Providence-America's Renaissance City

There was a time not too many years ago when a trip to Providence would not have been pleasant. I remember coming here to the Marriott and finding the whole area surrounding it to be downright seedy. No one would say that today and this is only about 30 years later.

Downtown Providence with its shining new image is beautiful You can feel quite comfortable just walking around and the urban blight that used to be so prevalent is gone. Providence Place is one of the most beautiful Malls I have every seen. It is light and bright and has plenty of inexpensive covered parking.

Providence is one of the oldest cities in America. It was founded by Roger Williams in 1636. He left the Massachusetts Bay Colony to escape the religious persecution and founded a colony where everyone was welcome. The whole city has adopted this same philosophy. I love just standing outside the Westin and looking up the hill to the State Capitol, it is a beautiful view.

Today Providence is very much a college town with Brown University, Johnson and Wales, Providence College and The Rhode Island School of Design all calling it home.

If you are visiting Providence during the summer months you will want to check the Waterfire schedule. After dark the downtown rivers are aglow with floating lights that add a festive atmosphere to the walks along the river. You can take a gondola ride and pretend that you are really in Venice. One year we looked out of our window at the Westin to see Shakespeare being preformed along the River, you never know what you will find.

Quick Tips:

You can’t visit Providence and not visit Providence Place. Even if you don’t want to shop just go to look around and maybe grab a bite to eat or catch a movie.

Roger Williams Zoo is another very popular place to visit at any time of year. They offer special programs during school vacations for the children even in the winter. To find out the latest on times of opening and directions visit their website at www.rogerwilliamszoo.com.

The Rhode Island School of Design has a wonderful and varied collection of art and decorative arts. You can visit free on Sunday mornings from 10am to 1pm. This is a very family friendly museum with hands on exhibits of children and constantly changing special exhibits. To check out their latest special exhibits visit their website at www.risd.edu/museum.cfm.

There are several places to visit that I have not gotten around to yet. One of these the Culinary Museum Sounds very interesting. Check out their website to see what is happening there. www.culinary.org.

One of my favorite sites for information on what is happening in Providence is the CVB. This site has a lot of practical information. There are dining and accommodations suggestion and specials. It also has a very complete list of places to visit and suggestions for shopping and nightlife.

Another good site is Visit Rhode Island.

Best Way To Get Around:

Providence came be reached from Boston, New York, or New Haven on Amtrak with both regional and Acela service Visit their website at www.amtrak.com for times and services available.

Providence has a Trolley system called Link that runs daily. There are two routes, gold and green. Rides are .50 per ride or per day. To see a map of their route go to www.ripta.com.

Providence is very walkable and many areas are available on foot. There are also taxi’s if you need one. Having a car is not a bad idea however if you want to visit Roger Williams Park and Zoo. Downtown hotels charge anywhere from to per day to park. There is plentiful parking at Providence Place with the first two hours free. We have never had trouble finding on street parking in other areas of the city but we usually are there on a weekend.

T.F. Green Airport in Warwick is serviced by most major airlines and is just a few miles outside of Providence.

Location, Location, Location. This hotel has the absolutely best location in Providence. Connected to Providence place by a bridge it means you have easy access to the Mall and to the shops and restaurants that abound there. There is also an IMAX theater.

I have stayed at this hotel before as part of a convention and the prices were still around 200 a night. It can even be closer to 300 so when I saw it on a discount site for 105 I jumped at the chance to spend a weekend there. I gave Irene a call and sure enough it became a girls getaway weekend,

I love this hotel but you get nothing for free, oh well yes, you get coffee and tea in the room and it is free. Given the fact that everything else has a charge I called the desk just to make sure. Parking is valet and $22 and if you want high-speed Internet access it is $9.95 but local calls are free so I settled for dial up.

The rooms themselves are just beautiful. I am a big fan of their all white bedding. A very warm white duvet with feather pillows and crisp white sheets. It at least always feels and smells very clean. I love the fact that you get a bathrobe too, big fluffy and white as well. There is plenty of light if you want to read but also the lighting can be very dim and romantic.

There is a comfortable chair and a table if you want to have room service and of course a desk. The sound proofing is excellent too, even though we overlooked the highway I never heard a sound.

The bathroom has a marble top vanity and plenty of nice amenities. There is good water pressure and plenty of steaming hot water. There is a fitness center and a pool but in all honesty I have never visited either one.

There are several dining options here. The main restaurant Agora is just beautiful and we had a very superior breakfast buffet there on Sunday morning. I would go there again just for the bowls of fresh berries they had out, not to mention the made to order omelets and just about every other breakfast food you can imagine.

We had dinner in the hotel bar on Saturday evening. The food is cooked in Agora so you know it has to be good. The bar makes some mighty fine martinis too. They had never made a Bellini before but what the heck they tried it for me and it was excellent. Irene had a chocolate martini that was equally as good and after we had down two each we were barely able to giggle our way back to our room . Yes, I really do love this hotel, good location, good food and drink and connected to a Mall. Could it get any better?

When our daughter Kasey suggested that we come along with them to Dave and Busters at Providence Mall I said yah, right. It was for Christians Birthday so we had to go but I wanted to eat at Fire and Ice and then just join them at the game area at Dave and Busters. One look at the wait at Fire and Ice convinced me that it wasn’t such a good idea.

As it turns out we made a very good decision. They had a special at Dave and Busters that if your ordered before 5pm you got a $10 credit for games so we were able to help the Houligans to have a good time. I was very surprised at how pretty and romantic the dining area is at Dave and Buster’s . It is very Casablanca with Palm Trees and dim lighting and a Moroccan influence.

We got off to a bit of a rough start because we were seated before 5 but didn’t get service for over 5 minutes. We had to get the manager in order to have our $10 but he was good about it and from that point on our waitress was everything we could have asked for.

I knew as soon as I looked at the beer list, and a very fine list it is that I was going to enjoy this restaurant, they serve Stella Artois. Needless to say that is what I ordered. It was a nice big glass too served perfectly chilled.

I had the Black Jack chicken , two chicken breast grilled with a Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and for my sides I passed on the loaded baked potato and had a double green bean. It was really good, the glaze is sweet and the beans still had a nice snap to them. Al had the sirloin steak with the peppercorn sauce and the frizzled onions and I didn’t hear any complaints from him.

We decided to try dessert and we had the bananas foster pie. It is graham cracker crust topped with sponge cake and banana pudding topped with fresh bananas slices and caramel sauce. Yum. All this and we got to play the games too.

Outside of the restaurant it is a wild and crazy place with bright lights and lots of noise. There are kids of all ages everywhere. Bells are ringing , lights are flashing and horns are blowing. We basically just followed the Houligans around making sure none of them got lost. They certainly enjoyed every minute. There are over 200 games to choose from and many of them appeal to adults as well as the younger folk. This is the kind of midway where you earn tickets and when you are done you go and trade them in for stuff. Mostly it looked like plastic crap to me but the kids love it.

I first became acquainted with Fire and Ice about five years ago when I spent four nights at the Weston at a conference. My friend Cindy and I ate lunch there every day and it never got boring or repetitious. That is the beauty of this concept, every time can be like the first time or every time can be different, you make the choice.

The concept here is so different I am at somewhat of a loss as to how to get it across. The closest description I can give is a Mongolian wok gone funky. In their own words "Creating delicious meals is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Grab a bowl and pile it as high as you can with whatever you like best, raw vegetable, pasta, meat or fish. It’s all up to you.

2. Visit the sauce station and choose from one of the 14 available sauces. These go in a separate cup.

3. Take it to the big round grill and watch the singing and dancing chefs cook your dinner. Tortillas and rice are brought to your table.

You may also make yourself a Caesar or green salad from the salad bar. Oh, did I forget to mention, for $16.95 at dinner you can return as many times as you want.

Think of all the exotic combinations that await your consumption. Why not try a Philly cheese steak, fill your bowl with shaved beef, onions, mushrooms and some green peppers for color and skip the sauce. The chefs will provide the roll and your choice of cheese. If you are feeling more adventurous how about chicken, shrimp, bok choy, leeks, butternut squash and water chestnuts with the red Thai curry sauce. This is one of my favorites.

If the fabulous food wasn’t enough to keep you coming back, the drinks certainly are. They have an interesting martini menu among which can be found a chocolate martini made from Stoli vanilla and creme de cocoa and the Pinktini, Stoli razz, Bacardi razz with cranberry juice and lemonade. I chose the more simple Pina Colada with Malibu rum and coconut.

Dessert hasn’t been neglected here either. I have rarely had any room after several trips to the grill to try them but on the last trip we made there we tried the chocolate fondue. A kettle of chocolate was delivered warm to our table along with a plate of cut up fresh fruit, marshmallows and cubes of pound cake. And if by some miracle you run out of dippers before dip, more will be brought to your table.

Service is not forgotten here either. Everyone from the friendly hostesses to the singing and dancing chefs is out to make this a fun and memorable experience for you.

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED 5-28-2007


One of the new additions to Providence Place Mall is Smokey Bones. They are a member of the Darden Restaurant Group which also owns Olive Garden and Red Lobster. In the case of Smokey Bones the decor is definitely rustic mountain cabin with lots of wood, a very open feeling and multiple TVs that you have the control over. Well at least you can control which one you listen to if you choose to listen. Sports are usually all the choices you have but at least you have a choice. The booths are large here you almost have too much room if that is possible.

We first became acquainted with them in Georgia about 4 years ago and in 2004 they built a restaurant near our cottage in PA. We were very excited to see that now there is one located at Providence Place.

The menu is heavy on meat with steaks, ribs done St Louis style with a dry rub or a more southern wet style. There are combination plates that let you try several of their specialties. I personally am addicted to their pulled pork. It is so moist and flavorful that adding sauce is almost not required. Almost of course because they have some very good sauces and you have your choice on the table. I like the mustard based sauce while Al always goes for the thicker sweeter traditional style sauce.

Our favorite is a pulled pork lunch platter. You get a very generous lunch portion of the pulled pork and two sides. In our Atkins days we always got the cole slaw and the broccoli. I am not kidding, theirs is the best broccoli I have ever eaten anywhere. I think it has garlic butter but what ever it has it is fantastic. The cole slaw is a sweeter version without the horseradish but it is very tasty and never dry. If you want to pay a little extra you have fresh asparagus or when I really want to go off the deep end I order the onion rings. These are giant onion rings and really if you eat the whole appetizer portion yourself I can’t imagine how you could eat anything else, it is huge. The pulled pork platter also has a slice of garlic bread, Texas style.

We rarely have room for dessert but on one occasion we did have the bag of fresh cinnamon donuts. They are mini donuts and actually very good.

They have a full bar and serve both import and domestic beers. I usually get either a Corona Light and Al goes for the Micelob Ultra. We have never had anything but excellent service in our many visits. The servers are mostly young college students and certainly are counting on their tips. You are always greeted with a smile at the door and sometimes they even have someone who opens the door for you. For a chain restaurant this is exceptionally good.

As we pulled into Cindy’s Diner, I noticed, among other things, that all the people I could see entering, leaving, and sitting were senior citizens. Now, we all know what it means if we see a lot of 15-wheelers pulled up at a restaurant, but what, I asked Kasey, does it mean if all the customers are senior citizens? 'A lot of old people in this town,' was her answer. 'Maybe,' answered mom, 'but probably the food is a good bargain here.' 'That would be my guess.' Grandma, who knows everything had struck again. It was a very good bargain indeed.

This really is a cute place. I have seen it many times before as we drove to Providence but the occasion to eat there has never presented itself before this particular Sunday. It looks like our grandma’s kitchen in the 1950s with gingham curtains, jukebox wallpaper and red vinyl seated booths, all extremely retro.

Service is very quick and the prices are a blast from the past. Omelets are all priced less than $5. Egg sandwiches $1.15-$3.15 depending on additions. Such old fashioned staples as chipped beef and corned beef hash share the menu with cinnamon buns and bagels. Two eggs, toast and one side are $1.65. Since this is an area with a Portuguese influence, you can get linguica along with the more usual bacon or sausage.

Kasey, who is usually a conservative eater ordered a pepperoni and spinach omelet. I had a cheese omelet with bacon and for my side instead of home fries I chose the fruit cup. I could have chosen baked apples or baked beans.

My omelet was okay, browned the way I hate it and my toast was burned, I don’t mean a little dark I mean one side was totally black. Add to that the fruit cup was canned fruit and I was less than impressed. Kasey though, very much enjoyed her omelet and her toast was fine. I got plenty of coffee refills so I am willing to forgive almost anything. I wished I had tried the Texas French toast or the pancakes with apples, blueberries, bananas or chocolate chips. How would I rate this restaurant, cute as a button and worth giving a second try.

They offer dinner specials for $6.95, which include pork chops, baked ham and beans, fried scallops or half a fried chicken. No wonder this place is so popular with people on a fixed income.

Of important note, entrance is free on Sundays from 10am to 1pm. Lucky us we arrived at about 12:30pm. As usual my luck wasn’t all good, all of their Old Masters Paintings were not on display the galleries were closed for a special exhibit that had not begun yet.

This has got to be the most confusing museum I have ever visited. Part of the exhibit is the Pendleton House. It is on two floors and if you want to visit the whole house at one time you will have to visit the exhibits on each of the floors separately. We just did the house first then went back upstairs to start to visit the other galleries.

The building has an elevator. If you take it to the fifth floor that is where the upper floor of the Pendleton House is. Also off of the Pendleton House there is the Radeke Garden which is an interior courtyard. The House has many rooms of period furniture, china and early portraits. It looks as if could be lived in.

From the house we went to the Eastern Art Section. There are several rooms of Chinese Religious Art and a very fierce "Chimera" an imaginary beast who guarded a tomb. There was also a display of Korean ceramics which I have to admit are probably the only Korean ceramics I have ever seen. One exhibit we both liked was the Japanese palanquin which looks like a sedan chair and was used to transport a bride to her wedding.

They have some excellent Indian pieces and I liked the bronze Siva Nataraja doing the dance of bliss. There was a whole room of the art of India and the Himalayas. There is a Japanese Heian period 9 foot Buddha in a room by himself, very impressive.

Another room had an exhibit ‘The Legacy of the Silk Road’ and it highlighted rugs from the Caucasus to central Asia. Many of them are from Uzbekistan and some of the patterns are very reminiscent of Navaho design and color.

We were fascinated by the 5500 year old Egyptian ceramics and the mummy with the paternal genealogy on the sides of his coffin, how handy is that for his descendants

Least you think this is a history museum let me bring up the amazing Impressionist painting that RISD has works by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Tissot, Degas, Rodin, Pizzaro and Picasso. Not to be outdone there is a Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, William Merrit Chase, Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam and Whistler. It is a very fine collection indeed.

And in the middle of all the wonderful paintings is a Medieval section with a figure of St Peter from the great abbey at Cluny, you can walk through the portals of three medieval churches, one of which is I suspect an ancestral church of my family from Avallon in France.

Don’t miss the gift shop. Allow at least 2 hours.

As I have stated in both my Quebec and Philadelphia journals I am not a big zoo fan and yet I return and return. The things a doting grandma will do to please her grandchild. In this case it was our grandson Brandon. All of seven years old and as sophisticated as his younger brother Christian when it comes to zoo visits. This particular visit took place in the summer of 2005. There was a wonderful special exhibit of dinosaurs which Brandon wanted to see and we wanting to please him took the two hour trip for an afternoon at the zoo.

Roger Williams Zoo is on the outskirts of the city. I didn’t realize this and drove around aimlessly before finally calling them to get directions. Don’t be me, go to their website and print out the directions. directions

The entrance fee was $12 for adults and $6 for children over 3. Happily, parking was free. I have to admit that I really like this zoo. You don’t fee like you are near a large city, it really has a forest feel. We began our visit with the dinosaurs and it was a great exhibit, which had an encore in 2006. There was one dinosaur in particular that would spit water every so often when you least expected it.

The zoo began as a small menagerie of animals in 1872 and has grown to over 1500 animals today with at least 150 species represented at all times. With about forty acres it is very manageable. We walked through the "Silk Road" exhibit following the trail of Marco Polo. We meandered through the Plains of Africa where we watched the Elephants, tortoises and the Giraffes go about their daily lives.

Who wouldn’t be fascinated by Penguins? We were however very disappointed to find that the Polar Bear exhibit was closed for renovations. This is one of their most famous and popular exhibits and is promising to come back better than ever. We did however see the Red wolf which is another of their popular residents.

There are plenty of birds too from the cranes to ducks and the barnyard with the miniature donkey is a must. Primates, the ever present reptiles and a more unusual tree kangaroo round out a very well balanced zoo.

Roger Williams park was designed by Horace Cleveland in 1878 and is acknowledged as one of the finest urban historic parks in the world. Built on land donated by a descendant of Roger Williams the founder of Providence makes it of particular historic interest. Be sure to find the beautiful statue of Roger not far from the entrance of the park.

As we were leaving we passed a wedding party having their pictures taken under the rose arbor. There is a boathouse where you can rent swan paddle boats if you want to enjoy some additional family fun.