The keywords of Providence are Art and Coffee, so lets start here:
AS220 does not suck at all. In fact, they're pretty amazing. They're a cafe/gallery/performance space/community publisher/community darkroom/youth program/artist incubator. The menu has a solid base but changes daily, and everything is made individually right behind the register. Unbelievable soup. The annual photography auction is a community wide event. One of our local stagehands helped found it, and showed us around the gallery. Wish I had time to patronize them more!
Cafe Zog was an oasis away from tour on our single day off. It's across the water on the east side of Providence, and I took a long walk through downtown, and the warehouse district, and across into the artsy college neighborhood over by RISD to find somewhere I could do paperwork and eat food and be alone. It's a small space but lined with big old wooden booths like cubbies. I had curried chicken salad on a spinach wrap. I perused the many many event posters that are inevitable in college neighborhoods, and got lots of quiet work done until well after dark. It was great. Also, the view of Providence at sunset from the Point St. Bridge is fantastic.
Small Point was my lunchtime hideaway. They do sandwiches as a token, but the coffee and tea are their real deal. Also peanut butter cupcakes with fresh strawberry whipped icing, that were not as big as my head. (Giant cupcakes annoy me. If it doesn't fit in a cup, it's not a cupcake. You listening, Crumbs?)
Waterfire happened while we were there, but we had rehearsal until late, and missed it. I still give Providence huge props for this one though!
Honorable mentions go to:
Trinity Brewhouse for making their own beer and keeping their kitchen open late, even if they are too loud and touristy.
The Scurvy Dog for being the best quiet punk bar (seriously!) even though we had to take a taxi.
The taxi service for having a Pegasus amateur airbrushed onto the side of it, and "You may be right I may be crazy but I just might be a lunatic your looking for" in stick on red letters on its rear end.
All in all Providence is gorgeous, in a small dirty way. It's full of alleys and grottoes and places I wanted to go but didn't have time. Cellar Stories Books springs to mind, Rocket to Mars Vintage, the Curatorium, and the Coffee Exchange. Its really walkable. It makes me rethink my judgements of New England. Cool.
