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Providence is pretty snappy
By adamg on Sun, 09/06/2009 - 10:40am
The other day, the kidlet and I took the train down to Providence because, well, we could (also, she wanted to ride in a double-decker train). It was a pleasant 45-minute ride from Hyde Park, and only $9 roundtrip (she still being at that magical age where trains are free) - $13, if you include the parking at the Hyde Park train stop.
At the Providence Place food court, there's a Rhode Island food stand where you can snap some gaggers - what we'd call eating some hot dogs (Massachusetts has different definitions of 'snappin' gaggahs'). They also sell Del's Lemonade, which is one of the two drinks Rhode Islanders obsess about (the other being coffee milk), although it's really more of a lemon slushy (kidlet loved it, wondered why we can't get them in Boston).
We walked along the Providence River, which proved something of a mistake since it was early afternoon and wicked hot and there was almost no shade. Still, we got to see some interesting things before we collapsed from the heat:
Mystery revolving river guy in what passed for a current in the remarkably shallow river:
Before Katrina came the Hurricane of '38:
Water Place has this tunnel with these tiles by kids about peace, love and understanding - and 9/11:
Downtown Providence is a bit like downtown Boston - an interesting mix of old and new architecture:
The Rhode Island State House is absolutely enormous - almost as if it's compensating for something (even aside from the sheer bulk of the thing, we counted eight domes). Here it reflects off a nearby office building:
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Comments
Did you stay for Waterfire?
(for those who don't know what I'm talking about : Waterfire)
Alas, no
Because it sounds really cool, but also something the wife might appreciate, so maybe we'll drive down for it one of these days. Also, doesn't look like it was scheduled for this past Friday :-).
thayer st
In my humble opinion, a visit to providence requires a pita from thayer st. There are _pedestrians_ on thayer st.
Pedestrians
There are pedestrians all over Providence -- see also Atwells Ave. in Federal Hill, for instance.
The other distinctive Rhode Island food
that I recall is "clear" clam chowder -- neither Boston nor Manhattan style.
Interesting you mention chowder
In addition to the Del's, we also got some chowder and clam cakes. The guy asked us what kind of chowder we wanted: Red or white?
Um, what?
Red or white, he repeated. Since he realized he was dealing with people with low RI IQs, he pointed to the fake samples on the counter: One looked like real clam chowder, the other looked like that tomato abomination from New York. We went with white and got something that passed for decent chowder - creamy, with potatoes and clams.
It was actually kind of weird in the mall - there was a distinct New York/Boston line running through the place. The Ben and Jerry's offered two types of ice-cream dishes in those tiny baseball helmets - one Yankees, one Red Sox. And the Lids store seemed evenly split between mutant Sox caps and mutant Yankees caps.
Bring me back any stuffies?
Please?
Fawmah Rho Dyelindah
Hey Adam!
Glad you got to enjoy some of our local favorites. I useta live in P'tucket, now I live in Los Angeles. I mention that because a Del's actually just opened out here... seems another Rhode Islander thought the good people of CA would enjoy slushy lemonade. Can't believe there aren't any Del's in Boston!
As for Waterfire, looks like you've only got two more this season... I suggest driving down to Prov during the day and taking your family to Roger Williams Zoo/Park, then over to Waterplace Park for the Waterfire later that night. If you have time, take a stroll on the East Side (Thayer St, Benefit St, Wickenden St)
Great pics!
We found Del's in Maine
Apparently Tim Horton's has partnered with Del's, since you can get Del's frozen (and unfrozen!) lemonade at the Timmy's the line the coast of Maine up as far as Bath.
It's not just slush
Del's puts bits of lemon peel into the slush. It makes you think you're getting something besides sugar water with lemon flavor.
I tend to like Rhode Island chowder the best because it's the most rare. New London, Conn. exists at the intersection of the chowder zones, where Rhode Island, Manhattan and New England chowders clash. In a contest, the odds are always with scrappy Rhode Island.
I'm glad to enjoyed your visit
to Providence. The downtown area has really been spruced up over the last twenty-five years and is, I think, now quite attractive. And, yes, come and see Waterfire sometime! It's worth the trip.
I go in the opposite direction every workday on the commuter rail since I work in Boston and live in RI.
I find interesting the regional food differences we have here even in our relatively small Southern New England area. We love clam cakes here in RI. Do you have them in MA? The Cape?
The North Shore? I'm going to have to investigate that.
Oh, and don't forget! What you call a frappe in MA is called a cabinet here in RI (as in a "coffee cabinet").
Crossing the Street
Did you push the "walk" button at any of the intersections? It seems as if Providence's are actually linked to the streetlights, which stop traffic so you can cross. What an interesting notion!
Lovely Providence
Actually, we went down on Saturday. A great paper sculpture exhibit at the Bell Gallery in the List Center at Brown, a walk down Thayer street (kinda seedy, even with all the freshmen and their parents mulling around), dinner at Zooma on Atwells Avenue, and a stroll along the river during Waterfire after dark. Fun, even in spite of the cigar smoke, which seemed to be everywhere we walked.