well-known stylist, performance artist and fashion icon frequently featured in the NY Times, Salamon takes pride in what has been described as “elevating dressing to an art form.” There is a suggested optional donation of $25 that will go to charity.
Who: Jason Mayoh
What: Artist, filmmaker, horror enthusiast
When: 3pm, Saturday March 3
Where: His house, XXX Street, Providence
Why: The man shares my love for the late Rocky Point Park
Jason drew this entire comic book in 24 hours
The darkened room smells of incense and creativity. Jason and his friend Christian White are holed up inside on a sunny Saturday afternoon, drinking beer and working away on various endeavors. A jack of many trades, Jason is constantly juggling projects. Luckily, he’s very organized. And he’s got the labeled file folders to prove it.
Jason created this comic book in elementary school
“There’s a 24-hour comic draw tonight,” he says. “You literally draw for 24 hours straight.” He’s tired, though, and so he debates over whether or not to go. It’s no wonder he’s exhausted. Jason has been shuttling himself back and forth to Boston, where he’s storyboarding an ABC pilot. He storyboarded Ben Affleck’s The Town, and has worked on several other film sets, too.
Those movie sets were the perfect place for him to show his artwork around. Jason also busied himself back then by collecting and amassing Rocky Point memorabilia. “Online urban exploration sites showed what the park had turned into. I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “So, I tried to come up with Tales of the Crypt type comics… history meets urban legend.”
I first held a copy of Tales of Rocky Point Park – Issue 1 in my hot little hands back in 2007, while eating breakfast at the Liberty Elm Diner. It was the first in Jason’s trio of horror comic books, which chronicled the history of and rumors surrounding the now-defunct (and supposedly haunted) amusement park.
Apparently, not all rides buried in the “ride graveyard” remained six feet under like they were supposed to. By the time the three individual issues were bound together … More
As the leaves begin to turn and the chilly October winds swirl along our East Side streets, the timing is ideal for the return of the East Side Ghost Tours, those masters of the macabre, who regale visitors with stories about the strange happenings that once took place in Providence. These guided walking tours begin at 60 Congdon Street, near Prospect Terrace, nightly throughout the month at 7pm. Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 on the day of. Contact Providence Ghost Tours to make a reservation or to learn more about the program. Thanks to some of our politicians, Providence can be a scary place anytime. But come October... well, the ghost tours will explain that it could be worse.
Earlier this week, we came across this map that offers a state-by-state breakdown of where most Craiglist missed connections happen. Some of the results are surprising, others not so much. It should come as a shock to no one that for many southern, midwestern and other what we'll charitably call "flyover states", Walmart is the place. That distinguished list includes: Idaho, Montana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Ohio (fact: the most American state in America), North Carolina and Florida. For California and Nevada it was 24-hour fitness clubs and casinos respectively – no surprises there either. There are some interesting finds, however. In North Dakota, for instance, the answer is simply "bar", which we assume refers to the only one in the entire state. Perhaps the oddest of all is Indiana, which cites "at home." We can only imagine how badly the housing crisis has ravaged that state if people are having missed connections in their own homes.
Of course what we really want to know is where people are (almost) meeting people in Rhode Island. Surprisingly, the answer was not Dunkin' Donuts, but parking lots. (Perhaps Dunkin' Donuts parking lots?) We wanted to check this out ourselves, so we hung around some parking lots trying to look intriguing yet available. When that got creepy, we scanned Rhode Island Craigslist for some actual examples of parking lot pimpin'. Here are some of our finds:
Black Underwear at Gym - m4m - 40 (West warwick) You always have on hot sexy underwear for a older guy, walked up to you in parking lot asked where you bought them told me international men, love to do more than just look at that hot ass of yours, tell me what kind of car you drive and your age so i know its you stud. also what gym we both were at.
work together on Capitol Hill - m4w - 42 (Capitol Hill) We work together on Capitol Hill and run into each other in the parking lot often. I think we both have something for each other but nervous to … More