East Side Monthly January 2016 by Hey Rhody Media Co.

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy

2016

Our 86th Year! John Blair Myra Braverman daniel Byrnes sue erkkinen carl Feldman roxanne gordon Kristin green thom Hammond

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contents January 2016

CHOOSE A BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE AGENCY WITH BIG RESULTS

new list 276 CAMP STREET wonderful colonial with original details. Beautiful floors. Some updating needed, but well worth it. 3 bed, 1.5 bath, newer roof and paint. deck to nice yard, one car garage. Great location! $285,500 Aleen weiss

new list 80 DOYLE AVENUE Great investment opportunity... cash cow! Legal 6 unit multi, fully rented, with great rental history, newer replacement windows, fully fire-coded, needs some tLc, being sold “AS iS” $350,000 Aleen weiss

new list 49 COWESETT ROAD, WARWICK Seller is moving out of state for quick sale. 5 bed, 2 full baths, updated kitchen, formal dining room, sun room, hardwoods, on tranquil wooded grounds. $250,000 Gail Jenard

new PRiCe 46 SHERWOOD AVENUE, LINCOLN Spacious and inviting raised ranch in sought after woodhaven. open floor plan with updated kitchen, vaulted den with cozy gas fireplace. Finished basement with bath, large fenced backyard. $249,900 Aleen weiss

This Month 31 | Celebrating 40 Years in the neighborhood East Side Monthly has been an East Side staple for four decades. Travel down memory lane to see what was then and what is now. PenDinG 95 WILBUR DRIVE, LINCOLN warm and inviting 2/3 bed cape… open master bedroom with bath, updated kitchen, bed/full bath on 1st. Fireplace, new deck, newer roof and mechanicals. privacy lot, move in condition! $294,500 Aleen weiss

Every Month 6 | Editorial/Letters

PenDinG 240 CAMP STREET wonderful legal two family, located near rochambeau. Large rooms, fully rented, great for investor or owner occupied. Being sold “as is” short sale, negotiator in place and ready to go! Great buy at $240,000. Gail Jenard.

Community Hope Street harnesses the power of the sun 9 | News 12 | In the Know 19 | Neighborhood News

Photo courtesy of Providence Tourism Council/Michael Melford

Close to Home A look at educational changes over 40 years 61 | On the Market 62 | Education 63 | East of Elmgrove

On the Town Meet the man behind Thayer Street’s legendary Kartabar 71 | Flavor of the Month 72 | On The Menu 73 | Rhody Bites 77 | Calendar

84 | Our Publisher Barry Fain reflects on the role of a community paper

Collage design by Veatsna Sok

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64 NIPMUC TRAIL #A, NORTH PROVIDENCe Large spacious townhouse unit/duplex style. end unit, open floor plan, stainless steel appliances, cathedral ceiling, 2 beds with master updated bath. newer mechanicals, large patio, garage. Finished attic. $175,000 Aleen weiss

PenDinG 408 GROTTO AVENUE cozy & inviting describes this craftsman Style Bungalow Located in the desirable nathanael Greene neighborhood: 3 bed, 2 Bath, dble Living room, eat in Kitchen, Study, Family room with Bar, gas Heat/ Hot water, garage. $173,000 Gail Jenard

Assisting Buyers, sellers & renters Aleen WeissH Karen MillerH

The East Sider

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

Editorial

EST 1975

East Side MONTHLY

Things That Go Bump Bump in the Night It had to be one of the more bizarre nights of theatre on the East Side in a long time. Over 200 East Side residents descended on the auditorium at Nathan Bishop to hear a presentation from the City Planning Department on a proposal to add raised crosswalks and speed bumps to “calm traffic” on our beloved Blackstone Boulevard. Since the City implemented bike lanes on the Boulevard during the Cicilline years, the lanes of vehicular traffic, two on each side, had been reduced to one. The speed limit had been dropped from 40 to 25. Yet apparently, unbeknownst to most of the East Side, a small group of residents have been working on a plan for several years to calm traffic even more. Though perhaps well intentioned, that the idea has gone as far as it had with virtually no one knowing about it is absurd. Speed bumps on one of the most attractive and historic streets in the city? The ludicracy of the event culminated when Nate Urso from the Planning Department finally asked for a show of hands in favor of the plan. Not one. How many in favor of going forward to improve the plan? Perhaps ten. Those against? The rest of the 200 attendees broke into cheers. Though occasionally bordering on the uncivil, it was still exhilarating to see the passion and thoughtfulness

exhibited by speaker after speaker against the proposal. After all, how often do you get a group of 200 people on the East Side to agree on anything? So what can we take away from all this? A proposal like this that effects so many different East Siders simply cannot be done in a process that was clearly secretive and noninclusive. The fact that the group had been meeting with the city for several years and hadn’t bothered to include the Blackstone Park Association, caretakers of the Boulevard for decades, in the discussion is certainly short-sighted. And what about the professionals in the Planning Department and our City Councilman? Shouldn’t they have insisted the process be as transparent and inclusive as possible before any dollars were spent on this misguided quest? More unsettling is that based on an email from Tim Murphy, the leader of the initiative, to rally his supporters, their group was optimistic about the outcome going in their favor. It very well might have, were it not for the neighborhood turnout. Traffic calming and maybe even speed bumps may have their place, but certainly not on key cross transit streets like the Boulevard and Hope

north-south or Angell and Waterman east-west. Certainly not without taking into consideration the spillover to parallel streets and the needs of other residents in the neighborhood who use the street regularly but may not be so fortunate as to own a property right on it. And certainly not given the precarious financial situation facing our city. There is at least one positive result from this fiasco. We have discovered that our neighborhood is blessed with a wonderful sense of humor. Jon Bell, whose family has been living near the Boulevard for decades, noted that the City already has an inexpensive traffic calming mechanism should they choose to use it. Calling the devices “inverted speed bumps,” he was referring to the potholes which he promises will calm traffic to a crawl on the Boulevard if allowed to expand on their own. And then there are the folks at GoLocal who in an editorial blasted the speed bump proposal as the “dumbest idea since Cianci wanted a helicopter” for his mayoral travel around the city. We even got a call or two at our office asking whether the “Speed Bumps on the Boulevard” idea was one of our April Fool’s jokes only four months early. Would that we could have said yes.

Letters To the Editor: The Beginnings of East Side Monthly I lost my job as a reporter at the Providence Journal because the newspaper had no maternity leave, and now I was a young mother with two little children doing freelance writing and book editing. One day a guy named Barry Fain, whom I had never heard of although I knew of his family, came to my house and asked if I would like to be the editor of a weekly publication he was starting. He had recently returned from New York City; he said his newspaper would be like the famed and very liberal Village Voice in Manhattan, and would cover the East Side of Providence.

East Side Monthly January 2016

1070 Main Street, Suite 302 Pawtucket RI 02860 tel: 305-3391 | fax: 305-3392 mail@providenceonline.com www.eastsidemonthly.com • @EastSideMonthly

Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell

Media Director Jeanette St. Pierre @JeanetteSTP

Executive Editor Barry Fain

City Editor Steve Triedman

Creative Director Julie Tremaine @JulieTremaine

Managing Editor Grace Lentini @Gracie_NomNom

Digital Editor Tony Pacitti @TonyPacitti

Editor Courtney Denelle @CourtneyDenelle

Art Director Meghan H. Follett

Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas

Assistant Art Director Veatsna Sok

Graphic Designer Katie Leclerc

Account Managers Shelley Cavoli: Shelley@ProvidenceOnline.com Louann DiMuccio-Darwich: Louann@ProvidenceOnline.com Ann Gallagher: Ann@ProvidenceOnline.com Kristine Mangan: Kristine@ProvidenceOnline.com Dan Schwartz: DanS@ProvidenceOnline.com Elizabeth Riel: Liz@ProvidenceOnline.com Kimberly Tingle: Kim@ProvidenceOnline.com Stephanie Oster Wilmarth: Stephanie@ProvidenceOnline.com

Contributing Photographers Mike Braca Michael Cevoli Brian DeMello Tiffany Medrano

Contributing Illustrators Lia Marcoux

Contributing Writers

I was intrigued, but I also felt raising two children and editing a weekly newspaper might not be in everyone’s best interest. Soon after that, Barry hired a recent Journal reporter named Martin Kohn (Marty, as he was called) as the editor and I became the reporter. Mary Murphy, fresh from college in the Midwest, was the photographer. We micro-covered the East Side, publishing news stories (sometimes scooping the Journal), and writing features and columns, many with photos by Mary. It was the most fun I’d had since I left the Journal. But nothing is forever. After a couple of years, Marty accepted a job offer from the Detroit Free

Press, where he wrote features and eventually a book. He is retired, but he composes music and plays it on his guitar in the Detroit area. (Check out his video on YouTube called “Working 11 to 7 at the 7-Eleven.” It’s pure Marty.) Mary remained with the paper for a while and then became a photographer at the Journal. I left when Marty did and eventually wrote several books and became a professor of journalism at the University of Rhode Island and chairwoman of that department. But for a brief time back in the ‘70s, Barry Fain gave the three of us free rein to do journalism at its best. Linda Lotridge Levin

Erin Balsa Alastair Cairns Michael Clark Mary K. Connor Jill Davidson Mike Fink

Don Fowler Wendy Grossman Nancy Kirsch Stephanie Obodda Elizabeth Rau Dan Schwartz

Classified Advertising Sue Howarth Interns Kelly Laske Brad McGarry

Samantha Westmoreland Kevin Patterson

Calendar announcements and news releases should be submitted by the 1st of the preceding month. We reserve the right to omit and edit items. Letters to the editor are welcome. We will not print unsigned letters without exceptional circumstances. East Side Monthly is not responsible for typographical errors. Corrections will be run at discretion of editor. Copyright ©2016 by East Side Monthly. All rights reserved.

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Community East Side Stories | neighborhood news & notes

East Side News

Artist’s rendering of solar powered street lights planned for Hope Street

A Bright Idea, Indeed off-Grid on Hope will bring solar powered streetlights to Hope Street

Photo by Jonathan Harris

By Samantha Westmoreland As winter settles over Providence, the weather is nippy and the nights are dark, but the Hope Street Merchant Association is determined to bring light to their neighborhood. Co-presidents Line Daems and Pernilla Frazier have been working on their project Off-Grid on Hope for the past two years and are now “ready to take it to the next level.” In an effort to make Hope Street even more beautiful and safe, an initiative has been put into place to install 30 solar powered street lamps along Hope Street from the Rochambeau Library to Fifth Street. An intimate event promoting this plan,

held this past November at Pizzico Restaurant, was bustling with city residents, business owners and local leaders, fittingly reflecting the community atmosphere on Hope Street. Wanting to “tap into the super vibrant art community in Providence,” Daems and Frazier turned to Jonathan Harris, assistant professor at Johnson & Wales University’s School of Engineering and Design. Harris’ students designed the lamp, and have created a cost-effective and incredibly unique model that will not only illuminate Hope Street, but also shine light on the City’s artsy atmosphere. A large, polycarbonate globe with a

solar panel face makes up the head of the 12-foot fixture, and will emit a soft, glowing light. Perhaps the most special aspect of the lamp, though, is its zoetrope column, resembling a spinning top toy, sandwiched between the stone base and aluminum center. Harris calls it a “prayer wheel for the children.” As you spin the zoetrope body of the lamp, revolving artwork is revealed. I took a turn spinning the body of the prototype presented at the meeting, and watched a depiction of Darwin’s theory of evolution quite literally evolve before my eyes. “I do things for the neighborhood, to beautify the neighborhood,” Harris

affectionately asserts as he amusedly observes me spin the zoetrope a second time. Kim Clarke, resident of Providence and owner of Rhody Craft on Hope Street, walks to and from work every day. She’s an ardent supporter of OffGrid on Hope, saying, “I love it. It will add so much ambiance to the neighborhood. It’s appealing for residents and shoppers.” The Hope Street Merchant Association is seeking support from the entire Providence community to, as Frazier so sincerely says, “take one more step to unite Hope Street aesthetically.” www.hopestreetprov.com

January 2016 East Side Monthly

February 18 - 21, 2016

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East Side Monthly January 2016

Community East Side News

continued...

Back in Business Some of Wayland Square’s best known retailers are back in full operation By Barry Fain After over a year

of nomadic existence brought on by a sprinkler malfunction that destroyed the Wayland Avenue building that housed her and three other tenants, we’re happy to report that Wendy Brown Home, with its exquisite bed, bath and table linens as well as wonderful home accessories, now has a permanent home at 190 Wayland Avenue, directly across the street from its old location. The store held its grand opening early in December and is now at full operating speed. Over the past year, Wendy had been forced to work out of temporary space on the street or out of her home via the

internet. “I’m thrilled to be open again,” says Wendy. “and it’s nice to see the Square getting back to its old glory.” Meanwhile a second longtime Wayland Square business, Mrs. Robinson’s, will have a new home at 180 Wayland, just a few doors away. The store has developed an intensely loyal following for its fine lingerie, fine silks and high quality cashmere and, says owner Melanie Elman, the new space has more of a younger, boutique feel to it. “Business is booming,” she reports. “There’s a lot of positive energy coming from the Square right now,” she reports, “and it’s long overdue.” Wayland mainstay

Experience. Integrity. Results.

Relaible Gold found a new home the quickest, and now has an expanded space, offering jewelry and local art. Meanwhile work is continuing on the building across the street that had been damaged by the flooding. Word on the street is that the furniture store West Elm will be the new tenant but this has not been officially confirmed as we go to press. Wendy Brown Home, 190 Wayland Avenue. 455-2337, www.wendybrownhome. com; Mrs. Robinson Fine Lingerie, 180 Wayland Avenue. 831-7740, www.mrsrobinsonfinelingerie.com; Reliable Gold, 9 Wayland Square, 861-1414, www.reliablegoldltd.com

A Wild Meeting on East Side Crime City officials and residents meet to discuss pressing issues By Barry Fain Last month’s public meeting to discuss progress on the East Side crime issues with the mayor and his staff produced some good news/bad news results. Organized by Cheryl Simmons, whose listserv provides almost daily statistics and neighborhood feedback on East Side crime, the event produced an impressive panel of public safety officials including Mayor Elorza, Chief Operations Officer Brett Smiley, Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare, Police Chief Hugh Clements and East Side District Commander Joseph Donnelly. On the plus side was that the auditorium was packed with attendees, easily double the number that attended the first listening session organized by the mayor just after he was elected. The bad news was that many in attendance were from other sections of the city, there only to voice their own grievances that the mayor had not been as responsive to their problems as he is to addressing East Side issues. The protest was orchestrated by DARE (Direct Action for

Rights and Equality) who brought in about 30 members to picket and then later try to disrupt the session. While not unsympathetic to their issues, many in the audience we approached expressed frustration over the tactics employed by DARE. One resident, who asked not to be identified, summed up what seemed to be the common consensus. “Everyone around the city is talking about the goal of ‘One Providence.’ But to have one neighborhood come in and try to subvert good efforts of residents in another who are trying to deal with an issue as important as crime and personal safety, certainly is counterproductive. Picket outside? Sure. But to undermine our efforts? That’s not right.” After finally being drowned out by shouts of “Sit down“ and “We want to hear the mayor,” the meeting was able to proceed. Among the new information offered by the panelists was that the City has found the money to fund another police academy this fiscal year and another next year. Addressing a

litany of questions Simmons had culled from her listserv, the panelists sought to reassure the neighbors that their concerns were being dealt with seriously. While admitting that “the City cannot just arrest its way out of crime problems,” the mayor did say he is in discussions with the Attorney General about seeking ways to keep offenders from returning so quickly to the streets. Addressing more systemic problems, the mayor hoped possible solutions like keeping recreation centers open with full programming, after school sports programming with police officer participation, more general police-community engagement, increased participation with campus security forces and the encouragement of more neighborhood watch programs would help improve the situation citywide. After the meeting, one of the panelists joked that at least one small bit of good news is likely this month. “One of the few good things about winter here in the Northeast is that at least the crime statistics generally go down in January and February.”

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

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Brown is preparing for a January 19 meeting with the Providence City Plan Commission to present an amendment to its five-year master plan as required by law. The three major changes to the previous plan include the continuation of its program of restoration and sale of single family homes to faculty members (so they can be returned to the City’s tax rolls), the improvement of the baseball and softball fields on Arlington Avenue and the demolition of seven houses on Brook Street that Brown recently purchased from Ed Bishop and had once been proposed as a site for a new hotel. If approved by the Plan Commission, a temporary, fully landscaped parking lot for some 70 cars will be built. The school anticipates replacing the parking lot likely with new administrative or residential buildings within the next five years. Plans are online under Brown University Institutional Master Plan Amendment #3. The January 19 public meeting before the City Plan Commission is scheduled at 444 Westminster Street downtown beginning at 4:45pm.

A New Look at Providence Picture Frame Providence Picture Frame has just purchased the assets of Wickenden’s Picture This Gallery and will be celebrating with their biggest sale of the year all this January to show off what they’ve added. The new acquisitions will now allow Providence Picture Frame to add an extensive collection of antique maps and Richard Benjamin photos to a collection of prints that is already the largest on the East Coast. Storeowner Geoff Gaunt reports their full inventory is being offered at their lowest prices of the year with framing discounts thrown is as well. A most colorful way to kick off the New Year, say we.

Patriot Sightings on Benefit Street

Richard Suls // 401.270.3785 richard@richardsuls.com www.richardsuls.com

East Side Monthly January 2016

As the Patriot’s prepare for the playoffs, Tom Brady’s new go-to guy has become Danny Amendola. Recently recovered from an injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks, it could be that the quality of life on the East Side may be playing a modest (make

that very modest) part in his success. Turns out Danny has been living on Benefit Street during the season. And what better way to relax after one of those intense Belichick prep sessions, then to just come home, kick off the cleats and amble down the street to Geoff’s for their two-for-one Tuesday sandwich specials. And if he keeps playing the way he has been, we bet they’ll be one named in his honor real soon. Meanwhile… Go Pats.

Bye-Bye to Mr. Buy Nothing? For some 19 years, the East Side’s Greg Gerritt has been running the popular Buy Nothing Day (BND) Coat Exchange where we’re all encouraged to buy nothing on Black Friday and instead donate a coat (or any other new or gently used winter item) to help someone who needs it. What began as a modest East Side project by Greg and two friends has now grown into something that last month distributed thousands of coats at ten different exchange spots across the state. And thanks to former East Side do-gooder Ted Loebenberg, the project has now been exported to Louisville, Kentucky where it has become just as successful there. No wonder his announcement that he plans to turn over the reins of BND to a new leadership team in 2016 caught his team by surprise (not that anyone believes he’d completely walk away from his baby with its 20 anniversary coming up next year). If you’d like to get involved with this wonderful project and help insure a seamless transition next year, contact Greg at gerritt@mindspring.com or call 331-0529 for more info. Quite appropriately, BND has now become a BFD!

Creature Creation 101 There are masks and then there are masks. On January 10 from 2-3pm, there will be a free session on puppet and mask making at the downtown Providence Public Library. What makes the event a little different is that it is run by Providence’s own super puppeteers, the Big Nazo Lab. In an interactive, hands-on session, participants (children 5-8) will use their creativity to produce plasti-foam 3D creature masks that they can keep. Organizers will employ

a variety of puppet-making and movement techniques to encourage both improvisation as well as collaboration with others. Knowing the imaginative folks at Big Nazo, it should make for an interesting afternoon.

A Community Sing For Martin Luther King A major musical tribute is planned for downtown Providence to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 31 and promises to be quite special. Produced by Temple Emanuel with the generous support of the Rhode Island Foundation and sponsored by the RI Council of Churches and the Jewish Federation of RI, the event will bring together over 150 singers representing a dozen different local religious and civic choral groups. Called “Singing the Dream,” it will also include a keynote speech by Reverend Shavon Starling-Lewis of the Providence Presbyterian Church reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King. This ecumenical gathering begins at 4:30pm in the Grace Episcopal Church at 175 Mathewson Street and will conclude with a benediction by Imam Farid Ansari and the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by all of the voices and the audience. Given the turbulent times that have descended on us recently, the timing of the event couldn’t be better.

Don’t Leaf Home Without Us You may not notice it right now, but lower South Main Street will be a lot less green come spring. Responding to complaints about tree roots producing dangerous bumps on the sidewalk, the City has started cutting down trees on the east side of the street. By our count we see about ten stumps but according to a City Hall spokesman, 32 trees are scheduled to be removed. We’re told the project has been planned for several years and is part of effort to make the street ADA compliant. Neighbors seeking additional information or with specific concerns about the tree removals one way or the other are encouraged to call 2222450. We’re told a replanting project involving smaller saplings will begin after the sidewalks are replaced.

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

In Good Company and Good Spirits at McBride’s Pub From Ireland with love, McBride’s Pub combines all the warmth and hospitality of the Emerald Isle with the ease of a neighborhood watering hole, right in the heart of the East Side. Featuring delicious pub fare, from corned beef and bacon potato cakes to McBride’s famous Irish Nachos, as well as a lovely patio to enjoy your brew and burger al fresco, the food is equal parts Paddy and Ocean State, with all dishes paring beautifully with a perfectly poured pint of Guinness. Alight with good company and good spirits, it appears the luck of the Irish made its way to Rhody.

Here’s to You, Mrs. Robinson Fine Lingerie Mrs. Robinson is the premier lingerie shop of 2016, with a new boutique location set to meet your undergarment dreams. Featuring European bras and panties, cotton sleep shirts and cashmere robes, as well as bra fittings that will have you slimming down in an instant, the extra side of confidence you gain is complimentary. Come for the sparkle, stay for the comfort at Mrs. Robinson Fine Lingerie!

Beauty at your Fingertips with Angell Nails For the finest nail care in an impeccably clean and easy environment, Angell Nails has you covered. Offering customers personalized and professional services from painted designs and Shellac manicures to makeup applications and waxing, Angell Nails is open Monday through Sunday and will have you feeling fab every day of the week.

East Side Monthly January 2016

The Minerva’s Pizza Solution With 15 varieties of pizza, as well as Middle Eastern fare like falafel, shawarma, tabbouli and more, Minerva’s Pizza features an array of eats that’s sure to please, no matter what you’re hankering for. Does a gluten intolerance have you feeling divorced from pizza? Minerva’s new gluten-free crust will have you reunited to your heart’s content. Or does your jam-packed schedule have your head spinning? Order your dinner online and save yourself the hassle. And with wine and beer selections available, Minerva’s is the perfect place to dine in, grab a grinder, catch the game and kick back and relax.

High Style at Dorothy Williams For more than 70 years, Dorothy Williams has encouraged fashion and high style as an art form, offering casual and accessible clothing with an ease of sophistication and refinery, as well as dresses for special occasions, fabulous and functional outerwear and artful for that personalized touch. The vision of the team at Dorothy Williams has always led the charge for tastemakers in the Creative Capital. With new ownership under Jennifer Bose, the tradition carries on, as they welcome new patrons to join the ranks of Providence’s most fierce fashionistas and continue to serve longtime customers by introducing new brands and unique pieces, as well as the classics you have come to love.

Photography (middle) by José Navarro-Robles

Fiercely Fanciful at Femme Fatale Salon If staying fab is at the top of your to-do list, Femme Fatale is your one-stop destination for all things glamorous. As a full service salon in the heart of the East Side, the team at Femme Fatale has an unstoppable passion for beauty with high-touch care and concern, steeped in a heightened level of expertise and customer service. At Femme Fatale, each stylist brings a unique range of skills and acumen in providing clients with the ultimate salon experience. And with options ranging from cut, color and styling processes to texturizing treatments like Brazilian Blowouts and Keratin Straightening - from blowouts and hair removal to make up applications and bridal services - Femme Fatale is sure to have you looking your best and feeling even better. With steadfast professionalism, the team at Femme Fatale is sure to have you sitting pretty on your Big Day, offering complete makeup services with On Location options for weddings and special events, as well. Whether popping in for a quick trim and color tune up, or treating yourself to a full day of beauty and pampering, Femme Fatale will have you looking fab and feeling fierce in 2016.

Neck, Shoulder, or Foot Massages Available!

Mrs. Robinson Fine Lingerie New Year

AlWAys in style

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All That Glitters at Reliable Gold For eight decades, threading through four generations, Reliable Gold has carved out a gilded family tradition of offering elegant estate and antique jewelry selections to the people of Providence. Since 1934, they have been the foremost authority for jewelry of the finest quality and value, bolstered by the support of a knowledgeable sales staff that is committed to providing a personalized shopping experience of the highest order. All items are lovingly hand-selected by their team of professionals and, with an inventory that is constantly evolving, you’re sure to find an affordable one-of-a-kind treasure that your one-of-a-kind guy or gal will prize forever. Long considered the premier destination for glittering estate jewels like diamonds, sapphires, jade and much more, Reliable Gold now offers contemporary looks and designs as well, ensuring a treasure trove of options designed to flex your style while meeting your budget. Beyond their exquisite merchandise, Reliable Gold offers a plethora of services that will have your baubles in top form for years to come. Whether you are cleaning or repairing well-worn and wellloved valuables, or taking advantage of their free layaway and gift wrapping, it’s wonderful to know that all that glitters is truly gold at Reliable Gold.

East Side Monthly January 2016

Getting in the Spirit at Wayland Square Fine Wine and Spirits Since 1933, Wayland Square Fine Wines and Spirits has prided themselves on offering a variety of wines from every region - new world and old - in order to cater to your every need. With the support of a highly knowledgeable staff, each wine is tasted to allow for a perfect recommendation. And with a tremendous selection of craft beers for all seasons and occasions, an on-site wine cellar and top shelf spirits in a variety of styles and flavors, as well as weekly wine tastings and gift baskets made to order, they’re sure to keep you in good spirits.

Ingredients Matter at the Salted Slate The Salted Slate knows cooking with heart starts with conscionably sourced, high quality ingredients that leave nothing to waste. With every ingredient lovingly showcased in each and every dish, the Salted Slate goes the extra mile in hunting down and promoting the very best from local and international growers and producers. With exquisite brunch, lunch and dinner options – from warm bags of freshly made donuts and cheddar and chive buttermilk biscuits to heirloom pork with bacon jam, as well as a delightful selection of artisanal cocktails – the Salted Slate features something for every palate, no matter what you crave.

Eastern Fare with East Side Flair at Haruki East For eastern fare with East Side flair, Haruki East offers a fresh spin on traditional dishes that are rivaled by none. While the sushi is the certainly the star at Haruki East, specialty rice dishes, udon noodles, delectable soups and more ensure that vegetarians and vegans won’t leave with an empty stomach. Landlubbers are also covered, with well-loved dishes from the kitchen like tempura, dumplings and tofu options. Highly regarded for their tremendous level of authenticity in their menu offerings, Haruki East also offers dishes with refined, contemporary flavors that boast an unparalleled fusion of East meeting West.

All the Finery at Wendy Brown Home Stocked with everything you need for your bed, bath and table, Wendy Brown Home offers a broad range of textiles and home accessories, including fabric by the yard and wallpaper. As the premier destination for all the finery you would need to transform your home into the comfortable and elegant sanctuary of your dreams, Wendy Brown Home has finally opened in a newly designed location at 190 Wayland Square. Whether shopping for your own home or looking for a sophisticated gift, Wendy Brown Home has you covered, from sumptuous sheets and towels to an artful selection of table linens and candles.

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

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East Side Monthly January 2016

Photo Courtesy of the Summit Neighborhood Association

Community Neighborhood News

Neighborhood News is a space that East Side Monthly makes available to community organizations free of charge. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of this publication.

closely with the SNA on street fairs and other celebrations. Miriam Hospital, a huge presence in Summit, cooperates with the SNA on activities to benefit the health of the neighborhood as well as its residents.

Summit neighborhood Association

Music Festival The signature event the SNA puts on is the music festival, which has been rocking for six years. Held in August in Lippitt Park, the festival has continued to grow, drawing more than 2,000 people in 2015 and featuring seven bands headlined by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans. The event was supported by the City of Providence and Miriam Hospital participated by joining with SNA in raising money for the Fresh For All Fund that supports local farmers while promoting access to fresh food. Besides the music, the park was crowded with food and craft vendors, entertainment and interactive play for children plus a beer garden for adults. Friends, families and neighbors circulated the entire afternoon in a true sense of fun and community.

SNA Aims to Promote Citizen Engagement, Improve Quality of Life in Neighborhood Founded in 1986, the Summit Neighborhood Association says in its mission statement that it is an all-volunteer membership organization dedicated to expanding citizen engagement and improving the quality of life for local residents and business owners. The Summit neighborhood is loosely defined by the Pawtucket city line on the north, Interstate 95 on the west, Blackstone Boulevard on the east and Olney and Doyle streets on the south. The SNA communicates with its neighbors in various ways, including the only print newsletter in the city hand-delivered to 5,000 households and businesses by volunteers three times a year. Electronically, there is the SNA website – www. sna.providence.ri.us – as well as several listservs available to the community at mail.sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us The organization is run by a board of directors that currently has 17 members, including: Dean Weinberg, president; Kerry Kohring, vice president; Thomas Schmeling, secretary; and Vishal Jain, treasurer. The board meets monthly on the third Monday at Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue, and the public is encouraged to attend. Members of the board are elected at SNA’s annual meeting, which will be April 26 this year. The SNA sponsors a wide variety of activities designed to improve services to the area as well as boost the quality of life. These include political forums during election periods, public discussions with city and state officials, an annual free music festival, a cook-off competition, caroling during the Christmas season, a yard sale and snow shoveling for residents in need. The Hope Street Merchants Association, whose commercial corridor runs through the middle of the neighborhood, and the North Main Street Merchants Association, whose business avenue borders the west of the neighborhood, work

Fountain Restoration In the summer of 2011, SNA completed one of its most significant accomplishments, the restoration of the Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain in Lippitt Park. Built in 1940 to honor a former senator and governor, the structure is made of Rhode Island granite and is one of the rare remaining instances of Art Deco architecture in Providence. Fountains of that era had no recirculating mechanism for their endless water usage, resulting in massive bills for the city, so in 1982, the fountain was turned off. In 2007, at the instigation of new SNA board member Jesse Polhemus, the organization embarked on a public/ private partnership to restore the fountain. Thanks to funds from the city, the Champlin Foundation and hundreds of individual donors, tens of thousands of dollars worth of work was done and the water resumed flowing on June 4, 2011. However, this year, the fountain was on for only a fraction of its usual season due to leaks. In addition, most of the lights around it have gone dark. SNA continues to prod the city to get the fountain fully operational again. Community Gardens The neighborhood improvement that the SNA is focusing on in 2016 is the development of community gardens in the city’s “tot lot” park on Summit Avenue.

Summit residents crowd around the Henry Bowen Anthony Fountain and applaud as the water is turned back on on June 4, 2011

This has been underway for a couple of years and is driven by a public-opinion poll done by the SNA that showed widespread support of vegetable garden plots coexisting with refurbished playground equipment. The city’s landscape architect has designed a plan for 40 garden beds along the north side of the park and the Parks Department has requested bids from contractors to install a water line – the first step in construction. The governance of the gardens will be up to the community and the SNA has established a committee to develop a governing body and a set of procedures. Notices for planning meetings have been and will continue to be published on the SNA’s website and listserv. All neighbors are encouraged to join in. Summit Neighborhood Association, PO Box 41092, Providence RI 02940. 4897078, www.sna.providence.ri.us, sna@ sna.providence.ri.us. –Kerry Kohring

Fox Point neighborhood Association Events this Month FPNA Board Meeting, 7pm, Monday, January 11 at the Vartan Gregorian Bath House Community Room, 455 Wickenden Street. FPNA – Fox Point Needs Advocates Sitting on the tip of the East Side of Providence, Fox Point is surrounded on three sides by water—the Providence River, Narragansett Bay and the

Seekonk River. The northern border is somewhat irregular, but roughly ends somewhere south of Brown University and College Hill. The Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), previously known as the Fox Point Citizens Association, was formed in 1993 over concerns about the upcoming re-location of Interstate 195. Twenty-three years later, land use and waterfront development surrounding this long process remain one of the organization’s top advocacy priorities. Other objectives include zoning, licensing, historic preservation, beautification, property taxes, traffic and safety. FPNA is a membership-driven organization with an active board of directors, who network with elected officials, other neighborhood organizations in the city and coalitions for the environment, waterfront and preservation. FPNA’s 2016 Project of the Year Newly invigorated by four new board members, the group already has selected the Wickenden Street Development Initiative for its 2016 Project of the Year. FPNA Board member Vincent Scorziello, who is also president of the newly formed Wickenden Area Merchants Association, WAMA, will be leading advocacy efforts as liaison between the two organizations. “This shopping area is not only important to the overall health of Fox Point and the East Side, but it is an attraction for Providence’s waterfront and the marketing of I-195 Redevelopment Parcels,” FPNA Vice President Daisy Schnepel says. “We have begun the conversation on necessary street

January 2016 East Side Monthly

Community Neighborhood News

The Battle of Big Daddy’s One of the most active episodes in the association’s history occurred in 2001, when it successfully led the charge to strip Big Daddy’s Nightclub of its liquor license. Located at 580 South Main Street on the waterfront, the nightclub, unlike responsible establishments nearby, was notorious for its rowdiness. Public sentiment in the neighborhood was that it posed “a real and present danger.” The ten-month battle uncovered evidence that Big Daddy’s had illegally served an 18-year-old patron over five alcoholic drinks one fateful night. The youth then walked outside the establishment to shoot and kill another man across the street from Corliss Landing. Other testimony came from over ten police officers regarding their written reports on serious violations at the nightclub. The Fox Point Citizens Association prevailed and the liquor license was taken away from C.S. Ventures. The successful association battle left a $26,684 legal bill, which was absorbed by fundraising efforts, including a snazzy garden party and silent auction. The Shooters Issue is Born Another rowdy waterfront nightclub, Shooters, was closed in 2002, when the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, RIDOT, took possession of the property through eminent domain for the I-195 relocation project. As completion of the I-Way neared, the issue of how this piece of property would be developed became very important to the

East Side Monthly January 2016

Friends of India Point Park (FIPP) and FPNA. The Shooters’ issue was born. Concerned citizens, led by co-chairs, David Riley, FIPP’s Chair and FPNA Board Member Arria Bilodeau, formed the Head of the Bay Gateway Committee to oppose the City’s plan for a high-rise condominium on the property. Instead, the group started a three-year effort, arguing before countless city and state governmental meetings that the shoreline property was an integral part of creating a public waterfront in Providence. Daisy Schnepel, FPNA’s president at the time, directed most of the organization’s financing toward the Committee, while also testifying at public meetings. What followed was the MakeShootersPublic.com awareness campaign that included regular news releases, bumper stickers and a website with an on-site petition that garnered over 1,000 signatures of support. The group was successful after the City Plan Commission voted to designate the property for public use instead of residential purposes. Fox Point’s State Senator Rhoda Perry and State Representative Chris Blazejewski then pushed for the property to be added to a popular legislative proposal for public use of the former Rocky Point Amusement Park land. Although no development has followed yet, the law recognized that a public waterfront in Providence was critical to the City’s redevelopment efforts. FPNA is a resource for offering suggestions, providing moral support and sometimes helping to find community matching funds for worthy neighborhood improvements. Please contact fpna@cox.net to tell us more about a potential project that you believe requires special attention and advocacy. Fox Point Neighborhood Association, P.O. Box 603177, Providence, RI 02906. 270-7121, www.fpna.net, fpna@ cox.net. –John Rousseau

Waterman Street Dog Park Association The Waterman Street Dog Park Association is an East Side community group working to build a state of the art dog park in a derelict patch of woods on

FPNA’s 2014 Project of the year pushed for a return of the lost 1906 plaques to the Roger Williams Landing Monument on Gano Street

Waterman Street. The vision is to create a beautiful park that not only provides a great space for dogs (and their owners) but also supports the whole community. The Dog Park Association meets every month at Books on the Square (471 Angell Street), and you can get involved by signing up on the website (www.watermanstdogpark.org) or emailing watermanstdogpark@gmail.com. Construction of Dog Park Represents Culmination of Years of Hard Work by East Side Neighbors Construction has begun on the fence for the Waterman Street Dog Park, and by the time you read this, the fence should have been completed. In this spring, goats will be brought in to clear the brush in an environmentally friendly way, and the paths and plantings will be laid down. Once the snow has melted, the park should be ready to open. There is more good news to report. With help from Wendy Nilsson of the Parks Department and the folks at Richmond Square, the Dog Park Association has finally reached a solution to a long-standing parking problem. The city has agreed to move the parking to the north side of Waterman, so there will be no need to cross the street. Dogs and families will be safer, and traffic will not be disrupted. As the Dog Park reaches completion, it represents the culmination

of years of hard work by a devoted group of East Siders committed to building a state of the art Dog Park for our community. This project began three years ago when a group of neighbors got together to restart an effort that hadn’t been successful a few years earlier. There were community meetings, fundraising drives, outreach efforts, and endless discussions with the city. Now that the park is finally coming together, it shows what our neighborhood can accomplish when we put our minds to it. Waterman Street Dog Park Association. watermanstdogpark@gmail.org, www.watermanstdogpark.org –Samuel Bell

College Hill neighborhood Association Who Are We? The College Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) represents residents and renters in the area that runs northsouth from Olney to Waterman Street and east-west from Hope Street (including Stimson Avenue) to North Main. In 1984 we became the first neighborhood in the City to incorporate and create its own association. The initial impetus came from parents who wanted to clean up the area next to Hope High field (where Brown

Photo courtesy of Fox Point Neighborhood Association

improvements and are looking for fellow advocates.” Board member Alissa Peterson is leading an effort to increase the organization’s membership participation through improving communication channels. The group also is reorganizing the board, while filling several officer vacancies. Now that the stadium development is no longer a possibility for the parcels, FPNA returns its advocacy efforts towards construction of the Pedestrian Bridge and adjoining, new parks on the Providence River. In the coming year, the board also will be following development of the Fox Point Greenway on the Seekonk River and the construction of the Blackstone Bikeway through Gano Park.

Community Neighborhood News

Street Park is now) to make it safe and appropriate for children. Organizers went door to door and soon had over 200 dues paying members. Our first president was Pat Zesk, an attorney with Edwards & Angell. Mary Moore was the vice president. In the early days of CHNA much of our efforts involved working with Gus Anthony and his Thayer Street organization to keep liquor licenses there under control. We also opposed institutional “overreach” mostly in terms of dorms (RISD and Brown) as well as the size and site location of the Life Sciences Building (we thought it belonged closer to the hospitals in the knowledge district). We dealt with zoning and typical town-gown issues such as excessive partying, overcrowded off-campus student housing or properties not maintained. CHNA Holds its Annual Meeting On December 7, CHNA held our annual meeting and holiday party. At the meeting, and after a pleasant hour of socializing, our slate of officers for 2016 was approved. Josh Eisen, president; Heidi Heifetz, vice president; Sara Bradford, Treasurer; Anthony Petrocci, secretary. Josh then offered his recap of the association’s activities over the past year. Among some of our recent initiatives: – The beginning of discussions with Park Superintendent Wendy Nillson on a renewal project for Prospect Terrace. – Hosted a public forum with Mayor Elorza, Councilman Zurier, top leadership of the Department of Public Works and the Mayor’s office to discuss ways to improve the snow removal process. – Hosted public meetings on the new Brown Engineering Building project and the PawSox stadium proposal. – Continued our ongoing collaborative participation with the Ward 2 Committee, the Brown Community Working Group and the Thayer Street Planning Stakeholder Committee. – Continued collaborative interaction with the Thayer Street District Management Association.

East Side Monthly January 2016

– Worked with DPW and representatives from local private schools to add additional school zone signs to address potential dangerous areas. In terms of our current activities, Josh announced we have joined Brown, Capstone Properties and others in opposing the renewal of the liquor license of Shark Bar and Grille on Thayer Street. We are also working with the City Planning Department on an equitable metered parking plan for our area.

We’d Love You to Join Us As 2015 comes to a close, we’d like to wish our neighborhood best wishes for the upcoming year and hope you include in your New Year’s resolutions joining as a member of CHNA. College Hill Neighborhood Association. PO Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. 6335230, www.collegehillna.com, chna@ collegehillna.com –Barry Fain

Brown Announces Changes in its Master Plan During the annual meeting, Brown alerted us to the amendments to their five year master plan they will be presenting to the City Plan Commission on January 21. The major change will involve the tearing down of seven houses along Brook Street and converting the resulting area into well-landscaped surface parking to temporarily alleviate current parking shortages on Thayer. It is expected within five years, that the school will have a proposal for new residential or administrative uses for the space. Residents interested in learning more about the specifics can visit Brown University’s website. Mayor Elorza also came to offer holiday greetings and answer questions from the attendees. In all, it was a pleasant and quite useful evening. We thank the Lippitt House for hosting the event and appreciate their commitment to the neighborhood.

Monthly Meeting Wednesday, January 27, 2016, from 7-8:45pm, Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street at Elmgrove Avenue, next to CVS. Free and open to all.

Two Art Projects coming to Thayer Street Thayer Street welcomes a Pop-Up Art exhibition “In Transition” at 271 Thayer Street, the former home of City Sports, as the first project in a plan to install art exhibitions in empty store front windows. The exhibition represents a collaboration between TSDMA and Artbeat, a Brown student organization. Local community artists Linda Handel and Nick Guilbert created the work which will run through January 31. A second art exhibition “Giant Wreath” by Carrie Hype will be installed at 284 Thayer Street above Kartabar Restaurant and will be on display through early February,

Wayland Square

This will be our first meeting since October 2015. Commercial Retrospective Fifty years ago, the Square wasn’t much of a gourmet haven, since the only eating places I remember were the Newport Creamery on Angell & Wayland (where Red Stripe is now), Rufful’s (est. 1957, now the Wayland Square Diner) and the Wayland Manor’s restaurant, plus maybe a deli. Even Minerva Pizza was in the future. On the other hand, there were some small specialty food shops that have now given way to the expansion of Haruki East (formerly Mavericks, formerly Penny’s) and the Salted Slate (formerly Farmstead cheese). Something of the opposite trend happened in clothing and shoes, as the Square now has more specialized shops and no branches of the former big department stores downtown, like Gladding’s. CVS now has to stand in for various variety stores and drug stores that were unable to withstand national business trends. Hall’s Drugs used to dominate the small enclave on Elmgrove & Lloyd, but now gone the way of many other local pharmacies unable to compete for insurer’s business with the giant national chains. Only fleetingly did Wayland Square

have any bookshops fifty years ago; now both Books on the Square (which just celebrated its 20th anniversary) and the Paper Nautilus (formerly Myopic Books) have planted some pretty sturdy roots. But there are no toyshops left. A few businesses besides the diner are still going, such as Ed Jaques’ barber shop (est. 1958) and Reliable Gold, now on the Square itself rather than Wayland and Medway. Wayland Square’s Neighborhoods Wayland Square differs from much of the East Side in its larger proportion of multi-unit housing to singlefamily houses. Many residents didn’t live here ten years ago and many will not be here ten years from now. This makes it harder to form a significant and durable neighborhood association: many of us don’t know our neighbors next door or across the street. Our neighborhood discussion group (which succeeded the older Wayland Square Residents’ Association in the summer of 2006, nearly ten years ago) consists basically of our Yahoo! Group, this column and very occasional attendance at our monthly meetings. Other associations have regular monthly board meetings in the intervals between annual or semi-annual general membership meetings; we don’t have enough active members to form such a board. But we have had some large and successful meetings when local interest peaks for candidates’ forums (as it may do this year) or briefings about crime and safety. More Information Check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board (below) to stay abreast of current local events and issues. Or join the group to receive regular announcements by e-mail, including select notices of neighborhood meetings, civic affairs and cultural events. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waylandsquare –David Kolsky

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The stellar academics at Brown University are one of Providence’s biggest points of pride. The Ivy League school has been turning out class after class of the country’s future leaders and influencers for two and a half centuries. The school has been a part of the East Side since before there was a commonly known East Side. College Hill wouldn’t be College Hill without the students walking its streets, filling its coffee shops, adding a necessary and vital element to the vibrant community around Thayer and Wickenden Streets. As permanent Providence residents, who sometimes read the student-run Brown Daily Herald and observe the coming and going of students with the passing seasons, it’s easy to assume that the university’s work is confined to what happens inside its campus. But the world-class research and education happening at Brown has lasting impacts on Providence and in Rhode Island. Brown in Providence Public Schools The school’s students and faculty share Brown’s educational resources with Providence’s young minds. Here are a few ways they have an impact: The Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University connects the

school’s students with opportunities to pursue their passion for public service outside the classroom and in the community. Over 500 Brown students participate in community partnerships every year, volunteering for adult education initiatives, prison outreach, community health, homelessness, the arts and more. A big component of the Swearer Center’s work focuses on elementary and high school education, volunteering for the Brown Elementary Mentorship Program, the MET Family Literacy Program, Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment and SAT Prep programs, among many others. www.brown.edu/academics/college/special-programs/public-service The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence provides 20 scholarships of $2500 each to Providence Public School graduates each year. The money can be used for any two- or four-year college, not just Brown. www.brown.edu/initiatives/ fund-for-children As one example, Brown is invested in enhancing the education of students at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School. Brown undergraduates, graduate students, staff and faculty contribute time and educational equipment to the school. They’re primarily

involved in athletics, science and art. Approximately 150-200 Brown student-athletes volunteer at Vartan Gregorian for the entire school year. They visit classrooms, act as tutors and lead sports clubs. Brown Athletics also donates game tickets, sports equipment, and apparel to VGES, and sponsors an annual Thanksgiving food drive. Graduate students and faculty teach science lessons at Vartan Gregorian, including graduate students teaching geology to second grade classes, and visits from graduate students from Brown’s collaboration with the Marine Biological Lab at Woods Hole. Brown art students volunteer with Eye to Eye,

East Side Monthly January 2016

a Brown alum-founded national organization that pairs high school/college mentors with learning disabilities to similarly-diagnosed elementary school students. Brown provides student mentors, art instructors, art materials and resources for children and families. The Children and Youth Cabinet, founded by then-Mayor Cicilline, is based at Brown’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform. The program works to ensure that all of Providence’s children receive the critical preschool education necessary for academic success, will enter school ready to learn and thrive in a learning environment, graduate on time and

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have access to postgraduate career and educational opportunities. www. cycprovidence.org Promoting Health and Wellness in Rhode Island Public programming, resources for the community and advocacy for healthy eating all add up to Brown making the state a healthier place. Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School offers resources to the community, like the Hope Clinic, which provides free access to health care for the uninsured. Many students and faculty from the school volunteer their time at the Rhode Island Free Clinic and the Teddy Bear Clinic, which prepares disadvantaged kids about what to expect at the doctor’s office. In addition, students participate in programs like the Pathways Mentorship Group, where high school students interested in medicine have mentors to help guide them, and Healing Through Harmony, which promotes patient healing by bringing in musical

performances to local hospitals. www. brown.edu/academics/medical/student-affairs/senate/student-groups/ medical-service Professors in the School of Public Health use their classes as ways to research and improve health issues in Rhode Island. Professor Brandon Marshall works on prescription drug addiction among young adults in Rhode Island. This past fall, students in Professor Akilah Dulin-Keita’s Place Matters class studied two areas in Providence, aiming to improve crosswalks and the conditions around Veazie Street Elementary School and the John Rollins Recreation Center on Prairie Avenue, so that kids would have an easier time being active outdoors. The School of Public Health is also invested in helping Rhode Islanders quit smoking, providing resources to help people quit, and conducting several paid studies to learn more about the smoking habits of everyone from teenagers to drug users to people who suffer from depression and anxiety. www.

brown.edu/academics/public-health/ research/alcohol-addiction-studies In September, Brown and the Rhode Island Public Health Institute launched Food on the Move Rhode Island, a program bringing affordable, healthy produce to low-income residents across the state, including Providence, Woonsocket, Central Falls, Pawtucket and South County. The program helps to alleviate “food deserts,” where people without cars don’t have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food. Brown as a Community Partner When learning becomes about making the community a better place, great things happen. The Teaching, Research and Impact Lab Program brings together students, faculty and community practitioners to cultivate solutions to complex social issues. Lab participants work together to research, learn and create positive social impact in Providence and Rhode Island. Currently, the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Lab investigates impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities in Rhode Island. This spring, the new Designing

Education for Better Prisoner and Community Health TRI-Lab will examine better education for inmates and the under-resourced communities from which they come, especially pertaining to health issues. Brown’s Engaged Scholars Program integrates academic and community work. Not only can students gain experience researching social issues in areas like Anthropology, Environmental Science, Theater Arts and Public Policy, but that experience can make real impacts on the city and state. Additionally, local organizations can request assistance from Engaged Scholarship in improving community issues. This month, 35 Brown students will be living in a downtown church for a week, to engage with social issues like homelessness and meet with local leaders and community members to learn more about addressing these problems. Today, Tomorrow, the Future Brown works every day to enhance students’ perspectives on the world. Luckily for Providence, much of that work makes our city a better place to live.

Brown University

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Providence Picture Frame and Dryden Gallery have a unique perspective on art What started in the mid-1800s in the Arcade has become New England’s biggest and oldest art and frame store. “We have something for everyone in our 40,000 square foot building,” says owner Geoffrey P. Gaunt. PPF specialized in custom framing, art sales, photo printing and restoration, antique maps, art transport and installation, framed mirrors and ready-made frames. “All of our work is done in right here Providence by the best framers around,” Geoff says. “We serve artists, collectors, museums, businesses and anyone else who needs our services - locally, and around the world.” Providence Picture Frame prides itself on providing the best quality, selection, service and prices. Providence Picture Frame started during the Civil War, and kept its downtown home for over a century. It moved to its current location (behind Benny’s on Branch Avenue) in 1976. “We have been successful because we never stop looking for better ways to serve our customers,”

TY L EA U NI

Framing the East Side

YEARs

donated just over $100,000 (in the form of cash and donated services) to non-profit organizations locally and around New England. Geoff Gaunt is the current and fourth owner of Providence Picture Frame. An accomplished woodworker, metalsmith and life-long maker, Geoff’s formal education is in Modern Languages, Photography, and Strategic Management, with an MBA from Providence College. Before Providence Picture Frame, he worked on strategic initiatives for a an international financial firm and was a liaison between that firm and what became Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks. “After that,” Geoff says, “I wanted to refocus my life on making lives more beautiful rather than simply more profitable.” He teaches framing workshops for RISD and lectures at galleries around New England. He is a member of the Providence Art Club and a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. “The East Side is not just our neighborhood, it’s such a rich mix of people who are authentically connected to their community,” Geoff says. He strongly believes in the power of relationships, community action and

giving back. “Here, you can find creative leaders and followers of the arts, education, faith, wellness, medicine and business. Since we’ve been here so long, we really feel like we’re part of this community.” As Providence Picture Frame moves into its next 150 years, there are big changes happening. PPF has recently acquired Picture This (the longtime framer on Wickenden Street). “We’re happy to announce that all of the antique maps, Richard Benjamin’s Photography and great staff from Picture This have all moved over to Providence Picture Frame,” Geoff says, reminding everyone about the abundant free parking by the building. This month is their annual Custom Framing Sale, when everyone gets their deepest Interior Designer discounts (normally reserved for only the highest volume customers). Institutions like Providence Picture Frame, that blend the city’s past with its future, are part of what makes Providence so great. As Geoff says, “It’s such an honor to go into an old home, business or university and see some of our work still hanging on the wall from over 100 years ago.”

Providence Picture Frame & Dryden Gallery 27 Dryden Lane, Providence 401-421-6196 www.ProvidencePictureFrame.com 26

East Side Monthly January 2016

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Inspired by Design at the RISD Museum

Master of Art

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R E A LT O R

ExcEpTiOnAL R E s u LT s

Perched on the East Side, sprawling across historic Benefit Street and down College Hill through to North Main Street, the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design – also known as the RISD Museum – is the state’s leading museum of art and design. Founded in 1877 as part of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Museum houses about 100,000 objects ranging from ancient art to new work by contemporary artists from across the globe. The cornerstone of Providence’s vibrant art scene, the RISD Museum contrasts its permanent collection of ancient items and significant pieces from historical figures with leading edge new exhibitions that feature today’s most influential artists. The Museum comprises five buildings and numerous galleries that exhibit a varied collection of American, Asian and European art and artifacts. The Museum’s collection features a wide range of major artists in the history of visual art and culture, including Cezanne, Chanel, Copley, Degas, Hirst, Homer, LeWitt, Matisse, Manet, Picasso, Rothko, Sargent, Turner, Twombly, van Gogh and Warhol. Gallery highlights include Impressionist paintings, 20th- and 21st-century design, Gorham silver, Newport furniture and ancient Greek objects. One of its most famous displays is the 12thcentury Buddha, which is the largest historic Japanese wooden sculpture in the United States; another is the

mummy of an ancient Egyptian priest, the centerpiece of the Ancient Egyptian Galleries. Nearby, the Museum’s new Costume and Textiles Gallery and Study Center juxtapose cloth and clothing from across cultures, time periods, and media—ranging from ancient textile fragments to contemporary haute couture fashions. The institution underwent an extensive expansion in 2008, adding on the modern and downtown-facing Chase Center The five story glass and brick building also houses RISD WORKS, the Museum’s store that features items designed and made by RISD alumni and faculty. The RISD Museum presents special exhibitions and public programs and events for all ages throughout the year, including artist talks, concerts, film screenings and hands-on workshops. Attracting more than 100,000 visitors each year, the Museum is a treasure for visitors near and far, inspiring lifelong relationships with art and design. Upcoming Exhibitions Opening January 22 •Jesse Burke: Wild & Precious •Drawing Conclusions •Swagged and Poufed: The Upholstered Body in the Late 19th Century and Today Opening April 8 •All of Everything: Todd Oldham Fashion

RIsD Museum 224 Benefit Street 401-454-6500 www.risdmuseum.org

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The Gordon School was founded in 1910 by pediatrician Dr. Helen West Cooke as the Open Air School in her living room on the East Side. Located on a beautiful 12-acre campus in East Providence since 1963, the institution proudly follows the directive highlighted on the bronze plaque placed at its entrance: “Founded in 1910 in the belief that mind and heart should be educated with equal care.” Gordon seeks to instill what Dr. Cooke termed “the true spirit of joyous work” into each day of school. The faculty implements a challenging, multicultural curriculum that fuels each child’s innate curiosity and idealistic spirit. Gordon empowers students to live and learn in an increasingly complex and diverse world with skillful awareness, unwavering hope and the capacity to advocate confidently for justice. The Gordon School is a racially diverse nursery through eighth grade coeducational independent school where students develop academic foundational skills that allow them to excel. Children ages three to 13 explore new activities, challenge assumptions, debate issues, analyze data, consider multiple perspectives, think critically and problem solve. From the science labs and stage to athletic fields and art and music studios, students learn

to lead with competence and confidence in all areas of the school in a kind, empathetic and respectful way that is modeled by all adults in the community. Students are exposed to local and national experiential learning opportunities outside of the traditional academic classroom. Play is considered vital at all grade levels and time is built into each student’s daily schedule for outdoor play and exploration. Students graduate Gordon prepared for the challenges of being leaders and agents of change in a complex and diverse world. Child by child, the Gordon School community cultivates successful students by inspiring joyful learning, encouraging intellectual leadership, fostering an empathic spirit and stimulating a drive for positive societal impact. Facts at a Glance • 33% of students commute from the East Side daily • 29% of faculty and staff commute from the East Side daily • 383 total enrollment • 44% of student body receives financial aid Come visit us during our upcoming Open House on Thursday, January 21 from 9-11:00 am.

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East Side Monthly January 2016

40 YEARS

Our little paper that could is 40 years old. To celebrate, we’ve asked our publishers, writers, locals and East Side experts to reflect on the how East Side Monthly and neighborhood have changed over the years.

 INSIDE THE STORY P. 33 P. 37 P. 40 P. 42 P. 45 P. 46

History of the East Side The Evolution of East Side Monthly For the Locals, By the Locals What Used-to-Be, From A-Z East Side Trivia Our April Fools Greatest Hits East Side Experts P. 49 Music: Rudy Cheeks P. 50 Food: Robert I. Burke P. 52 Politics: Scott MacKay P. 53 Neighborhood: Mike Fink

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Preparing the children of Providence to succeed in the diverse world in which we live since 1843 32

East Side Monthly January 2016

The Birth of a Magazine

East Side Monthly Evolution

How the little paper that could, actually did By Barry Fain

It started with a

handshake among three friends. And until very recently, very little was ever committed to legal documents. Beginning back on October 7, 1976, after many late night meetings in a small third floor apartment on Cady Street, the paper that was to become East Side Monthly was born. It has since evolved into what is now Providence Media, a conglomerate (with a very small “c” mind you) that continues to grow and now includes five other papers, an assortment of websites, and most recently an advertising promotion company. We were also part of a group that came quite close to buying the Providence Journal last year in an attempt to keep it local. But let’s go back to the beginning.

A Modest Start

Photography by Michael Cevoli

John Howell, one of the current partners, and Tony Ritacco started Southern RI Publications in 1969. It owned and printed weekly newspapers in Warwick, Seekonk, Coventry and Cranston and thought perhaps the East Side of Providence might be a good fit for them. Unfortunately after two

years, the new paper had stalled out and was about to close. Ever the persuasive salesman and still determined that it could work, John convinced his general manager Richard Fleischer (who at that time devoted most of his time to either John’s papers or vintage cares) and myself (a part owner of Fain’s Carpet but with five years of New York advertising experience and a love of writing) that being newspaper publishers might be an exciting way for two East Side bachelors to spend their spare time. Turns out he was right. I quickly learned what publishers actually do. An example from those first years: back then we had local high school kids delivering papers all over the East Side, usually in the family station wagon, to earn extra bucks. Then a major snowstorm hit. Guess who got called to pack their cars with soggy papers, negotiate the icy streets and then try to find where our 100-plus drop off points actually were? John at least remembers being invited into Allery’s, the jazz bar on North Main Street, by the owner to warm up. I just remember what seemed like a near death experience.

There was another even more memorable “publisher’s moment” a few years later. We were still using hundreds of store drops to circulate our paper. The two lead stories were both film related. Jenny Klein, a revered former teacher and administrator at Temple Emanu-el, had arranged a special showing of the powerful holocaust film Shoah. A second, lighter story featured a review of a remake of the classic ‘60s sci-fi movie The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum. Somehow the photos and headlines got switched. The photo of the beloved Mrs. Klein ran under a headline “The Ultimate Summer Pest” and bore the caption “Jeff Goldblum in his pre-fly state.” And in the Shoah story, there was a photo of a barely clad Goldblum about to go insect under the byline “Jenny Klein.” Several frantic hours later all the misprinted papers had been picked up and replaced with corrected copies. At least there was no snow.

The Original Team When the paper first started, our initial full-time team was, to say the least, modest in size. Karen Goldberg was the art director, though she knew very little about newspapers. Joyce Starr

Publishers Richard Fleischer, John Howell and Barry Fain

was hired to be our sales manager, though she had never sold anything in her life. And the editor was an exProvidence Journal reporter named Marty Kohn, who was described by one of his journalist friends as “someone who changes jobs the way most people change shirts.” And while Rich and I were working full-time jobs, we also had a lot of friends who were underemployed and willing to pitch in. The office, perched above Tortilla Flats on Hope Street, always reeked of the pungent smells of old Mexico, but at least it meant though underpaid, no one ever would go hungry during those all too frequent late night panics. The first month was insane. Karen decided after four weeks of deadlines and chaos that being on a newspaper was no longer part of her life’s to-do list and quit. Marilyn Bloom, the sister of one of Rich’s friends, took over. Joyce Starr, who later went on found her own very successful East Side real estate firm, turned out to be a superstar. And as Marty’s irreverent sense of wry humor kicked in, the paper began to get scooped up everywhere.

The Early Stories One of our best early features when we were weekly turned out to be something called “The Pothole of the Week.” Then, as now, Providence did not deal well with potholes. Our solution was to encourage our readers to take photos of the worst of the lot and then send them to the mayor’s office. Soon City Hall was being flooded with photos. Buddy was not happy, but guess what? It worked and we had a following. Soon our cadre of grossly underpaid but loyal freelancers mushroomed and included up-and-coming talents like Bill and Polly Reynolds, G. Wayne Miller, Dave Layman from Channel 6, Irwin Becker, Linda Lotridge Levin, Mary Murphy and John Pantelone, the latter two of whom both later became head of the URI journalism program. Marty’s wit attracted its well-deserved attention and after less than a year, he

January 2016 East Side Monthly

East Side Monthly Evolution

was offered what he described as “a wonderful opportunity at an obscene amount of money” working as a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. We contacted him in Detroit for this story and he reports he ended up working 30 years for the paper as their theatre reviewer and assistant editor. Always good with the guitar, he is now on the folk singing circuit with six CD’s to his credit. Old friends can check out his music at www. cdbaby.com/artist/martykohn. His successor was the often irascible but talented John Pantalone. He was what they call a journalistic bomb thrower and never held back from doing battle against anything he deemed an injustice. Under his four-year leadership, we decided to go citywide, changing our name to East Side-West Side. We became a full-fledged alternative weekly mixing it up with the likes of Vinny Suprenowitz’s Providence Eagle and Ty Davis’ The New Paper. Later, when The NewPaper was bought by the Boston Phoenix, the old sales force left and formed the Nice Paper. We covered things like the faculty strikes at RISD, unfair working conditions at Electric Boat and of course local hardball politics with Polly Reynolds (Bill’s sister) as the paper’s “take no prisoners” leader in this regard. John added fellow travelers like Charlie Drago, Irwin Becker, Norman Jacques and others who saw our paper as an opportunity to take on the world one article at a time. We were fortunate at that time to have Bob Dahm as our illustrator/ art director who later went national with his punchy political line drawings.

Going Monthly By now it was 1983 and we still hadn’t found a financial model that would ensure the survival of the paper. We had tried everything: Free. Paid. Local. Statewide. Alternative. Community. Store drop offs. Direct mail. Quite frankly we were running out of options. That’s when the current East Side Monthly took shape. As a monthly, I took on the role as editor while keeping my full-time job at Fain’s. We decided to return to mailing the paper free of charge to everyone in the 02906 zip code (plus throw in a little 02903 and 02904). Joining me was Steve Triedman, a close friend, the younger brother I never had and, like me, an East Side lifer. We refocused our attention back to

East Side Monthly January 2016

the East Side, but made sure to embrace all of our neighborhoods: Blackstone, College Hill, Fox Point, Wayland, Summit, Mount Hope. While there are obvious differences among the neighborhoods, there are significant issues that unite us: crime, taxes, snow removal, who best should represent our interests politically, how our children are being educated and still, of course, potholes. Whether it’s the latest changes coming to Blackstone Boulevard, late night activities on Thayer Street, a discussion of Brown’s next building project, development issues on the India Point waterfront, traffic problems at the Square, a new building being planned for Miriam or the latest goings on in Billy Taylor Park or the Mount Hope Learning Center, we’ve always tried to be there for the entire community.

Tackling Neighborhood Issues We often have taken leadership positions on issues we felt strongly about – the danger of a NewBay power plant across the Seekonk in East Providence, for example, or the inappropriateness of Brown’s decision to put an oversized Life Sciences Building on Thayer Street when, to us, building it in the Knowledge District nearer to the hospitals made more sense. We rallied the troops when a local physician decided to arbitrarily cut down a 100-year-old tree to expand his parking lot without discussing it with the City or his neighbors. We’re happy to report the City now has an ordinance protecting historic trees. And when there was a controversial decision that was being proposed – to put a new bike path on Blackstone Boulevard for example – we made plenty of space available for both sides of the issue. Looking back on our 40 years, perhaps the most amazing aspect of our longevity is not just that we’re still here, but rather that our East Side, all of approximately one-mile by twomiles, has been able to furnish us so many fascinating things to write about. There has never been a shortage of interesting people to profile, town and gown issues to debate, historic traditions to share with newer East Side arrivals, politicians to meet or irate letters to the editor and op-eds to publish. It explains how we’ve attracted so many writers who have helped us so

much by identifying and then reporting on our rich and diverse community over the years. Bob Cipriano on movies, Sam Coale and Molly Lederer on theatre, Ed Dalton and his taxicab chronicles, Jim Anderson with his annual East Side Halloween stories, Nancy Kirsch and her East Sider profiles, Jill Davidson and Sam Zurier on education, Brown professors over the years going way back to contributors like Jim Schevill, Bill Wyatt and Jacob Neusner for their glimpses into academia, Liz Rau on all sorts of subjects, and so many more.

Looking Ahead So where are we now? Our little Hope Street office, after stops on Angell Street, North Main Street and Olneyville, have become much fancier digs on Main Street in Pawtucket, just over the Providence line and certainly close enough for us to keep an eye on where it all started. With our other publications, Providence Monthly (which we bought from its colorful creator Greg Ferland), So Rhode Island, The Bay, Prime Time and our new statewide Hey Rhody magazine, we now have a combined circulation larger than the Journal. Add to this our websites and collateral side companies, we’re living proof that print, at least in Rhode Island, is a long way

from dead. And with the expertise of our superb Media Director Jeanette St. Pierre and an incredibly talented staff we feel are second to none in this area, we are excited to address the technological and social media opportunities for still further expansion. As our print publications grow, however, we remain committed to the idea of free newspapers. For years, that was a disadvantage. Paid was always perceived as better than free. Now, computers rule. And while this has crippled the big dailies, it actually has made our life a little easier. While you can still pick up any of our papers for no charge, we don’t call ourselves free any more. We like to say we’re now “priced to compete with the Internet.” So there you have it. The story of our newspaper mini-empire. The story of the good things that can happen if you commit yourself to being an integral part of your community and serve it well. The story of the power of a handshake. We now have shared more information about our paper – make that papers – than you probably really wanted (or needed) to know. That said, we still hope you found it interesting. After 40 years together, we’re too old to keep secrets from you anyway.

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East Side Monthly January 2016

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Our East Side: Then and Now

East Side History

Some thoughts on 40 years of change in our community By Steve Triedman

What a difference a day makes or, in this case, 14,600 days as we celebrate 40 years of covering the East Side. Change is inevitable… whether we like it or not and, while East Siders have fond memories of times past, new memories are being created every day. There have been a lot of changes in the past 40 years. Everyone has his or her favorite memory of days of yore, like sledding at Moses Brown, now a footnote in East Side lore. Or how in the days before national chains, all our local merchants knew your name and what your spouse would like for a holiday gift. And there are still a few among us who refer to the Eastside Marketplace as the First National or the IGA even as they go to the Almacs that is now Whole Foods. What has not changed is the intense devotion, passion and loyalty that morphs and maintains that great quilt we know as the East Side. For every group of new residents that pass through, some staying on for generations, some abandoning us for suburban schools but pledging to return, there is pride and an emotional connection to our neighborhoods, to the grand achievements in historic preservation, to the diverse housing stock, to the commercial corridors with their different styles and shopping and to a lifestyle with a

true sense of stability. Yet amidst our rather small geography, there are still seven different shopping areas, with some similarities and a lot of uniqueness. Plus an historic downtown just a stone’s throw away. “It’s not the way that it used to be,” the last generation would say, a statement that has been eerily repeated each decade. Hopefully, the specialness of the East Side will still be preserved when this story is updated 40 years from now.

Property Values We’ve always been the wealthiest area of the city, and the disparity between this area and the rest of the city has widened markedly during the last 40 years. Downtown has risen to become the second wealthiest area with all of the new apartments and condominiums. The East Side itself has distinctive neighborhoods – Blackstone, Wayland, College Hill, Fox Point, Hope and Mt. Hope. Many people have lived in different neighborhoods over their lifetimes… I am up to four. Each neighborhood has different housing stock, characteristics and lifestyle with a great deal of overlap. What’s most interesting is that a similar demographic manages to cross most of the neighborhoods. The East Side is the most affluent part of the city with higher property values, lower unemployment and higher income levels than the rest of the city. Approximately 20% of the city’s 175,000 people live on the East Side. Fox Point, Hope and Mt. Hope have seen steady gentrification over the last 40 years. A two-family home off Hope that sold for slightly less than $50,000 in 1980 recently sold for $315,000, a 530% increase! Younger buyers have driven this market and multifamily homes that have become condominiums have also fueled the growth. Condominiums were an anomaly 40 years ago and now make up a good portion of the market. Blackstone, Wayland and College Hill have seen similar and even larger increases. College Hill, based on housing, continues to remain the most expensive area of the city. The biggest change on the East Side has been in property values… and taxes. Some property values have increased between 300800% since 1976, but there have been several ups and downs with major rises in the early ‘80s followed by a crash in the late ‘80s. A 400-500% increase appears to be a reasonable average. Taxes, however, have only gone up… a lot. The biggest increase was during the Cicilline years when they jumped over

100%. A statistical evaluation is underway and this will likely show higher East Side values that will come with a greater tax burden. The only time they don’t go up is in an election year. The City of Providence began on the East Side as College Hill and was the site of the first permanent colonial settlement in Rhode Island in 1636 (Roger Williams lived here!). The first road, Cat Swamp Lane, now Olney Street was built in 1684 and the expansion across the East Side began with large farms. Growth was steady, but there were issues. Butler Hospital, one of the oldest psychiatric institutions in America, was built in 1844 in a picturesque idyllic setting “to remove patients from every day stress.” This was followed shortly by Swan Point Cemetery which, along with the City, commissioned Blackstone Boulevard that was originally intended to create better access to the cemetery for the rest of the city. Considered one of the finest examples of planning by Horace Cleveland and landscape architecture designed by Frederick Olmstead, it took 12 years to build and when completed surrounding land values tripled.

Traffic Issues Some of the physical changes on the East Side over the last 40 years have been dramatic. Most notable would be that Blackstone Boulevard, rightfully placed on the National Historic Register, now has a special bike lane and a large contingent of daily walkers and runners (but surprisingly few bicycle riders). It was a long battle, largely driven by non-residents of the East Side, but supported by a mayor with statewide ambitions, and while most residents still harbor mixed feelings, the change has been accepted. As we go to press, a community meeting had just been held over a traffic calming proposal for Blackstone Boulevard that had been in progress for several years and was not known to the majority of the East Side. The complete lack of transparency infuriated residents. Over 200 people attended, and it could only be described as an incredibly embarrassing presentation by the City Public Works Department who were eloquently, passionately and articulately castrated by speaker after speaker. It left an extremely bad impression of how the City is run, especially given its precarious financial situation. But the turnout and intensity of the support for the Boulevard left people proud of their neighborhood. Other recent changes have been the traffic bumpouts on Hope Street that seemed to have increased congestion and infuriated bicyclists. Parking meters, added to increase revenue on Thayer Street and Wayland Square, have crippled business and Hope Street

January 2016 East Side Monthly

East Side History

is next. Plus, almost all of North Main Street has seen major demolition and vacancies, though the addition of LA Fitness may help as well as the arrival of the East Side’s first electronic signs. Driving has increasingly gotten worse on the East Side (especially around Moses Brown and Wheeler) and institutions have grown steadily over the years (but have also created frustrating gridlock in their surrounding neighborhoods when school opens and closes). Ironically, Thayer Street, which has always been gridlocked, has seen a reduction in congestion with the addition of the new parking meters that seem to be keeping customers away. Brown University has continued to expand their footprint on the East Side, but after a contentious and costly battle with the neighbors over its oversized Life Sciences building on Thayer Street, they have come to the realization that much of its future growth will take place off the East Side in the Knowledge District. To their credit there has been more transparency since the showdown and hopes are that a new period of harmony may be at hand. There will always be issues, of course, as evidenced by resident feedback over Gilbane’s huge new student housing apartment complex between Thayer and Brook Streets and the school’s science building addition at Hope and George Streets. What has been incredible is that with every new building, parking is further reduced. Most of the parking at the Aldrich Dexter sports complex is gone, and 40 years ago there was barely enough parking on the Brown campus. With every new building, the problem has only gotten worse. The solution, which has been talked about for decades, is a parking garage, but with no community or political pressure resolution remains elusive.

Neighborhood Digs

East Side Monthly January 2016

The Food Scene Hope Street, driven by restaurants at night and Seven Stars by day, has become the East Side’s commercial mecca. The area has become the trendy place to shop, see and be seen. And with a proliferation of restaurants up and down the street, home cooking on the East Side has to be in decline over the past four decades. The shift began in the ‘70s when Thayer Street became a Brown and high school student area with mostly fast, or near fast, food, bars and stores catering to the young. The Gap made a run and then was replaced by City Sports, which just recently departed. Long-time favorite Adesso went out and it took years for a replacement that came in the form of a chain. You don’t see as many East Siders shopping on the street, but the Avon Cinema is still hanging in. By far, the area of the East Side that has seen the most dramatic change has been Mt. Hope or, as the newer residents prefer, WoHo. The area battled the Miriam Hospital’s expansion, took some small victories and ultimately welcomed higher rents from hospital employees while the commercial corridor has become the hottest restaurant and trendy shopping, area of the East Side. Many two-family homes, the mainstay of the area, have been condominiumized as property values have doubled and tripled. The ability to walk from your home to grab a bite or shop makes this a great area. The weekly (in good weather) farmer’s market at the north end of Hope and the Boulevard has exploded and is easily the largest regular East Side gathering.

John Lombardi served as a caretaker mayor for several months and made efforts to engage the East Side, which didn’t return the overtures. David Cicilline was elected with the strong support of his East Side neighbors. East Siders set up Angel Tavares’ victory and turned down Buddy III for Jorge Elorza. Since the turn of the century, things haven’t been going as well as one might like with potholes, inadequate snow plowing, taxes and crime still dominating conversations. Taxes have gone up over 100% for most East Siders during this period and remain the highest in the city, while an increasing number of critics complain the few services the East Side relies on have gone from excellent to middling to the current “Are you kidding me?”

But It’s Still Home to Us Revered East Siders like Antoinette Downing and Mary Elizabeth Sharpe, who were responsible for two of our areas most beloved characteristics – preservation and trees – have long since passed, and while much of their efforts have survived, the need for vigilance remains. Over the last month, the RI Department of Transportation has been deforesting South Main Street, clear-cutting most of the trees. When questioned, the RIDOT supervisor’s incredible comment was “funny, how trees and sidewalks don’t work together.” Still, when everything is said and done, the East Side remains very much what it always has been: arguably the best urban residential area between Boston and Washington. It’s pretty. It’s sophisticated. It’s diverse. It’s liberal. And it’s populated by residents who continue to take special pride in calling the East Side of Providence home.

A Half-Dozen Mayors Mayors. We’ve seen six over the last 40 years and the East Side has played a critical role in each election. Three have been East Siders (we count Joe Paolino, because his father lived here). Buddy Cianci was mayor back in 1976 and he brought a new spirit and energy, and over his terms he probably did more positive things for the city over the last 40 years than anyone else. The East Side’s love/hate relationship carried him to multiple victories as well as a likely career-ending defeat last year. Ironically, it was the East Side that elected Buddy Cianci in 1974 as a Republican reformer. He brought strong ideas, vision and leadership to a city that was a mess, and while he wasn’t always PC enough for many East Siders, he got things done. For over half of the last 40 years he was our mayor. Joe Paolino served between Buddy I and II and many of the management improvements that his administration made continued. During the administrations of these mayors, East Siders saw streets plowed from curb to curb, potholes filled and adequate police protection.

May 2012

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New architecturally indistinctive houses have been built on just about every vacant lot on the East Side and there have even been several teardowns, replaced by much larger homes. Condominium conversions have slowed but have had a major impact on the real estate scene. The Pitman Street area has seen the most major new construction with three apartment buildings and a condominium complex. Vartan Gregorian School in Fox Point and Martin Luther King in Mt. Hope remain two of the best elementary schools in the city, positions they have held for decades. Nathan Bishop received an impressive facelift in a major push to revitalize the East Side’s only middle school. While the environment has greatly improved, the jury remains out on whether the education quality has followed suit. A strong parent association continues the good fight though, we’re told. Commercial areas have seen dramatic changes. Over the last 40 years, the East Side has seen a steady exodus of locally-owned stores, some replaced by chains and others falling to the changing lifestyle. There used to be four men’s stores on the East Side, and now there is one. The character of Wayland Square has changed from local stores catering to shoppers in the neighborhood (the carriage trade) to a much more upscale feel with restaurants and chains bringing in much higher rents

but pushing out many of the locally-owned stores. An entire block was vacant for several years forcing longtime tenants out of business or scrambling, it is now being replaced by a national chain.

Thayer Street ponders its past... and its future

East Side Chess Masters in Training pg 22

From Providence to Punjab pg 26

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Neighborhood Love

East Side Anecdotes

Area residents proclaim their passion for where they live

the strengths of the East Side than by asking its inhabitants? Well, we’ve done just that and we have to say it seems the East Side just keeps getting better with age.

“

I moved to the East Side reluctantly from Manhattan in 1993. When I looked at apartments, I was won over by the Fox Point neighborhood, where I still live. It has the charm and quirks of Greenwich Village without the high price tags, and I love waking up to the smell of coffee roasting a few blocks away at the Coffee Exchange. -Ann Hood, author

”

“Where Starbucks is [now] used to be a big grassy lot we referred to as ‘The Indian Path’. In the late ‘60s Wayland Square was quite elegant. There was a hat maker (she did my sister’s wedding hat), a men’s haberdashery, two drug stores, a few very high end women’s clothing stores and of course, Reliable Gold. There was a fur store, Thayer McNeil and Kays Newport, which had large fancy mirrors in the store which were supposedly from a Newport mansion. Newport Creamery was the gathering place after middle school concerts. Our family of seven grew up at the dead end of Medway Street and we are all still in the neighborhood. –Suzanne Kelley, reader

”

“

I love going for long runs around the neighborhood. There is so much to see – from our neighbor’s pocket gardens, to the swans on the river, to the changing foliage on Blackstone Boulevard. And even though I don’t know many of the people whose paths I cross while running, after years of daily runs, we recognize each other by sight, and often wave hello. It’s a quirky, friendly, beautiful place to live! -Annie DeGroot,

”

vaccine researcher and entrepreneur

“I have been an East Sider my whole life. I grew up off Hope Street, one block south of Seven Stars Bakery. It used to be the neighborhood gas station. What I love so much about where I live is that everything is a mere stone’s throw away. There are three

East Side Monthly January 2016

major business areas all quaintly nestled in the residential neighborhood – all within walking or biking distance – chock full of eateries, specialty food shops, clothes boutiques, a library, a Jewish delicatessen and a movie theater all privately owned by the small business owners who actually work in their own stores (except for the library, of course). The old adage is true; ‘a place where everybody knows your name’ makes for a very nice place to live. -Deb Norman, restaurateur

”

“

[Living on the East Side] is basically living in the suburbs but with the city culture and access. The community, the shops, the Boulevard, feeling safe, Apsara, easy access to so many neighborhoods. East Side girl for life! -Sierra Barter, Providence Lady Project

”

“

I have been living on the East Side since the 1960s, when I came here from college to work as a reporter at the Providence Journal. I married, raised two daughters who went to public schools on the East Side and have never regretted staying here. The East Side has everything you ever could need. It’s a small city with a diverse population and cultural activities, wonderful architecture and an abundance of delicious restaurants. Why leave? -Linda Lotridge Levin, journalist

”

“

The East Side provides us the history and the roots we need in our lives. Because of its size, it’s easy to embrace as it embraces you back. The arts and architecture are part of the East Side’s DNA. Among our neighbors are so many creative, open minded, intellectually curious people. And for us personally, the Providence Art Club has become our second home. Such a wonderful community right outside our door. -Audrey Monahan, retired

”

dancer and choreographer, now a fine art photographer & Tom Monahan, retired advertising creative director, now a portrait painter

“

Having lived for decades in an 1862 historic house in Charleston, SC, our

College Hill’s historic architecture, like the Fleur-delys Studios, is just one of the perks of East Side life

transition to the East Side of Providence in 2007 felt like we were back at home. Our decision to purchase an historic 1852 home on Benefit Street was an absolute no brainer. Providence’s East Side offers many of the same amenities as downtown Charleston including fabulous restaurants, stunning architecture, cultural venues all within walking distance of our home. We enjoy participating in the many activities at Brown and RISD, getting involved with local art organizations and participating in the environmental activities. Our daily walks around the East Side neighborhood always offer us plenty of opportunities for social and intellectual stimulation. In so many ways, Providence is uniquely similar to our beloved Charleston (except for that ridiculous winter white stuff, of course). -Wendy, Marcus interior designer & Al Goer interior displays manufacturer

”

“

It was the extraordinary fabric of the historic architecture on the East Side that attracted me to come to Providence years ago and it continues to command my respect to this day. As a perspective student touring the Brown campus, I fell in love with the place. Where else in this country could you find such a collection of architectural landmarks from so many periods of our country’s development? From the 18th century there is University Hall, the

First Baptist Meeting House and the handsomely restored houses of Benefit Street. From the 19th century there are the mansions built by the China trade merchants, as well as those built later in the century by wealthy industrialists. There are even significant modern buildings to be found on the various school and college campuses. What is also of significance is the dedication and hard work shown by East Siders over the years to protect and preserve this enduring legacy -Clifford (Jack) Renshaw, architect and preservationist

”

“

I first lived in an 1825 house on Williams Street. I think it is the most beautiful street in Providence, with blossoming trees in the spring and a parade of gorgeous Colonial homes. I read in a magazine that Barnes Street, where I live now, is the second most beautiful street in Rhode Island. College Hill offers a rich history of African-American life and culture, from William J. Brown, whose memoir explores a freeman’s life on the hill, to Sissieretta Jones, international opera diva who sang for four US presidents. I have explored all of these stories and more in writing, lectures and exhibits, and erected a plaque to Jones on South Court Street. In the 1980s, College Hill elected me State Representative twice, making me the first African-American to serve it. -Ray Rickman, Stages of Freedom

”

Photography by Mike Braca

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Used-to-Be, From A to Z

Neighborhood History

Strolling down memory lane, one shop at time By Barry Fain The original plan was

to pick 40 of our favorite haunts that in the familiar Rhode Island tradition “used to be” here on the East Side, but no longer exist. Well, pretty soon the 40 was 50, then 60, then… well you get the picture. We finally stopped at 70. Undoubtedly our readers, especially depending on their age, might have 70 more. Please share them with us on our Facebook page or comment on our choices, which we hope you’ll enjoy.

Adesso (owned by the controversial Blaise Marfeo, their Cresto di Gallo was unbeatable); Alba Runci’s (with its hobby horse in the window and its white-coated barbers, it was where so many East Side children were taken for that first haircut); Alfredo’s (a really good, inexpensive Thayer Street Italian restaurant that surprisingly has never been replaced – must be the rents); and American Safe & Lock (for three generations there wasn’t any lock or key problem the Wolferseder family couldn’t solve).

Bagel’s East (there was a time when Sunday mornings weren’t official without one of their fresh bagels and a cream cheese schmear); Beau James (on North Main Street, David Brandt’s longtime gathering spot was the place for dependable dining); and Big Alice’s (the first of the non-chain options for local ice cream cognoscenti).

College Hill Bookstore (where browsing truly became an art form); Clarke’s (the Salafia’s got it right about flowers back before supermarkets got into the biz); and Convergence (Bob Rizzo’s imaginative sculpture festival that helped start the downtown arts engine).

David’s Pot Belly (home of its amazing stuffed hamburgers until David self-destructed by jacking up prices during the Blizzard of ‘78); Davol Square (an ambitious attempt in the late ‘70s by Rob Freeman, from a prominent East Side family, to convert four abandoned factory buildings in Fox Point

into a high end, non-chain retail mall. By 1991 it ultimately failed and was sold, but what a hip and glorious effort it was); and Details (that unique store on Thayer that always seemed to have the perfect accessory).

E.P. Anthony Drugs (everything you needed from an old fashioned apothecary served up in smashing surroundings plus gourmet chocolate to boot).

Fain’s (this four-generation family business offered an unmatched selection of flooring, from kilims to kirmans, served up in a vintage, art deco setting); Farmstead (a slice of Americana served up by celebrity chefs Matt and Kate Jennings who sadly have returned to their Boston roots); and Florentine Faire (great events that celebrated the City’s Italian heritage back when we were hot).

Gatehouse (catering, fine cuisine and camaraderie came together at Hank Kate’s popular waterfront restaurant on the Seekonk) and Gravity Games (NBC’s brave attempt to match ESPN, which at least kept our streets and waterfront nationally relevant).

Hall’s Drugs (the last of the great independent stand alones); Harrison’s (a testament to the civil, understated ways of yesteryear); Harvey’s (everything a man could want until it fell victim to the informality of the ‘70s); and Hillhouse (a bookend to Harvey’s).

IHOP (Tacky? Maybe a little. But it still had tasty pancakes and a wonderful blue roof) and Ivy Drug (back in the days before the big chains, Thayer Street and Elmgrove had their favorite drug stores, this one was Hope Street’s).

American Safe & Lock was an East Side institution for 100 years

East Side Monthly January 2016

Jazz at Allery’s (a warm, welcoming jazz hangout lovingly nurtured by a wonderful lady); Jone Pasha’s (eclectic selections imported from around the world joined by custom pieces she made

for customers like Bob Dylan); and JRS Gallery (the gallery whose openings first ignited the art scene along Wickenden).

Kays Newport (for years, the shoein shoe capital of the East Side) and Kenneth Cote Salon (the go-to upscale East Side salon, ‘til they went suburban).

Lad and Lassie (the Hope Street home for that first pair of serious shoes on the old East Side); Lloyd’s (except for its inability to keep from burning down, everything about this Solomon family institution was perfect); Learning Connection (great courses, things to do, and meeting new people); Les Enfants (classy children’s clothing presented in even classier surroundings); the windows at Raul Lovett’s office (our very own Mickey Mouse lawyer); and L’Elizabeth’s (Trés sophisticated. Trés magnifique).

Maximillian’s (homemade ice cream just before the Pawtucket line); Merry-Go-Round (personalized toys for its generation); Meeting Street Post Office (a true community meeting place sadly missed); Miller’s (the last of the great old Jewish East Side delis); and Montana (one of those rare Thayer Street haunts that appealed to both students and nearby residents).

Newport Creamery at the Square (this hang out for teens was awful awful important in its day).

OOP! (the retail leader of Thayer Street responsible for the street’s colorful street festivals) and Opulent Owl (it put South Main Street on the map as a retail destination).

Arthur Palmer (the first – and only– place on the East Side to offer both skis and preppy slacks); Panache (the best chocolate chip cookies/bar ever); Penguins (the funky dessert place well in advance of the chains on Thayer Street); and Preamble Antiques (Hope Street’s longtime East Side antique center).

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The Quadrangles at Brown (much of the secret sauce that makes the East Side so special comes from the ongoing migration of new students to Brown and RISD every September. An occasional walk through rarely fails to rekindle memories from the past).

Roitmans (once the best place for furniture, Danish or otherwise, in the state); RI Auditorium (where the legendary Rocky Marciano and our beloved RI Reds held court); Ruby’s (was there ever a funkier or more fabulous place for breakfast?); Rue de L’Espoir (only gone a few months and we already miss it); and Rusty Scupper (whether married or single, it was the place to be on a Friday night).

Photography by Mike Braca

Sam Sing’s (the last of the old Chinese laundries and where Sam had everyone’s number); 729 Hope Street (started by Guy Abelson, it offered good food, great catering and art work on the walls); Sledding at MB hill (once a required rite of passage for every child claiming to be a true East Sider); Spike’s (somehow they managed to make eating hot dogs cool); Spoons (provided great soups as well as starter jobs for a lot of East Side kids); the old Stereo Discount Center (wild, chaotic and fun with Jon Bell as the ringmaster); and Submarine Races on the Seekonk (if you’re under 60 you probably don’t have a clue what we’re talking about).

Thayer Street Market (yes you could once do serious food shopping on Thayer Street and yes, we wish

you could still); 3 Steeple Street (their humongous salads served in large wooden bowls were legendary); and T.W. Rounds (back in the days when they owned the local leather market).

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Underground Camera (a funky place to camera shop back when film and special lenses meant something).

Verlaine (unusual New York level decorator fabrics on display in our own little city).

Some restaurants at Wayland Manor (the prior home to Providence Bookstore Cafe and Twist on Angell, some wonderful restaurants that never seemed to catch on for long, alas).

X Games (our steep College Hill streets provided some much appreciated national TV exposure to a resurging Providence).

Yaffe (in honor of the health food guru/entrepreneur Bob Yaffe who started Harvest Sheaf, Garden Grille, Wildflower Vegan Bakery and now The Grange, who got us all eating better).

Z-Bar (initially Café at Brooks, this popular Wickenden hangout also boasted a secret outdoor backyard hideaway to boot) and ZuZu’s Petals (the recently closed Thayer Street clothing store always seem to stay young and roll with the changing generations at Brown).

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

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East Side Monthly January 2016

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What was the name of the very first bar at Wayland Square? Hint: It has the same name as a popular TV show back then.

Classical High School actually started on the East Side of Providence back in 1843. Where was it located? What is that area called now?

What was the name of the first pizzeria to be located on the East Side? What street was it on?

Hope or Classical: Which of the two schools did the following people attend? Author H.P. Lovecraft Humorist S.J. Perelman Congressman Eddie Beard Governor Bruce Sundlun International Saxophonist Scott Hamilton The Sopranos Head Writer Robin Green

The house for the opening shots of the NBC TV series Providence was located on what street?

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Which of the following Hollywood stars did not send their kid to Brown? Danny DeVito Jack Nicholson Diana Ross Robert DeNiro Steven Spielberg Bruce Willis

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Which of the following Brown alums did not actually graduate? Joe Paterno Ted Turner John F. Kennedy Emma Watson John D. Rockefeller

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Answers: 1. Maverick’s. 2. On the corner of Benefit and Waterman, in the area now known as The RISD Beach. 3. Art’s Pizza, on Burlington Street. 4. Hope: Lovecraft, Beard, Hamilton. Classical: Perelman, Sundlun, Green. 5. Laurel Avenue 6. A poet who died at 16, commemorated with a statue on Blackstone Boulevard. 7. Cinerama, now the CVS on Hope Street. 8. The Incredible Organ, owned by Skip Chernov. 9. Robert DeNiro. 10. Ted Turner.

Remember When We Tried to Trick You?

Fooling Our Readers

From phony toll booths to merging cities, East Side Monthly has run the gamut of April Fools’ stories By Steve Triedman April Fools, or the 32nd day of March, became almost a sacred holiday at East Side Monthly. When we started our tradition there was no Internet to speak of. News came from mainstream outlets and “breaking news” meant that you read the paper before your neighbor. Our headlines were often on the edge of reality, but hopefully just credible enough to garner reader’s attention. The April issue became the favorite and most well read, and while people began to figure it out over time, many were still caught off guard, especially when we changed our publication schedule and the issue came out in late March. A common premise was that the City of Providence was in a dire financial condition… Oh, what a surprise! We caused the Providence City Hall switchboard to shut down following an overwhelming response to one story and generated national and international press following up on others. Enjoy the memories. Nuclear Plant Planned for East Providence It started in 1990 with the over-the-top East Side hysteria over the proposed Newbay power plant in East Providence.

The term NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) joined the vocabulary of many of us. Initially, the issue was over its height and the pollution it would spew onto the East Side. So we ran a cover story that said that the proposed plant was being redesigned as a nuclear power plant. Many people didn’t even read the story, got upset and berated their elected officials to complain. A tradition had begun. Cianci Declares War on Commuters, Toll Booths to Go up Tuesday In 1991, with the City of Providence in a somewhat precarious financial position, we struck again with Mayor Buddy Cianci declaring war on commuters and his plan to place tollbooths on every street that came into Providence. An elaborate map (complete with dots) showed the location of each tollbooth. With Buddy declaring “starting on Tuesday we will all know for whom the toll bells. It tolls for thee, if thee does not live in Providence.” The toll was only $.25 but would bring in $25,000,000 in annual revenue. All of the radio stations picked up the story, and the day it hit the streets hundreds of phone calls flooded City Hall shutting down the switchboard. Narragansett Indians Seek Return of Providence Land, Plan Casino Complex In 1993, we had the Narragansett Indians in Federal Court arguing through their attorney, Lawrence Tribe, their claim for the land while Mayor Buddy Cianci had “reservations.” The timing coincided with the completion of the Convention Center, where there were major concerns about the economic viability of the building. Interestingly, had our story been true, it would have secured a serious revenue stream for the City and the State. Even Attorney General Jeff Pine, an East Sider himself who traced his roots to the Indian Leader White Fish of the Mischpoochas, weighed in. Brown, Johnson & Wales to Merge In 1994, we had Brown merging with Johnson & Wales with Brown President

East Side Monthly January 2016

Vartan Gregorian declaring, “When I first came to Providence I heard about this little cooking school called Johnson & Wales and I thought ‘They Cook, We Eat!’ how nice.” Jack Yenna, JWU president, initiated the conversation noting the similarities between the two universities: “I told Vartan that our tuitions are the same, our curriculums are similar and our graduates end up waiting on tables.” Students at both schools had mixed reactions. “I hear them (JWU students) referring to a woman’s nice buns and my blood boils until I realize that they’re referring to something that was baked,” explained a politically correct Brown undergrad. City to Sell Off Part of East Side to Balance Budget In 1996, with Providence finances still in bad shape, we sold a portion of the East Side to Barrington following an ”influx of new residents moving into restricted areas of Barrington. Barringtonside would allow Barrington to offer the caché of Barrington without actually having to deal with any newcomers directly.” Constance Worthaton, a long time Barrington resident, explained, “what’s the point of having a country club if you let everyone join.” Mayor Cianci tried to counter by saying the East Side and Barrington have a lot in common. “The Junior League is headquartered here after all.” Constance shot back, “Mayor, why do you think it’s the Junior League?” John F. Kennedy, Jr to be Named Next President of Brown In 1997, we actually produced a worldwide response when we reported that John F. Kennedy, Jr., a Brown alumnus, would be named the new President of the University. The timing was perfect as Vartan Gregorian had announced his departure and a search was on. The Brown communications office was overwhelmed with press inquiries including a reporter from The London Times who called Brown’s press officer who responded indignantly, “Do you think that we would announce this

through a local newspaper?” And, was met with the classic follow-up, “Are you confirming or denying the story?” City Plans New WaterFire Exhibit for Boulevard In 1998, as dredging was beginning on our downtown rivers putting WaterFire on hold, we announced that the event would be temporarily moved to Blackstone Boulevard. Calling itself “LandFire,” golf carts would tow wheelbarrows to restoke the urns that would be placed right down the middle of the median. The concept was created by world famous artist Chemin de Feu who noted that the idea came to him when he saw a driver on the Boulevard toss a cigarette out his window and hit a jogger who became a torch. Hillary Clinton to Run for Chafee’s Senate Seat In 1999, we had First Lady Hillary Clinton announcing her intention to run for John Chafee’s senate seat. This was before she officially chose New York State a year later. Citing a friendly press, a state that you can cover in 90 minutes and the popularity of her husband, she thought it was a lock.

Fooling Our Readers

Real Estate

Collaborative Lifespan Declares RI Healthy, Will Stop Seeing Patients In 2000, Lifespan declared that RI was healthy and would stop seeing patients. Called “Rhode Island: The Healthy Years,” the hospital conglomerate justified the decision based on the dramatic rise of the value of its real estate, providing a great opportunity for shareholders to maximize their value. Doctors pointed out that overall RI was healthy, “Oh there are some sick people here, as a matter of fact some very, very sick people in RI, but they don’t need a hospital, if you know what we mean.” Preservation Society to Implement New Historic Demolition Plan In 2001, the Providence Preservation Society was implementing a new historic demolition plan “targeting properties that have not lived up to our expectations.” It would give PPS an opportunity to reclaim parts of neighborhoods that have been lost to people “who don’t truly believe in, or understand serious preservation and shouldn’t be living there anyway.” North Burial Ground Sold, New Vineyard Planned This one actually got us into trouble. In 2002, we sold the North Burial Ground for a new vineyard. Buddy was selling the cemetery to raise money for the City’s most recent revenue shortfall. He also announced his own wine brands: Mayor’s Own Bordeaux (MOB); Mayor’s Own Muscatel (MOM); Mayor’s Own Port (MOP); Mayor’s

Thinking of Selling This Spring? Planning Works. Our Team Works. We Love What We Do!

Own Ouzo (MOO) to supplement the Federal Hill Reserve; a Merlot de Mineral Spring; and Chianti Cianci. Unfortunately we also announced negotiation had begun with nearby Swan Point Cemetery about the relocation of plots. After several legal threats and an apology from us, all was resolved. The Big Merge… Cranston Preparing to Become Part of Providence In 2004, Mayors Cicilline and Laffey, under the direction of Governor Carcieri, agreed to a friendly merger that would dramatically change the financial viability of both cities. With taxexempt institutions killing both cities, Laffey threatened to evict his biggest tax exempt, the ACI, which had gotten the Governor’s full attention very quickly. City Considering New Tax on Dogs In 2005, with an election year looming and a $30,000,000 city deficit, Mayor Cicilline, looking for more revenue, proposed raising the dog license fee from $10 to $100 (a 13 dog-years increase) and adding a dog impact fee ranging from $50-$200 per dog. “There is still some debate whether the fees should be computed based on the size of the dog, the number of times it needs to be walked or the amount of you-know-what it produces,” said Cicilline’s Director of Administration John Simmons. A new group DOG-GONE IT (Dog Owners Grumbling Greatly Over Needless Extra Incity Taxes) was organizing to protest the new proposed program. Casino Riverboats Proposed for India Point In 2006, Faber University and the City signed an agreement to build a campus at India Point and the University (the successor to Faber College) agreed to an annual payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) of $100,000,000. They intended to run a major riverboat gambling operation hidden within the college, which according to Mayor Cicilline they failed to disclose. The 1,000-car parking garage with a classroom on top might have been a hint. Major Changes to Follow Mandle’s Departure at RISD In 2007, the RISD Board realized that they needed the Benjamins not the Berninis and were looking to increase their fundraising. This followed the RISD strategic plan: RISD – E – F – G

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David Hasslinger to create a series of schools following the alphabet. “We envision a school that will challenge Type-A engineers to design ‘really cool looking stuff.’” Luxury Suites Proposed for State House In 2008, we reported on new luxury suites proposed for State House. “It’s been very successful in Foxboro,” offered Governor Carcieri who thought that each of the 30 boxes would bring in around $900,000 per box. Ironically, we had Speaker Gordon Fox suggesting that $500,000 was more in line with reality but “retracted it when an aide pointed out the gentlemen wearing dark suits with the FBI who were ‘observing.’” Cianci to Head Group Buying Providence Journal In 2009, following the bankruptcy filing of The Philadelphia Enquirer, The New Haven Register and the Rocky Mountain Post and Buddy’s vitriolic hatred of the newspaper, it was certainly plausible. And, their bid of $38,500,000 was fairly close to what the Journal actually sold for this past year! Who knew? Wind Turbines Proposed for Old Shooters Site In 2010, we had a wind farm off India Point that would power the East Side and also get rid of the power lines at the same time. “We’re Big Fans” read the buttons of proponents and politicians. Smarting from the absurd $100,000 “P” commissioned by the Cicilline Administration, slogans such as “Providence… Passing Wind” and “Providence: The City of The Big Blow” started to surface.

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East Side Monthly January 2016

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on forty successful years in publication.

East Side Expert: Music

And the Beat Goes On

East Side Experts

A look at the Providence music scene then and now By Rudy Cheeks I’ve been asked to

describe what the arts and music scene was like in Providence back in the ‘70s when this paper was just getting started. In short, it was an incredibly exciting place to be, and I was fortunate enough to be right in the middle of it all. I had fallen in with some folks from RISD and we had started a band called The Fabulous Motels. In the band were not only the seeds of what would become The Young Adults, but also an incredible number of figures who would soon outgrow Providence and make it big time.

The Sizzling Seventies One was Charles (Claverie) Rocket, who left for Saturday Night Live and a career in films and television. Back then though, he and his partner in crime, the iconic painter Dan Gosch (who painted the famous wall portraits at the old Leo’s Bar), would often morph into Captain Packard and Lobo, environmental superheroes, who would appear at Kentucky Fried Chicken openings (invited) or at a General Assembly session (uninvited). Another of my personal favorites was Bonita Flanders, who

went on to do lots of sets, art design and costuming in films and at Trinity Rep as well as directing my cable television show, Club Genius, in the early ‘80s. But this isn’t about me. This is about a lot of other things going on, especially on the East Side, during this fertile period in Providence history. Hope High School in the mid-‘70s was blessed with a number of incredibly talented music students, some of who made it big. Scott Hamilton, now considered one of the finest tenor saxophonists in the world, is based in London. Jack Moore (bass and drums), Rory McLeod (bass), Preston Hubbard (bass), Chris Flory (guitar) and others made it as well. Many did stints with Rhode Island’s own five-time Grammy nominated Roomful of Blues. True musicologists might be interested in knowing that Hubbard also played with The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their hit records with Columbia, while Moore actually moved to Texas and worked with legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan. Another classmate at Hope was Eddie Gorodetsky, who went from working in radio to writing and producing for television on such shows as Saturday Night Live, SCTV and Night

Legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan performing at the orignal Lupo’s

Music (one of those great, late night music shows that only lasted a few years). Eddie also was the producer for Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour (2006-2009) and, more recently, has been involved with a number of television sitcoms (among them, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory).

The Club Scene Explodes The mid-‘70s also marked the beginning of a new age of nightclubs in the Providence area that featured live music. The original Met Cafe and Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel both started in 19741975 a few blocks from each other in downtown Providence. Right across Westminster Street from Lupo’s was the original Living Room. Each club had a distinctive musical template: the Met featured primarily blues and rhythm and blues performers, Lupo’s presented a wider variety of roots music acts (now referred to as Americana) while the Living Room opened their doors to the emerging punk, new wave scene. The mid-‘70s also marked the beginning of the alternative newspaper boom downtown, which acted as a stimulus to the music club scene. The first to appear was NewPaper, an arts and entertainment alternative weekly that, by the mid-‘80s, was bought out by the Phoenix group of papers based in Boston, eventually becoming the Providence Phoenix. There was also a short-lived (five years) alt-weekly called The Providence Eagle, and when the Phoenix bought the NewPaper, another offshoot publication was put out by some former NewPaper staffers called The Nice Paper. The East SideWest Side was there as well, but concentrated less on the music scene. Now that the music clubs had an alternative press to advertise and promote the emerging music scene, bands were sprouting up all over. One RISD student who tried out for a guitar was David Byrne. David didn’t get into the band but, soon after, put together a group of his own with fellow RISD-ites, Tina

Weymouth and Chris Frantz. They ended up moving to New York City and, within a few years, his band, the legendary Talking Heads, had become a major force in the music world and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Locally, bands like Rizzz and the Wild Turkey Band (which evolved into the Hometown Rockers) were creating a large local fan base from their weekly performances at Lupo’s. And there were the Schemers, Rash of Stabbings, Neutral Nation and many other new wave/punk bands that regularly played the Living Room.

The Current Scene That was then and this is now. There are still a lot of good musicians and good bands in the Providence area but the scene is not as lively as it once was. There are undoubtedly many reasons for this and I certainly don’t know the answers but have a few thoughts on why things have changed. Technology is certainly one major reason. In the ‘70s there was no cable television, no Internet, none of the technological changes that allow people to have a wide variety of entertainment experiences in their homes. If you wanted to be entertained, you went out and usually saw a live band. Now, many of the clubs have DJ’s playing prerecorded music. When I go out to hear some music, I notice that a majority of the audience is comprised of other musicians and artists accompanied by a loyal group of fans who, while not performers, are the heart and soul of the scene. But, then again, this was also what it was like in the early ‘70s, before all the things I mentioned earlier exploded in Providence. So, who knows what the future will bring. Speaking to friends around the country, though, I have good reason to believe that Providence is still one of the best music cities in the country. Rudy Cheeks, former lead singer and one of three song writers for the Young Adults, and was also a columnist for the Providence Phoenix for over 30 years. He continues to co-write his weekly column Phillipe and Jorge for Motif Magazine.

January 2016 East Side Monthly

East Side Expert: Food

The Culinary Explosion A well known restaurateur describes the delicious changes to the neighborhood By Robert I. Burke

Tastes, They Are-a Changing The ‘60s had brought big changes to America and many of those changes were becoming mainstream. People were getting interested in food, wine and cocktails. Betty Crocker was ceding the spotlight to Julia Child, who was teaching eager homemakers to master the art of French cooking. And although nothing

East Side Monthly January 2016

like the Food Network existed, television was beginning to teach people new ways to cook, eat, drink and entertain. The East Side was changing along with the nation. The food revolution was about to change the way people did everything that had to do with eating. It would change the food in supermarkets and restaurants. It would change what people cooked, what they ate and how they viewed the world. The biggest change, oddly, had little to do with the food itself. It had more to do with how food got from where it was grown to where it was eaten – the grew and chew routes. The interstate highway system was making it possible for big refrigerated trucks to deliver fresh food across the entire nation. That meant fresher foods in season. New Englanders waited until June for the next luscious taste of fresh strawberries, July for cherries and autumn for apples. But that was all about to change. A little start up called Federal Express was figuring out it could fly the summer crop of South American strawberries to winter weary palates in the United States. Suddenly a food could be grown anywhere on the planet and eaten a few days later anywhere else. Farms no longer had to be nearby.

A World of Flavors The cultural explosion happened when ingredients that made food authentic began to become available to restaurants and supermarkets. It’s how the IGA became the Eastside Marketplace. It brought Bread and Circus to the East Side and two Whole Foods. To taste authentic cultural food back then, you either had to have friends whose grandmother was from “the old country” or travel the world to taste the food of other nations. The old saying about restaurants is that the three most important ingredients for success are location, location and location. And soon the East Side became a great location. It spontaneously began to grow clusters of successful restaurants. With each year more and more cultural names were added and became

represented. Thayer Street came first as adventurous students began to push the food boundaries and “cross culture” morphed out of the “counter culture.” Here’s a list of some of the memorable eating destinations I remember, which hopefully will bring back some memories for you as well: Spats, Andreas, Ronnie’s Rascal House, Montana’s, Papillion, Lloyd’s (original), Louie’s, Ruby’s, Alfredo, Adesso, Meeting Street Cafe, Kabob and Curry, Bob’s Big Boy, East Side Pockets, Paragon, The English Pub, Spikes. The chains finally invaded with mixed results: Baskin Robbins, McDonalds, Dunkin’, Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, IHOP, Ben & Jerry. Families gravitated to Wayland Square with its safe bets of Newport Creamery, Minerva’s Pizza, the East Side Diner and Ruffles. More adventuresome diners were drawn to the Gatehouse (“where the old Red Bridge used to be” as we say in Rhode Islandese), Waterman Grill, Haruki and Red Stripe. The Wickenden Waterfront cluster has bustled ever since the Hot Club and has spawned some great eateries. Among them are (or were) the legendary Al Forno, the Fish Company, Whiskey Rebellion, the Wine Bar, the Steam Company, the infamous Shooters and a host of incarnations at the site of Lola’s Cantina. Up from the water on Wickenden, the Coffee Exchange, Cafe at Brooks, Amy’s, Taste of India, Duck & Bunny, Abyssinia, Brickway, Sakura and Pizza Pie-er took hold. Hope Street broke out into three clusters: SoHo, RoHo and NoHo. South Hope around Rue De L’ Espoir, Guidos and Big Alice’s; RoHo – at Rochambeau and Hope – with Aspara, Pizzico, Davis’ Deli, Seven Stars, 729 Hope and Blaze; NoHo – North Hope where Hope meets the Boulevard – La France, Barney’s Bagels, Garden Grill, Chez Pascal, India, Lloyds, Max, Oak, Cook & Brown and Ran Zan. Then there’s NoMa – North Main near Fains grew “fern bars” like Panache, Allary’s, Steeple Street, Blue Point, Al Forno (birthplace), New Rivers, Mills Tavern, XO, Throop Alley, David’s Potbelly and Café Chocklad.

March 2011

Ethnic Eats

A tour of some of our East Side favorites

Pre-Sorted Standard US POSTAGE PAID Providence, RI Permit No. 34

Today, we all know about the farm to table and locavore movements, but it wasn’t always that way. Forty years ago there was no East Side Monthly and there also was no kale, no sushi, no lattes, no venti, no gluten-free, no foodies, no fat free, no low carb, no organic produce, little vegetarian and no vegan. Martinis were made with gin and vermouth. Real men didn’t eat quiche. Restaurants were intolerant of lactose intolerance and the maitre d’ thought you were the nut for saying you had a nut allergy. Pockets were on pants, not on sandwich boards, and wraps were made of fur and worn to dinner by fashionable women. In nice dining rooms, jackets and ties were required for men. Fondue parties were common. “Chablis” was any white wine and “Burgundy” meant red – any red wine. Chardonnay had not entered the lexicon. Meatloaf, spaghetti and chow mein were the bill of fare when East Side Monthly was born.

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Don’t forget WaNoMa – Way North Main – that started where Howard Johnson’s used to be, where Ground Round used to be and where Greggs is now. South Main grew with the Left Bank, L’Elizabeth, Black Dog, Neath’s, Bacaro, Barnsider, Pakarang, Hemenways, Parkside and the Cable Car Cafe. Scattered stand-alone eateries were found at Club 133, Tortilla Flats, Carrs, Geoff’s, the Butcher Shop and Bagels East.

Still Hungry After All These Years The appetite for food on the East Side has been (and continues to be) insatiable. Providence now ranks only second to San Francisco for the number of restaurants per capita. Many of those restaurant seats have been found in the diverse and delicious restaurants located between Fox Point and Oak Hill. They are the ingredients of a rich and flavorful stew that has steadily simmered for the last 40 years, one thing has never changed on the East Side: their passion for good food is as robust as ever. Bon Appetit! Bob Burke is co-owner with his wife Anne of the Pot au Feu Restaurant, which began about the same time as East Side Monthly. The Pot has been a favorite of East Siders, despite being down the hill and across the river in downtown.

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East Side Expert: Politics

Political Climate Change Why the East Side has become more important By Scott MacKay The East Side has been a linchpin of Providence and Rhode Island politics since Colonial times. Yet one can make a pretty cogent argument that the historic, leafy neighborhood has never been as influential as it is today. In recent times, the three East Side wards have spawned the first openly gay and African American Speaker of the House (Gordon Fox), even if his tenure ended in disgrace and he now bides his time at taxpayer expense in the federal pen. It was the neighborhood that cleared the path for women in state politics in the early 1980s, when Republican Susan Farmer’s upset over a wellestablished Democrat made her the first woman elected to statewide office in the Ocean State. By the way, even if she’d lost, her opponent Vicky Lederberg was an East Sider, too. And it made Buddy Cianci mayor in the critical 1974 election, when he ran as a Republican reformer – remember those anti-corruption candidate ads? In 2014, it was the neighborhood that, two felonies later, crushed his comeback campaign. I’ll never forget election night in 2014. As returns slowly filtered in, we at Rhode Island Public Radio had the foresight to send one of our intrepid Brown University interns, Emily Wooldridge, to Hope High School

to watch as the voting machines were opened. She quickly texted the first results – Democrat Jorge Elorza captured 823 votes, Independent Cianci tallied 163 and Republican Dan Harrop trailed far behind with 31. I gave myself some wiggle room but felt quite confident predicting the Elorza victory, stating that the election was his if the East Side trend continued, which, of course, it did.

From Right to Left The neighborhood was once a bastion of New England moderate Republicanism. It’s birthed and supported such politicians as longtime RI House Minority Leader Fred Lippitt, Susie Farmer and her husband, Malcolm “Mac” Farmer III, Governor and US Senator John Chafee, RI Senate Minority Leader Lila Sapinsley and such party strategists and fundraisers as Mort Smith and Bruce Selya, who became a federal judge. That Rockefeller wing of the Republican Party, fiscally prudent but socially liberal, is history. As the national GOP veered right and the party was taken over by the Sunbelt states and the Old Confederacy, the party shriveled in the Northeast. Once, East Side Republicans voted in their own primaries. Now, a neighborhood of Independent voters cast ballots in Democratic

primaries where the crucial decisions in City elections are forged.

The Voting Base All you need to know is that the East Side’s clout in recent City elections exceeds the neighborhood’s share of the population. The three East Side wards make up about 19% of the City’s population. But in the recent Democratic primaries that have picked mayors, the East Side’s share of the vote is significantly larger. In the 2002 primary that launched state Representative David Cicilline to City Hall, 26% of the total citywide vote came from wards one, two and three; Cicilline got 76% of it. In the 2010 primary, the East Side accounted for 25% of the total vote and Angel Taveras harvested 73% in the neighborhood. And Elorza in 2014 pulled in 67% of the East Side tally, which was 29% of the citywide effort. Providence has evolved into a place with a weaker middle class. New immigrants tend to be Latinos, and many of them are not yet citizens. And the IrishAmerican and Italian-American working class neighborhoods that were the fulcrum of the 20th Century Democratic Party of Roosevelt and Kennedy are no more. The East Side, which arguably still is the most livable East Coast urban neighborhood between the Back Bay and Georgetown, remains a traditional, politically engaged, well-educated and stable section of a struggling state capital.

Who Makes Up our Neighborhood There is a long line of Rhode Island politicians who trace their heritage to the East Side, many others who were educated at Brown and more who have moved to the neighborhood. Don Carcieri, he of the Red State social issue views, probably could not have been elected to any local office in the neighborhood, but he was educated at Brown. Linc Chafee moved to the neighborhood when he became governor and Gina Raimondo, raised in Smithfield, now calls the East Side home. Providence has never melted well; East Siders tend to bond with people like themselves. The stereotype as seen by the rest of Rhode Island is of

East Side Monthly January 2016

a neighborhood of wealthy professionals – Yankees, rich Catholics and Jews – and overly educated types who plaster their cars with “Bernie 2016” and “No New Stadium” bumper strips. The reality is a section of the city that is fairly diverse, except for a substantial Latino population. The Mount Hope neighborhood has been an AfricanAmerican redoubt since colonial times. State Representative Aaron Regunberg, who lives on blue-collar Camp Street, jokes that he can toss a stone from his street to nearby Blackstone Boulevard, one of the wealthiest parts of the state, according to the US Census.

Tied to the East Side The roster of Rhode Island politicians with East Side ties is voluminous: Former Governors Bruce Sundlun and Frank Licht, Attorney General Dennis Roberts II, Lieutenant Governor Richard Licht, State Representative Linda Kushner (who ran for US Senate against John Chafee in 1994), State Senator Myrth York (who was thrice the Democratic candidate for governor), Sheldon Whitehouse (who lived in the neighborhood when he ran for US Senate) and many others. Among the social liberals who advocated for same-sex marriage and abortion rights at the State House have been such lawmakers as Ray Rickman, Edie Ajello, Rhoda Perry and Paul Moura. Plus, a new generation of welleducated liberal politicians is rising – Regunberg, City Councilman Sam Zurier and State Representative Chris Blazejewski. In addition, many East Side residents were on the inside of politics (i.e. the advisors and money people who fuel campaigns). Jay Goodman, Bob Reisman, Elmer Cornwell, Darrell West, Bernie Buonanno and Jack McConnell all were linked to the area. East Siders love to grouse about their taxes, property crimes, potholes, schools and the decline of Providence. The City may have seen better days, but at this moment in history, the East Side’s political influence is growing. Scott MacKay is political analyst for Rhode Island Public Radio in Providence, the state’s NPR affiliate. He is also a former Providence City Hall and State House reporter for the Providence Journal.

East Side Expert: Neighborhoods

Rembrance of Things Passed A walking tour of a changing neighborhood By Mike Fink Most of us have milestones marked clearly along the road of our lives. Many of mine have taken place right here on my beloved East Side. The first ones took place around the Summit Hill area where I grew up and went to Nathan Bishop and Hope before moving on to college. One of the most memorable, certainly, was the birth of my first child, not long after East Side Monthly was born. By then I lived in College Hill, just a stone’s throw from Prospect Terrace. Reflecting back on these moments, I can’t help but look at the various neighborhoods of my own birthplace from a fresh perspective. Just what is the East Side, anyway? Does it consist of the noble homesteads from Blackstone Boulevard up to Hope Street? Or of the fine, but considerably older and more venerable estates, between Thayer and Brown? How about the elegant but rather cramped Colonial and once workingman dwellings of Fox Point? My childhood haunts, down from Hope along Rochambeau to North Main, had its own history, mixing farmsteads and tenements. There are the tree-named alleyways and then the numbered rows of bungalows from First and Second all the way from Third to Twelfth.

A New, Brighter East Side I’ve been walking our East Side streets seemingly forever. So how have these places changed in my lifetime? Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is everything has gotten more attractive. It’s also impossible not to notice how increasingly painters now vary the color scheme of homes that used to vanish into a void of dull hues. And then there are the grassy areas between the sidewalks and the streets, so many now rediscovered and re-defined as gardens. The urban maples have been replaced by graceful fruit trees that blossom in the spring, burn brightly in the fall and produce little sweet fruits that bring in birds throughout the summer months and even the wintertime. People now use brick and cobblestone to protect and frame their beds of flowers that invite butterflies to the front yards. Even the freshly installed fences and walls

add distinction to the look and style of the collective East Side. In short, “colorful and individualized” has replaced “subtle, understated and uniform.”

Memories of Home In my early days, families tended to cluster together, often sharing houses. An example: a very personal one. Uphill from the house that I watched as a three-year-old, going up from the basement to a tall brick gable and chimney, there was on Summit Avenue a series of stucco structures right around the corner from what was then the Summit Avenue School. Now, it is part of the Miriam Hospital complex. Back then many of these structures came in pairs, almost like duplexes. My grandfather lived in one with two broods from two marriages – two families all living under roof – while my grandfather’s brother with his four children – two boys and two girls – lived next door. Thus became the Fink family compound. Over time, the family members all flew their coop, married and passed away. So what has become of those twin abodes? Well, my grandfather’s place was bought by one of my students. It looks pretty much the same but inside it contained all sorts of treasures in the basement and attic that have been given to me for safekeeping: photographs and broken lamps, memorabilia only I could identify. My student even asked me to deliver lectures to the guests about the history of this portion of the East Side, and to watch old movies in the basement, which she had converted into a studio and classroom. And what about that next door twin estate? That one has been totally transformed and given a quite fabulous new look – painted a golden yellow, with a brand new fancy fence and a grove of the most promising saplings that will burst out come April showers and May flowers.

The More Things Change... This, in short, is what has become of the East Side of my birth. Many things have

survived and been lovingly maintained. Others have been dramatically reshaped. Others sadly have just disappeared. The old RI Auditorium is now a parking lot, but the Highlands assisted living building nearby sports a welcoming garden with many birdfeeders and a few patios that hold souvenirs and conversation pieces, some of which I helped provide from my treasure chest of old memories. A quiet chat in one of the East Side’s many coffee houses has remained an essential staple of life over the years, though my hangouts may change. The Wayland Manor stands proud and pleasant, and from their lobby you can drink either coffee or wine at L’Artisan Café and Bakery with its Parisian outdoor terrace, or the diner across the street on Wayland Avenue or at the East Side Starbucks at which you can peruse the books you may have purchased from Books on the Square. And then of course there’s Seven Stars and Coffee Exchange, both more meeting places with coffee cups to go than those of my memory, but just as beloved by its loyalists. But to me, at its core, the East Side and Providence has always been a place of refuge. With Roger Williams, it became a

beacon for those seeking religious freedom. With Slater Mill came economic opportunity. With our fabulous institutions of higher learning came a vision for still grander growth. Whether seeking a sanctuary of safety or gender acceptance, the welcome mat has always been extended here, our streets Benevolent, offering Hope… or Friendship. Life here has its own unique pace, quite a bit slower than a New York, a San Francisco, a Chicago. But it maintains a pride in its heritage coupled with an appreciation of our diverse communities, an enduring commitment to its arts, an appreciation of the joy of a good meal, well prepared, and of the importance of fellowship with our neighbors. Yet through it all we have never lost our quirky character and particular personality. Please don’t tell anybody about us, we’re fine just as we are. Our ESM whispers our secrets, but in a low tone with a courteous, “shh.” Mike Fink is a longtime professor at RISD, born and raised in the Mt. Hope area. He sees his role as being a historian of the changes in our East Coast landscape and especially enjoys haunting our bars, pubs and coffeehouses.

January 2016 East Side Monthly

RISD MUSEUM

Look, Think, Make

Thank You for covering our wonderful community for

40 Years

State Representative Edie Ajello

State Representative Chris Blazejewski

State Representative Aaron Regunberg

State Senator Gayle Goldin

Programs for adults, families, teens, and artists. Visit RISDMUSEUM.ORG for more information.

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East Side Monthly January 2016

Paid for by Friends of Aaron Regunberg - Treasurer Jill Davidson, Friends of Gayle Goldin - Treasurer Rachel Colaiace, Friends of Chris Blazejewski - Treasurer Ami Gada, and Committee to Elect Edith H. Ajello - Treasurer Jennifer Kiddie

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Adler’s looks back to look forward

Just three years shy of being 100 years old, Adler’s Design Center & Hardware has been a local fixture for generations. Founded in 1919 at their current location on Wickenden Street, the neighborhood shop remains a cornerstone of the East Side and greater Providence community. The more things change, the more they stay the same at Adler’s. Founded by Fred and Esther Adler, the owners were joined by their two sons, Carl and Irving, full time after World War II. Carl’s son Marc and Irving’s son Harry are the current third generation owners, inheriting not only the family’s storied business, but also the core values that its foundation was built on. Then and now, you can find one-of-a-kind items, personalized customer service and expert advice on historical restoration. Staying true to their mission, the hardware store continues to thrive in an age of big box stores and online shopping. “Our longevity is due to our willingness to adapt to changes in the market, combined with great quality products, friendly, knowledgeable service and fair prices,” says co-owner Harry Adler. In addition to being a full service hardware store, Adler’s has Rhode Island’s largest selection of decorative

hardware, wallcoverings, window treatments, fabrics and quality paint. The specialty shop offers expert in-store or at-home design consultation services at any stage of a project. Their extensive product line offers unique and hard-to-find items and services, such as C2, Paint Rent-A-Color and a curated selection of housewares. Community focused, Adler’s has proudly supported the Providence Preservation Society, Trinity Rep, The Steal Yard and Amos House, along with countless other non-profit organizations throughout the years. Adler’s impact on the historical beautification of the East Side and beyond is significant to say the least. “We would like to think that the East Side is a more beautiful place to live and work in some small part because of our Adler’s,” says Harry. The Adler family is looking forward to celebrating their centennial in a few years, and continuing to assist customers with their at-home projects. ‘We love doing business on the East Side, a neighborhood with an incredibly rich stock of beautifully preserved historic homes,” says Harry Adler. “It has been a pleasure and an honor to help homeowners and general contactors restore, maintain and beautify these properties.”

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of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Whether it’s a small or large scale, the office expertly assists buyers, sellers, investors and renters with any of their needs. The strength of the agency is also bound in its seasoned staff. “The people who work here have held positions for a long time,” Aleen says. “They’re vested. Family members Howard and Jon Weiss (third generation owner) were also mentored by Saul for a long time and are still thriving here. And we have Claire Sennott, Karen Miller and Gail Jenard. We’re definitely a family.” When asked what she enjoys about her job, Aleen responds that it is the challenge of the ever-changing market and seeing the new homeowners’ excitement. While it is definitely a great time for buyers right now with low interest rates, homes are also selling that are properly valued and marketed well. The tradition continues at Spitz-Weiss. Visit their Hope Street office for personalized service in real estate for buying, selling and renting, and check out their soon-to-be unveiled new website.

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an unparalleled work ethic and a passion for helping people buy and sell their homes, he started a boutique agency (then known as SpitzWattman) in 1964 on the East Side. He was so committed to his profession and his adorning customers that he worked right up to the day of his passing in 2009. “He was 94-anda-half and still worked seven days a week,” says Aleen Weiss, Spitz Weiss’ manager. “People knew of his integrity and that his word was his soul. He sold many, many homes and his clients just loved him.” Mentored and inspired by Saul, Aleen has continued to run the longlasting Providence business with its founding principles and values. Under her leadership, the real estate company, which has over 50 years of market expertise, has maintained its glowing reputation on the East Side and beyond. Aleen was recognized with the Greater Providence Board of Realtors’ Circle of Excellence Gold Sales Award in 2014, and has strong reviews on Zillow. For being family owned and operated, Spitz-Weiss has a broad reach and services all

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95 Pitman St, Suite 2B, Providence 401.437.6777 • partnersri.com It all started in 1950, when Edward F. Bishop came to Providence to attend Brown University. He met his wife Betsylee Jeffers there, and the two decided to remain in the city after graduation to live and raise a family. Now, the E.F. Bishop Group is a family business in the truest sense. Not only do most of the Bishops’ kids live in Rhode Island, two of them are the next generation of the business. They’re ensuring that the East Side remains a great place to live for generations to come, not just because they work here, but because they live here, too. “The East Side is our home base,” says Ed Bishop, president of the Bishop Group. “Throughout the years we have grown to serve nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut, but the East Side – the colleges, the small business and neighborhood service organizations – are all a part of our family and our growth.” Many of our clients are members of communities that Ed and family have served as leaders like Brown University, East

Side YMCA and Greater Providence YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Central Congregational Church, Blackstone Academy Charter School, College Hill Neighborhood Association, Thayer Street District Management Association and more. “Insurance and real estate require personalized solutions,” Ed says. “In our office you are dealing with a core staff with many years of experience meeting your needs.” As independent insurance agents, the Bishop Agency has the luxury of working towards the best needs of clients, rather than big business. They provide options for everything from life insurance, renters insurance and worker’s comp to RV, auto and boat insurance. As realtors, they have the ability to offer personalized, one-on-one service from people who know and love the neighborhood. As Ed says, “Share 2016 with people who you know and who can help you navigate insurance and real estate options that will meet your needs now and in the future.”

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East Side Monthly January 2016

SHORTs * FEATURES WORKSHOPS * PRESENTATIONS

Providence Marriott Downtown For 40 years, the Providence Marriott Downtownn has been a destination for everyone from East Siders to West Coasters. The hotel has 351 rooms and suites, with an on-site spa and salon and an indoor/outdoor pool. Their Bluefin Grille serves impeccably prepared seafood and more, while their poolside Aqua Lounge is a hotspot for small bites and cocktails for the see and be seen crowd. It’s a go-to spot to host a chic event, to spend an afternoon with a day pass poolside, or to sip a glass of wine and lounge outside. “The Providence Marriott Downtown is thankful for the last 40 years of amazing opportunities to honor, host and create memorable moments for our guests and clients,” says the Marriott’s Eric Churchill, General Manager & VP of Operations for MJ Hotels. “Our partnership with Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island for this anniversary event is an example of a long-lasting connection that the Providence Marriott has developed over the years. It’s these type of heart-connections that have made us successful; we’re truly looking forward to the event in October 2016. We are also looking forward to another 40 years of creating exceptional and distinctive experiences.”

Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island When time matters most, it is an indescribable comfort to know that there are caring professionals ready to ensure the comfort and care of your loved ones. Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island (HHCRI), the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, is the largest hospice in Rhode Island and the second oldest in the nation. For 40 years, HHCRI has been a leader in hospice and palliative care, compassionately and skillfully providing comprehensive medical, emotional and spiritual care. They provide support to patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week whether in their homes, hospitals, assisted living facilities or at HHCRI’s Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center. With a vision to enable patients, their families and loved ones to have a meaningful experience during a difficult time, HHCRI helps people live out their lives with comfort and dignity. Celebrating 40 Years of Hope and Hospitality On October 29, Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island and the Providence Marriott Downtown will celebrate their 40th anniversaries together, at the 40 Years of Hope and Hospitality Gala. Visit the Marriott’s website for more details.

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Eastside Marketplace is committed to community

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Eastside Marketplace is much more than just a supermarket. A community hub since 1980, the market not only provides the highest quality food in every department, but also a high level of commitment to the East Side. Newly remodeled in the fall of 2015, the market has an impressive selection of catering services, specialty items and traditional and whole food alternatives. Scott Laurans started the market, then the IGA, in 1980 with a mission to provide great food, service and prices. The market undertook its first remodel in 1996 and renamed itself Eastside Marketplace as a nod to its loyal customer base. In 2014 Scott and Monica Laurans sold the store to AHOLD, which has continued to operate the store with the same great staff and

same core values. Fresh food and superb customer service take center stage at Eastside Marketplace. The gourmet cheese department, which has expanded in size since the remodel, has an unmatched variety of close to 400 artisan, domestic and imported cheeses. The also bigger produce department boasts a large selection of organic options that sell at the same price as conventional. The natural foods department is yet another area that grew in size, allowing for a wider selection of unique and hard to find product offerings. Always on the forefront of new and healthy options, the market brought in over 1,000 new products last year alone. The bakery features fresh baked goods from local favorites Olga’s, Seven Stars and

Rainbow Bakery each day. In house, the pastry chefs offer a scrumptious selection of cookies, pastries and custom cakes for any special occasion. The seafood department offers fresh, local and sustainable fish while the meat department has butcher-grade cuts of meat. Eastside is also known for its expansive prepared foods department. From brick-oven pizza and hot soups to hand-rolled sushi and international delicacies, the chefs prepare delicious recipes everyday. Catering is another service that’s available for parties of any size or budget. The floral department carries specialty and seasonal plants and flowers, and can accommodate custom arrangements, bouquets and gourmet gift baskets. Beloved by East Siders for decades, the market has been voted Rhode Island Monthly’s Best Local Market 15 times and has also been recognized as having the best organic produce, best chicken salad, best customer endeavor, best blueberry corn muffin, best gourmet food on the run and best kid-friendly grocery shopping. What sets Eastside Marketplace apart from your typical supermarket

is its focus on the customer experience. Customers often describe how pleasurable and stress-free their visits are, and how there’s a sense of community. Perks like complimentary coffee and WiFi, expert advice from the professional staff, unique offerings like its kosher butcher and online ordering, and even a kids cookie club are just some of the extra services the market provides. The market has ongoing instore events and programs, such as an annual food drive, monthly classes and college nights. And the onsite café is a great for a coffee break while shopping or a spot to meet friends for lunch. The market has also been an integral member of the community at large through its Friendship Fund receipt rebate program. Established in 1989 as a way to give back, the market donates 1% of returned receipts directly to local non-profits. To date Eastside Marketplace has donated upwards of $700,000 to 160 charities. From healthy options and unique services to superior customer service and commitment to community, Eastside Marketplace continues to make a difference on the East Side of Providence.

Eastside Marketplace 165 Pitman Street, Providence 401-831-7771 www.eastsidemarket.com

January 2016 East Side Monthly

Experience Wheeler

CLOSE TO HOME Home and Family | Education | Style | Real Estate

On the Market

Escape the City on the East Side Opt for an opulent retreat on Loring Avenue By Courtney Denelle

Tucked away along the Seekonk River, a stone’s throw from scenic Blackstone Boulevard, the magnificent brick Georgian Revival at 83 Loring Aveune offers a bucolic retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life with top tier amenities. Built in 1925, this stately manse received a complete overhaul in 2007, now boasting four bedrooms with five full baths and two half baths.

With rich features like handsome hardwood floors, a large central staircase, marble countertops and a sweeping portico entrance, this home has a warm attention to lux details, making it fit for a king or queen. And with decadent extras like a robust master suite with a private office and sweeping vista views, a blue stone terrace with a built-in grille station and a fitness center, sauna

and whirlpool, this home affords every amenity you could dream of. Located in the Grotto area on the East Side, this home is in close proximity to the Lincoln School, as well as the campuses of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design with easy access to the top tier boutiques and restaurants of Wayland Square. Your opulent retreat awaits you at 83 Loring Aveune.

83 Loring Avenue at a glance • • • • • • •

MLS: 1094026 Listing Price: $3.2 million Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 5 full, 2 half Square Footage: 6,300 sq. ft. Listed by: Residential Properties For more information: Gerri Schiffman at 553-6316 or gschiffman@residentialproperties.com January 2016 East Side Monthly

Close to Home Education

Shaping Young Minds

Thoughts on the evolution of East Side public education

In commemoration of

East Side Monthly’s 40 years in print, we’re taking a look back at education-related events that have shaped our neighborhood since 1975. While my children have attended school here since 2004, I myself grew up elsewhere, so I turned to Sam Zurier, the previous writer of this very column, for local perspective. Currently an attorney and the Ward Two representative to the Providence City Council, Sam is an East Side native who returned to the neighborhood to raise his own family and became involved in education, serving on the school board and co-founding the East Side Coalition for Public Education (ESPEC), which led the way for Nathan Bishop Middle School’s renovation and programmatic restart. Sam’s thoughts are woven throughout, and I’m ever grateful for his contribution. Two topics emerged as Sam and I talked: the consequences of population shifts and the impact of community involvement on the public schools. This short history of East Side education, therefore, leaves much unwritten. However, we must note that any conversation about public education focused on the East Side of Providence is necessarily part of larger discussions about education in Providence and beyond. No neighborhood is an island, as both history and the present demonstrate. As well, the East Side is home to many independent schools that ably serve a wide variety of populations, and are an integral part of the story of our neighborhood’s educational history. By 1975, a population shift was underway on the East Side, as demonstrated by a comparison of the 1970 and 2000 census data. In 1970, 70% of the children who lived on the East Side attended public school. By 2000, the number of children in our neighborhood attending public school dropped to 40%. While this appears to be a huge swing from public to non-public education, these data actually indicate a population shift away from the East Side entirely as many families with school-age children moved out of Providence. This trend began during the early 1960s, as described in School Desegregation in Providence, Rhode Island: A Staff Report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, published in 1977. It accelerated in the 1970s and beyond, and

East Side Monthly January 2016

as a result, between 1970 and 2000, the East Side lost 2,000 school-age children. Public schools absorbed nearly all of the impact of this loss; the number of East Side children attending independent and parochial schools stayed about the same. Forty years ago, our neighborhood had three elementary schools: Fox Point Elementary School, which was renamed Vartan Gregorian Elementary School at Fox Point in 1997; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, which was founded as Lippitt Hill Elementary and renamed in honor of Dr. King following his 1968 assassination; and John Howland Elementary, which was closed in the 1980s as a result of the decline of young people in the neighborhood. The 1977 school desegregation report describes a Providence population that has since changed significantly. At the time of its publication, and during the preceding decade, the City addressed the pressing challenge of the time: desegregating schools in order to educate white and African American children equitably and together. Lippitt Hill Elementary School opened in 1967 as an innovative model elementary school created to educate students from across the city. Created as a replacement for the outdated Doyle and Jenkins Elementary Schools, Lippitt Hill Elementary School was developed with extensive input from interracial

neighborhood groups that had been advocating for a desegregation plan and improved programs and facilities. Initially, the school was a desegregation success, according to School Desegregation in Providence. “In the first year, the voluntary open enrollment policy produced a student population that was 65% white and 35% black (whereas the two schools replaced by Lippitt Hill had been more than 97% black).” Unfortunately, the school’s success as a model of desegregated education was not replicated across the district, and while King is currently more diverse that most other Providence elementary schools, most of our district’s schools remain somewhat or very segregated. However, the education-related activism that marked the development of the school now known as MLK Elementary has continued to distinguish the East Side, most notably during our community’s response to the challenge that Nathan Bishop Middle School posed a decade ago. The decreased participation in public schools, coupled with the development of a program for academically talented students at Nathanael Greene Middle School, pulled once-strong neighborhood support away from Bishop. The school responded inadequately to a new population of students, many with significant socialemotional and learning challenges. Decreased enrollment and poor academic

performance resulted in a 2006 proposal to close Bishop permanently. This threat sparked the rise of ESPEC, headed by Sam Zurier and others, which led a process that resulted in the school’s physical renovation, programmatic improvement, and, once it reopened in 2009, ongoing neighborhood support and participation. While neighborhood engagement and community involvement are also factors in the ongoing strength of Vartan Gregorian and MLK Elementary Schools, we have not supported Hope High School as robustly. While neighborhood connections exist, including an ongoing partnership with Rhode Island School of Design for dedicated students of the visual arts at Hope, many East Side students do not attend Hope, instead choosing Classical High School when possible, or finding other options. However, Hope High School’s staff and leadership remained focused on creating the best conditions for teaching and learning for their students, often amidst administrative changes and challenges that have been beyond their control. Here’s hoping that the next decade brings stability and support to our neighborhood high school. What will the next ten years bring to the East Side’s schools? 360 High School is a new school opened on the East Side this year. Sharing the building with Hope High School, 360 High School is starting with a class of ninth graders, with plans to add a grade per year. 360 High School is using a mastery-based personalized approach for each student that is likely to inform the district’s work throughout all of its high schools. We are also likely to see a changed approach to dual language learning, both in response to the precipitous increase in the number of students who speak a language other than English at home – 50% within the past five years – and the increased awareness of the cognitive and life-skills benefits of dual-language mastery. Finally, let’s hope – no, let’s expect and demand – that Hope, Gregorian and King are thriving in new or renovated buildings by the time the 50th anniversary issue of East Side Monthly appears, and that we’ve made the necessary investments in all of our city’s schools so that our children can learn and grow in buildings that honor and inspire their potential.

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at the top of their lungs.) There were sobering moments too. I don’t remember when the city finally put traffic lights at the intersection of Lloyd and Hope Street, but I clearly recall the stomach-dropping sound of the car accidents that used to happen there, the sight of neighbors running to help and, once, a young woman crying on the curb, head in hands, as paramedics extracted the other driver from his crumpled vehicle. And there were sobering moments in my own household – my parents’ separation and subsequent divorce, and, in ‘91, the sale of our Lloyd Avenue home. My parents remained on the East Side after their divorce, and I made new memories in nearby neighborhoods. After my mom moved to the Wayland Square area, she suggested I call “the nice boy up the street” to ask what time the bus for Classical High School came. An excruciatingly awkward, albeit blessedly brief, phone conversation followed – the bus came at 7:25am. But, a few years later, the same boy held my mittened hand as he walked me home from a late show at the Avon, and kissed me goodnight in the glow of a streetlamp on Stimson. And, quite a few years after that, at a church on Angell Street, he married me. The East Side was a pretty lucky place to live.

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frogs in the cemetery pond always yielded one or two piercing shrieks. On the hottest days, reprieve could be found in art classes at RISD, sketching in the shadow of the great wooden Buddha, followed by luxurious hours of uninterrupted reading in the cool corners of the Athenaeum. Fall on the East Side meant massive leaf piles and, better still, elaborate forts built from storm debris. Hurricane Gloria in ’85 left enough tree limbs to construct castles. On Halloween, trick-or-treating took ages because every house had candy. November brought my usual birthday treat of dinner at Alfredo’s, the Italian restaurant then on Thayer. I felt highly sophisticated sitting in the red leather banquette, ordering a bowl of buttered pasta (“You could eat that at home!” my parents always protested, but I assured them that it tasted better there.) And winter on the East Side was tops, because it meant that you could go sledding on the hill at Moses Brown. This was before the school installed a wall on the hill and a softball field in the valley. This was back when you could slide down the incline, screaming at the top of your lungs, and speed nearly all the way into the street. This was back when you could fly. (Parents on that hill also spent time screaming

January 2016 East Side Monthly

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Growing up on the East Side of Providence in the 1980s was a unique privilege. It was a time when a kid could roam freely, bike everywhere and play outside unsupervised, provided she came home for dinner. My family lived on Lloyd Avenue, the block between Brown and Thayer, in a comfortable old Victorian with a beloved cat and a good, strong climbing tree in the backyard. College Hill stretched before my brother, sister and me like a promise, the beauty of the setting and the bustle of student life around us (would we ever be that old?). Thayer Street in the ‘80s, with its independent shops and atmospheric restaurants, struck us as the very height of cool. Our neighbors’ dog Emma agreed and used to walk herself there, leash-less, every morning. She’d greet each vendor in turn before looping back home, sometimes returning to accompany my dad and me to the café Peaberry’s (long gone) for peanut butter cookies. In springtime, with the trees budding and gardens blooming, my sister and I would walk ourselves home from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School on Camp Street. If anyone tried to pick us up, they just had to know the family password: snickerdoodle. (No one tried.) We loved King, where, among other thrills, the principal smoked a pipe in his office – you could do such things then. Spring at King also heralded the annual glee club concert, in which we held hands and sang the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” The parents in the audience all cried and told us we’d understand better when we got older. When summer came, the neighborhood kids raced outside after dinner for riotous games of Kick the Can and Manhunt in the dark. Small people like us could squeeze in the splintery alleyways between backyard fences, making for some particularly competitive rounds of Manhunt. We never officially lost anyone, but it also wasn’t frowned upon to announce your hiding place after you’d been there for a few hours. Summer held other delights – like biking in Swan Point Cemetery, where the related peals of laughter hopefully weren’t considered disrespectful by the residents. No matter how quiet we tried to stay, searching for tadpoles and

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the line out the door at Coffee Exchange knows the Wickenden Street shop brews great coffee. The cafe roasts all of its coffee daily, specializing in Fair Trade and organic coffees, and serves locally baked pastries. There’s always a fresh pot of hot or cold-brewed coffee and espresso drinks. If it’s beans you’re looking for, the knowledgeable, passionate staff is waiting to help you choose a perfect roast or blend. But what makes Coffee Exchange unique? “Certainly, there’s the coffee,” says co-owner Charlie Fishbein, “but everyone who comes to Coffee Exchange – customers, employees, owners – we all come to take in the special energy of the place.” Anyone who’s ever been to Coffee Exchange knows this. Every day, there are students from Brown, and RISD, young professionals, old friends, three-piece suits and dungarees together, enjoying each other’s proximate company, or simply people watching. Coffee Exchange is an active microcosm of Providence’s East Side diversity and energy, all with the aroma of freshly roasted coffee. Co-owners Bill and Charlie Fishbein care about making an impact not just on the East Side, but in the world. Bill founded two non-profits, Coffee Kids and the Coffee Trust, dedicated to improving the lives of coffee farmers in Mexico, Central and South America. In 1988, after visiting

Guatemala and seeing poverty at origin for the first time, “Bill determined to not sell a pound of coffee until he’d found a way to convince the coffee industry to help the very people on whose backs we made our living,” Charlie explains, “so he founded Coffee Kids, the first nonprofit in the world dedicated to improving the lives of coffee farmers and their families. Seeking sustainability at origin and at home became a central Coffee Exchange paradigm.” Their annual New Year’s Day Fundraiser benefits The Coffee Trust’s La Roya Recovery Project. But it’s a community effort: 100% of the day’s food, dairy, supplies, and silent auction items are donated by Coffee Exchange vendors, staff volunteers and local artists and merchants. That way, 100% of the day’s proceeds can be donated to help Chajulense (Guatemalan) coffee farmers fight La Roya, the fungus that’s devastating Central American coffee farms. “These people have redefined the word ‘community,’” Charlie says. “Certainly, the neighborhood’s Portuguese character exudes that hard working, honest, quality/freshness, customercomes-first attitude. Add the students, professionals, laborers, the old guard from the neighborhood, the Downtown crowd... they’re all regulars who contribute and have embraced our ‘extended community,’ our coffee farming partners of Chajul.” More than just coffee, indeed.

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East Side Monthly January 2016

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three-pillared approach,” says FirstWorks founder Kathleen Pletcher. “Not only do we present stellar performers in Providence, but we also work closely with each visiting artist to provide effective and exciting arts-learning opportunities to some of the most underserved students in area schools.” Their third element, she says, is “to present extraordinary festivals and all-access arts events” by collaborating with other organizations, as well as local and international artists. Kathleen Pletcher, FirstWorks’s Executive Artistic Director, has developed strategies and innovative programs across the non-profit sector for nearly 30 years. She founded FirstWorks in 2004, leading the

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transformation of the First Night Providence festival from a $15,000 start-up into a million-dollar, yearround performing and educational organization. Under her leadership, FirstWorks has developed groundbreaking audience engagement programs, forged over 90 partnerships, secured national funding, and grown to play a pivotal role in developing Providence as the Creative Capital. Kathleen has also founded three nonprofits, including two experimental puppet theatres. Her broad experience as a curator includes participation in numerous international tours, forging relationships with artists in Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Mexico and France. “We are so thankful to work in Rhode Island, and in particular in the Creative Capital,” Kathleen says. She’s particularly grateful for FirstWorks’s East Side partnerships, with organizations like the Athenaeum, Brown, RISD and Festival Ballet. “Many of our supporters live and work in this part of the city, and their engagement has enabled us to establish

FirstWorks brings the best of the world’s stages to Providence

You might know FirstWorks as the presenter of world class artists Like Wynton Marsalis, who just thrilled a sold out crowd at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium last month. But did you realize that over the last three years, more than 2,500 students from across the state have had the opportunity to study with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as part of the FirstWorks Arts-Learning Program? FirstWorks brings world class artists, who would not otherwise be seen in Providence, to the city’s stages - but the organization does so much more than that. FirstWorks is a leading driver of cultural tourism for Providence and Rhode Island, most visibly as a major contributor to the Providence International Arts Festival that overtook the city last summer. The organization facilitates (and helps to fund) cultural exchanges between Rhode Islanders and other national and international artists. Its contributions to Providence’s cultural landscape, though, really cannot be overstated. Since FirstWorks launched in 2004, its festivals and programs have attracted more than 285,000 participants. While international acts are an important part of their artistic vision, FirstWorks is also an important synergist in the local arts community, providing a unique platform for local artists like the Providence Singers and Aurea to present world premieres right here in Providence. Their Arts-Learning Program has provided transformative opportunities to thousands of Rhode Island kids, who otherwise would not have access to arts education. “We attribute our longevity to our

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deep and meaningful relationships” in the neighborhood, she says. “Our Arts-Learning Program has worked with Hope High School students to provide an opportunity to experience world-class art in their own city. Because of Providence’s size and affinity for culture, FirstWorks has truly been able to grow and prosper within its walls.” FirstWorks’ Artistic Icon Series continues in 2016 with stellar dance performances and spectacular music. They have BalletBoyz, an adrenaline rush of dance, coming for the first time ever to Rhode Island on January 31. In February, they’re offering a month full of activities with Urban Bush Women. On April 10 the season closes with Rosanne Cash, performing songs from her album The River & The Thread, which won three Grammy awards this year. But that’s not the end of what FirstWorks is offering the city: stay tuned for the second edition of the PVDFest. How can they possibly top the Earth Harp, which turned the Superman Building into a musical instrument? You’ll have to wait and see.

FirstWorks 270 Westminster Street, Providence 401-421-4278 www.first-works.org

January 2016 East Side Monthly

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Core Studios is making the East Side a healthier place

Denise Chakoian-Olney’s philosophy is simple: fitness should make you stronger, and give you a longer life. She opened Core Studios’ first location in Wayland Square a decade ago with a goal of providing personalized fitness solutions that fit people’s individual lifestyles. Core became so popular that Denise and her crew outgrew the beloved second-floor space on Angell Street in Wayland Square. Now, Core Studios has evolved to include Core Pilates Mind/Body Studio, Core Cycling and Fitness Studio and Core Personal Training Studio. “We want to make fitness fun, but also help those who have those specific goals and needs at the same time,” Denise says. “Our philosophy is based on creating a comfortable environment with professional staff that can lead clients to a better overall fitness level. We listen to what our clients want and need, instead of pushing them to do something that they do not want to do, nor will enjoy.” In addition to personal training and small group training, which provides a personalized training experience for less, Core Studios offers classes in cycling, TRX training, metabolic training, Reformer Pilates, Barre Cardio and more. In Pawtucket, Core Cycling and Fitness has a state of the art Stadium Style Cycling Studio, and offers signature

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The Evolution of Fitness

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group fitness classes like Core Sweat, Core Body Barre, HIIT, Pilates Mat and many others to target all ages and fitness levels. Across the parking lot, Core Personal Training Studio has a “Jungle Gym” type training studio with lots of toys and functional equipment to give clients or small groups a great workout in a private setting. The Governor Street location, home to the Core Pilates Mind/Body Studio, has a “serene and zen-like atmosphere, which is a nice balance from the other studios,” Denise says. Her fitness philosophy is that cultivating health and strength at the gym should allow you to find balance with the things you enjoy in your daily life. “It took me years to figure out how to get balance, and once you do, your entire life changes,” Denise explains. “I believe that you can enjoy all things in your life in moderation and at the same time kick some butt in your fitness sessions!” The New Year is a great time to think about implementing a new fitness plan, but Denise encourages people to think long term, rather than pushing too hard in January. “Look at the New Year not as a short term goal, but as a lifestyle change,” she says. “We tend to start things guns blazing in January and it’s too much for most people. Small goals usually lead to much bigger ones for the whole year.”

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Thayer Street has always been the coolest street in Providence. Nestled in the heart of the Brown campus, the thoroughfare is an ever-changing center for unique shopping, dining and people watching. Attracting foodies, fashionistas, art enthusiasts, academics and the curious, Thayer Street is a dynamic destination on the East Side’s College Hill that’s home to over 70 businesses. Thayer Street offers a huge variety of dining options. From tried and true favorites to new and exciting, the dining scene is nothing short of eclectic. You can enjoy a fine dining experience, a family outing or a quick graband-go bite any day of the week on Thayer. Shopping here is just as wide ranging, with a funky combination of local mom-and-pops and mainstream retailers dotting the busy street. In between you can find all types of personal services, be it health, beauty, business or bike repair. Historic Avon Cinema, a Providence tradition since 1938, anchors a vibrant mix of new and old businesses in the diverse district. The Thayer Street District Management Authority (TSDMA) was established in 2006 to coordinate the management and maintenance of the sizeable business district. TSDMA advocates on behalf of the merchants and property owners, making improvements to the area that not

only benefit the businesses, but also makes the area better for neighboring residents, the Brown community and visitors from near and far. In ten years, the organization has overseen the installation of new sidewalks, highly visible and aesthetically pleasing stamped crosswalks, trees and lights throughout the area. In addition to making the area safer, the TSDMA has kept the street cleaner through daily sidewalk maintenance and trash removal, and with weekly graffiti removal. Other TSDMA funded projects include a parklet (located in front of the Brown Bookstore April through December), created a destination for bike riders installing additional bike racks and a state of the art bicycle repair station(corner of Thayer and Olive) and brand new state of the art public solar trash compactors called “Big Bellys.” The District Management Authority also coordinates all types of entertainment and vendors, from the annual Fall Artisan Festival to the upcoming Providence Children’s Film Festival, which is coming to Thayer in February for its annual showcase. A cleaner, safer Thayer Street is good for business and good for the Creative Capital. And it’s great for the rest of us, who get to keep enjoying the wonderful sights, sounds and tastes that Thayer has to offer.

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

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It’s pretty easy to make sure you’re eating well these days. As long as you’re buying local or organic, it’s a safe bet that you’re making a good choice for your body. It isn’t quite so easy, though, with skincare. What you put on your body is just as important as what you’re putting in it. But when it comes to making safer, more mindful choices about products, it isn’t so obvious what’s better - and there aren’t many resources, especially in Providence, to seek out help. That’s exactly what Susan Benzuly and business partner Yolande Muoio had in mind when they opened Evolve Apothecary on Hope Street in November. The store specializes in natural, good for you beauty and home products. Trained as a registered nurse and a personal trainer, Sue says, “I became more and more interested in wellness, and how we prevent illness. The skin, the biggest organ in the body, has so much to do with that.” The store not only stocks better alternatives for your body, but carries lots of products made in Rhode Island. Evolve carries the full line of Farmaesthetics products, founded in Portsmouth,

and is the only place in Providence to find it. Other Rhode Island products include: Java, Curious Nature Apothecary, Farmacy Herbs, Infinity Apothecary, Cathryn Violet Artisan Soap and The Jam Salves, as well as New Harvest Coffee. “It’s our offering to Providence,” Sue says. “Here’s your chance for wellness. We’ve done the very best we could to provide people with safe alternatives that really work.” But, it’s not just about skin care. Evolve stocks products to live a more holistic lifestyle. So yes, you’ll find hair products by Intelligent Nutrients, makeup by Jane Iredale and skincare by Dr. Hauschka, but you’ll also find dish soap, diapers and household cleaners. One thing Sue loves is the quality of her natural laundry soap. “It costs the same and it works as well,” she says. “It’s been such a surprise.” It’s also a great example of how being mindful about your choices has a bigger impact than just on personal wellness. Yes, fewer chemicals in your clothes and against your skin are good for you, but you’re also making a conscious choice to help the environment. “It goes into the drain,” Sue says, “into the ocean, and into the world.”

Evolve Apothecary 500 Angell Street, Providence • 751-7700 www.waylandmanor.com • info@waylandmanor.com

East Side Monthly January 2016

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WE HAVE BIG PLANS FOR YOU IN 2016!

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On the tOwn

Restaurant and Food | Dining Guide | Calendar of events

Flavor of the Month

Landmark Dining on Thayer A look behind the menu and inside a cocktail at Kartabar By Emily Dietsch Thayer Street’s most consistent quality is that of constant change. Anyone who’s traversed its sidewalks regularly has seen a host of shops come and go, sometimes booming and busting faster than the nearby universities’ graduation cycles. Nevertheless, one of the thoroughfare’s few mainstays, Kartabar, defies that trend. Founding owner Philippe Maatouk has held court there for what amounts to a century in restaurant years, with no sign of stopping. Read on for what he shared about his restaurant’s endurance, the story behind the menu and what we’d spy inside his refrigerator.

Photography by Brian DeMello

You’ve been in operation roughly 15 years. What explains Kartabar’s lasting power? Number one, I’m always there, day and

Don’t listen to holiday season naysayers. What’s the rush to put away our revelry until next year? Who is the enemy of joy? It ends when we say it does, calendar dates and adult restraint be damned. No, we’re not advocating that you be “those neighbors,” the ones who keep a weatherbeaten, inflatable Santa in their yard until June. (We’re busy passive-aggressively staring them down every time they leave for work in the morning, in fact.) You can stash the ironically ugly-but-whimsical sweaters until next year, and even commence dietary atonement if you like. But for heaven’s sakes, cling to at least one form of merriment as you wean yourself back to dull, grey normalcy. And, this being a drinks column, we recommend that it be of the boozy type. Luckily enough, Philippe Maatouk, is a like-minded bon vivant. He

night. Second, I treat every customer as a VIP. But in the end, there’s not one or two things that will make you successful. Whether it’s the glassware or the music or the food, everything has to be cared for. It’s a total package. Tell me a little about your regulars. Although students are a great part of our clientele, our foundation is made of loyal guests who are local residents. That gives me a lot of joy. These are people who have been coming in for years and years. They become like extended family. Kartabar is a unique name. Is there special significance behind it? I’ll tell you the story! It’s tied to my heritage. Kartaba is the town in Lebanon where I was born. Since I knew I

asked bartender Jasmine Hawkins to create something for us to help keep the spirit alive, and she answered that call with a fresh take on the bubbly cocktail. Known fact: sparkling drinks are Surgeon General-en-

Do you cook? Of course, not everyday, but I love to jump in. The last thing that I made was for a staff meal, a Middle Eastern dish called Mujaddara. It’s humble, but delicious: lentils, rice and lots of caramelized onions.

How did you get into this mad industry? When I came here from Lebanon, I didn’t have a degree in something. But I knew hospitality from my culture and my family. I knew food and I knew how to welcome people. After I immigrated, I taught myself English, and I taught myself the business, and that was that. My first shop was called Hot Pockets, which I ran out of the building where the Urban Outfitters is now on Thayer Street. That lasted from 1989 to 2000, and then I started Kartabar in 2001.

So you don’t shape the restaurant’s menu per se? It’s pan-Mediterranean, but there’s a lot of Lebanese influence. Oh, no – I definitely contribute. All of the Lebanese dishes are my recipes. They’re things I’ve made for years that I brought with me.

One last question. What would people be surprised to find in your home refrigerator? [Laughs] Fruit. Tons of fruit. And lots of juice. I’m around food all the time as part of the trade, so I don’t actually eat much on my own!

wanted a restaurant that had a solid bar program, I added an “r” to the end of the city name – for a play on words. It speaks of where I came from and what I do.

dorsed vaccination to ward off The Ordinaries. Get your daily dose at Kartabar throughout the extended holiday season, or DIY at home with Hawkins’ formula.

Cheers to the New Year Serves 2... because as a rule, festive cocktails should come in pairs

to create a very thin layer. Wet each flute’s rim, and dip in the sugar to coat. Set aside.

Choose a dry or extra-dry Prosecco for a drink that’s sprightly rather than saccharine.

Meanwhile, muddle the blackberries lightly in a small glass or jar. Spoon desired amount into each of two champagne flutes, using more if you want a fruit-flavored cocktail and less if you want just a tinge. (Take care not to knock off the sugar rim in the process) Add a splash of St. Germaine to each flute, and top with Prosecco. To get the most out of your herbs, compress the sprigs lightly in the palm of your hand before adding as a garnish.

• • • • •

A handful of blackberries A splash of St. Germaine liqueur Prosecco for two 2 sprigs of rosemary (or thyme) 2-3 T raw sugar

Start with the sugar rim by pouring enough raw sugar on a saucer

Kartabar 284 Thayer Street 331-8111 www.kartabar.com January 2016 East Side Monthly

On the town On the Menu

Rustic Dining world cuisine meets local ingredients at Milk Money By Grace Lentini Drink Your Chocolate

One of my favorite things about dining out is feeling satisfied when I leave. I feel satisfied when my meal has been prepared well, in a thoughtful way and introduces my tastebuds to a new experience. Milk Money checks all of these boxes. Co-owner Jared Melei and Chef Antonio Wormley, have put a lot of thought into the menu and it shows. “We wanted a seasonal and local yet globally-inspired menu because we feel, for one, it is a great way to showcase what RI has to offer each season with a variety of different flavors,” they explain. “As for the small plate approach, we want to encourage a more engaging style of dining, and what better way to do that than with food? Whether it’s the food you’re talking about or not, we just want you to be present and talking.” Trust me, you’ll be talking about the food. Think crispy pork with smoked bacon, cherry marmalade and roasted cauliflower; crisp Brussels sprouts with red wine vinegar, sea salt, curry and chili oil

East Side Monthly January 2016

(one of Jared’s favorites); or whole roasted fish with leeks, parsley, ginger, thyme, Hawaiian pink sea salt and sesame soy served with lemongrass farro. Then again, for Chef Antonio it’s all about the grits. To him, they’re “refined nostalgia and utter comfort.” Dessert is no joke either. Carrot cake is a wonderful thing. But imagine instead of the classic cream cheese frosting, goat cheese combines with whipped cream for a slightly savory and lightly sweet topping, which is then drizzled with caramel. For them, the atmosphere is also a huge part of the experience, too. Think of a rustic chic vibe with wood, copper and warm lighting filling the space. It’s quite a departure from how Vanity, the previous restaurant, looked. They’ve opened up the windows, shedding new light on the place. “We’re simply aiming for those looking for an enjoyable experience,” they explain. “Be it with food or just drinks, your destination or stop along the way... come out and enjoy yourselves.” 566 South Water Street, Providence. 649-4667, www.MilkMoneyRI.com

are grass-fed and happy. This turns the drink into “liquid velvet.” They mix that with direct-trade cocoa powder from the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company and top it with a homemade marshmallow from The Illuminated Oven, which is made from grass-fed gelatin and honey. This, of course, can be made dairyfree or vegan if you’re willing to part with the marshmallow – my guess is you won’t want to, though. 460 Wickenden Street, Providence. 6841140, www.TheShopFoxPoint.com

An Upscale Brunch Start the New Year with a fabulous meal. Once again, Chez Pascal is hosting their Once a Year Brunch on January 10. “We don’t ever do brunch,” says chef Matt Gennuso, “so it’s fun for our guests and co-owner and chefs to mix it up.” From 10am-2pm, indulge in five to six dishes with eggs and five to six dishes without eggs. And, of course, no meal at Chez Pascal would be complete without their assortment of house made meats like bacon, ham patties and sausages. They’ve also got bread pudding, sticky buns and Bloody Maries on deck. Plus, the Wurst Kitchen will be serving up egg and cheese sandwiches with your choice of bacon or a ham or sausage patty all day. I can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year. Menu is a la carte. 960 Hope Street, Providence. 421-4422, www.Chez-Pascal.com

Photography by (Top L) Mike Braca

Milk Money co-owner Jared Melei and Chef Antonio Wormley

One of the many things I love about winter is hot chocolate. It’s the perfect drink to complement a chilly day, to bring with you on a brisk walk or to keep you company during moments of quiet reflection. If this is up your alley, head over to The Shop for the return of their Hot Cocoa Fest. Running January 5-February 28, they will release a new flavor of hot chocolate every Tuesday and run that flavor all week. I’ll do the math for you, that’s eight new hot chocolate flavors in eight weeks. Yum. After all flavors have been released, you get to vote for your favorite flavor on The Shop’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages. Whichever hot cocoa reigns supreme will be available, alongside their traditional cocoa, throughout the wintry season. To give you some idea of the chocolate bliss you can relax into, think of flavors like peppermint, chocolate banana, raspberry and peanut butter cup. This is a cup of chocolate you can feel good about drinking, too. By no means a health food, it does however contain whole milk from Munroe Dairy whose cows

RHODY BITES A Sponsored Statewide Dining Guide

View our full Restaurant Profiles on RhodyBites.com

Scampi Enjoy quality, affordable dining on the quiet side of Aquidneck Island. Nestled at the tip of the island in Porstmouth's scenic Island Park area, Scampi is a local favorite for seafood, Italian specialties and great steaks. Its location provides expansive waterviews of the beautiful Sakonnet River in either direction – the perfect place to enjoy a sunset over the Bay with your meal. Scampi is centrally located, making it an easy drive from nearby Newport, Tiverton or Bristol. It's right off Route 24 or a simple jump over the Mt. Hope Bridge. In addition to the sweeping views offered from the dining room, there is also patio seating providing the perfect al fresco setting over the Bay.

The food at Scampi runs the gamut of ocean-fresh seafood, traditional Italian favorites, and expertly prepared steaks. The seafood ranges from New England classics like fried Rhode Island haddock and stuffies, to international interpretations, like the Portuguesestyle Shrimp Mozambique (beer, shallots, garlic, crushed red pepper and Portuguese seasoning) or the Italian Clams Fra Diavolo with a spicy red seafood sauce. The steaks are all Black Angus, grilled exactly to your liking. Pasta choices include everything from a simple Carbonara sauce to a decadent Blue Crab Ravioli in a light sherry cream sauce. Add in brick oven pizza, soups and sandwiches, and there's something for every appetite.

Can’t Miss Dish: The Scampi (duh): Your choice of clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops or lobster with fresh garlic, butter and first-press olive oil.

Photography by Brian DeMello

657 Park Ave, Portsmouth • 401-293-5844 10 Prime Steak & Sushi Gourmet steaks and sushi. 55 Pine St, Providence, 4532333. LD $$$

Bistro 22 New American rustic cuisine in Garden City. 22 Midway Rd, Cranston, 383-6400. LD $-$$

Angelo’s Civita Farnese Restaurant Italian American comfort food classics. 141 Atwells Ave, Providence, 621-8171. LD $-$$

Black Bass Grille Classic seafood, historic waterfront setting. 3 Water St, South Dartmouth, MA, 508-9996975. LD $$

AQUA Poolside cocktails with seasonal American cuisine. 1 Orms St, Providence, 272-2400. LD $-$$

Blend Café Modern Latin-American infused fare. 745 Reservoir Ave, Cranston, 270-5533. BBrLD $-$$

Aruba Steve’s Island cuisine, handcrafted cocktails and Caribbean flair. 520 Main St, Warren, 289-2677. LD $-$$

Bluefin Grille at the Providence Marriott Downtown Seasonal and sustainable seafood in an elegant atmosphere. 1 Orms St, Providence, 272-5852. LD $-$$

Aspire Seasonal Kitchen Contemporary New England fare. 311 Westminster St, Providence, 521-3333. BBrLD $$-$$$ Besos Kitchen & Cocktails Tapas and eclectic cuisine and cocktails. 378 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-8855. BrLD $$$

Breachway Grill Classic New England fare, plus NY-style pizza. 1 Charlestown Beach Rd, Charlestown, 213-6615. LD $$ Café Nuovo Contemporary New World cuisine. 1 Citizens Plz, Providence, 4212525. LD $-$$$

Scampi

Capriccio Upscale international food with a northern Italian/Mediterranean accent. 2 Pine St, Providence, 421-1320. LD $-$$$ Carriage Inn & Saloon Regional comfort food accompanied by a whiskey bar. 1065 Tower Hill Rd, North Kingstown, 294-8466. D $-$$ CAV Eclectic cuisine and art in an historic setting. 14 Imperial Place, Providence, 751-9164. BrLD $$-$$$ Celestial Café Organic farm-to-table fine dining. Oak Harbor Village, 567 S County Tr, Exeter, 295-5559. BrLD $-$$$ Centro Restaurant & Lounge Contemporary cuisine and cocktails. 1 W Exchange St, Providence, 228-6802. BLD $$$ Champlins Seafood Dockside fresh seafood serving easy breezy cocktails. 256 Great Island Rd, Narragansett, 783-3152. LD $-$$

Chez Pascal/The Wurst Kitchen Seasonal farm-to-table cuisine with a French accent. House made sausages, hot dogs and accoutrements. 960 Hope St, Providence, 421-4422. LD $-$$$ Chapel Grille Gourmet food overlooking the Providence skyline. 3000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, 944-4900. BrLD $$$ Circe Restaurant & Bar South Beach meets New England seafood favorites. 50 Weybosset St, Providence, 437-8991. BRLD $-$$$ Clean Plate Delicious comfort food in a casual setting. 345 S. Water St, Providence, 621-8888. BBrLD $$ Decadent Designs and Cafe Custom cakes and pastries alongside a fresh cafe with soups and sandwiches. 1285 Park Ave, Cranston, 942-9300 BL $

Key: B breakfast Br brunch L lunch D dinner $ under 10 $$ 10–20 $$$ 20+

January 2016 East Side Monthly

RHODY BITES Continued

DeWolf Tavern Gourmet American/ Indian fusion. 259 Thames St, Bristol, 254-2005. BLD $$-$$$ The Dorrance Fine dining with exquisite cocktails. 60 Dorrance St, Providence, 521-6000. D $$$ Eleven Forty Nine City sophistication in the suburbs. 1149 Division St, Warwick, 884-1149. LD $$$ Ella’s Fine Food & Drink Elegant dining meets international cuisine. 2 Tower St, Westerly, 315-0606. D $-$$$ Flatbread Company Artisanal pizza, local ingredients. 161 Cushing St, Providence, 273-2737. LD $-$$ Fresco Italian American comfort food with international inspirations. 301 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-0027; 140 Comstock Pkwy, Cranston, 228-3901. D $-$$ George’s of Galilee Fresh caught seafood in an upscale pub atmosphere. 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd, Narragansett, 7832306. LD $-$$ Harry’s Bar & Burger Handcrafted sliders, brews and pub games. 121 N Main St, Providence, 228-7437; 301 Atwells Ave, 228-3336. LD $-$$ Haruki Japanese cuisine and a la carte selections with casual ambiance. 1210 Oaklawn Ave, Cranston, 463-8338; 172 Wayland Ave, Providence, 223-0332; 112 Waterman St, Providence, 421-0754. LD $-$$ Iggy’s Doughboys & Chowder House Classic clam shack fare, plus famous doughboys. 889 Oakland Beach Ave, Warwick, 737-9459; 1157 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 783-5608. LD $ Iron Works Tavern A wide variety of signature American dishes in the historic Thomas Jefferson Hill Mill. 697 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, 739-5111. LD $-$$$ Jacky’s Galaxie Local Pan-Asian chain offering sushi and classic entrees in a modern atmosphere. Locations in Providence, North Providence, Bristol and Cumberland, jackysgalaxie.com. LD $-$$$ Jigger’s Diner Classic ‘50s diner

serving breakfast all day. 145 Main St, East Greenwich, 884-6060. BL $-$$ Julian’s A must-taste Providence staple celebrating 20 years. 318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770. BBrLD $$ Kabob and Curry Award-winning Indian food serving Providence since 1987. 261 Thayer St, Providence, 273-8844. LD $-$$

Mill’s Tavern Historic setting for New American gourmet. 101 N Main St, Providence, 272-3331. D $$$ Napolitano’s Brooklyn Pizza Classic Italian fare and traditional New Yorkstyle pizzas. 100 East St, Cranston, 383-7722; 380 Atwells Ave, Providence, 273-2400. LD $-$$

Kartabar Mediterranean-style cuisine, chic setting. 284 Thayer St, Providence, 331-8111. LD $-$$

Nordic Lodge Surf and turf buffet selections perfect for family gatherings. 178 E Pasquisett Trl, Charlestown, 7834515. LD $$$

KitchenBar Contemporary comfort cuisine. 771 Hope St, Providence, 331-4100. BrLD $$

Oceanside at the Pier New England fare overlooking the Atlantic. 1 Beach St, Narragansett, 792-3999. BrLD $$

Laurel Lane Country Club Upscale pub cuisine overlooking a picturesque golf course. 309 Laurel Ln, West Kingston, 783-3844. LD $-$$

Ocean State Sandwich Company Craft sandwiches and hearty sides. 1345 Hartford Ave, Johnston.155 Westminster St, Providence, 2826772. BL $-$$

Legends Pub and Grub Hometown pub food and brews with ample sports viewing. 1458 Park Ave, Cranston, 2704170. LD $

East Side Monthly January 2016

Paragon & Viva Contemporary dining and nightlife. 234 Thayer St, Providence, 331-6200. BrLD $-$$ Parkside Rotisserie & Bar American bistro specializing in rotisserie meats. 76 South Main St, Providence, 331-0003. LD $-$$ Pat’s Italian Fine Italian favorites, natural steaks and handcrafted cocktails. 1200 Hartford Ave, Johnston, 2731444. LD $-$$$ Phil’s Main Street Grille Classic comfort food; great rooftop patio. 323 Main St, Wakefield, 783-4073. BBrLD $ Pho Horn’s Fresh authentic Vietnamese dishes in a colorful setting. 50 Ann Mary

Worth The Drive:

Lim’s Restaurant Upscale Thai and fresh sushi. 18 South Angell St, Providence, 383-8830. LD $$ Luxe Burger Bar Build your own creative burger. 5 Memorial Blvd, Providence, 6215893. LD $ Maharaja Indian Restaurant Indian cuisine and traditional curries in a warm setting. 1 Beach St, Narragansett, 3639988. LD $-$$ Malted Barley American craft beer, gourmet pretzels and creative sandwiches in downtown Westerly. 42 High St, Westerly, 315-2184. LD $$ McBride’s Pub Traditional Irish pub fare in Wayland Square. 161 Wayland Ave, Providence, 751-3000. LD $$ McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steak Mixed grill selections and signature fish dishes sourced locally and seasonally. 11 Dorrance St, Providence, 351-4500. BLD $$-$$$ Mia’s Prime Time Café Upscale café cuisine by the Pawcatuck River. 1 West Broad St, Pawcatuck, CT, 860-5993840. BLD $$

Kabob and Curry

Kabob and Curry Chef/owner Sanjiv Dhar

opened his first restaurant, Kabob and Curry, on Thayer Street in Providence in 1987. The restaurant, serving classically prepared, enticing Indian food, is now Rhode Island’s longest serving Indian restaurant. Serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, Kabob and Curry is a lively destination any day or night. In addition to serving classic Indian dishes like saag, tikka masala and vindaloo, Kabob and

Curry also serves Tothali combination plates, which are samplers that allow you to experience a lot of different tastes for a low price, and naanini (sandwiches made with naan, and stuffed with either chicken and peppers or paneer cheese and chick peas) and has an extensive selection of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan choices. Instead of the lunch menu on Sundays, the restaurant offers an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Can't Miss Dish: Manglorian Malai Shrimp – A coconut reduction with portabella mushrooms, red chili and ginger served over jasmine rice

261 Thayer St, Providence • 401-273-8844

For full restaurant profiles, go to RhodyBites.com 74

The Olive Tap Extra virgin olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and gourmet food and gift selections. 485 Angell St, Providence, 272-8200. $$-$$$

St #403, Pawtucket, 365-6278. LD $-$$ Pizzico Diverse Italian and fusion cuisine in a rustic yet eclectic atmosphere. 762 Hope St, Providence, 421-4114; 308 County Rd, Barrington, 247-0303. LD $-$$$ Providence Coal Fired Pizza Old world coal-fired pizzas, appetizers and entrees made from scratch. 385 Westminster St, Providence, 454-7499; 6105 Post Rd, North Kingstown, 8857499. LD $-$$ Public Kitchen & Bar American food with changing daily inspirations. 120 Francis St, Providence, 919-5050. BrLD $-$$ Rasa Authentic and contemporary Indian. 149 Main St, East Greenwich, 3982822. LD $$ Rasoi Vegetarian-friendly Indian cuisine. 727 East Ave, Pawtucket, 7285500. LD $$ Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 4376950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 3982900. BrLD $$ Rick’s Roadhouse House-smoked barbecue. 370 Richmond St, Providence, 272-7675. LD $-$$ Roberto’s Italian fine dining and large wine selection in the scenic East Bay. 450 Hope St, Bristol, 2549732. D $$-$$$ Sa-Tang Fine Thai and Asian fusion cuisine with gluten-free selections. 402 Main St, Wakefield, 284-4220. LD $-$$ Scampi Seafood and Italian cuisine with expansive water views. 657 Park Ave, Portsmouth, 293-5844. LD $$ The Sea Goose Seafood with New England and southern flair. 265 Post Rd, Westerly, 315-0788. LD $$-$$$ Theatre 82 & Cafe Hybrid art space with all day breakfast, coffee and theatreinspired entrees. 82 Rolfe Sq, Cranston. 490-9475 BL $ Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich, Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$ Simone’s Gourmet brunch followed by upscale Mediterranean cuisine. 275 Child St, Warren, 247-1200. BBrLD $$-$$$ Sophia’s Tuscan Grille BYOB eatery with classic Tuscan dishes and homemade desserts. 1729 Warwick Ave, Warwick, 732-6656. BLD $-$$$

@RhodyBites

T’s Restaurant Plentiful breakfast and lunch. Locations in Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett, 9465900. BL $

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!

Taullulah on Thames Farm-driven, a la carte and prix fixe menus in a simply decorated setting. 464 Thames St, Newport, 849-2433. BrD $$$ Tavern by the Sea Waterfront European/American bistro. 16 W Main St, Wickford, 294-5771. LD $$

“Your Real Estate Professional, Assisting Buyers and Sellers Achieve Their Goals” TED BOURQUE

401.749.1699

Ten Rocks Tapas Bar Cape-Verdean inspired small plates, handcrafted cocktails and frequent live music. 1091 Main St, Pawtucket, 728-0800. BrLD $-$$

Team Member of

tbourque@residentialproperties.com

antropandwilliamson.com

The Coast Guard House Modern New England Fare with Bay views. 40 Ocean Rd, Narragansett. 789-0700. LD $$-$$$

Golden Crest nursinG Centre Exceptional Post-Surgery Rehab Services

Tortilla Flats Fresh Mexican, Cajun and Southwestern fare, cocktails and over 70 tequilas. 355 Hope St, Providence, 751-6777. LD $-$$ Trinity Brewhouse Rhode Island’s original brewpub. 186 Fountain St, Providence, 453-2337. LD $-$$ Twin Willows Fresh seafood and water views in a family-friendly atmosphere. 865 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, 789-8153. LD $-$$ Vanuatu Coffee Roasters Artisan-crafted, single origin coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. 294 Atwells Ave, Providence, 273-1586. BL $-$$ Vetrano’s Ristorante & Pizzeria Italian cooking like grandma would make. 130 Granite St, Westerly, 348-5050. LD $$ The Village Casual dining and live entertainment. 373 Richmond St, Providence, 228-7222. BrLD $$ Vittoria’s NY Pizza Best pizza north of Manhattan. 224 Post Rd, Westerly, 3221901. LD $-$$ Waterman Grille Riverfront New American dining. 4 Richmond Sq, Providence, 521-9229. BLD $$$

~ GoldenCrestNursingCentre.com ~ (401) 353-1710 • 100 Smithfield Road, North Providence

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331-2020 • AdvancedEyeCareRI.com • 780 North Main Street, Providence

Southern new england'S largeSt Ski and Snowboard Shop

Wes’ Rib House Missouri-style barbecue, open late. 38 Dike St, Providence, 421-9090. LD $$ Whiskey Republic Delicious dockside pub fare. 515 South Water St, Providence, 588-5158. LD $-$$ XO Cafe Creative cocktails and New American fare. 125 N Main St, Providence, 273-9090. BrD $$

facebook.com/RhodyBites

Ski MagazineS Best New Gear for 2016 Select High quality suede leather, Hand stitched aPParel & hats beadwork, Insulated, Waterproof, Durable. Made 35%-40% off! in the USA. Come see what their wearing out west! 105 Chestnut street, WarWiCk • (401) 781-4444 • 95 to exit 15 in WarWiCk • WWW.riskishoP.CoM • oPen 7 days a Week

January 2016 East Side Monthly

You’re one of a kind

Fifty years, three generations, and who knows how many meatballs.

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No secret ingredients. Just the love.

200 University Avenue | Providence | (401) 331-2497

www.school-one.org

1253 North Main Street, Providence RI • 401-272-2590 • www.thesandwichhut.com

We are pleased to announce Kathleen Ryan, Esq. has joined Washington Trust as Senior Vice President, Wealth Managment Client Services, Trust and Estate Services. Kathi joins us from the law firm of Partridge Snow & Hahn where she served as a Partner and Chair of their Trust & Estates Group. She has more than 25 years of experience and is wellrespected within legal and professional communities throughout the Northeast. Kathi is highly regarded for the expertise and personal attention she has provided to clients on matters concerning wealth transfer planning and related tax issues, charitable giving, business succession planning, and fiduciary services.

SMART ADVICE

SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES

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East Side Monthly January 2016

On the town Calendar

by Erin Balsa

January music | performance | social happenings | galleries | sports

DON’T MISS THIS MONTH: 10 events at the top of our list

1 2

Free Ice Skating. January 2 at Alex and Ani City Center in Providence. www.alexandanicenter.com Creature Creation Workshop with Big Nazo Puppets. January 10 at the Providence Public Library Empire Street Branch in Providence. www.provlib.org

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Beginner Photography Class. January 24 & 31 at Hunt’s Photo in Providence. www.huntsphotoandvideo.com

The Sweet Spot. Wednesdays and Thursdays at Local 121 in Providence. www.local121.com Grizzly Mama. January 7-31 at the Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket. www.gammtheatre.org 22nd Annual Southern New England Bridal Expo. January 17 at Rhode Island Convention Center. www.riconvention.com

Winter Big Day. January 2 at Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge in Smithfield. www.asri.org Great Expectations. January 8-23 at the Artists’ Exchange in Cranston. www.artists-exchange.org Providence Bruins. January 3 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. www.dunkindonutscenter.com

Alex and Ani City Center

Singing the Dream. January 31 at Grace Episcopal Church in Providence. 331-3225

Photo (bottom) courtesy of Festival Ballet

INTO THE WOODS

Be Careful What You Eat Festival Ballet presents Hansel and Gretel, a stage adaptation of the famous Grimm’s fairy tale that traces back to 1812 Germany. This is the magical story of a brother and sister who are taken by their father and evil stepmother deep into the woods and left to die. During their walk, Hansel sprinkles bread crumbs on the path so that he and Gretel can find their way home. Sadly, birds eat the bread and the children are left alone to wander the woods. Starving, they stumble upon a gingerbread house made with frosting and candy and help themselves. Its resident, a witch who eats children, fools the pair into going inside where she tries to cook them in her oven. This whimsical tale is told through dance on January 30 with costumes and a set that are sure to delight. 825 Hope Street, Providence. 353-1129, www.festivalballetprovidence.org.

January 2016 East Side Monthly

On the town Calendar continued...

MUSIC

arena & club | classical ARENA & CLUB AS220 January 5: Chained to Insanity, Improper Dosage and Dark Ritual. January 8: Snowplows, Ask the Dead, Public Policy and Left and Right. January 9: OTP, The Short Term, The Vaporubs and Dorisduke. January 12: Queen Anne’s Revenge, Steve Volkmann and Liv Baxter. January 13: Reverend Bastien, Mike Baez and Jake Menendez. January 20: The Pillow Men, Antonio Forte, Brian 4 Ever and Alec Hutson. January 26: Saul Conrad, Tildon Krautz and Kelli Frances Corrado. 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org. CHAN’S FINE ORIENTAL DINING January 1: Bucky Lewis. January 2: Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish. January 8: Roomful of Blues. January 9: Debra Mann. January 15: Evil Gal Michelle Wilson Birthday Bash. January 23: Greg Abate Sextet. January 30: Rose Weaver. 267 Main Street, Woonsocket. 7651900, www.chanseggrollsandjazz.com. FIREHOUSE 13 January 9: Beantown Boozehounds. January 23: Brick by Brick. 41 Central Street, Providence. 270-1801, www.fh13.com. LUPO’S HEARTBREAK HOTEL January 2: Deer Tick. January 8: Badfish. January 17: St. Paul and The Broken Bones. 79 Washington Street, Providence. 331-5876, www.lupos.com. THE MET January 1: Bad Marriage. January 8: Collington. January 15: The Mallett Brothers. January 21: The Ghost of Paul Revere. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. 7291005, www.themetri.com. TWIN RIVER January 16: Kool and the Gang. 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln. 723-3200, www. twinriver.com. CLASSICAL BILTMORE Thursdays: Live jazz. 11 Dorrance Street, Providence. 421-0700, www.providencebiltmore.com. RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC Fridays: Amica Rush Hour. Saturdays TACO Saturday Classical. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. www.ri-philharmonic.org.

East Side Monthly January 2016

FOLK STONE SOUP COFFEEHOUSE January 9: Vance Gilbert with Joanne Lurgio. 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket. 921-5115, www.soup.org

PeRFORMAnCe

comedy | dance | theatre COMEDY AS220 January 3: The Empire Revue with Sketch Comedy, Improv, Music, Burlesque and Magic. January 6: LuLz! Comedy Night Hosted by Randy Bush. 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org. COMEDY CONNECTION January 1-2: PJ Thibodeau. January 8-9: Matt Braunger. January 22-23: Dan Soder. Fridays: Hardcore Comedy. Sundays: Comedy Showcase. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. 438-8383, www.ricomedyconnection.com.

Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 2881170, www.providencetango.com. RHODE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER January 23-23: Athletic Cheer and Dance National Championships. 1 Sabin Street, Providence. 458-6000, www.riconvention.com. VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM January 31: Firstworks Presents London’s Balletboyz. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. 222-1467, www.vmari.com. THEATRE ANGELL BLACKFRIARS THEATRE SMITH CENTER FOR THE ARTS January 22-31: Playhouse Creatures. One Cunningham Square, Providence. 865-2218. www.providence. edu/theatre. ARTISTS EXCHANGE January 8-23: Great Expectations. Theatre 82, 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston. 490-9475, www.artists-exchange.org.

THE COMMUNITY PLAYERS January 8-17: Deathtrap. Jenks Auditorium, 350 Division Street, Pawtucket. 7266860, www.thecommunityplayers.org. GAMM THEATRE January 7-31: Grizzly Mama. 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 723-4266, www.gammtheatre.org. OCEAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY January 27-31: Breaking Legs. 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. 9211777, www.oceanstatetheatre.org. PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER January 1-3: Annie. January 26-31: Cabaret. 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 421-2787, www.ppacri.org. TRINITY REP January 2-3: The Heidi Chronicles. 201 Washington Street, Providence. 351-4242, www.trinityrep.com. WILBURY GROUP January 21-31: Stupid F#*%ing Bird.

DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER January 27: Jeff Dunham: Perfectly Unbalanced. 1 LaSalle Square, Providence. 331-6700, www.dunkindonutscenter.com. EVERETT Every Friday: Friday Night Live. 9 Duncan Avenue, Providence. 8319479, www.everettri.org. DANCE AS220 Mondays: Intermediate/Advanced Modern Dance. Tuesdays: Yobalates. Wednesday: Open Level Modern Dance. Sundays: Beginner and Intermediate Ballet. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www. as220.org. AURORA January 6: Salsa con Soul. January 23: Bachata and Kizomba Fusion. 7:30pm. 276 Westminster Street, Providence. www.auroraprovidence.com. FESTIVAL BALLET SCHOOL January 30-31: Hansel and Gretel. Mondays: Beginner Ballet. Thursdays: Intermediate/Advanced Modern. 825 Hope Street, Providence. 353-1129, www.festivalballet.com. PROVIDENCE TANGO Fridays: Free Tango Lessons. 172

RHODY REUNION

The Prodigal Sons Return Set yourself up for a righteous 2016, and join Rhody’s own Deer Tick on January 2 as they take the stage at Lupo’s, part and parcel to a series of acoustic shows peppered throughout the winter and early spring. Featuring tunes from their 2013 album, Negativity, as well as those well-loved favorites through the years like “The Bump” and “Let’s All Go to the Bar,” this show is set to be a homecoming for the ages. For those who are about to rock, we salute you. Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, 79 Washington Street, Providence. 331-5876, www.lupos.com

On the town Calendar continued...

393 Broad Street 400-7100, www. thewilburygroup.org.

SOCIAL hAPPenInGS

expos | fundraisers | seasonal FOR FOODIES BIN 312: Thursdays: Wine Tasting. 312 South Main Street, Providence. 7140040, www.bin312.com. BOTTLES Fridays: Beer Tasting. Saturdays: Wine Tasting. 141 Pitman Street, Providence. 372-2030, www.bottlesfinewine.com. ENO Fridays and Saturdays: Wine Tasting. 225 Westminster Street, Providence. 521-2000, www.enofinewines.com.

January 21: Drag Bingo. 1612 Elmwood Avenue, Cranston. 521-3603, www. aidscareos.org. TRINITY BREWHOUSE Tuesdays: Stump Trivia. 186 Fountain Street, Providence. 453-2337, www. stumptrivia.com.

GALLeRIeS ATRIUM GALLERY January 1-31: Scenes of Rhode Island. One Capital Hill, Providence. 222-6996, www.arts.ri.gov/projects/atrium.php. CHAZAN GALLERY January 21-31: Rhode Island College Printmaking: Yizhak Elyashiv and Stephen Fisher. 228 Angell Street, Providence. 421-9230. www.chazangallery.org.

FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND Wednesdays and Saturdays: Wintertime Farmers’ Market. Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. www. farmfreshri.org.

PROVIDENCE CITY HALL GALLERY January 1-5: Memories, Myths and Sacred Objects. 25 Dorrance Street, Providence. www.providenceri.com/ ArtCultureTourism.

NEW HARVEST COFFEE ROASTERS Fridays: Free coffee tasting. 3-4:30pm. Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. www.newharvestcoffee.com.

RISD MUSEUM OF ART January 22-31: Jesse Burke: Wild and Precious. January 22-31: Drawing Conclusions. 224 Benefit Street, Providence. 454-6500, www.risdmuseum.org.

OTHER AL-ANON Sundays: 7pm. First Unitarian Church, 1 Benevolent Street, Providence. Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12:10pm. St. Stephens Church, 114 George Street, 2nd floor, Providence. Wednesdays: 7:30pm. Church of the Redeemer, 655 Hope Street, Providence. Fridays: 7:30pm and Saturdays: Noon. Ray Hall, Butler Hospital Campus, 345 Blackstone Boulevard, Providence. www.riafg.org. AS220 First Tuesday: Open Life Drawing. 115 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.as220.org. FREQUENCY WRITERS January 17: Open House. 186 Carpenter Street, Providence. 4:30-6:30pm. www.frequencywriters.org. RHODE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER January 17: 22nd Annual Southern New England Bridal Expo. January 29-31: Northeast International Auto Show. 1 Sabin Street, Providence. 458-6000, www.riconvention.com. RIVIERA BINGO PALACE

KIDS & FAMILY ALEX AND ANI CITY CENTER January 2: Free skating for Providence residents. 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence. 331-5544, www.alexandanicitycenter.com. ARTISTS EXCHANGE January 9: Laugh Out Loud! January 23: Craft Bash. 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston. 490-9475, www.artists-exchange.org. BROWN UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE Every Saturday: Children’s Story Time. 244 Thayer Street, Providence. 8633168, bookstore.brown.edu. MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND PLANETARIUM Saturdays and Sundays: Public Planetarium Shows. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 785-9457. www.providenceri.com/museum. PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY January 10: Family Learning Sunday: Creature Creation Workshop with Big Nazo Puppets. 150 Empire Street, Providence. 455-8000, www.provlib.org.

ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO January 9-23: Preschool Adventures: Owls. January 9: Rock and Roar: A Rock-a-baby Kids’ Concert Series. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 785-3510, www.rwpzoo.org.

LeARn

discussion | instruction | tour INTERNATIONAL HOUSE Wednesdays: Knitting Group. 8 Stimson Avenue, Providence. 421-7181, www.internationalhouseofri.org. LADD OBSERVATORY Tuesdays: Telescope Observing Night. 210 Doyle Avenue, Providence. 8632323, www.brown.edu/departments/ physics/ladd/. PROVIDENCE ATHENAEUM January 8: Athenaeum Book Discussion Group: The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson. 251 Benefit Street, Providence. 421-6970, www. providenceathenaeum.org. PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY January 6: Poetry Group. January 12: Aging and Spirituality. January 14: Community Restorative Yoga Class. Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope Street, Providence. 272-3780, www.provcomlib.org. RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY January 2: John Brown House Open With Free Admission. January 24: Valley Talks: Albert Klyberg. 110 Benevolent Street, Providence. 331-8575, www.rihs.org. SARAH DOYLE WOMEN’S CENTER Mondays: Girls Night Out. Snacks and informal discussions for self-identified queer women. 26 Benevolent Street, Providence. www.events.brown.edu. SLATER MILL January 13: Hook and Needle Guild: Create Your Own Magic Ball. January 15-17: 8th Annual Knitting Weekend and Fiber Art Marketplace. 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket. 725-8638, www.slatermill.org.

SPORtS BROWN MEN’S BASKETBALL January 9: Brown vs. Daniel Webster. January 23: Brown vs. Yale. January 29: Brown vs. Princeton. January 30: Brown vs. Penn. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com. BROWN MEN’S HOCKEY

January 3: Brown vs. Providence. January 16: Brown vs. Yale. January 29: Brown vs. Rensselaer. January 30: Brown vs. Union. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www. brownbears.com. BROWN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL January 6: Brown vs. Rhode Island College. January 23: Brown vs. Yale. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com. BROWN WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 8: Brown vs. St. Lawrence. January 9: Brown vs. Clarkson. January 22: Brown vs. Rensselaer. January 23: Brown vs. Union. January 30: Brown vs. Yale. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com. PROVIDENCE BRUINS HOCKEY January 3: Bruins vs. Rochester Americans. January 8: Bruins vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers. January 10: Bruins vs. Springfield Falcons. January 15: Bruins vs. Albany Devils. January 17: Bruins vs. Portland Pirates. January 18: Bruins vs. Hartford Wolf Pack. January 22: Bruins vs. Springfield Falcons. January 24: Bruins vs. Scranton Penguins. January 29: Bruins vs. Springfield Falcons. 1 LaSalle Square, Providence. 273-5000, www.providencebruins.com. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS MEN’S BASKETBALL January 2: PC vs. St. John’s. January 5: PC vs. Marquette. January 16: PC vs. Seton Hall. January 19: PC vs. Butler. January 26: PC vs. Xavier. 1 La Salle Square, Providence. 865-4672, www.friars.com. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS MEN’S HOCKEY January 22: PC vs. UMass-Lowell. January 29-30: PC vs. New Hampshire. Schneider Arena, Huxley Avenue, Providence. 865-4672, www.friars.com. PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS WOMEN’S HOCKEY January 8-9: PC vs. RIT. January 13: PC vs. Northeastern. January 16: PC vs. UConn. January 24: PC vs. Boston University. January 30-31: PC vs. Maine. Schneider Arena, Huxley Avenue, Providence. 865-4672, www.friars.com. TWIN RIVER January8: CES MMA XXXII Presents Championship Cagefighting. 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln. 723-3200, www. twinriver.com.

January 2016 East Side Monthly

Spotlight

special advertising section

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created equal. Briarcliffe Gardens, on 30 secluded acres of woods in Johnston, is an independently-owned facility that offers the kind of personal care your loved ones deserve. If you’re doing the difficult work of choosing an assisted living facility for a loved one, you already know that there is no simple answer. There are, though, so many questions: how will you pay for it? Will she be happy here? How much of his way of life will he get to keep? How much care does she actually need? What makes Briarcliffe different is that rather than getting a pitch from a salesperson, you’ll get a face to face conversation with owner Akshay Talwar, an elder care expert with decades of experience and degrees from some of the country’s most prestigious universities. He’ll sit down with you, listen with compassion to your concerns, and answer your questions with an incredible depth of knowledge. Knowing you have an advocate who sees you as a person with a loved one in need, rather than just a source of revenue, makes all the difference. Briarcliffe has two different components: Briarcliffe Manor, which is a nursing and rehabilitative facility; and Briarcliffe Gardens, a new-concept Alzheimer’s and memory care assisted living residence. The properties share walking paths among lovely scenery, and each has daily activities for residents, including musical performances, fitness classes and group games. Staff is on-site 24/7, and a nurse is present every day. Their goal is to provide residents with the best possible quality of life, through enrichment activities, excellent food, physical movement and socialization - and they have a genuinely kind, caring staff. Schedule an appointment to find out if it’s the right place to take care of your family.

Briarcliffe Gardens 49 Old Pocasset Road, Johnston 944-2450 / www.briarcliffegardens.com

Spotlight

by Dan Schwartz

The Dwares JCC Building renovations and burgeoning programs

special advertising section

Membership...

It’s more than fitness! It’s an open door to a variety of social, cultural, and educational activities that celebrate family, foster health and well-being, embrace tradition, and expand cultural horizons.

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This spring, the Dwares JCC is embarking on exciting structural and interior design upgrades to give the entire center a more modern feel. With a generous gift from Donald and Bonnie Dwares, the entrance and first floor lobby will be overhauled, and the entire building will be more handicap accessible. Add to this the recently renovated pool area and locker rooms, the new gymnasium floor and the newly added greenhouses, and you realize you have a brand new Dwares JCC. As always, this dynamic non-profit organization is open to everyone – you don’t have to be Jewish to become a member. January is a great time to join and start off the New Year right. While the big box gyms have arrived, they don’t have the extras that come with a membership to the Dwares JCC. For instance, the J-Space After School program for kindergarten through 5th grade allows for socializing and fun educational activities between the hours of 3-6pm. The Teen Lounge is a space for kids to hang out and do activities together – or homework – and they have the option to do sports too, like basketball. Snacks are included for both programs. There are few designated places anymore where kids can get together as a group to socialize and converse. And on no-tech Tuesdays, teens aren’t allowed to use their smart phones in the Lounge (gasp!). Once a month there’s an organized Kids Night Out, where parents drop their kids off between 5-10pm and they get to do a whole variety of activities, from swimming to watching a movie. It’s an affordable program, plus parents get to have a date night. The Dwares JCC is in essence a dynamic institution that has everything one could want: state-of-the-art gym facilities and pool; a BrightStars rated and NAEYC accredited Early Childhood Education Center; extensive after school programming for kids of all ages; and most importantly, a wonderful community space that is open to everyone. Check their website or contact the Dwares JCC today to join.

The Dwares JCC 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence 421-4111 / www.jewishallianceri.org

• fine hand pruning Brunch Saturday & Sunday 8am-1:30pm

• tree preservation • hazard tree removal • tree evaluation & diagnosis • tree planting consultation

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Tomasso Auto Swedish Motors

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January 2016 East Side Monthly

marketplace HOME IMPROVEMENT MalIN PaINTING ElECTRICal SERVICES All types. Energy efficient & security lighting & new circuits. Master licenses: RI #A3338, MA #16083A. Insured. Call Larry 529-2087.

Most ceiling & wall repairs, wallpaper removal, oil-based and latex finishes, staining, varnishing. Fully insured, many local references. Safe, secure, fast service. Call 226-8332. Reg. #19226.

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WaNTEd I BUy BOOKS Old, used and almost new. Also buying photography, art, etc. Call 401-286-9329. jcminich1@gmail.com

USEd MUSIC WaNTEd! Round Again Records needs your used CDs and records. Cash paid. Call 351-6292.

BUSINESS SERVICES

HOUSE ClEaNING C.M. HOUSE ClEaNING Professional, reliable, experienced. Affordable. Excellent local references. Call Marilyn at 497-8770.

dOROTHy’S ClEaNING We clean your home as our own! References & free estimates. Call 401-524-7453 or 401-228-6273.

HOUSE ClEaNING Experienced. Local references. Free estimates. Call Lilly, 401-419-2933.

LEE’S CLEANING SERVICE Basic house cleaning & more. Reasonable rates. References.

Over 20 years experience.

Call Lee 868-5127 785-1230 SNOW PlOWING

SNOW PLOWING

aUdIO/VIdEO HElP If you need some help with your TV, home theater or stereo, call me at 401-383-4102. Jon Bell, Simply Sight & Sound. Reasonable rates. 30 years of experience.

INCOME TaXES 40 Years of Experience. Located at 125 Wayland Avenue. Call 1-401351-7000.

PROFESSIONal INCOME TaX Service. 25+ years experience, honest and reliable. IRS Taxpayer Advocacy Panel appointee. Sue, 228-6203 abs1040@outlook.com

Commercial ● Free Estimates FIREWOOD: Seasoned Hardwood, Cut & Split $300/cord.

PROPERTy MaNaGER Available. On call 24/7. Rent collection. Rentals, evictions, maintenance. Call 421-0092.

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SENIOR CaRE EldER CaRE aVaIlaBlE Very kind, patient, mature woman seeks position with elderly person. Intelligent, cheerful, reliable, with 20 years experience, including several long-term positions. Impeccable references. Please call 781-3392 or 497-3392.

SENIOR CaRE SERVICES Home Assistance, with humor and diligence. Offering home, gardening, driving assistance & companionship. Mary 728-3382.

MISCEllEaNEOUS

We Make Housecalls!!! ✭

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FEELING OVERWHELMED???!!! Need your cellar, attic or garage cleaned, but... can’t quite get to it?? You can call

TAKE-IT-AWAY-TOM at 401-434-8156 Mobile 316-2273 Counselor on the Debris of Life

& BOBCAT SERVICES

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THE laUNdRy ClUB Is now offering free laundry & dry cleaning pick-up & delivery service to the East Side and downtown areas. Call 272-2520 for details.

Advertise in the Marketplace for as low as

Congdon St., $125 covered carport. Benefit St. (north end), $115/mo. Call Roger, 339-4068. rogernc@mac.com

JOBS BY JIM

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Garages, Attics & Basements Cleaned

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Unwanteds Removed Small Demolitions - Garages, Sheds, etc. Appliances & Lawn Mowers

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Motors ❖Machines ❖Batteries ❖Etc.

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Cell 401-742-7258

Reg. #4614

Go to

marketplace.html to reserve your space. Deadline for East Side Marketplace is the first of the month prior.

The easT sider

Barry Fain

Barry Fain: East Side Monthly’s East Sider Before returning to Providence, his hometown, Barry Fain worked in advertising in New York City. “I was one of the later ‘Mad Men’ – in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,” he said. “It was an exciting time.” Eventually finding his way back home to run a new family business, Fain found a project to keep his creative juices flowing: East Side, a weekly publication in its onset and East Side Monthly’s precursor. “It was much more irreverent,” recalled Fain, “and competed with The NewPaper.” Although The NewPaper, which later became The Providence Phoenix, is now defunct, Fain is bullish on print media: today, Providence Media’s 50-person team – employees and freelancers – produces four monthly publications,

East Side Monthly January 2016

including East Side Monthly. In 1974, Providence was “in transition… rough around the edges, but… moving in the right direction. That was the first year of Buddy Cianci, who came in as a reformer,” he said. “Buddy got us to believe in ourselves.” Now, Providence is vastly better, with a world-class restaurant scene, a vibrant downtown, a continued commitment to preservation and the energy of Brown and RISD. Although Providence’s small size and good people should generate solutions, we’ve failed to do so, according to Fain. That – and Providence’s precarious finances – frustrates him, but he is enthused by individuals relocating here. “If people in their 50s… become vibrant, contributing members of the

community,” he adds, “we have an excellent opportunity.” Nearly 500 monthly issues later, Fain serves as an unofficial ambassador for Providence and uses East Side Monthly to celebrate Providence’s assets and identify its deficits. By giving space to community organizations to communicate with their constituencies and to local political candidates to explain their platforms, addressing “town and gown” tensions and providing forums for East Siders to express themselves, “we’ve become a champion of the community,” said Fain, a one-time General Assembly candidate. “Hopefully, people see this as their paper.” Fain, who serves or has served on the boards of the Providence Rotary,

the United Way, Moses Brown, the World Affairs Council and the College Hill Neighborhood Association, among others, has a laser-like focus for East Side Monthly: “Make the East Side as wonderful as possible while staying on the City to make sure it doesn’t fall apart.” Although he won’t guarantee another 40-year East Side Monthly run, Fain said, “I hope it will be here to reflect the community’s views… as a bridge between the businesses… we rely on and the [residents]. If you serve your community well, [a paper] has a very vibrant future.” Nancy Kirsch is an award-winning freelance writer in Providence. Contact her at writernancy@gmail.com

Photography by Michael Cevoli

By Nancy Kirsch

Wednesday - Trivia and Karaoke • Thursday - ShowTinis Friday - GRAY Dance Par ty • Saturday - Live Music and DJs Sunday - Super Spor ts Sunday and Karaoke The Village is Open Wednesday to Saturday at 11am for Lunch • Sunday Brunch from 10am - 3pm Kitchen is open till 10pm Wednesday to Sunday Online reservations available at TheVillageRI.com Contact us for Private Par ties and Special Events

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“RIMI’s friendly technologists take such good care of me. Joan and Kathie are always right there to help me.”

~ Holly

World class medical imaging …. focusing on quality. Holly’s chronic disease requires her to have an MRI every six months. She was glad that her doctor recommended Rhode Island Medical Imaging’s 3T MRI as the larger opening makes the exams comfortable and easy to tolerate. Holly also enjoys the patient-friendly environment from the moment she walks through RIMI’s door. Her neurologist appreciates the highest quality images and ability to consult with RIMI’s world-class radiologists. You have a choice in your imaging provider. Ask your doctor to send you to the ONLY diagnostic imaging Center of Excellence in Rhode Island.

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w w w. r i m i r a d . c o m

R e s i d e n t i a l P r o p e r t i e s Lt d .

“We wish you a healthy and happy New Year!”

David Abbott

Sara Alberti

Celia Almonte

Ashley Baccari

Liz Bodell

Stelliana Chalkiadakis

Meredyth Church

Nancy Compton

Sandy Conca

Ralph Curti

Barbara Dacey

Debra DeLuca

Jim DeRentis

Rich Epstein

Myra Fishman

Kevin Fox

Susan Gower

Kira Greene

Ed Hardie

David Hasslinger

Ellen Kasle

Leslie Kellogg

Erica Kregling

Teresa Level

Jeffrey Lima

Nancy Markham

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Beth Mazor

Greg Morrison

Paula Morrison

Mary O’Brien

Kathleen Pierard

Jennifer Powers

Barbara Rhine

Michelle Rockwell

Rebecca Rubin

Gerri Schiffman

Cathy Singer

Trish Sitcoske

Megan Votta

Libby Isaacson, COO

C. C. Wall

Christopher Wall Sarah Wheaton Kimberly Winslow Katie Worthington

Sally Lapides, President

Kelly Zexter

JP Pagano, Manager

401.274.6740 Rhode Island’s Real Estate Company®

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