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Contents May 2013
This Month 15 Evolving Neighborhoods Hope Street Merchant’s Association trailblazes a successful business model
21 New Life What will become of the old Tockwotton Home building?
22 A Local Filmmaker Acts Globally Documenting the reforestation efforts in Trinidad
26 Mount Hope’s Road to Recovery The legacy of the Billy Taylor House
Every Month
Photography: Tiffany Medrano
5 Letters/Editorial 6 Other Side 9 Community News 35 Movies
15
One of the many innovative businesses on Hope Street
38 On the Menu
46 Education
40 Dining Guide
51 Calendar
43 Art
58 East of Elmgrove
Providence’s first pop-up dining experience
The Core Curriculum comes to the Ocean State
Your resource for eating out
All the info on May happenings
How the pen is making a comeback
A tribute to the stylish gentlemen of the 19th through 21st centuries
Capsule reviews of the latest cinematic openings
44 Finance
On the cover
Cautious spending throughout retirement
Hope Street photographed by Tiffany Medrano
FAmily owned And operAted For over 50 yeArs FEATURED PROPERTY Spacious Condo! 49 Govenor Street #1
Aleen WeissH Jon WeissHF Karen MillerH Claire Sennott
Howard Weiss Lauren Sickel
HAlso licensed in MA FLicensed RI Environmental Lead Inspector 0065
Beautiful first floor unit with tons of historic details, hardwood floors, high ceilings with crown molding, fireplace plus large private basement area rough plumbed for bathroom and waiting to be finished. Low condo fees. $269,000 Listed by Karen Miller
Assisting Buyers, sellers And renters
785 Hope street, providence, ri 4 01-272-6161 • spitzweiss.com May 2013 East Side Monthly
3
Editorial 1070 Main Street, Suite 302 Pawtucket RI 02860 tel: 305-3391 | fax: 305-3392 esm@providenceonline.com www.eastsidemonthly.com
Save Superman’s Building “Look! Up in the
skyline!” “It’s a tall building!” “It’s an icon!” “It’s the old empty Industrial Trust Company/ Industrial National Bank/ Fleet Bank/ Bank of America Building!” Superman fought a never-ending battle for “truth, justice and the American way!” This great building weathered the great hurricanes of 1938 and 1954 and the blizzard of 1978 but it was stuck in the black and white era even as Technicolor was changing the world. This magnificent 26-story granite, 1928 Art Deco skyscraper, easily recognizable from any side, was, in its heyday, the tallest building in New England. Unfortunately, it was built for a different era and a city that has longceded its leadership role in the region. Bank of America’s departure, leaving this major edifice empty, is no surprise. For the last five years at least, two former mayors, Cianci and Paolino, along with real estate professionals and community leaders have argued, some more passionately than others, in great detail that something had to
be done before the building went dark. Working with Mayor Taveras and Cornish Associates (which itself is heavily vested in downtown) the owners are floating a $40 million historic tax credit program to turn the building into 290 apartments with a restaurant and some commercial businesses. Assuming, they get at least $.80 on the dollar for the tax credits, taxpayers would be giving the developers $32 million dollars towards the project. Another issue will be timing. It could take years for this conversion to get approvals from the building and fire departments. The tax credits would need to be approved by the Legislature that is still reeling from its 38 Studios debacle. We, as tax payers, should demand complete transparency, an honest independent valuation and appraisal of the project’s success including absorption (how many years it will take to rent the apartments) from advisers not directly linked to any local developers and a reevaluation of “the American way” if it’s gambling with taxpayers dollars.
Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell Publishing Director Jeanette St. Pierre Managing Editor Barry Fain City Editor Steve Triedman Executive Editor Julie Tremaine Special Projects Manager John Taraborelli Art Director Karli Hendrickson Associate Editor Grace Lentini
But the bottom line is the building has to be saved. It’s too integral a part of our city’s glorious past, our future and our sense of civic pride to disappear from our skyline. It should not become the city’s Kryptonite.
To the Editor: I write to bring attention to recent action of the three East Side members of the House of Representatives that my organization, Common Cause Rhode Island, finds particularly troubling. On March 12 the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Edith Ajello (District 1), passed a resolution (H 5498) we are supporting to allow a statewide vote on restoring the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission over the General Assembly. The next night Representative Christopher Blazejewski (District 2) told the committee that he considered the vote to be “null and void” based on the House Rules, and the Chairwoman agreed and ruled to nullify the vote. We disagree strenuously with his interpretation of the rules and the very idea that the vote can be nullified and remind people that the precedent this sets is very dangerous. Speaker Gordon Fox’s (District 4)
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas Graphic Designers Veatsna Sok Digital Manager Samantha Pezza Account Managers Louann DiMuccio-Darwich, Ann Gallagher, Nicole Greenspun, Kristine Mangan, Dan Schwartz, Elizabeth Riel, Chelsea Sherman, Sharon Sylvester, Kimberly Tingle, Jessica Webb
Letters A Call for Action
Assistant Art Director Meghan H. Follett
Classified Advertising Sue Howarth
legal counsel admitted the move was unprecedented. We urge all East Siders to contact their members of the House of Representatives and tell them to reverse this decision and restore the committee’s vote. For more information visit www. ethicsheldhostage.com. John Marion Executive Director Common Cause Rhode Island
Cheers to the Athenaeum To the Editor: If the Athenaeum (“Bringing History to Life,” April 2013) was seeking to assuage anyone’s previous perception that it’s a stodgy institution full of shushing matrons, then Molly Lederer’s reporting of the Benefit Street salon series will surely alter those preconceptions. Her fresh style - a combination of descriptive details, dialogue and phrasing (my favorite: “In contrast to the myriad modern options for logging in and opting out of human interactions...”) - not only invites
readers to learn about the library’s eclectic offerings, but also beckons them to attend a presentation or two. You’ve sold me, Ms. Lederer. I’m in! Arthur C. Norman To the Editor: I am writing to thank you for Molly Lederer’s thoughtful, informative and beautifully written article on the Athenaeum’s salon series in your April issue. We have had a flurry of new interest from people who had not been to the Athenaeum before, and last evening a long-time member told me that in reading the article she had learned things about the Athenaeum that she had not known before. We are very grateful to East Side Monthly for the feature on our work, and to Molly for taking such care in writing the piece. Given Molly’s emphasis on our collaborative programming for the salons, I wanted to also acknowledge the collaborators we worked with on the salon that was featured in her
Contributing Writers Bob Cipriano, Michael Clark, Mary K. Connor, Jill Davidson, Mike Fink, Don Fowler, David Goldstein, Betsey Purinton, Dale Rappaneau, Elizabeth Rau, Dan Schwartz, Erin Swanson Interns Brianna Blank, Caley MacDonald, Tess Lowe, Courtney Melo, Lauren Tait, Adrianna Schepis, Nile Schley Contributing Photographers Stacey Doyle, Tiffany Medrano, Dan Schwartz Contributing Illustrators Ashley MacLure, Eloise Narrigan, Maret Paetznick,
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 ©2013 by East Side Monthly. All rights reserved. Printed by TCI.
Letters (continued)
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story. It was created as part of the programming around the presentation by FirstWorks of the Joffrey Ballet’s 100th anniversary recreation of the 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring, and could not have been presented without the support of both FirstWorks and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. Our other collaborators for that evening were curator Holly Snyder of the John Hay Library at Brown and book collectors Thomas and Antonia Bryson, who worked with us to curate an exhibit of rare books on topics related to the ballet; Thomas and Antonia donated the Bryson Dance Collection of books, programs, playbills, photographs and other documents to the Brown University Libraries in 2010, and very generously allowed us to feature rare items from Collection at the Athenaeum that evening. East Side Monthly readers who might have missed the salon can still see Rite of Spring-related items from the Bryson Collection - Holly Snyder has curated an even more extensive exhibit at the John Hay Library, which is on display until the end of May. Thank you again for the wonderful story! Christina Bevilacqua The Providence Athenaeum
In Deep Water To the Editor: Readers of this paper may be surprised to learn that Patty Gold, the Director of the Acquatic Program at the JCC pool, was let go at the end of February after working there 33 years. Patty has been a superb teacher, excellent with both young children and the frail elderly, and is well known and loved throughout the East Side community. One has to ask, what was the Alliance leadership thinking? Charles Ahlgren
Absolutely Outraged To the Editor: The sudden and utterly unjustified firing of much-beloved librarian Tom O’Donnell from the Rochambeau, Fox Point and Smith Hill Libraries by Laura Marlane and the powersthat-be of the Executive Board of the Providence Community Library
Executive Board is one of the most disgusting displays of arrogant disrespect for the community I have seen in a very long time. In cold and blustery weather, supporters of Tom, Friends of the Rochambeau Library, local business leaders and just plain folks who love Tom and the library, all immediately mobilized to picket and petition on his behalf. Where were local luminaries and elected officials when it was time to represent the concerns and needs of their community? What did Sam Zurier have to say on the issue - did he do anything about it? Or was he too busy running his personal sidewalk repair business? And how about you Kevin Jackson? Where were you on this one? And you, Ms. Goldin? Still getting acclimated? How about getting to work? And how about you, Linda Kushner - can you just give us our library back and go away? Shame on you! Shame on every member of the PCL Board who voted to reject Tom’s appeal! This is truly an outrage! Even the Mayor’s office, with hundreds of petition signatures in hand, said and did nothing to come to the defense of an irreplaceable and inspired professional librarian as his appeal was dismissed in a classic example of that special interest agenda-grinding we call “legal process” in Providence. Tom O’Donnell’s work at the Rochambeau and Fox Point libraries was a model of how a library can enrich and serve a diverse community in innumerable exciting and creative ways - from adult education and ESL, music and cultural events, youth programs and the annual limerick contest. Now, with Tom gone, this all comes to a crashing halt. Tom O’Donnell will get a better job somewhere else - the East Side’s loss will be some other community’s gain. And given the sheer venality of PCL executive director Laura Marlane, it’s clear that Tom will ultimately be better off. But as for the people who brought him down - bah! See you next election day. Maurice Methot Friend of the Rochambeau Library
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East Side Monthly May 2013
And is bringing lots of festivals with it this month The Proof is in the Coiffurium
In our cover story this month you get to see how Hope Street is adding to the life and economy of Providence. Another layer for not only the neighborhood but the country as a whole, is having one of the establishments nationally recognized. Elle Magazine has ranked the Coiffurium as one of the top 100 salons in the country. And really, are we surprised? The Coiffurium is a little gem that continues to add to the vibrancy of Hope Street. Hope Street is doing something right, and they continue to prove it.
The Big Picture
RISD is once again hosting its Big Draw event, this year on May 19. The familyfriendly event involves people of all ages coming to the RISD Museum to make art, and thereby connect them to the fine art in the musuem’s collection. The event is free and open to the public, and is part of the international Big Draw campaign that happens at over 1500 locations worldwide. www. risdmuseum.org
Chen. But now his work about is about to get a big boost beyond Wickenden – namely, Boston’s Huntington Avenue. He has been asked to contribute pieces to the Museum of Fine Art’s new exhibit, the succinctly titled Samurai! The showcase of samurai armor from the collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller runs April 14-August 4. Check out www.mfa.org for more information, and be sure to plan a trip to support our local artists.
drawn from either city’s budget, and that if they’re not used for the power line burial, they’re simply lost, with no comparable benefit. Now they’re trying to spur action with an online petition calling on the governor and both mayors get it done. As of press time the petition already had 498 supporters. Go www.friendsofindiapointpark. org to add your signature.
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It might be easy to forget the reach that some of our local schools have on the international community. As RISD continues to become engaged globally and diversify its student body, so too does its source of donations. In an unprecedented effort, RISD has received its largest-ever donation of $1 million from a recent alumni’s family.: donors Vikram and Geetanjali Kirloskar of Bangalore, India whose daughter, Manasi Kirloskar, graduated with a degree in painting in 2012. And given the size of the donation, her parents were clearly impressed with her growth and studies. Manasi credited much of her growth to one teacher in particular, Dennis Congdon. The donation also carries a few caveats - it must go towards a visiting scholar who will promote Indian art and culture in the painting department. We are all welcoming the exchange of cultural art and expression that is sure to come of this opportunity.
South Main Street is bringing back its Spring Festival on May 18. Participating merchants along South Main will offer in-store treats and special shopping deals. “I’m going to do wine and treats,” says Natalie Morello of Shoppe Pioneer, “other people are doing treats, there will be shopping promotions.” In addition, the Wild Colonial Tavern will be hosting an outdoor beer garden. The all-day event happens from 11am-7pm, and Bin 312 will be doing wine tastings all day. “We did it for the holidays and it was really nice,” Natalie says.
Sharpening Their Swords
Three Wheel Studio has been a great addition to Wickenden Street’s artsy vibe. The ceramic studio and gallery showcases fun, decorative and often whimsical works from a variety of artists, including proprietor Dwo Wen
The redevelopment of our waterfront made possible by the relocation of I-195 is an unparalleled opportunity for the city to both beautify and boost the economy along the northern shores of the bay. One project that is certain to enhance that beauty is burying the power lines along the waterfront in both Providence and East Providence. Funds have been raised to do so – to the tune of $17.5 million, or 90% of National Grid’s 2007 cost estimate for the project – and the effort has won the support of Governor Chafee, Mayors Taveras and Briden (EP), and more than 30 city, state and neighborhood organizations. So why do the lines remain above ground. According to Friends of India Point Park, it’s simply because neither National Grid nor either of the municipalities affected have made it a priority. They point out that the funds raised were not
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East Side Monthly May 2013
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Fox Point by John Rousseau Fox Point Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 270-7121 Website: www.fpna.net Email: fpna@cox.net Mailing Address: P.O. Box 603177, Providence, RI 02906 Events This Month: FPNA will hold its Monthly Board Meeting May 13 in the Community Room at the Vartan Gregorian Bath House Library, 455 Wickenden Street. Calls for Removal of Power Lines The Fox Point Neighborhood Associations, FPNA, has called on Mayor Angel Taveras to provide the necessary political leadership that would finally bury the power lines, which pass overhead along the neighborhood’s southern border. In a March letter, FPNA Interim Vice President Daisy Schnepel reminded the Mayor’s Office that David Riley, cochair of Friends for India Point Park, FIPP, and others have advocated for burial of the power lines for over ten years. “We applaud this advocacy, but now ask you for action,” Schnepel said. “Removing the power lines promotes Providence’s emerging public waterfront by enhancing the future marketability of the Shooter site and the two adjacent I-195 parcels in Fox Point.” Riley, who spoke at FPNA’s membership meeting in February, said that over $17.2 million, or 90% of National Grid’s 2007 cost estimate, has been raised and designated for the job. “Not only do the power lines create an unattractive situation, they negatively impact property valuations by as much as 30%,” Riley pointed out. While the project has won support of numerous groups and elected officials, including Governor Lincoln Chafee and Mayor Angel Taveras, it has failed because neither cities, nor National Grid have made it a priority, he explains. If the funds for the project are not used soon, there is a chance that they could be allowed to dissipate, Riley said. At press time - early April - over 300 persons have signed FIPP’s petition to have the power lines buried.
Please, take a moment and help FIPP reach its goal of 1,000 signatures. For more information and to sign the petition, go to www.friendsofindiapointpark.org. FPNA Explores Monument Restoration FPNA has begun a Monument Restoration Committee to have the original plaques restored to the 1906 Monument at the Roger Williams Landing Park on Gano Street. Unfortunately, only two of the original plaques remain because the other three have been “lost” since they were removed in 2006 over fears of them being stolen. Two of lost ones include the main west-facing plaque, which was a relief of Roger Williams and company landing on the shore and a small round plaque, believed to be the official seal of the Providence Association of Mechanics and Merchants, who erected the monument. The committee has begun the project by teaming with Paul Campbell, Providence’s archivist. FPNA Executive Secretary and committee chair John Rousseau also is seeking funding ideas from historical foundations and governmental officials. “Some of our membership has been asking for the restoration of the plaques for a long time, even suggesting that a fundraising campaign be initiated. “ FPNA has received funding for a historical marker to be constructed on the Seekonk Shoreline in Gano Park that directs visitors to this monument. The location of the marker has been established at a spot from which the monument can be seen across Gano Street. As part of the Council for Humanities grant, FPNA agreed to provide publicity for a double dedication ceremony of the marker and the restoration of the monument’s plaques. And then, FPNA received the news from the Parks Department that only two of the original plaques could be found. If you have ideas on restoration of the plaques, contact fpna@cox.net or by calling 270-7121.
Blackstone Parks by Jane Peterson Blackstone Parks Phone Number: 270-3014 Website: www.blackstoneparksconservancy.org
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 603141, Providence 02906 Looping through Blackstone Park with Audubon’s Urban Naturalists On a bone cold afternoon in March the last park day of their winter session - six Urban Naturalists from Nathan Bishop Middle School arrive at the Blackstone Park Conservation District on River Road for their weekly outdoor lesson. Led by Audubon teacher April Alix, 15 students have been studying the Park’s ecosystems. Today’s lesson is on soil and geology and, as always, they’ve prepared for it in class. Over half of the 12- to 14-year-olds in this Providence After School Association (PASA) program have been sidelined by flu, but the survivors do not complain about the cold. They look forward to visiting “their” park, and consider themselves its caretakers - one project this winter involved cleaning up York Pond. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island uses Blackstone Park as an educational resource for their after school program. The Blackstone Parks Conservancy is studying this model for its new education arm. In the meadow by the Seekonk River, AmeriCorps teacher Chloe holds up a small rock hammer, a soil corer, a trowel and a soil sifter. She digs up a small sample of soil, and everyone can see that it is brown for several inches down, then orange sandy underneath. Each student kneads a bit of the topsoil in his or her palm to see whether it has clay the fact that it clumps together into a “ribbon” shows that it does. Chloe then pours a little water into a small depression and asks them to time how long it takes to seep in, or percolate. The water disappears slowly, another sign of clay, and she introduces the word “impermeable.” The trowel full of dirt goes into the top of the fivetiered sifter and each student in the circle shakes the canister stack. Each screen down, finer than the last, captures less dirt clumped in smaller balls, and none reaches the first two tiers. Next the teacher asks everyone to match the topsoil to a color from the chart she’s brought along. With each observation, she reminds them to “write it down” so they can compare the data later. Then she puts the soil back and pats it down. The hands-on exercise is repeated at three more study plots - one high above the meadow is packed with orange sand with no grass. Frances, the sixth grader who is digging this time, exclaims, “I hit a rock! Maybe it’s gold!”
Here the soil percolates quickly. Chloe picks up a slate rock and shows how it splits along a plane, explaining how sedimentary rock is formed. The students’ fondness for the Park is palpable. Walking and talking between study sites, Mary remembers coming here with her mother and baby brother a few years ago. Unforgettably, a seagull flew off with her sandwich, so she had to share her mother’s. Mary asks if the Blackstone Parks Conservancy owns the Park and is told the city does, “which means you own it too.” The third site near the eastern bluff overlooking the river has a thick layer of leaf litter and about five inches of topsoil. They debate whether to call the dirt below “caramel” or “butterscotch.” When Chloe asks if anyone knows why the split rail fencing is there, Mary spouts what she’s just learned: the fencing (built by Conservancy and Appalachian Mountain Club volunteers) helps to keep traffic off the vegetation and to slow erosion. There is a quick lesson about the effect of excessive nutrients on the river far below just as two unconcerned egrets flap upstream just above the water. Again, everyone is reminded to stay on the trail as the group moves toward York Pond. There, a sample resembles the previous one but has paler, sandier soil underneath the topsoil. They play a quick game of “green light, red light” and head back to the bus. One can’t help but wonder if many adults know as much about nature as these children now do? In any event, with the help of naturalists, the Conservancy is designing trail walks and assembling information about the Parks that we hope will interest people of all ages. Events This Month Earth Day April 20 - Trail walks, geocache and cleanup on at Parkside, Paterson Street and River Road. For details, please check our website. We greatly appreciate your Eastside Marketplace receipts. Please mail them to the P.O. Box above.
Summit by Kerry Kohring Summit Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 489-7078 Website: www.SummitNeighbors.org Email: sna@sna.providence.ri.us Mailing Address: SNA, PO Box 41092, Providence, RI 02940 May 2013 East Side Monthly
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Community News
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Firing of Librarian at Local Branch Provokes Outrage Among Residents The abrupt dismissal of the manager of the Rochambeau branch of the Providence Community Library has prompted neighborhood outrage accompanied by protest actions by many residents. They have marched with picket signs in front of the library, attended meetings of the PCL board and participated in extensive discussions on the SNA listserv – Summit@ sna.providence.ri.us. The actions were in protest of the firing of Tom O’Donnell, the head of the Fox Point and Smith Hill library branches as well as of Rochambeau, by PCL executive director Laura Marlane. She alleged that he was guilty of insubordination, dishonesty and failure to follow procedure, although she has not publicly offered any evidence to substantiate her charges. Her decision was upheld in a 6-to2 vote by the PCL board in a public meeting that about 50 people attended. One of the members of that board authored a letter, before the meeting was held and testimony was heard, saying the firing was justified and voted to uphold it. The whole process has brought demands by library patrons and other community members for more accountability and transparency by the library system. There has been a Facebook page set up – Friends of Tom O’Donnell – that continues to address those issues. The SNA has written a letter urging openness in actions by the PCL and other neighborhood groups expressed similar concerns. Snow-shoveling Program Winds Down At the regular SNA board meeting March 18, snow-shoveling coordinators Tom Schmeling and Britt Page reported that the program worked well, pairing volunteers with people in need. Depending on the severity of the storms, five or six residents requested assistance and were dug out. This is also intended to become an annual project, which by now – hopefully – is over for this year. Residents Invited to Directors Meetings The board, which has expanded to 23 members, convenes at 7 pm the third Monday of every month in the cafeteria of Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Ave. The meetings are open and residents are encouraged to attend. Minutes of all board meetings are posted
on the SNA website under “Meetings and Agendas.”
Brown Street Park by Wendy Nilsson Friends of Brown Street Park Phone Number: 454-8712 Website: www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org Email: wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org Mailing Address: 30 Pratt Street, Providence, RI 02906 Events this Month Thanks to everyone who helped spruce up Brown Street Park for Earth Day Spring Cleaning 2013. Check out the pics on Facebook. We are just pulling together our spring and summer schedule. Check online for Extreme Park, our course coming in May, fitness classes, concerts and events. Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org to find out how you can donate or get involved in Brown Street Park or visit www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org. Check the website for cancellations and updates for classes and events.
Wayland Square by David Kolsky Neighborhood Discussion Group at Books on the Square Website: groups.yahoo.com/group/ waylandsquare Monthly Meetings Wednesday, April 24 and Wednesday, May 22, at 7pm, Books on the Square, 471 Angell Street at Elmgrove, next to CVS. Free and open to all. Commercial Changes There’s been a little more volatility among our local merchants. The shops on either side of Red Stripe Restaurant on Angell (opposite Starbucks) recently went out of business. Gabrielle fashions held its last day of business on March 23; I don’t know if a new tenant has been found. The former
Community News Jacqueline Philip salon on the other side of Red Stripe will be occupied by the Femme Fatale, now (as I write) located on the street level of Wayland Manor. More Local News Check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board (above) 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. More Local News Check our Yahoo! Group’s public message board (above) 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.
College Hill by Allison Spooner College Hill Neighborhood Association Phone Number: 633-5230 Website: www.collegehillna.com Email: chna@collegehillna.com Mailing Address: CHNA, P.O. Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906 Snow Removal/ Parking Discussion with Bill Bombard At the last CHNA Board meeting we welcomed the public and Providence City Engineer, Bill Bombard, to discuss the issues of parking, snow removal, traffic congestion and pedestrian safety on College Hill during severe snowstorms. After reviewing the details of the last storm – the fast falling snow, the priority to clear main roads for safety vehicles, the challenges of clearing smaller streets, temporary no parking signs being removed – some solutions emerged. Moving forward Mr. Bombard will make plans to implement emergency parking signs on streets that currently have congestion issues due to two-sided parking. This would provide for parking on only one side of the street to allow snow to be cleared adequately for two-way traffic. Effective snow removal of sidewalks that allows for adequate pedestrian safety measures will also be reviewed moving forward. CHNA will continue to remain involved in these discussions as planning is developed. Potholes It is jarringly obvious that winter
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wreaks havoc on the roads throughout Providence. DPW has been addressing the issue, but it is an ongoing project. Know of a pothole that needs to be filled? Simply submit a form specifically for potholes on ProvConnex. There is even an app if you are on the road! The submission is given a reference number so that it can be tracked until it is completed. We encourage you to use ProvConnex for many issues other than potholes including public safety, graffiti, garbage, transportation, utilities and so much more.
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Become Involved If you are interested in helping with the development of the College Hill neighborhood, we would like to hear from you. If you would like to become a Board volunteer or Board member, we welcome you to submit an email to chna@collegehillna.com with your contact information and interests as a first step. Visiting Seniors The East Side of Providence homes are known for being beautiful and charming, but they can represent safety challenges for visiting seniors. EPOCH on the East Side offers furnished apartments to help make an older loved one’s visit more enjoyable and safe. In addition, short-term guests are treated to all that EPOCH offers. Amenities include, meals, housekeeping, enrichment programs and a fitness center with an indoor heated pool. For details call Beth at 275-0682. Join CHNA A reminder to members to renew your CHNA membership – new members are welcome as well! Annual dues have changed slightly to $20 per year for an individual membership or $35 per year for a family. To join (or renew), visit our website, www.collegehillna.com and click “Join CHNA.” Checks may be made out to CHNA Attn: Treasurer, Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. Include your email and mailing address.
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Councilman Sam Zurier Updates Sign up to receive informative weekly letters from Ward 2 Councilman Sam Zurier. Visit his website, www.samzurier.com, to subscribe. More on the CHNA Website Visit www.collegehillna.com for additional updates on special use permits, crime activity, local resources, events and neighborhood activities. May 2013 East Side Monthly
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Hope SpringS eternal
How the Hope Street Merchant’s Association is helping to shape the city’s most vibrant neighborhood By Michael Clark • Photography by Tiffany Medrano Asher Schofield, the president of the Hope Street Merchant’s Association and owner of Frog & Toad, does not fit the mold, at least in my mind, of your highly energetic, active civic leader. He’s bearded. He has the propensity to punctuate sentences with the word “man.” But from all accounts, this unassuming man is really the heart and soul of the association, a group of 27 small business concerns located along Hope Street roughly north of Rochambeau with a unique vision: neighborhood improvement. To hear the accomplishments and goals of the association from Schofield, one would think he were the president of a neighborhood association, not a merchant’s association. Schofield oversees the third iteration of the group. In the past, it has waxed and waned. In 2001, when Schofield first opened Frog & Toad, a delightfully Rhode Island-specific retail store that
one Yelp reviewer describes as “my go to place in Providence for quirky and adorable gifts,” there was no association and nearly half the store fronts were empty. He was approached by Nanda Head, a former owner of an interior design store, about starting up an association. He was elected vice president; Nanda took the role of president. They began with six members. Now there are 27, and nearly every storefront is full. It’s a remarkable thing, really: not only do these store owners face a historically atrocious economy, but they exist within a state that has a notoriously poor business environment. Take a stroll along Hope Street on any given day or night and chances are it will be bustling. During the day, young parents pushing strollers shop, and, at night, the several restaurants and bars will be packed. It’s a peculiar area. It’s an intense retail location surrounded by a
decidedly surburban environment characterized mainly by single family homes with small yards. But it works. The young residents – young meaning 30s – flock to Hope Street to eat, shop and drink. It’s busy nearly round the clock: the line at Seven Stars Bakery will be long, the tables packed; folks eat lunch at Hope Street Pizza, Blaze, Pizzico and KitchenBar; people drink at the Ivy Tavern and Hope Street Pizza at night. It seems that, to some degree, the state of the street, as it were, is attributable to Schofield. Under his leadership, Hope has seen new furniture, benches, bike racks, public art and those cool RIPTA bus shelters. The association won a decisive battle against the monolith that is National Grid. As Schofield tells it, he found out that the utility wanted to do some work along the street. They didn’t bother to tell the businesses. He found out from a
friend. The utility wanted to dig up the street during the holiday season, which would have adversely impacted the businesses along the main drag. Schofield developed a petition to have the utility put off digging until spring. Fifty people signed on. He presented the petition and won: the utility agreed to do the work in spring. Now they face another challenge: Narragansett Bay Commission, after replacing water pipes along the street, will begin repaving in April; the work will reduce Hope Street to one lane, for southbound traffic only. The traffic plan isn’t finalized yet, but the general plan is to detour northbound traffic via Blackstone Boulevard. Anyone who has driven along Hope Street lately knows that this work is necessary: it is riddled with potholes and an uneven patchwork of pavement asphalt. It is the last step in what has been a painful process. May 2013 East Side Monthly
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chofield and I sat down recently for a chat at Seven Stars. It was a Thursday afternoon, and, as usual, the place was packed. We squeezed into a small space at the long table at the rear. We talked about arguably one of the most important activities of the association: festivals. “It’s really about community, not necessarily just sales,” Schofield says. There’s the Spring Block Party, held in May, the Fall Festival, held in September in collaboration with Miriam Hospital, and there’s the Holiday Stroll, held in December. Like last year, this year’s Spring Block Party will consist of Beers for Ballet, a beer garden provided by local breweries, proceeds going to Festival Ballet. It will also feature food trucks (an omnipresent trend these days) wagon rides for the kids and music. The Fall Festival is a big one. A number of years ago, the festival was held in the Miriam Hospital parking lot. In an effort to further engage the community, according to Monica Anderson, the hospital’s community liaison, Miriam, in collaboration with the Merchant’s Association, began holding the festival on Hope Street. These days the street is closed between Burlington and Fifth. The collaboration between
S
Asher Schofield at Frog and Toad
Business suffered during construction of new water pipes along the street, according to Schofield and Dixie Carroll, the owner of J. Marcel and the current vice president of the association. Carroll notes that customers would complain to her about the dust storm outside, as if she had control over it. But the Association and Narragansett Bay Commission have worked closely to limit impacts. The NBC sponsored the Holiday Stroll, an immensely popular holiday block party of sorts, and, according to Jamie Samons, NBC’s public affairs manager, the commission plans to run print adverts with the message that Hope Street is open for business. Despite this, there are concerns. Schofield notes that much of their business comes from car traffic. “People will be driving by and see the shop and park and stop in.” Schofield is playing with idea of bringing pedi-cab service to the area during the work, which is expected
to last eight to 12 weeks. He’s thinking about temporary off-street parking schemes – anything really to minimize impacts. But, like his work with National Grid, Schofield has managed to convince NBC to consider street improvements, including bumpouts and raised crosswalks, in addition to the new paving. So, there is a silver lining. Samons notes: “The association has been great to work with.” ope Street, specifically the stretch from what is now Olney Street to the Pawtucket line, had an inauspicious beginning. The three-mile segment began, in 1807, as the East Turnpike, a gravel road linking Providence and Pawtucket. A toll gate was built at what is the now the corner of Olney and Hope. The road operated for 30 years, but it continually lost money. There was also a bit of intrigue: one of the corporation’s owners and a Republican candidate
H
for governor, one Lemuel H. Arnold, came under investigation in 1831 for some sort of tomfoolery with regard to the corporation’s financial affairs. Anyway, the road fell into the hands of the State, which decided to open the road to the public in the mid-19th century. It’s hard to believe that the area between Olney Street and what is now Lippitt Park was a few scattered farms with a dirt road running through them. An 1882 atlas indicates that water service, as it were, ended at Olney and that, between Olney and what is now Lippitt Park, there were three farms on the east side of Hope Street and one on the west side. A 1898 atlas indicates four farms on the east side of Hope Street and nothing on the west side. For all intents and purposes, what is now a bustling urban neighborhood was the boondocks, a stretch of woods and farms lying between Providence and Pawtucket. It seems nearly miraculous that today one can, in the course of an afternoon, attend a ballet or an author’s reading, perhaps get a coffee or drinks, or buy paper, shoes, clothes and cameras. I challenge you to identify a similar environment elsewhere in Providence.
Dining al fresco at Blaze
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Spring fashions at J. Marcel
the hospital runs beyond the festival: the association attends the hospital’s neighborhood committee meetings, and, through the Miriam Foundation, the hospital has provided grant funding to the association for beautification projects. The Fall Festival, as Anderson notes, has become a “great tradition.” Last year, there were Zumba classes, salsa and cha-cha lessons, something called Apple-pa-looza, a pet parade and free health screenings. Schofield, amidst the chaos that is Seven Stars on a weekday afternoon, tells me about an upcoming Earth Day event. The association plans to plant 15 trees along the street, open up existing tree pits along the street to allow for better growth, and install metal tree guards built by the Steel Yard, the non-profit industrial arts organization founded by Clay Rockefeller. Also, the association is taking part in a retail business recycling pilot program. This is a big deal. As it is, businesses do not have the option of curbside recycling pickup. They must contract with firms to pick up their recyclables, adding yet more to the cost of doing business. This scheme, if successful, will not only improve recycling rates but also save small businesses a not inconsiderable chunk of money. Sheila Dormody, the City’s Director of Sustainability, notes that this area was chosen for the pilot primarily for two reasons: first, the area is home to the type of retail business that will be suitable for the program, and, second, the association, under Schofield’s direction is organized and will provide the City the necessary feedback to evaluate and scale the program. Dormody adds that it all stemmed
from a conversation she and Schofield had about Warren’s Main Street recycling program. As if festivals, street art, trees and recycling weren’t enough, the association became involved when Tom O’Donnell, the long time librarian at the Rochambeau branch of the Providence Public Library, was unceremoniously fired. Schofield spoke at a hearing on O’Donnell’s dismissal, and a post on the association’s Facebook page clearly states its position on the matter: “Beloved community leader, champion of our youth, artist and teacher: we have lost so much.” According to Schofield, he was “distraught” over the termination and he sees the library as “part and parcel of the neighborhood.” Unfortunately, this is one of those battles that Schofield lost, a rarity. O’Donnell remains out of a job. t’s clear that Schofield plays a major role behind many of the association’s recent activities. Dixie Carroll,
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the owner of J. Marcel, who notes that her landlord pitched Hope as the hottest retail area in Providence, tells me that she simply “assists Asher.” Lynn Williams, the owner of Seven Stars, says, “It’s all him.” And Anderson, from Miriam, says that Schofield offers “vibrant leadership.” Under his guidance, it seems that the future of Hope Street is bright. Plus, after the 38 Studios debacle, the State is refocusing its economic development efforts on supporting the matter. Governor Chafee ordered a review of all regulations related to small businesses, and he’s restructuring the EDC board to support a renewed focus on small business. In a March 7 press release regarding new EDC board appointees, the governor notes, “These nominees reflect my commitment to changing the focus and priorities of the EDC.” He goes on: “We are going to do all we can to help existing Rhode Island businesses.” But there are still challenges. “The
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East Side Monthly May 2013
association, which is primarily funded by member fees, is always in need of money,” Schofield says. He notes that there is currently no state level program designed specifically for supporting merchant’s associations. Melissa Chambers, the EDC’s communications manager, said that the EDC’s small business program, albeit extensive, is geared primarily towards individual businesses. Schofield mentions that the collaboration with the City has been a good one. He put me in touch with Ann Gooding, the City’s communication director. In an email, before listing the numerous ways in which the City supports the association, she writes,
“Mayor Taveras wholeheartedly supports the work of the merchants’ associations – including that of the Hope Street Merchants Association, which is leading the way in organizational activity.” The fruits of this “organizational activity” are clear to see: the storefronts are occupied, the stores are busy and there’s a level of variety and vibrancy that is arguably unmatched in this city. For Line Daems, a co-owner of fiber arts store Kreatalier, variety is the trait that sets this area apart: “You find almost everything on Hope Street,” she says. I experience this vibrancy first hand nearly every day; I live in the neighborhood. But what really opened my eyes was the Holiday Stroll in December. Despite the freezing temperatures, the street, which was closed to traffic, was a veritable sea of humanity: there was Santa, music, food, packed shops and restaurants, and guys juggling torches. It was then I realized how special this street is.
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Repurposed History Big plans for the Tockwotton building Story and photo by Mary K Connor There has been much
speculation and, let’s face it, worry, about what might become of the Tockwotton Home building on East Street in India Point. When Tockwotton Home moved to its new facility across the river in East Providence this past January, it left behind an empty building in need of a new owner and a new purpose. This August, if all goes according to plan, the building will have both, becoming home to Roosevelt International Academy and an entirely different group of residents - international high school students. Benjamin “Ben” Tre, a founder and managing partner of RIA, invited Fox Point residents to a March 29 informational meeting about his proposal to establish a boarding school, of sorts, in the vacant Tockwotton building. At press time, Ben had a purchase and sale agreement on the property and an April 3 hearing date with the city for a special use permit. Ben has local roots. He grew up in Providence, went to the Gordon School and Moses Brown and lives in Central Falls. His background is in real estate and community development. “RIA will be partnering with well-established day schools in the Providence area,” Ben explains, “to create a high school diploma program for foreign students.” Partnering agreements are currently in place with Moses Brown, Wheeler, Lincoln School, Providence Country Day, St. Raphael Academy, Bishop Hendricken, St. Mary’s Bay View and Mt. Hope High School. Ben hopes to expand RIA’s collaboration with public schools, but present regulations that restrict public school student visas to one year. No such restriction applies to private schools. The intention of the program is to have students here for the entire four years of high school but there will be some who come for a one-year program. Students attending public schools will be paying tuition to the school. “The rooms at Tockwotton will be used as dorm space, with modifications to accommodate double occupancy, and for classrooms and administrative offices,” says Ben. At full capacity the school will enroll 118 students. RIA staffing will include teachers, residential advisors and administrators,
The Tockwotton Home currently sits empty
with on-site staffing 24 hours per day. Students will be at their partnering schools during the day and will be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities. RIA will provide an additional 25 hours of academics per week, including language skills instruction. There will be a community service component to the program and structured field trips. “Operationally,” Ben proposes, “there will not be a big change to the way the building is used, no changes to its façade and no expansion of existing space.” Questions from those in attendance on March 29 centered on issues of transportation, parking and what impact a group of high school students might have on neighborhood tranquility. Ben said that, “60% of RIA students will be walking to already existing pick-up points for buses that transport East Side students to various schools. RIA will have one yellow bus, stored off-site, to transport the others and to accommodate students participating in extracurricular activities. The pick-up point will be on George Cohan Boulevard and will not coincide with Vartan Gregorian’s bus schedule. RIA students will not have cars, nor will they be permitted to drive a car. RIA will not be seeking any parking restrictions on local streets.” As for neighborhood
tranquility, “the RIA students will have a very rigorous academic schedule and planned weekend activities and there will be very strict security policies for students checking in and out of the building. India Point Park will be a big resource for the students.” Ben added that, “RIA is a for-profit entity, meaning the Tockwotton property would be back on the tax rolls.” He predicted that students and their visiting parents will patronize local stores, giving an additional economic boost to the neighborhood. It is safe to say that by the end of the informational meeting an initial skepticism had given way to cautious optimism. Dennis Hlynsky, who lives directly across the street from Tockwotton Home, noted that high school students would certainly bring a different kind of energy to the area. He wondered if potential problems were being downplayed. “You have addressed all the concerns, but your words are carefully chosen,” he said, noting however that RIA’s proposal was “not a bad use for this building.” Eileen Afonso, a Fox Point native, encouraged RIA to teach students about the history of Fox Point. “Don’t allow a disconnect between the school and the community.” Afonso also hoped that the Tockwotton name could be maintained. Ben recognized the inherent
historic value of the building and said that the month long orientation program will include an historical component. Students will be encouraged to be part of the community, perhaps volunteering at Vartan Gregorian School and Tockwotton Home. Michelle Boutin, of Point Properties, was enthusiastic about RIA’s proposal overall. “I don’t think there could be a better thing to come here. Young energy is a good thing.” Paul Wackrow attended the meeting on behalf of Providence Preservation Society. Noting that no work will be done to the exterior of the building and very little to the interior, he said that PPS is excited to know that an active use is being planned for the historic building. “We will be closely monitoring the project as it moves forward.” If all goes according to plan, Ben expects the first group of students to arrive in Providence around August 1. Many of these students will be Chinese, but the intention is to diversify and attract students from Latin America, South America and Southeast Asia. For those who are wondering, the name of the school came from Roosevelt Avenue in Central Falls. Originally the school was going to be part of a bigger development project, but the timing did not work out. Good news for Fox Point? May 2013 East Side Monthly
21
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East Side Monthly May 2013
W
hen James Monteiro got back to Mount Hope the streets looked empty, and the people were gone. He was sitting on Dave Hector’s porch on a hot summer day. “Where is everybody?” Monteiro wondered. “What happened to this community? It’s dead. There’s nothing going on. It’s like a graveyard. It’s summertime. It’s not what it used to be.” Today, Mount Hope is a challenged neighborhood on the East Side. For many, it’s the few blocks you pass through on your way up the hill from North Main Street. Unemployment is high and rumors of violence and drug abuse are rife. The Billy Taylor House Project is working to change that.
Kids in the Hood In the early 1980s, Mount Hope looked different, at least to a ten-year-old boy. There were places to go, things to do. The YMCA was one focal point, with inexpensive dues and a swimming pool. The gym at the MLK School was open at night for basketball. And the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association was a vibrant organization run by Billy Taylor, a powerful leader who gathered youngsters and gave them a sense of self worth. If you ask anyone who knew him, their eyes will glow and a smile will fill their face. Billy Taylor was the guy who took the city kids to the beach or to Lincoln Woods. He got them jobs in the winter shoveling driveways and in the summer cutting lawns. “Billy was somebody anybody could talk to,” James Monteiro explains. “He was engaging. When you’re a kid growing up, you don’t want people to know you don’t know anything. I was quiet. Most of what I learned I learned from observation. A lot of what I observed was not the right thing. I was exposed to things
I shouldn’t have been exposed to. Like drugs. This doesn’t sit well with me now. I was bullied by the kids I hung out with. Their rationale was they were toughening me up. Billy showed me how to play chess. He was the only man I looked to as an example. This is what a man’s supposed to be. When there were fights in the neighborhood, he would bring the two parties together and squash the fight. He was everybody’s father.” Today, when you drive up Cypress Street, you can see the shining new water park at the playground named in his honor, but, it isn’t enough. While there are places for elementary school aged children to go and hang out, like the after school programs at the Mount Hope Learning Center, there’s nothing for the older kids. “These are the dangerous ages,” Monteiro says. “They need to be working. This is the age where you’re supposed to learn – the transitional period from a youth into a young adult.” Billy Taylor was gone. He died in 1986 of a heart condition that few
people knew he’d been born with. He had lived his life as if every day was a blessing because he knew he wasn’t supposed to be alive. His house, on Cypress Street, next to the current location of the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, was empty and dark.
Beginning the Transformation James Monteiro has assembled a team and a powerful vision for the Billy Taylor House that is well under way. He’s put together a board of directors and is creating a neighborhood nonprofit community center for young men and women. He wants it to be a vibrant place – with a mentoring program for girls, enrichment programs, a barbershop and a café that pays the bills and give youngsters a place to work. His vision is make to the Billy Taylor House a place where teenage boys and girls can go and work and learn job skills – but mostly as a refuge where they can gather and hang out in safety while they find themselves. The acquisition and renovation of the building is in process. This summer, see the first jobs training program. Eventually, James wants the organization to be self-supporting and selfsustaining, so that he can step away. “Ultimately, we want the kids to take ownership,” Monteiro says. “They’ll help build this. And they’ll build their own responsibility.” The Billy Taylor House needs financial and volunteer support from the East Side Community. Any contribution, no matter how small or large, will directly benefit young men and women on the East Side. For more information and to make a donation, please visit billytaylorhouse.org. Mark Binder is an award-winning children’s book author and recent candidate for State Rep. He lives five blocks from the Billy Taylor House.
Our mission is to ignite the ambition of Providence’s most disconnected young people.
Photography: Jonathan Beller
Make a statement this Spring!
by Mark Binder
A Providence Original
10 Years In The Making...And We’re Just Getting Started
Enjoy the many flavors of Mill's... • $29.95 Three course Tavern Menu • Happy Hour Raw Bar • Chef's Table • Small Bites Menu • Private Dining Room • Complimentary Valet • Wine Flights For reservations visit:
millstavernrestaurant.com
401.272.3331 101 N. Main Street, Providence
Celebrate National Burger Month with us. We like ours with lettuce and tomato, guacamole and french fried potatoes, caramelized onions and a cold draft beer.
Cheeseburgers in paradise here in Wayland Square For reservations visit:
redstriperestaurants.com
401.437.6950 465 Angell St. in Wayland Square, Providence Open Sunday, including Brunch from 10am - 3pm
camp ad 2013_Layout 1 3/8/13 1:22 PM Page 1
Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School
Make Music This Summer!
Workshops (1-2 weeks) include: • Chamber Music • Jazz, Rock & Blues • Piano Plus & Piano Kids babies & toddlers SoundPlay, Music Together® Classes & private lessons SUZUKI • ENSEMBLES keYboard & aUdio teCh lab
Call 401.248.70 01 or visit riphil.org/musicschool
FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF RHODE ISLAND
Learn to Fence this Summer!
learning through languages
or call 401-331-9696 x3114
•
and young adults to gain French language skills through engaging, fun,
CAMP OFFERINGS Tennis Lacrosse Acting Junior Engineering Math Exploration Soccer & Curious Jane (a camp that empowers girls to be active in learning and problem-solving, look at things in new ways and, above all – experiment and have fun! )
www.lincolnschool.org
Summer Fun in French at FASRI 2013 a unique opportunity for all children
SUMMER 2013
For additional information please visit our website at
1,2,3 SOLEIL The FASRI Summer Program provides
LINCOLN SCHOOL
Full and half-day camps for beginners and expert fencers begin June 24
and fulfilling activities. Travel to other countries through language learning all without leaving home.
Lincoln School 301 Butler Avenue Providence, RI
Hands on Summer Fun for children ages 4-15
art • basketball • cooking natural science • photography
www.providencecountryday.org 660 Waterman Ave. • E. Providence, RI 401.438.5170
changing lives, one stage at a time theater arts education
@ The Alliance JCC providence ACTing Improvisation Voice Movement Musical Theater & More
For ages 5-11
July 22 •August 16 Beginner to Advanced
401-246-1230 x3063 www.standrews-ri.org
Marine Biology SuMMer CaMp The camp program is for high school students who have completed a course in Biology. Activities include: intro programs in coastal ecosystems including field and sampling trips to habitats around the bay.
Starting June 24, 2013 For more information contact Anne Lacoste Kapstein alkapstein@fasri.org
SeSSion 1: July 14-20 // SeSSion 2: July 21-27 75 John Street Providence, RI 02906 Tel 401.274 3325 www.fasri.org
24
East Side Monthly May 2013
(401) 434-2404 East Providence, RI For information & registration visit
www.RIFAC.com
Contact the Science Department at Roger Williams University for more information
401-254-3653 // departments.rwu.edu/biology.camp.html
For a Directory of Camps Throughout Rhode Island Visit EastSideMonthly.com/camps.html
Learn To Sail! In Providence
We’ve been in the camp business for more than
Summer Camps at Moses Brown School: Ages 3-17, June 17-August 9
50 years!
Open to the community
RISE • Preschool • Summer’s End • Chess • Basketball • Field Hockey • Football • Lacrosse • Lacrosse Goalie • Soccer • Tennis • Track & Field • Wrestling
Youth Summer Sailing Camp Adult Evening Lessons Too! NEW - Kayaks!
Moses Brown School
250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906 www.mosesbrown.org • 401.831.7350 x150 www.facebook.com/mosesbrownschool
MUSIC INSTITUTE AT RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE WIND ENSEMBLE & CHORUS: JULY 7 – 13 • Open to students entering ninth grade through graduating seniors • Wind ensemble, chorus and chamber ensembles • Master classes • Classes in music theory, conductingg and technology • Resident and commuter options availablee • Daily performances • Scholarships available based on talent and nancial need • Final performance with all ensembless
Learn more: 401.454.SAIL (7245) • www.communityboating.com
ROWING & SCULLING CLASSES
For Adults & Kids (13-19 Years Old) No rowing experience necessary
Sign up for an introductory rowing lesson at 9:00, 9:45, 10:30 and 11:15am for these Open HOuse dates
Early application discount (by May 1) Application deadline: June 1
JUN 15 • JULY 27 • SEP 7
For further information, contact: Robert Franzblau (401) 456-9514 – music@ric.edu
Apply online at www.ric.edu/miric
For more information, including class schedule and rates, call or visit our website:
Find us on Facebook too
Located on the East Side of Providence
www.RowNBC.org 401.272.1838 May 2013 East Side Monthly
25
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Thinking and Acting
Glo bally A Providence local documents sustainable efforts in Trinidad By Jared DiMascio Decades ago, Akilah Jaramogi
and her husband Tecumah settled down on a barren hillside, right outside of Portof-Spain, Trinidad, with the sole purpose of turning the desolate hillside into an agro forest. Through the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project CPT i, er gi ug R l Gai Providence Monthly, June(FACRP), rch 27, 2013 Issue they have converted over 125 hectares of land into a thriving forest arch 27, 2013 East in Side Monthly, Issue Specializing Clients Over 40 May once more, and East Sider Diana Fox Circuits (all levels) • TRX May issue March 27, 2013 Bay Magazine, wants to bring to light all of the work Pilates & Kettlebells (all ages) being done. An anthropology professor at Bridgewater State University since 2000, Fox specializes in English Speaking Caribbean and regularly travels to Jamaica, Tobago and Trinidad, and even taught in the West Indies with a Fulbright Scholarship, working with water 374-7709 • LeanOnMeRI.com scarcity and gender roles. Armed with a camera, a small crew and a passion for water conservation and reforestation, Custom slipCovers Diana headed to Trinidad to produce her first film, Water Woman: Community & Sustainability in Trinidad. During a trip to the Caribbean Wa* Save 1/2 of designer prices ter Network Conference in 2005, Di* You purchase fabric anywhere ana met Akilah and learned all about * Work with 3rd generation Seamstress directly Fondes Amandes and the work she had started. In an effort to spread the word on community reforestation, Diana decided to travel to Trinidad to film and document the Jaramogi’s project. In December and January, Diana was in Trinidad with Sarah Feinbloom, Linda Toti Swati Guild of Sarafina Productions, (508) 695-2474 a film company out of California, her boyfriend and her daughter. Her desire
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Akilah Jaramogi
The Fondes Amandes river and forest are thriving from local restoration efforts
to document Akilah’s project through a film reflected a notion that it could reach a wider audience and that “all over the world, people can be inspired,” she says. “It’s a microcosm of our world… everywhere water is becoming scarce and they have developed a self-sustaining water supply through reforestation.” The climate in Trinidad being what it is, the dry season sparks fires over the dry forests, and the wet seasons flood the area, leaving silt behind. In the late 70s, Akilah and her husband began planting bamboo in the area, as a way to anchor the dirt in place, allowing the growth of thousands of other plants. Even after the death of her husband, Akilah still works on the 125 hectares with her children and community workers. She has applied for grants and funds from the UN, the Trinidad government, BP, development programs, industry and corporations. The FACRP maintains the forest, writes grants, run children’s groups and camps and work with university projects. Today Fondes Amandes is a thriving village atop a flourishing forest of 150 acres where residents have planted thousands of seedlings over the past 30
years. The community is visited by international dignitaries and Akilah is heralded as the Wangari Maathai of Trinidad. This film will tell the story of Akilah, the Fondes Amandes villagers and their remarkable achievements. With what she called “cooperative effort” in which she was “more of a collaborator with the community than a producer,” Diana hopes that Water Woman will be used as an educational tool for students to spread word on community reforestation, and as a way of informing other communities that they can connect with local resources and with their own governments for help in any projects. Diana’s main focus for Water Woman: Community & Sustainability in Trinidad, being completely shot, is editing and marketing. Through two grants from Bridgewater State University, fundraisers and an indiegogo campaign that just recently ended, her project has raised roughly $13,000 out of a projected need of $25,000. Her plans are to have the film edited and ready this summer and to be screened at the Cable Car in Providence, and entered at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival the following September. If you would like to donate or help in any way, please contact Diana Fox at d1fox@bridgew.edu. You can connect with Water Woman online by searching for the film’s trailer on Diana Fox’s YouTube channel or finding them on Facebook.
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Spotlight
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The roads are swept, the potholes are filled and it’s spring: time to pay attention to that car with the pitted windshield and suspension that “talks to you” on every bump. The question is repair or replace? Either way, you’ve got challenging decisions to make, unless you have an honest, knowledgeable expert in your corner. Extreme makeover? You’ve kept up with maintenance and the car still has some value, but winter has taken its toll. Future repairs are lurking – does it make sense to put more money into it, or invest in a new vehicle? Start fresh? Sure, everyone wants a new car, but what about the instant depreciation, and those big dealerships who will finagle big profit on either the trade-in or sticker price? Then add sales and excise tax. Overwhelmed? Consult an expert. Bob Moreau of AutoWerks, built his 35 year reputation on giving the right advice to clients. That means he keeps them for life. He’ll sit with you and provide honest counsel, absolutely free. Whether he recommends repairing your current vehicle, or replacing it with the perfect pre-owned car, trust Bob. AutoWerks does not keep a standing inventory, like other dealers. Each car is literally hand-selected and purchased specifically for you. Bluebook price and features are agreed upon in advance; even things like color and options. He’ll present you with multiple options. He will thoroughly check, then purchase the car, service it if needed, warranty and even register it! Compared to new, you’ll save thousands on depreciation and taxes, and still end up with a low mileage car that looks and feels new! If repair is the best option, you’re still in good hands. Bob will oversee each repair personally, working with factory-trained technicians in a state-of-the-art green facility to make sure it’s totally cleaned and road ready. Pick up and delivery are free! Safety net: With their hand-in-hand approach, AutoWerks helps you make intelligent car decisions. Let Bob help you avoid the pitfalls – you’ve got enough to think about.
AutoWerks 401-474-1300 / www.werkswell.com
SpecialS Wednesday - Yummi Mommy Day Hair Cut $25, Mani/Pedi $29 Thursday - Men and Boys Night Hair Cut $10 Eyebrow and Detail Work $5 Friday - Ladies Night Half off Chemical Services Now Open Sundays! Sunday Special Blowout $20
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May 2013 East Side Monthly
29
Spotlight
by Dan Schwartz
special advertising section
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East Side Monthly May 2013
project, be it new construction or renovation, stands a team of designers, architects and builders with one objective: to efficiently and responsibly create what the client desires. The process begins with understanding goals and ensuring feasibility given the criteria of aesthetics and budget. Site Specific strives to accomplish this work with the highest degree of quality and efficiency, and beyond utilizing their in-house designers, they work with expert architects. Peter Crump, Site Specific co-owner, discusses a current design build project that Site Specific is currently working on involving the design and construction of the Edgewood Yacht Club: “EYC came to us to design and build their new facility.” Instead of designing in-house, Peter continues, “we reached out to local architect Don Richardson because it’s a perfect fit, and he nailed it by designing a sleek beautiful building.” This will house the Edgewood Yacht Club and the Brown University sailing team. It has design references from the original structure, including a dynamic roofline and a racing cupola sited atop the new building. A smaller traditional “bid project” that Site is wrapping up on Wayland Avenue is for repeat client Working Planet, a marketing firm. The design is described as “austere, almost space-age, but absolutely functional.” The project architect is Maia Small of Pawtucket based Thurlow Small Architecture. Another smaller scale project is on College Hill, an extremely complicated residential project involving a difficult site to access and work on. Site Specific reached out to architect Jean-Paul Couture of Couture Design Associates for expanding the parking area of a historic home. Site Specific is also in the process of completing an addition and remodel in Rumford, involving project architect Cory Kallfelz of Bridge Hall Design and interior designer Sophia Shibles. Construction – and remodeling in particular – can be a tough business. At times it requires owners to make difficult decisions. Site Specific has a solid reputation with a history of successful projects, and as a result is fortunate to work with discerning clients who trust their input.
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ST. ANDREW’S SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE AD - Eastside Monthly Contact: Debra Page-Trim, Communications 203 south Main street (across FromDirector the Cableof Car) providence, Ri P:401-246-1230, EXT. 3026, E: dtrim@standrews-ri.org 401-270-7909 • TandC@Raveis.com TO RUN:
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We know she’ll like our school, but she’s going to love herself. There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing a young person discover a part of who they are. St. Andrew’s is a highly supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable trying new things - whether it’s acting, art, athletics, or academics. Our teachers can see when sparks happen and help fan those sparks into flames of interest.
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Learn more at www.standrews-ri.org Phone: 401.246.1230 May 2013 East Side Monthly
31
Spotlight
by Dan Schwartz
Advocacy and Caregiving To Enrich The Lives Of Seniors
Creating personalized care plans to help maintain daily routine and lifestyle
401.641.0991 Serving All Of Ri And Southeastern MA
special advertising section
Advocare Health Group Providing seniors with companionship and care
Indoor Pool | Fitness Center | Basketball Gym Group Exercise & Yoga Classes | Spin | ZUMBATM Early Childhood Center | Afterschool Programs Summer Camp | Art Gallery | Computer Lab Creativity Center | Educator Resources Community Events and so much more!
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Advocare Health Group owner Kathie Frattarelli says it’s personal when it comes to her elderly clients, because her mother, Nancy Ryan, was diagnosed with MS when Kathie was a little girl. The aides that were hired for her Mom didn’t provide the level of service they wanted and didn’t have that heartfelt drive. Advocare was founded with the mission of offering experienced and loving companions to help seniors remain in their homes. “It’s a warm compassionate team that really becomes part of their family,” Kathie explains. Care can be provided from three hours to 24/7 care. The companions assist by simply being with the seniors and holding their hands, doing activities like going for walks when the weather is nice and heading out to restaurants and on shopping trips. They also perform needed household work, like straightening up and gardening. “I think people do so much better at home,” Kathie says. “It’s the familiarity and the memories.” This is particularly important for clients who have Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Advocare is a nonmedical organization, but if CNAs are needed that can be arranged. The quality of the care is most important to Kathie, and she handles the pairing up of her companions kind of like a match-making service. Personalities and common interests are considered, so there is that shared camaraderie. Interviews are conducted with the families involved, and then Kathie selects from her team of companions the best one for that person. “It’s about relationships,” she says. “We employ very professional people who have life experience and really understand people.” Kathie mentions that the best part of this work is the rewards of making a difference in peoples’ lives. With the economy being what it is, many families, both in-state and out, simply don’t have the time they’d like to have with their parents. Contact Advocare Health Group today to learn about top notch companionship care for your loved ones, serving all of Rhode Island and southeast Massachusettes.
Advocare Health Group One Barbara Circle, Rumford 401-641-0991 / www.advocarehg.com
ic01 East Side Monthly May-2013_Layout 1 3/28/13 2:46 PM Page 1
Lincoln - Extraordinary white brick colonial. Stunning marble inlaid double staircases, imported Italian hardwood. Media room. Cabana/guest house, inground pool. $1,690,000
glocester - Chepachet - Completely updated English Tudor on over 4 extremely private acres. New kitchen, 3 fireplaces, resort style Gunite pool, sauna and access to Clarkville Pond. $519,000
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freshwater frontage. 3 houses, 8 lots, stables, large barn & paddocks. Esker mining potential w/development. $2,900,000
Providence - Federal Hill Antique updated cape located one block off Atwells Ave. A gorgeous, private fenced-in backyard and patio. Garage. $189,000
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North Smithfield - Private 152 acre compound with
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Wishing you a picture perfect Mother’s Day Custom Framing • Ready Made Frames Original Works of Art
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May 2013 East Side Monthly
33
Join us
View complete list of events at www.ric.edu/pfa T I C K E T S W W W. R I C . E D U / P FA O R ( 4 0 1 ) 45 6 - 8 1 4 4 www.facebook.com/PerformingArtsSeries.RIC
Tuesday, April 30 7:30 P.M. | THE AUDITORIUM IN ROBERTS HALL
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Family owned and operated For over 50 yearS
121 Butler Avenue Perfect for investors! Great rental history with this 3 unit multi-family home right on the bus line a walking distance to all conveniences. Recently updated with new fire code alarm system and plenty of off-street parking. $325,000 Aleen Weiss
LD
SO
30 BlAckStOne BlvD, #301 Luxury Living. Outstanding, spacious penthouse unit, MOVE IN CONDITION, steps from Beautiful Blackstone Blvd and Wayland Sq..2 large beds, including master suite, cozy den with built-ins, granite kitchen, ELEVATOR access. Heated underground parking. $395,000 Aleen Weiss
49 GOvernOr Street Spacious first floor two bedroom condo in a beautiful historic home. Featuring a grand entry way, large living area, formal dining room and new kitchen with a large informal dining area with a working fireplace. 10 foot ceilings with crown molding, hardwood floors, spacious bathroom. $269,000 Karen Miller
NG
DI
N PE
24-26 leWiS Street Beautiful, well maintained two family home in wonderful location walking distance to Hope Street shops and restaurants. Features gleaming hardwood floors, all new windows, kitchens and gas heating systems. Plus a detached two-car garage and wonderful outdoor garden patio space. Just move right in. $349,000 Karen Miller
6 JOSePhine Drive This 2008 custom built Colonial with a wrap around farmer’s porch has tons of classic charm but is built for the modern family. The open floor plan is great for entertaining with the action centering around a huge granite topped kitchen island. High-end finishes include stainless steal, granite topped vanities throughout, cherry hardwood floors and french doors. $629,000. Lauren Sickel
NG
DI
N PE
89 ninth Street The house with the wishing well, make your dreams come true! Adorable, spacious three bedroom, one and half bath ranch style home with working fireplace, spacious kitchen and family room, plus a partially finished basement. Perfectly located right across from the Ninth Street Playground. Why rent when you can own?! $199,000 Aleen Weiss
19 kenneDY BlvD, Beautiful, Spacious 4 bedroom home located in sought after Lincoln Estates. Features large eat-in kitchen, living area with fireplace and a bonus florida room plus 1st floor laundry and a full finished basement. All situated on a well manicured half acre lot with in-ground swimming pool and two-car garage. Just move right in! $329,500 Aleen Weiss
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Movies
by Bob Cipriano
A Late Spring Assembly Olympus Has Fallen, The Call, Spring Breakers Another bunch of B movies has descended upon us, mostly like a plague of locusts. It’s enough to make you long for the zombies, Supermen, and Ironmen of summer. But aside from an early blockbuster hopeful, released too early in the year to suggest confidence from its producers, and then proving they were right by being uniformly awful, there are a couple of interesting sleepers to check out. Olympus Has Fallen possesses all of the structure of the best Die Hard movies, and all of the mindless action of the worst of them. Moreover, Gerard Butler is the hero, proving once again that he’s a weak hero in general and no Bruce Willis in particular. Lots of talent (Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd and Robert Forster) just trying to make an honest buck, is wasted here. And lots of money goes down the drain (the White House, among many other Washington D.C. structures, gets blown to smithereens), as everybody in the area endures the agony of enthusiastic but ultimately inept terrorists, hoards of whom can be whipped pretty much by one resourceful guy. Director Antoine Fuqua can stage
Olympus Has Fallen
solid action (Training Day, King Arthur), but here he is saddled with a bad script, a cardboard hero and villains of no consequence. The Call doesn’t waste a dime of its budget, the majority of which must have gone into Halle Berry’s paycheck, which was a fine idea. Essentially a routine thriller, it is nevertheless crafted with solid direction by Brad Anderson. It’s a familiar tale about a second chance for a good cop-type who made a mistake once and has a chance at redemption. But its cast of characters and locale are unusual these days, as a bunch of government workers in a call center aren’t buffoons or frauds, but actually work hard to save lives in the face of a seriously bad guy. The film is about a tough, old-fashioned hero using intelligence and invention to save a feisty, savvy victim (Abigail Breslin). The kidnapped Breslin is stuck in a trunk with a phone connection to Berry at the hectic call center, allowing for some terrific backand-forth desperation and claustrophobic tension. The give-and-take between Berry and Breslin is the heart of the film, heightened significantly by the memory of Berry’s mistake
The Call
the last time something like this happened on her watch. Thanks to Richard D’Ovidio’s clever script, a story of heroism emerges as two women overcome adversity in the extreme. Spring Breakers is pretty incredible. An outrageous comedy with the soul of a horror a movie, Harmony Korine’s pink bikinied apocalypse bears
witness to beautiful young people as they pay tribute to the tanning parlors, spas and orthodontists at the core of their being. Simmered in beer, this is the story of four girls on a mission. Selena Gomeszand Vanessa Hudgens from the Disney studio (garnering more attention for their transformation to the dark side of teendom than for the good work they do here), along with Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine whimsically decide to rob a restaurant (“Pretend it’s a video game!”) so they can go on spring break. Cut to a lot of drinking, snorting and grinding, add a fine turn by James Franco as a sleazeball gangsta mix of Prince Charming, Jay Gatsby and Satan, and it becomes impossible to figure if you’re watching teenage hijinks, teenage apocalypse, the new American Dream fulfilled or hell on earth. Writer/director Korine films it all non-judgmentally and has obvious fun doing it. But watch the robbery scene near the beginning of the film and then watch it again from a different perspective late in the film. There’s some serious social commentary going on here even though Korine refuses to preach or even draw obvious conclusions. He seems content to do a good job shooting this beautiful mess, then letting you clean it up or revel in it all by yourself. May 2013 East Side Monthly
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On the Menu
by John Taraborelli
Pop Goes the Restaurant A new eatery opens for just one night
The first State Fare pop-up eatery at Mad Dog Artist Studios
serve fine dining quality without the white tablecloth, stuffy atmosphere.” The first State Fare, a four-course prix-fixe dinner, was March 23 at Mad Dog Artist Studios in Pawtucket. Not knowing what to expect when we arrived, we were quickly greeted by a hostess who brought us into the space, brought over a member of the wait staff to take our coats and instructed us to enjoy some cheese and house made pickles while we waited for service to begin. With the sun setting in the background, we had the chance to peruse the cool body paint work of artist Paul Roustan. We were seated at tables spread with paint speckled linens and table settings with a similar motif. It was a fine presentation, with all the charm and professionalism one would expect of a staff made up primarily of offduty Morin employees. But, of course, we were there for the food. “The March menu was inspired by the ingredients that were the freshest at that time of year and what was available at the farms,” says Dorius. The first course was a trio of mushroom crostini: thyme mushroom chutney over goat cheese spread; grilled, quick Pork two ways with potato pavé, roasted pickled oyster mushrooms Brussels sprouts, topped with an aromatic sauce over arugula; and pastrami-
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East Side Monthly May 2013
spiced portabella over Swiss cheese topped with dijonaise. From the first taste it was evident that Dorius is the type of chef who prefers to choose great ingredients and let them speak for themselves. Next up was a smoky fish chowder with leeks and potatoes, and a petit filet of seared scrod that was cooked to perfection. This was followed by pork two ways – roasted loin and belly – with potato pavé and Brussels sprouts. The surprise dessert (our menus informed us what the first three courses were going to be, but listed only “coffee and dessert” without detail) was a white chocolate bread pudding with dark chocolate sauce and freshly whipped cream – it may have been the biggest hit of the night. Dorius says that all the courses were seasonally driven, but the first two were a bit of an exploration while the last two were his money in the bank. “We had those in our back pockets. We knew the pork entree and dessert would be a hit,” he admits. While the first dinner was a success, it certainly wasn’t a simple thing to pull together. The menu was the easy part; the myriad other things that go into a restaurant – even one that’s open for only one night – are another effort entirely. “I assure you whenever you think you have everything, you don’t,” Dorius comments. In addition to finding a venue willing to serve as his dining room, there is still the matter of staging the kitchen, which he
Photography: Stacey Doyle
One of the more exciting trends in dining over the past decade or so has been the pop-up restaurant: a temporary restaurant, usually staged in a unique, non-traditional location. They’ve caught on with restaurateurs for a number of reasons: they’re an inexpensive opportunity for a young chef to showcase his or her talents; for more established chefs, they’re a fun excuse to break free from the daily grind of running a big operation and just focus on the food; and they’re a way for a restaurateur of any stripe to test out a new concept without a major commitment. For diners, pop-up restaurants are just fun and delicious, mini-culinary explorations that make you feel like you’re part of something new and exciting. Though the trend has been popular in cities around the world, no one has really staged a pop-up restaurant around here. There are a handful of underground supper clubs, but they’re mostly closed circles. Now, along comes State Fare, our first full-fledged pop-up. The chef behind it is Kirby Dorius, who works in the kitchen for Russell Morin, one of the area’s standard bearers for fine catering. This is his first venture on his own, and he sees it as an effort to lay the groundwork for things to come. “This way I could bring local, fresh food to different parts of the state served in a not so usual setting,” he explains, “and
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Photography: Stacey Doyle
was able to arrange through his industry connections. Then there is all the front of the house stuff: staffing, utensils, tables, chairs. The biggest learning experience, however, was the marketing side of it, which Dorius did himself through social media. While it was an experiment for him, it was a successful one: the dinner sold out in advance. Of course, Dorius and his crew didn’t put in all this effort for just one dinner service – State Fare will pop up again. The plan is do one dinner a month: the second was April 12, again at Mad Dog Artist Studios. Though Dorius hasn’t announced May’s State Fare yet, he hopes to try out a new location this time around, and as of press time, was still scouting. “I want it to be a sought after dining destination one night of the month that food lovers of all kinds can attend,” he says, adding, “The possibilities are endless for the future.” And that’s the beauty of a pop-up restaurant: it’s only for one night, and he can always try something new next month. For updates and information on the next State Fare, find it on Facebook or email statefareri@gmail.com. New Growth for SpriNG The season looks promising, with several new bars and restaurants in full swing. Probably the biggest news was the late March opening of the Grange (166 Broadway), a vegetable restaurant from Garden Grille veteran Jon Dille. Much like its predecessor, The Grange’s plant-based cuisine is intended to appeal beyond the vegan/vegetarian set and attract all diners – even carnivorous ones. The Kyla Coburn-designed restaurant (she’s responsible for Loie Fuller’s, The Avery and several other restaurants that have caused you to comment on how gorgeous they are) occupies the fantastic space on the corner of Broadway and Dean Street that has sadly come and gone in various incarnations over the past few years. But judging by the work they
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put into it (the new façade is beautiful) and the early buzz, The Grange is here to stay. Elsewhere on the West Side, enigmatic restaurateur Mike Sears (Lili Marlene’s, Ama’s) has opened Justine’s, his asLow Low as as as newest cocktail lounge, in Olneyville * * Square. The speakeasy style bar is squarely aimed at appealing to women * For Orders of 500 or more copies. Offer expires 05/31/13 * For Orders of 500 or more copies. Offer expires 05/31/13 (and by extension, of course, men): you 102 Waterman Street • Providence, RI enter it through a curtain in the back of p : 4Waterman 0 1 . 4 2 1 . 5 1 6 0Street f : 4 0 1•. 2Providence, 72.0686 102 RI P R O V I D E N C E a lingerie shop, and the “ladies’ lounge” P R O p : 4 0a1l.l4e g2 r1a. p5 r1o6v0i d e nf c: 4e .0c 1o .m2 7 2 . 0 6 8 6 P R O V I D E N C E (read: bathroom) has its own bar inside. allegraprovidence.com P R O There is a well-curated selection of classic cocktails that are shockingly only $5, and some light snacks. There is, of course, no website and I’m not going to tell you the address because Sears is probably already upset just that this is appearing in print. You’ll have to ask around and find it yourself. After a long delay, Nami (198 Atwells Ave.) is finally open on Federal Hill, serving sushi and other Japanese fare in a handsomely renovated space. Moving Downtown, Bodega Malasaña is the new wine bar from the folks behind Flan y Ajo, the tapas bar around the corner on Westminster Street. They serve unique wines and light snacks. There’s more great news for vegans and vegetarians, too, as Sprout, a new vegetarian food truck has hit the road; find them at sprouttruck.com for menu and locations. Finally, there was big news from The Dorrance’s, Ben Sukle, who, after racking up quite a bit of national acclaim for his hyper-local approach to cuisine, is launching his own place (along with wife Heidi), birch, in the space formerly occupied by Tini (200 Washington St.). Though it won’t be open until summer, the dining scene is already buzzing about it – appropriate for one of the city’s rising star chefs. The restaurant will feature an oft-changing a 66 BRANCH AVE., PROVIDENCE la carte menu focused on seasonality AND OTHER NEARBY LOCATIONS and local ingredients, as well as a bar program centered around small batch FIND A STORE NEAR YOU AT producers. Follow @birchpvd on TwitWWW.HELLOBENNYS.COM ter to stay updated.
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Dining Guide
Br brunch B breakfast L lunch D dinner $ under 10 $$ 10-20 $$$ 20+
BLAZE 776 Hope Street; 277-2529. Opened in 2005, this fun and friendly neighborhood establishment plays host to a unique bistro style of cuisine. There’s a variety of foods and flavors including Portobello Penne Pink Vodka or the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. LD $-$$ CHEZ pASCAL 960 Hope Street; 4214422. Chef Matt Gennuso’s East Side kitchen offers French food with a modern twist. Try the Bistro Menu (Tue-Thur), which features three courses for $35 per person. Delicieux! D $-$$$ GOUrMEt HOUSE 787 Hope Street; 8313400. Beautiful murals and décor set the mood for delicious Cambodian and Southeast Asian cuisine, spicy curries and noodle dishes. The tamarind duck is a must. LD $-$$
Haruki East
172 Wayland Avenue; 223-0332. The chefs behind this sushi bar provide a minimalist, upscale, comfortable dining experience. Try the toro ankimo – fatty tuna and monkfish liver pate with eggplant tempura, served with a black bean sauce. LD $-$$$
Downtown
Wayland/Elmgrove
CAV 14 Imperial Place; 751-9164. The New York Times’ choice as one of Providence’s five best restaurants, CAV’s award-winning cuisine is available for lunch and dinner daily. They also feature Saturday/Sunday brunch. Br LD $$-$$$
LIM’S 18 S. Angell Street; 401-3838830. Dive into the unique combination of Lim’s fine Thai cuisine and sushi served in an intimate and modern setting. LD $$
HEMENWAY’S 121 South Main Street; 351-8570. A true Providence classic, Hemenway’s has been serving topnotch seafood for 20 years. Their oyster bar features everything from the famed Prince Edward Island varieties to the local favorite Poppasquash Point. LD $$-$$$ JACkY’S WAtErpLACE 200 Exchange Street; 383-5000. Experience sushi, Chinese and Japanese food, noodles and much more in a stunning atmosphere, right in the heart of Waterplace Park. Sip an exotic drink while taking in the spectacular view. LD $-$$$ MILLS tAVErN 101 North Main Street; 272-3331. The only restaurant in RI to receive the Mobil Four Star Award for five consecutive years, Mills Tavern provides traditional American cuisine in a warm, friendly setting. D $$-$$$
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East Side Monthly May 2013
rED StrIpE 465 Angell Street; 4376950. Red Stripe serves classic comfort food with a French influence. Their food is reasonably priced and made with passion. LD $$-$$$ WAtErMAN GrILLE 4 Richmond Square; 521-9229. With its covered outdoor seating overlooking the Seekonk River, Waterman Grille offers seasonally inspired new American fare in a comfortable setting. BrD $$-$$$
Hope/Thayer BEttEr BUrGEr COMpANY 217 Thayer Street; 228-7373. With Angus beef burgers that are juicy and tasty, this casual spot is a no brainer for anyone looking for a quick, delicious and affordable meal. They serve wholesome veggie, falafel and salmon burgers too. LD $
INDIA 1060 Hope Street; 421-2600. India maintains its traditional flavors and dishes while also serving up some local favorites. Try their Spicy Steamed Mussels followed by Lamb Chop Kabobs for a well-rounded experience. BrLD $-$$ kArtABAr 284 Thayer Street; 3318111. This European-style restaurant and lounge offers a full menu of unique dishes with Mediterranean flair and eclectic flavors. They also offer a top-notch wine list and martini menu. LD $-$$ kItCHEN BAr 771 Hope Street; 3314100. Offering contemporary comfort cuisine in an elegant setting, Kitchen Bar features daily specials and take-out. Try their Clams Zuppa or Coriander Encrusted Flat Iron Steak or have the kids order from the kid’s menu. LD $-$$ NICE SLICE 267 Thayer Street; 4536423. Hip and healthy are the best descriptions of this pizza place. It’s whole wheat, New York-style pizza with plenty of choices for toppings, including vegan and vegetarian options. LD $ rUE DE L’ESpOIr 99 Hope Street; 751-8890. In business for over 30 years, the Rue has only gotten better. Beautifully prepared with the freshest ingredients, the innovative, constantly changing menu keeps diners on their toes. Check out their superb brunch. BBrLD $$-$$$ tOrtILLA FLAtS 355 Hope Street; 751-6777. A fixture on the Providence restaurant and bar scene, this spot serves up fresh Mexican, Cajun and Southwestern food, along with top-notch margaritas and ice-cold cervezas. LD $-$
WUrSt kItCHEN At CHEZ pASCAL. 960 Hope Street, 421-4422. Come have lunch or dinner at the Wurst Kitchen, a small open kitchen located in Chez Pascal, featuring house made sausages, cured meats and more. Lunch is served Tuesday thru Saturday, 11:30am2:30pm and dinner also Tuesday thru Saturday, 5:30-9:30pm. LD $-$$
Wickenden ABYSSINIA 333 Wickenden Street; 4541412. Enjoy Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, using your fingers (and Ethiopia’s famed flatbread) to sample richly spiced meat, fish and vegetable dishes. (Forks are available, but less fun.) LD $-$$ DOk’S DELI 146 Ives St, 369-7633. Providence’s only New York-style deli lives up to a high gastronomic standard by using fresh, local ingredients and housesmoked meats. Meats, sides and housemade pickles all sold retail, too. LD $ SAkUrA 231 Wickenden Street; 3316861. Enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine, fresh sushi and sashimi in this casual, unpretentious neighborhood spot. Choose a comfortable booth or have a seat in the tatami room. LD $-$$
Jewelry District/Waterfront rUE BIS 95 South Street; 490-9966. This intimate eatery provides breakfast and lunch in a cozy, neighborhood bistro atmosphere – all with the gourmet pedigree of Hope Street dining staple Rue De L’Espoir behind it. BBrL $ BAkEr StrEEt rUE 75 Baker Street; 490-5025. The Rue De L’Espoir empire expands with this comfortable neighborhood café serving “upscale diner food.” BBrL$
Outside Providence LJ’S BBQ 727 East Avenue, Pawtucket; 305-5255. LJ’s features ribs, pork, chicken and beef cooked low and slow in their customized pit, made with recipes from co-owner Bernie Watson’s grandmother, Miss Leola Jean. It’s great food at a great value. LD $-$$ pHO HOrN’S 50 Ann Mary Street, Pawtucket; 365-6278. Pho Horn’s offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine like the popular Pho (noodle soup) and Rice Chowder with Pulled Pork. It’s a delicious choice for anyone looking for something different. LD $-$$
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Art
by Erin Swanson
Sartorial Self Expression RISD traces the evolution of the dandy figure
Photo courtesy of Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
The RISD Museum proudly
announces the opening of Artist/Rebel/ Dandy: Men of Fashion, an exhibition that traces the distinctively dressed figure of the artist-dandy from the 19th to 21st centuries via 200 objects such as innovative garments, works on paper and paintings. Emphasizing the personalities of well-known fashionable men including Oscar Wilde and Patrick McDonald, Artist/Rebel/ Dandy focuses on the bond between identity, creativity and self-presentation. The opening kicks off with a gala event on April 26 with special guest Andre Leon Talley, contributing editor at Vogue. Talley is a renowned modern dandy with ties to Providence, having attended Brown University for graduate school. Other dandies who will be in town for the exhibition’s opening weekend include Waris Ahluwalia, Ouigi Theodore, Guy Hills and Motofumi “Poggy” Kogi, who have joined noted figures such as Tom Wolfe, John Waters, Rick Owens and Patti Smith in lending their personal ensembles to the show. The RISD Museum is the originating institution for this exhibition and the show was conceived in response to garments in the museum’s permanent collections. Co-curators Kate Irvin and Laurie Brewer devised the concept and themes together, facing the practical and logistical concerns as a team, sharing all responsibilities and creative aspects. “As the themes developed, we conducted extensive research to find supporting objects from institutional and private collections in the US and in Europe,” Irvin explains. Brewer continues: “Rather than following strict definitions, we embrace myriad manifestations of the dandy’s style and persona, from the discreet sophistication of the imposing and consummately elegant dandy George Bryan “Beau” Brummell at the turn of the 19th century to the notorious swells in the sea of suits of the 20th century to the connoisseurs, romantics and revolutionaries who stud the landscape of menswear today.” Irvin says that while the dandy lineage has evolved over the course of two centuries, it always tracks back to the “extremely neat and buttoned-up” figure of Mr. George Brummell. “Born
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outside the aristocracy, Brummell, with the help of his tailors, forged a path to the heart of London’s exclusive society by employing the emergent craft of tailoring to sculpt a dashing and artful figure of wit and authority. In the 200 years since Brummell’s heyday, the vision of the dandy has been reinterpreted numerous times, though the idea of bespoke clothes as a manifestation of thoughtful self-construction has remained constant. Today’s dandies – young, respectful of the past while decidedly contemporary, intellectual in their sartorial pursuits come closest to embodying the dandy as potently as Brummell did, educating themselves on the craftsmanship, intention and meaning of material, and making it their own.” Brewer says that the two “hope to shift focus from the prevailing image of the dandy as superficial, flamboyant, self-indulgent and mindless to reveal him instead as an artistic, rebellious figure who employs profound thought and imagination in his sartorial and personal presentation, forging a unique path to self-discovery and self-expression.” While the latest incarnation of dandyism manifests on the streets, Brewer says that blogs and magazines “spread the gospel of sartorial innovators and craftspeople across the globe.” She names magazines like London-based The Chap and The Rake, the Dutch Fantastic Man and the Canadian
Inventory as well as style blogs such as Scott Schuman’s Sartorialist blog, which “highlights the diversity of the international clothes-wearing man; Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs’s Street Etiquette, which places stylistic virtuosity among those with an artistic eye rather than simply deep pockets; and Rose Callahan, who documents the lives of exquisite gentlemen today on The Dandy Portraits. Online endeavors such as these have brought an appreciative public into the rarefied realm of the dandy. In their range and sheer number these images also reflect the explosion of Brummell’s dream of singular meticulousness into the wealth of fluctuating visions that we see today.” The curators worked with the museum’s registrars’ department to coordinate incoming loans, with preservation specialist Jessica Urick to prepare and dress objects on tailors’ forms and with the installation department and paper conservator on the mounting of accessories, works on paper and paintings. “It takes many people working behind the scenes to put together an exhibition at the RISD Museum,” Irvin says. “We are thrilled with the result and look forward to seeing many visitors in our galleries.” Tickets to the April 26 gala fundraiser event cost $500 each. To purchase tickets, call 454-6505. Artist/Rebel/ Dandy runs from April 26-August 18 at The RISD Museum, 224 Benefit Street. 454-6500, www.risdmuseum.org.
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East Side Monthly May 2013
Living Your Best Life Ways to calculate retirement spending One of the biggest
adjustments my clients make in retirement is to how to view spending. As Katherine* put it, “My head is twirling. All of our lives, we have saved, saved, saved. Now there is no new money coming in, and it just feels wrong to be spending. How do we do this?” It is a little scary when the faucet closes and infusions into your portfolios dry up. Clients want to know what they can spend and not go broke. But they also want to embrace their retirement dreams. Not too long ago 4% was the number generally accepted as a safe withdrawal rate from investments. The safe withdrawal rate was the amount you could, presumably, spend each year (adjusted for inflation) and not run out of money during retirement. Certain assumptions about investments and mortality applied. Over the years, this rate was so popular that it became known as the “4% Rule.” But in the last decade, academic studies have tested the 4% and found it faulty. “It’s too low” some studies say, because portfolio values have fallen relative to inflation over the last 13 years, starting amounts for retirement’s nest egg are more attractive. “It is too high,” other studies say, because returns on portfolios are likely to be less than previously assumed and retirees are increasingly averse to taking enough risk for long term portfolio growth. Recent articles focus on flexible adjustments to spending based on calculations of inflation and portfolio returns. I contend that most people intuitively understand the need for flexibility in making spending decisions. If inflation is pushing the cost of what they like to buy higher and if their portfolio is performing well, they allow themselves to take out more than originally anticipated. If their portfolios aren’t keeping up, they understand they should take out less. Pretty logical. You do need a starting number, however. Ideally, you should run retirement projections that track your cash flow and all of the varied sources and timing of income to determine the first
year’s withdrawal rate. If you don’t have the opportunity to run meaningful retirement projections, then start with the 4% Rule. In spite of all the research attempting to move the decimal point, it is not a bad place to begin. What happens next is far more important than picking the first withdrawal rate. The latest studies were correct in citing the need for flexibility. But the adjustments are far more nuanced than simply looking at inflation and returns. A couple came in to my office not long ago. Two months into retirement, the husband had carefully crafted a budget and revealed what they planned to take out of their portfolios the first year. He had done his own calculations and determined that they wouldn’t run out of money until well into their 90s. I made a mental note that it was $20,000 higher than previous retirement projections we had created for him and his wife. By his own admission, he had decided not to include inflation. As a result, his starting withdrawal rate was 6% of his portfolio. I decided not to point out the flaw in his thinking – at least not at this meeting. It is hard for many clients to know how much to spend initially in retirement. With some clients, there is a rush to do the things that have been put off (travel, renovations). If possible,
we budget for these in advance. If not, then I wait a little while before doing a reality check. I find clients are much more receptive to reviewing the numbers when they have had a chance to digest their change in status. With other clients, like Katherine, the instinct is to spend as little as possible initially. Again I wait before discussing adjustments to the budget – this time showing that a little extra indulgence won’t harm their long term plans. I wouldn’t throw the “4% Rule” out the window. I find it handy, as a casual calculation, when clients are employed and growing their portfolios. It is a relatively conservative figure, which means I can use it to encourage clients to save more. But when retirement begins, the focus shifts from what is the first year’s withdrawal rate to the process of making adjustments. We are no longer calculating percentages, but massaging the numbers based on the retirement experience. Betsey Purinton, CFP® is Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at StrategicPoint Investment Advisors in Providence and East Greenwich. You can e-mail her at bpurinton@strategicpoint.com. *In the interest of privacy, all names have been changed in this article.
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May 2013 East Side Monthly
45
Computer Consulting For Your Business or Home Expert Witness Web Design Repair Training Network Admin Home/Commercial
At School Today by Jill Davidson
Schools of Thought Teachers adjust to Common Core Curriculum
Richard Suls // 401.270.3785 richard@richardsuls.com www.richardsuls.com
Celebrate Mom & the Graduate
46
East Side Monthly May 2013
Standards is a national initiative that provides detailed standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics for kindergarten through 12th grades. These standards, released in 2010, will be fully adopted in Rhode Island (and 45 other states) next fall, in the 2013-2014 school year. The Common Core represents national agreements about what young people should learn. This is a radical departure from previous practice, in which each state developed its own standards and corresponding assessments. To better understand this, I talked with teachers at Nathan Bishop Middle School to get their perspectives on what this change means for curriculum, assessment and possible student outcomes. Nicole Broadmeadow teaches math at Nathan Bishop. She describes a fundamentally reshaped math curriculum, noting, “Instead of brushing over content in math in earlier grades, the reworked math curriculum provides a more focused in-depth knowledge at every grade.” This approach changes what students are expected to learn; there’s now more rigor and higher expectations. Algebraic language and concepts, for example, are infused throughout the curriculum, which provides a stronger base for algebra study and mastery. “What was taught in seventh grade is now taught in sixth, where we really start to get into vocabulary and concepts of algebra, which is the relationship between variables,” Broadmeadow says. “The earlier that kids are exposed to this kind of thinking the better,” Broadmeadow continues. “The Common Core makes algebraic thinking a norm, and also provides standards for mathematical practice, which help students understand how to think like a mathematician. Broadmeadow noted that because the implementation effort has been happening district-wide for several years, entering sixth grade students should be fairly well prepared, and that the district has provided ample opportunities for professional development to support teachers to teach the revamped curriculum. She noted that while teachers and students may
be ready, technological skills and infrastructure are potential areas of weakness in some schools. I also talked with Theresa Fox, an English teacher at Nathan Bishop. “I am feeling pretty great about it,” says Fox. ”We are aligning with something that makes sense, and I am pleased with the increase in rigor that is showing up in the types and amount of reading and writing that is expected.” Asked whether she thought students and teachers would be reading for fall implementation, Fox noted that she and other middle school English teachers haven’t yet had in-depth support and training, though she has had opportunities to review possible ELA curricula that the Providence Public Schools would adopt and is excited about what they offer. Fox says that the Common Core ELA standards provide a framework that will allow her to “be the teacher that I want to be. The Common Core provides lots of opportunities for differentiation. Even though we will be able to pick our own literature, the Common Core provides a common language for content, writing and thinking, all reinforced. Working on outlining or a certain type of essay language to use
across the curriculum. Right now, when I think about this, I am almost joyful.“ Not everyone is a Common Core supporter. Critics include educational historian Diane Ravitch, who worries that the standards and assessments are being implemented nationwide without meaningful field-testing. Others worry that the focus on math and ELA imply that other subjects, especially the arts, are less significant and will continue to be treated as such in many schools’ curricula. As a parent who knows how different my children are not only from each other but from every other kid, I tend to fret about standards in general. I worry about the tension between the benefits of holding all young people (and their parents and teachers) to high expectations and the reality that we cannot all be expected to learn at the same pace. Despite these concerns, we’re off to the races, and Fox and Broadmeadow’s thoughtful observations provide reasons for hope. Rhode Island will need fortitude to stay the course, because we’re unlikely to see instant great results from such a seismic shift. Jill Davidson can be reached at whathappenedatschool@gmail.com or her blog, providenceschools.blogspot.com
Illustration: Maret Paetznick
The Common Core State
HO P E
ST R EE T
Sp rin g BL OC K PA RT Y
May 18 12-6pm
rain or shine Live Music by Ravi Shavi,The Rice Cakes,The Silks & The Extraordinary Rendition Band Sidewalk Sales • Gourmet Food Trucks • Kids Zone • Hayrides • Pedicabs Family Photo Booth • Roaming Street Entertainment
Beers for the Ballet Have a cold one while supporting Festival Ballet Providence! ®
G BREWIN
ND DE ISLA of RHO
WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND
Street scavenger hunt Win an iPad or a grand prize gift certificate package from Hope Street businesses!
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www.creatoyvity.com
This
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Serving the best breakfast in
Also home to the Wurst Kitchen/
Creatoyvity specializes in quality, cre-
hood favorite serves delicious cre-
Rhode Island. Open 7 days a week
Window, a cozy open kitchen lo-
ative, open ended playthings from
ative worldly fare and refreshing
7am-2pm. Also offering lunch!
cated in Chez Pascal. House made
around the world. Free gift wrap-
cocktails. Lunch Tuesday thru Satur-
Great food at great prices!
sausages, sandwiches and more.
ping and great everyday pricing.
D’AMBRA SERVICE STATION
EAST SIDE PRESCRIPTION
FESTIVAL BALLET
FROG AND TOAD
761 Hope St., 621-2348
632 Hope St., 751-1430
761 Hope St., 421-ARTS (2787)
795 Hope St., 831-3434
A Hope Street staple for over 60
www.eastsiderx.com
Festival Ballet Providence presents
www.hopestreetprov.com
years, this full service station pro-
Your neighborhood pharmacy car-
the elegant crown-jewel of clas-
A special little neighborhood shop
vides exceptional customer ser-
ries a full selection of fine wine,
sical ballet: The Sleeping Beauty.
with an ever-changing selection
vice and expertise car repair.
craft beer and spirits. Prescriptions
May 10, 11, and 12 at The Vets. Call
that ranges from odd to incredible
filled for all health plans.
401-421-ARTS for tickets.
and features tons of locally-made
longtime
casual
day. Dinner Tuesday thru Sunday.
goodness.
GOURMET HOUSE
HOPE STREET PIZZA
INDIA RESTAURANT
J. MARCEL
787 Hope St., 831-3400
772 Hope St., 273-5955
1060 Hope St., 421-2600
808 Hope St., 383-9777
www.gourmethouseri.com
www.hopestreetpizza.com
www.indiarestaurant.com
www.hopestreetprov.com
The neighborhood’s most popu-
Great pizza, grinders, salads and
Serving eclectic Indian cuisine on
Name brand and designer shoes
lar authentic Cambodian and Pan
comfort food like fish and chips,
the East Side since 1995, India has
at 40-60% off retail everyday, plus
Asian cuisine. 20% off for college
lasagna, gyros and souvlaki in a
an elegantly designed restaurant
great accessories!
students Sun-Wed with ID (exp.
family friendly setting. Adjoining
and a lovely outdoor patio for
5/31/13).
bar with flat screens.
warm weather dining.
48
East Side Monthly May 2013
eat. shop. play.
On Providence’s East Side
LuLi Boutique 7 8 2 H o p e S t r e e t, p r ov i d e n c e
KITCHEN BAR
KREATELIER
LULI BOUTIQUE
PIPPA’S PAPERS
771 Hope St., 331-4100
804 Hope St., 432-7995
782 Hope St., 369-4332
780 Hope St., 331-0990
www.kitchenbarri.com
www.kreatelier.com
www.luliboutique.com
www.pippaspapers.com
Hope Street’s hottest restaurant,
Kreatelier offers unique fabric cre-
A fun fab funky boutique! Featur-
Custom designed monogrammed
offering
comfort
ations for life and home as well as
ing lines Moontide Dyers, Bryn
stamps. Stationery from Paris. Art
cuisine in an elegant setting. Ter-
home décor and upholstery servic-
Walker, Luna Lutz, XCVI, Magdela-
papers from Italy. Paper arts work-
rific bar area, perfect for enjoying
es and creative sewing workshops.
na , Habitat, local artists and more!
shops, like decoupage, calligraphy
contemporary
and bookbinding. Custom invita-
their delicious calamari appetizer.
tions starting under $2/ea.
PIZZICO
RAN ZAN
SEVEN STARS BAKERY
SPITZ-WEISS
762 Hope St., 421-4114
1084 Hope St., 276-7574
820 Hope St., 521-2200
785 Hope St., 272-6161
www.pizzicoristorante.com
www.ranzan.net
www.sevenstarsbakery.com
www.spitzweiss.com
An award-winning Italian restau-
Ran Zan takes pride in bringing
Serving
coffee
Your friendly neighborhood real
rant serving some of the best Italian
you the colors, flavors and ambi-
along with breads and morning
estate agency. Family owned and
food with a wide variety of wine in
ance that are the hallmarks of truly
pastries, all made from scratch
operated for over 50 years. Assist-
a rustic, yet eclectic atmosphere.
enjoyable Japanese dining.
and baked fresh daily.
ing buyers, sellers and renters.
STOCK CULINARY GOODS
STUDIO HOP
THREE SISTERS
ZACKS CAMERA REPAIR
756 Hope St., 521-0101
810 Hope St.,
1074 Hope St., 273-7230
791 Hope St., 273-7247
www.stockpvd.com Stock Culinary Goods is devoted to kitchen culture, with tools, gifts and resources for those who love to cook. Now offering a wedding registry of Rhode Island and New England crafted gifts.
621-2262 Studio Hop blends contemporary fine art, jewelry and fine crafts with period furniture and jewelry. They also feature unique wedding and engagement rings and handmade clothing.
www.threesistersri.com
www.zackscamerarepair.com
Ice cream..breakfast…coffee…baked
Old images moving or still or old
goods…lunch… all made in house
sound recordings you can’t play
with love. Get happy and healthy
anymore? Zacks can rescue and
with your Three Sisters!
convert them!
locally
roasted
May 2013 East Side Monthly
49
225 Carpenter St Unit# 1, providenCe – MLS# 1036625
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Great 3 family home off Hope St. Fully rented w/ 2 car garage, front porches & more. $285,000
Fabulous 1 bed, 1 bath Condo in the heart of College Hill! Unit features granite & stainless eat in kitchen, beautiful cherry floors, high ceilings, period details, brick patio & deeded storage. Freshly painted interior! $219,500
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Someone to count on … Concord Companion Services helps seniors enjoy the comfort of living at home by offering a helping hand with daily tasks. Whether you could use some help just hours a week or an in-home companion 24-hours a day, Concord Companions can be available anywhere in Rhode Island with just two hours notice. Our accredited services are fully bonded and insured.
Visit our website to see a full list of services. private duty companion care • light housekeeping errands & appointments • laundry • home health aide shopping • overnight care • meal planning medication management
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50
East Side Monthly May 2013
401-725-8400
Calendar
edited by Erin Swanson
May music | performance | social happenings | galleries | learn | sports
DON’T MISS THIS MONTH: 10 events at the top of our list
Providence Rotary Jazz Fest. May 19 at 7pm, Park Theatre in Cranston. www. providencerotary.org/jazz/cfm
1
Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. May 3-6 at 3pm and 7pm, Dunkin’ Donuts Center. www.dunkindonutscenter.com
2
Good Vs. Evil: Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. May 2 at 7:30pm, Providence Performing Arts Center. www. ppacri.org
3
Festival Ballet Presents Sleeping Beauty. May 1012 at 2pm and 8pm, Veterans Memorial Auditorium. www. vmari.com.
4
The Price Is Right Live! May 24 & 25 at 8pm, Twin River Casino in Lincoln. www. twinriver.com
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is coming to Providence May 3-6.
MUSIC arena & club | classical ARENA & CLUB LUPO’S HEARTBREAK HOTEL May 1: WBRU Presents MGMT. May 3: Rebelution. May 9: Silversun Pickups. May 10: Badfish. May 13: The Darkness. May 17: Juicy J. 79 Washington Street, Providence. 331-5876, www. lupos.com. CHAN’S FINE ORIENTAL DINING May 3: Albert Castiglia. May 4: John Hammond. May 5: Jimmy Thackery. May 10: Little Wolf from Texas. May 11: Micky Freeman and her All Stars Band. May 17: Albert Cummings. May 18: Robert Morbioli. May 19: Francisco Pais Quartet. May 24: James Montgomery. May 25: Bryan Lee. May 29: Open Mic Blues Jam with Lil Cousin. 267 Main
Street, Woonsocket. 765-1900, www. chanseggrollsandjazz.com. FOXWOODS May 3: Il Divo. May 5: Foreigner. May 10: Night of Italian Stars. May 24: An Evening of Funk with George Clinton & Friends. 350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT. 800-200-2882, www.foxwoods.com. MOHEGAN SUN May 4: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. May 9: Rush. May 18: Motley Crue. May 26: Rahat Fateh Ali Kahn. May 28, 29 & 31: New Kids on the Block with 98 Degrees & Boyz II Men. 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, CT. 888-226-7711, www.mohegansun.com. ROOTS CULTURAL CENTER May 5: Rock Girl Robots benefit for the Trudeau Center and Sojourner
5 House featuring Roz and the Rice Cakes, Nymphidels, Castle, For the Love of Sloan and more. Tuesdays: Jazz Jam. Fridays: Ladies Night. Sundays: Sweet P and the Who Dat Band. 276 Westminster Street, Providence. 272-7422, www.rootsprovidence.com. THE MET May 8: WBRU Presents Foals with Surfer Blood and Blondfire. May 11: Ghostface Killah with Adrian Younges Venice Down. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. 729-1005, www.themetri.com. TWIN RIVER May 18: The Domenic A. Izzi Jr. Foundation for Young Aspiring Musicians presents the 2nd Annual Yam Jam Benefit Concert featuring Blue Coupe (former members of Alice Cooper & Blue Oyster Cult), Custard Pie, Flash Mob, Mystique, Therapy & Dirty
The Rose Tattoo. May 2-26 at 3pm, 7pm and 8pm, 2nd Story Theatre in Warren. www.2ndstorytheatre.com
6
Buccaneers’ Bash. May 17 at 6:30pm, Metacomet Country Club in East Providence. www.operaprovidence.org
7
Animal Feedings. May 1-31 at Roger Williams Zoo. www.rwpzoo.org
8
Wines of Caymus Vineyards. May 9 at Gasbarro’s Wines. www.gasbarros.com
9
Wafaa Bilal’s The Ashes Series. May 1 - 26 at David Winton Bell Gallery. www.brown.edu
10
May 2013 East Side Monthly
51
GIANT • SPECIALIZED • TREK • MIRRACO HARO • REDLINE • THULE • YAKIMA · · · ·
Calendar
continued...
BMX Bikes · Kid’s Bikes Cycling Apparel · Electric Bicycles Equipment · Computerized Fitness Equipment Bike Fitting
le a s ay
D s ’ r e h t o
M
www.EastProvidenceCycle.com 414 Warren Ave., East Providence, RI 02914
Deeds. 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln. 723-3200, www.twinriver.com.
401·434·3838
Graphic Innovations
Large Format Color Printing
Any image. Any size. Any place. Posters • Banners • Wall Murals • Floor Graphics Backlit Displays • Vehicle Graphics • Window Graphics Tradeshow Graphics • Laminating & Mounting • Long-term Outdoor Signage
380 Jefferson Blvd. Unit C, Warwick, RI 401-751-5333 www.graphin.com Nurturing Care and Attention for your Little Angel An extraordinary place for small hands to discover imagine see feel smell tumble stack build sort paint interact sing dance and learn with confidence.
Open House Saturday, April 27, 10am-12:30pm Programs for Ages 2-5 years IMS • AMS • IMC • DCYF
Where Purposeful Play Meets Intuitive Learning
CLASSICAL BROWN UNIVERSITY May 3: Brown University Chorus. Rolling In the Deep: Songs of Water. May 4: Brown University Orchestra: Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Musical Tall Tales with Bill Harley. Sayles Hall. 79-81 Waterman Street, Providence. 863-3234, www.brown. edu/Departments/Music. PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER May 9: Jackie Evancho & Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra: Songs from the Silver Screen. 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 421-2787, www.ppacri.org. RICCO May 11: All Beethoven Program. Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, 30 Fenner Street, Providence. 521-5670, www.ricco.org. PARK THEATRE May 17: Chris Mann. May 19: Grammy Award-winning vocalist Steve Tyrell headlines the 2nd Annual Providence Rotary Jazz Fest, a fundraiser for the Providence Rotary Charities Foundation. Tyrell is best known for “The Way You Look Tonight”. A VIP reception at 6pm will feature light refreshments and preferred seating. $50 or $75 for VIP admission. 848 Park Avenue, Cranston. 4677275, www.providencerotary.org/jazz.
www.AngelCareMontessori.com Tel: 401.273.5151 150 Waterman Street, Providence
Introducing The Wurst Kitchen at Chez Pascal Small open kitchen featuring hotdogs, house made sausages and sandwiches for lunch. For dinner enjoy sausages (served outside the bun) and small plates of delicious ideas.
Wurst Days
Tues-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm
Wurst Nights
Tues-Sat 5:30pm-9:30pm
chez pascal 52
East Side Monthly May 2013
960 Hope Street, Providence 421-4422 • chez-pascal.com
FOLK STONE SOUP COFFEEHOUSE May 4: Buskin & Batteau: Special Appearance by Scott Alarik. 50 Park Place, Pawtucket. 921-5115, www.soup.org
PERFORMANCE comedy | dance | theatre COMEDY EVERETT Every Friday: Friday Night Live. 9 Duncan Avenue, Providence. 831-9479, www.everettri.org. 95 EMPIRE BLACK BOX Saturday Nights: Improv Jones. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 831-9327, www.improvjones.com.
COMEDY CONNECTION May 2: George Wallace. May 3-4: Jim Lauletta. May 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31: Hardcore Comedy. May 5, 12, 19 & 26: Comedy Showcase. May 10-11: Kevin McDonald. May 16: Sommore. May 17-18: Derek Furtado. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. 438-8383, www.ricomedyconnection.com. FOXWOODS May 10: Cedric the Entertainer. May 11: Doug Stanhope. May 17: George Lopez. May 18: Penn & Teller. May 25: Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller & Kevin Nealon. May 31: Ralphie May. 350 Trolley Line Boulevard, Mashantucket, CT. 800-200-2882, www.foxwoods.com. DANCE AS220 Tuesdays: Street Funk Dance Class. 95 Empire Street, Providence. 8319327, www.as220.org. PROVIDENCE BALLET May 3-5: Providence Youth Ballet Performance. The Met School. 362 Dexter Street, Providence. 861-4842, www. providenceballet.org. VETERANS MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM May 10-12: Festival Ballet Presents Sleeping Beauty. 1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence. 221-1467, www.vmari.com. THEATRE OCEAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY May 1-19: The King & I. 1245 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. 921-6800, www. oceanstatetheatre.org. 2ND STORY THEATRE May 2-26: The Rose Tattoo. 28 Market Street, Warren. 247-4200, www.2ndstorytheatre.com. GAMM THEATRE May 2-31: The Beauty Queen of Leenane. 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 723-4266, www.gammtheatre.org. TRINITY REP May 16-31: House. May 26-31: Garden. 201 Washington Street, Providence. 351-4242, www.trinityrep.com. PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER May 31: Beauty and the Beast. 220
Calendar
Century 21 Rentals
continued...
Smarter, Bolder, Faster Results Weybosset Street, Providence. 4212787, www.ppacri.org.
SOCIAL HAPPENINGS expos | fundraisers | seasonal FESTIVALS RHODE ISLAND CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL May 3-5: Parade, road race and other events take place throughout Pawtucket, Central Falls and Woonsocket. 7242200, www.richerryblossomfestival.com. CINCO DE MAYO PROVIDENCE ROCK AND ROLL YARDSALE May 5: This annual record sale, sponsored by What Cheer Records, will take place in Grant’s Block downtown along with the Cinco de Mayo block party. Records, vintage and DIY handmade. Free. noon-6pm. rockandrollyardsale.org. RHODE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER May 10-12: Rhode Island Tattoo Expo. May 17-19: JUMP Dance Convention. May 24-26: Northeast Derby Convention. 1 Sabin Street, Providence. 458-6000, www.riconvention.com. OPERA PROVIDENCE May 17: Buccaneers’ Bash: Dinner & Silent Auction. Cocktails with the captain, gourmet grub and “the band of merry men” featuring entertainment by Bill Moretti. $75-$100 (includes one ticket to Pirates of Penzance). Metacomet Country Club, 500 Veteran’s Memorial Parkway, East Providence. 331-6060, www.operaprovidence.org. FOR FOODIES BOTTLES Fridays: Beer Tasting. Saturdays: Wine Tasting. 141 Pitman Street, Providence. 372-2030, www.bottlesfinewine.com. FARM FRESH RHODE ISLAND Saturdays May 1-11: Wintertime Farmers’ Market. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. Wednesdays and Saturdays. May 18-31: Summertime Farmers’ Market. Lippitt Park, 1059 Hope Street, Providence. www.farmfreshri.org. PROVIDENCE CENTER
PERFORMING
ARTS
May 2: Good Vs. Evil: Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. Two chefs with two very different careers share one stage as they share stories and muse on food. 220 Weybosset Street, Providence. 421-2787, www. ppacri.org. GASBARRO’S WINES May 9: The Wines of Caymus Vineyards. 361 Atwells Avenue, Providence. 421-4170, www.gasbarros.com. OTHER THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY & PRACTICE OF NONVIOLENCE First Friday of Every Month: Open Mic Spoken Word Poetry. 265 Oxford Street, Providence. 785-2320, www. nonviolenceinstitute.org.
GALLERIES PEREGRINE GALLERY May 1-3: Incipient Arts Group Show. 150 Waterman Street, Providence. 654-4618, www.peregrinegallery.com. DAVID WINTON BELL GALLERY May 1-26: Daniel Heyman: I am Sorry It is Difficult to Start. May 1-26: Wafaa Bilal: The Ashes Series. 64 College Street, Providence. 863-2932, www.brown.edu. RISD MUSEUM OF ART May 1-31: Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion. May 1-31: Made for Eternity. 224 Benefit Street, Providence. 4546500, www.risdmuseum.org.
kIDS + FAMILy BROWN UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE Every Saturday: Children’s Story Time. 244 Thayer Street, Providence. 8633168, bookstore.brown.edu. ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO May 1-31: Animal Feedings: Participate in a group feeding session. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 785-3510, www.rwpzoo.org. DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER May 3-6: Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus: Built to Amaze. 3pm & 7pm shows. $25-$65. 1 LaSalle Square,
Providence. 331-6700, www.dunkindonutscenter.com. BROWN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC May 4: Brown University Orchestra: Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Musical Tall Tales with Bill Harley. Sayles Hall. 79-81 Waterman Street, Providence. 863-3234, www.brown.edu/ Departments/Music.
LEARN discussion | instruction | tour PROVIDENCE ATHENAEUM Fridays: Drop in from 5-7pm for the free weekly Salon Series. 251 Benefit Street, Providence. 421-6970, www. providenceathenaeum.org. PROVIDENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY May 2: Global Lens Film Series 2013: The Parade. May 9: Author Presentation: Ann Hood. May 16: Fogarty Center 16th Annual Festival of Flavors – a Centennial Celebration. May 18: Book Talk & Signing: Yellowstone, Land of Wonders. May 28: Brown Bag Book Club: Salt – a World History. 150 Empire Street, Providence. 455-8000, www.provlib.org.
B utterman & K ryston , I nc .
Don't Lose Another Month's Rent Call our Agents at 401-521-9490 Century21RIRentals.com
$5 Happy Hour Appetizers Weekdays between 3-6pm (Wayland Square location only)
RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY May 2: Anna Ghublikian’s Volumes of Forgotten Lore. May 25: Teacher Workshop on the Dorr Rebellion Project Website. 110 Benevolent Street, Providence. 331-8575, www.rihs.org. WATSON INSTITUTE May 2: Lecture by Gustavo Flores-Macias. McKinney Conference Room. 111 Thayer Street, Providence. 863-2809, www.watsoninstitute.org. INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF RHODE ISLAND May 3: Movie Night: Chocolat. 8 Stimson Avenue, Providence. 421-7181, www.internationalhouseofri.org.
HARUKI EAST
172 Wayland Ave Providence / 223-0332 HARUKI EXPRESS
SPORTS BROWN MEN’S BASEBALL May 1: Brown vs. Marist: Doubleheader. 235 Lloyd Avenue, Providence. 863-2773, www.brownbears.com.
112 Waterman St Providence / 421-0754
HARUKI CRANSTON 1210 Oaklawn Ave Cranston / 463-8338
WWW.HARUKISUSHI.COM
May 2013 East Side Monthly
53
When Was the Last Time You Had Your Air Ducts Cleaned?
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54
East Side Monthly May 2013
Advertiser Index
make your reservations for mother’s day brunch or dinner
All ads are subject to placement change
mothers love “The Rue”
Arts & EntErtAinmEnt 2nd Story Theatre 5 Acme Video 12 Community Boating Center 25 Festival Ballet Providence 41/48 Gamm Theatre 37 Grist Mill Pool and Tennis Club Insert Narragansett Boat Club 25 Palmer River Equestrian 30 Providence Gay Men’s Chorus 36 Providence Rotary Jazz Festival 45 RI College Performing Arts Series 25/34 RISD Museum 27 Trinity Rep 10 AutomotivE Autowerks D’Ambra Service Station German Motors Somerset Auto Group Swedish Motors BEAuty & FitnEss Aidile’s Day Spa BodySoul Chez Moustache Facing Thayer Providence Pilates Center Synrgy Fitness The Mind 2 Body Fit Studio
29 49 26 14 29/44
29 30 13 8 10 59 44
Community sErviCEs Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation 19 Hope Street Merchants Association 47 Jewish Community Center 32/42 Monahan, Drabble & Sherman 54 Narragansett Bay Commission 36 EduCAtion Angel Care Montessori French American School Lincoln School Moses Brown Plus Providence Country Day R I Fencing Academy RI Philharmonic Roger Williams University St Andrew’s School
52 24 24 25 24 24 24 24 24/31
Food & spirits Blaze Bottles Fine Wine Campus Fine Wines Chez Pascal Coffee Exchange Cozy Caterers East Side Creamery East Side Marketplace Gourmet
49 31 13 49/52 13 5 12 5 insert
Gourmet House Haruki Restaurant Hope Street Pizza India Restaurant Julian’s Kartabar Kitchen Bar LJ’s BBQ McBride’s Pub Mills Tavern Minerva’s Pizza Noodles 102 Pho Horn’s Pizzico Ran Zan Japanese Restaurant Red Stripe Round the Corner Rue De L’Espoir 55Seven Stars Bakery Teas and Javas The Blue Cottage Three Sisters Z Grille
49 53 49 49 37/54 38 49 18 6 23 5 12 11 48 48 23 12 48 27 48 48 12
FinAnCiAl, lEgAl And insurAnCE Egis Group 42 Lovett & Lovett 22 Yarlas, Kaplan, Santilli & Moran 10 HEAltH & WEllnEss Advanced Eye Care Concord Companion Services Dent Plus East Side Urgent Care Lean on Me Lift Depression Now Northeast Chiropractic R I Medical Imaging
32 50 18 42 26 29 30 7
HomE, gArdEn & pEts Adler’s 13 City & Estate Gardener 26 Colonial Shutterworks 18 Davitt Design Build 37 Eden Design by Mae insert Farmers Daughter 5 Ground Flora 18 JJ’s Floor Covering 27 Kitchen Guys 29 Linda Toti 26 Pella Windows insert Professional Landscape Gardening 43 Ram Designs Unlimited 43 RI Kitchen & Bath 36 Rustigian Rugs 20 Simply Sight and Sound 17 Single Source Disaster Recovery Specialists 8/54 Site Specific 30 Sixteen On Center 28
Solid K9 Training Steven Kane The Paint Shoppes Tom’s Tree Care
43 43 17 32
proFEssionAl sErviCEs Allegra Printing Chrissy Collins Parenting Coach Graphic Innovations Richard Suls Computer Tech Zacks Camera Repair
39 54 52 46 49
rEAl EstAtE Butterman & Kryston 37 Century 21 Butterman & Kryson 13/53 Coldwell Banker 50/11 Coleman Realtors 2 Keller Williams 32 Lila Delman Real Estate 33 Residential Properties 27/45/60 Spitz-Weiss Realtors 3/34/48 The Taylor Group 31 sEnior sErviCEs Advocare Health Group Epoch Highlands on the East Side
32 45 41
sHopping & morE Berk’s Shoes Benny’s City Gardens Flower Shop Creatoyvity Deja New East Providence Cycle Co East Side Prescription Center Empire Loan Of RI North Fabric Gallery Frog And Toad In Downcity J Marcel Kreatelier Legend Bicycle Luli Boutique Luna & Stella Marc Allen Milan Mister Sister Peaceable Kingdom Picture This Pie in the Sky Pippas Papers Providence Flea Providence Picture Frame Reliable Gold Spectrum-India Stock Culinary Goods Studio Hop The Hopscotch Room Three Wheel Studio
8 39 13 49 42 52 49 39 6 49 20 48 49 12 48 55 30 22 13 12 12 8 48 10 33 46 8 48 48 11 12
Rue De L’Espoir American Bistro Cooking
open daily breakfast, lunch, dinner 99 Hope Street Providence, RI 02906 info/reservations 751-8890 www.therue.com
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May 2013 East Side Monthly
55
Classifieds
To place your classified ad, please call 732-3100.
EAST SIDE HANDYMAN 34 years. Repairs, upgrades & renovations. References. Insured. Reg. #3052. Call 524-6421.
(401) 441-7303
ELECTRICAL SERVICES All types. Solar systems, security lighting & new circuits. Master licenses: RI #A3338, MA #16083A. Insured. Call Larry 529-2087.
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. 25 years of experience. BEST FRIENDS PET SERVICE N- More. Are your pets ready for your summer vacation? Petsitting & overnights, your home or mine. Dog & cat first aid certified. References. 831-6187 or 301-1806. CEILING WORK, DRYWALL Plaster (hang, tape & paint). Water damage repair. All phases of carpentry. Reg. #24022. Fully insured. Steven, E. Prov., 401-641-2452. CHARLIE’S KNIFE Sharpening Henckles, Wusthof, Victorinox-Forchner and serrated knifes, just to name a few. Local pickup & delivery, East Side. 831-6187
CEILING REPAIRS Repairing water damaged, cracked, peeling ceilings & walls. Located on the East Side. Over 100 satisfied local customers. Malin Painting, RI Reg. #19226. Call 226-8332. COOK/CLEANER AVAILABLE Experienced European woman, legal resident. References available. Call 243-4483. CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS and more. In-home consultation. 30 years experience. 401-949-1587. DOG WALKER/PET SITTER Trained to administer medications. Reliable, bonded, references available. Home visits. Call Susan 527-3914. Loves animals. DOROTHY’S CLEANING We clean your home as our own! References & free estimates. Call 401274-7871 or 401-524-7453.
CHRIS’ LAMP REPAIR
GROUND FLORA
We Make House Calls!!!
Professional Lawn Care
âœŻ Repairing all types of Lamps âœŻ Vintage Lighting Specialist âœŻ Chandelier Repairs âœŻ Serving the East Side for over 15 years âœŻ Fully Insured
✎ ✎ Spring/Fall Clean Ups
(401) 831-8693 www.chrislamprepair.com
Full Service
401-331-1332
ORGANIC LANDSCAPING Organic Landscape Maintenance âœś Mowing âœś Pruning âœś Plantings
âœś
Paul Thompson 368-0832
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East Side Monthly May 2013
ELDER CARE - Providence area Compassionate, insightful, articulate woman available as Part-time companion/homemaker/organizer with focus on posititive aging and life enrichment. Experienced. References. Call 401.274.1211 ELDER CARE AVAILABLE Mature, responsible, experienced woman for companionship/sitting. Leave message at 401-434-1943. ELDER CARE AVAILABLE Compassionate, intelligent, mature woman seeks sleepover position with elderly person. 20 years experience. Impeccable references. Please call 7813392 or 497-3392. EAST SIDE PAINTING High quality work. References. 30 years experience. Reg. #17730. Call Ken at 516-1438 or 346-6162. HOUSECLEANER Available Crystal Clean, a quality housecleaning service. We don’t cut corners. Weekly or bi-weekly. We use environmentally friendly products. Bethany 2650960.
HOUSE CLEANING
If you need a house cleaner who is organized and with good prices & excellent references, call 401-475-3283
HOUSE CLEANING Experienced. Local references. Free estimates. Call Lilly, 401-419-2933. I BUY BOOKS Old, used and almost new. Also buying photography, art, etc. Call 401421-2628. jcvp@cox.net L.A.D. MASONRY SERVICES Free estimates. Cement, brick, stone, patio, walks, driveways, chimneys, fireplaces. Repairs. Bobcat services. Insured. Lic. #29611. www.ladservicesllc.com Call 401-487-5118. MALIN PAINTING 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. MASTER ELECTRICIAN Install, service, repair. Expert troubleshooting. Free detailed computerized estimate. Deal direct with owner. Lic. #AC 004110 & insured. Small jobs done promptly. All work guaranteed. Save $$$. Family owned & operated. Local resident. Calls returned immediately. 401-258-4793, John. PROACTIVE Computer Services Home or office. Computer repairs, data recovery. WIFI Solutions. Fully equipped mobile service. Service calls $40/hr. Call 401-647-7702. www. pcsllcri.com
JOBS BY JIM Garages & Attics Cleaned
Unwanteds Removed Small Demolitions - Garages, Sheds, etc.
Free Metal Pick-up Appliances & Lawn Mowers â?–Motors â?–Machines â?–Batteries â?–Etc.
Call 401-232-5650 Cell 401-742-7258
Reg. #4614
Classifieds
To place your classified ad, please call 732-3100.
PRESERVE YOUR MEMORIES Documents, photos, slides, camera films saved to CD or DVD. Photos of slides and film contents are available. Your memories will always be fresh. Reasonable rates. Comen Co., 401230-2524. Email: hcomen@cox.net
SUPERB HOUSEPAINTING High end workmanship. Small jobs a specialty. Call Ron 751-3242. Reg. #18128. WINDOWS - ALL TYPES LIFETIME ON PARTS Patio sliders, doors, patio enclosures, siding, roofing. Harvey Showroom. Low prices. Interior and exterior work. Award Contr. 401-365-9194. Reg. #21077 & insured.
T.J. DANUSIS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, INC. Complete electrical services. Lic. #AC160. Insured. 401-499-1255.
David Onken Painting
CLEANING & WINDOW WASHING By TLC Services, LLC
Interior/Exterior
Carpentry Renovations Gutter Cleaning â– Chimney Pointing Insured
248-5248
Wallcovering Express Inc. â—?
Vinyl
â—?
Commercial
â—?
Residential
Reg. #17297 â—? North Providence â—? Insured
A1wallcove@aol.com
Willard All Types of Roofing & Exterior Repairs
Siding � Insulation � Windows “Leaf Relief� Gutter Guard System Gutters Cleaned, Repaired & Replaced Insured
â—?
COMMERCIAL
Discover
â—?
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Call Now For a Free Estimate
949-4440 Visa MasterCard Accepted
Reg. #14074
â—?
MEDINA Painting & Remodeling Co., Inc. For ALL Your Painting & Carpentry Needs
We Specialize in Water Problems (Roofs, Gutters, Basements) Certified Lead Renovated LRM #0514
Call Al Medina
Vinny’s Landscaping & BOBCAT SERVICES
 �  � � Lead Certified Painting ✎ Carpentry Home Repairs Kitchen & Bath Remodeling
30 Years Experience on the East Side
Reg. #19031 ✎ Senior Discounts ✎ Insured
r 4 lines /$10 r $2.50 each additional line (includes headline) r $2.00 additional — Boxed Ad name:
______________________________________ phone: _____________________________________ address:
Fully Insured
MG Landscaping 743-6015 â?Š 831-5109
classified advertising Order fOrm
Roof ing & Restoration
RESIDENTIAL
26 Years Experience
497-1461 â—? 231-1851
SprING CLEANupS Weekly & Bi-Weekly Service Mulch • Fertilization Shrub & Hedge Trimming Minor Tree Work Call Alan 751-5757
401-724-1166
â?Š
Power Raking
Complete Lawn Maintenance
Jerry Giroux
Handyman
Seed & Sod â—? Fertilizing â—? Planting Rototilling â—? Small Loads Delivered â—?Loam â—?Sand â—?Stone â—?Etc. â—?Free Estimates
Fabric
and Painting
Landscape Construction Parking Lot Cleaning
Spring Cleanups
ARC LAWN CARE
Professional Paperhanging
Bushes Trimmed â?Š Tree Removal Pine Bark Mulch
New Lawns Installed Aerating â—? Dethatching
Call Tara @ 401.524.1982.
davidokenpainting.com
Paper
KIND CARE ~ SENIORS Appointments, errands, shopping, cleaning & maint. Refs. Safety bars installed. Reg #3052. 559-0848.
Offering: Spring & Scheduled cleanings, Window/Screen Washing, Powerwashing, Staging homes for sales. Prompt, Reliable. Excellent East Side references. Green Products offered.
Senior Discounts Reg. #19031
Spring & Fall Cleanups
PARKING/STORAGE Lloyd Ave., garage long-term storage, $115/mo. Congdon St., $125 covered, $100 outdoors. Benefit St. (north end), $120/mo. Call Roger, 339-4068. rogernc@mac.com
Detailing fine homes & businesses throughout RI for 10 years.
Lead Certified
LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE
SCREEN PRINTING & Embroidery. T-shirts & Sweatshirts. Max Formal Co., 1164 North Main St., Providence. 421-3268.
R.I. Reg. #7320
401.438.8771
city:
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May 2013 East Side Monthly
57
East of Elmgrove
by Elizabeth Rau | illustration by Eloise Narrigan
The Pen is Mightier than the Keyboard A boy’s fascination with tools of generations past The Ink Spots were a hugely popular vocal quartet in the 1930s and 1940s that paved the way for rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll. I know this because my 11-year-old son, Henry, likes pens as much as, say, baseball or good French films. Henry is especially fond of fountain pens; the kind that can be wonderfully messy and leave – you guessed it – ink spots on the kitchen table, fancy sofa and white sheets. I have no idea how the Ink Spots came up with their name – maybe they were pen enthusiasts too – but I do know that a smart company on the other side of the Atlantic is using their songs to sell pens, hence the Ink Spots-Henry connection. Not long ago, Henry was browsing the internet for information about pens when he came across a website called Kaweco, a 130-year-old German pen company. He entered it, and the Ink Spots (Orville, Ivory, Jerry and Charlie) started to croon: “I don’t want to set the world on fire. I just want to start a flame in your heart.” I was smitten, and not by the pens. The next day, I bought the Ink Spots Greatest Hits and thanked Henry for introducing me to the group. He thanked me for promising to be a patron of his new hobby. It’s unusual for a kid to show an interest in pens. Most boys collect rocks or Red Sox T-shirts, at least back when they were winning. Henry likes to venture outside the box. For a while, he was charged up by yo-yos, and we have a shoebox of Duncans to prove it. Then he moved on to making duct tape wallets, even launching a business that boomed for 23 days. The pen fascination began in the fall. Henry and his friend, Theo, were searching about for something to collect. “How about pens?’’ said Henry. “Sure,’’ said Theo. Trips to Staples ensued and in less time than it takes to click a Bic, Henry had pens from all walks of life: Uniball Jetstream, a sleek black pen with a fine tip; Dr. Grip Roller Ball, a chunky pen with a comfortable grip; and Pilot G2, a popular pen with a “smooth writing experience,’’ according to Henry. One day, Henry walked into the Brown Bookstore with a $10 gift certificate in his pocket, expecting to buy a paperback. “I saw a giant wall of pens,’’ Henry recalled. “I 58
East Side Monthly May 2013
was like, ‘Whoa!’’’ He settled on a Parker Jotter. “I really liked the click of the pen,’’ said Henry. “I took it to school the next day and started clicking. Now I click the pen if I can’t remember the answer to a question. There are a lot of good things about pens – put that down.’’ By winter, our house was the pen capital of the East Side. Pens in pickle jars. Pens in old coffee cans. Pens in the empty thermos. I opened a drawer in the bathroom and found a Pentel EnerGel X Roller Ball next to a tube of Crest. Henry is a tinkerer and soon discovered that one of the joys of pens is taking them apart. They are complicated creatures, what with all those cartridges and tiny coiled springs. Putting them back together is not as fun. Springs and little tubes of plastic soon dotted our domestic landscape. Collectors are expansionists by nature, and Henry is no exception. The hohum G2 soon gave way to more refined pens, a shift accelerated by Henry’s discovery in a lonely living room drawer of
a gold-plated Cross pen inscribed with his name. A friend had given Henry the pen years ago. Lost, now found, Henry was beside himself. “It was a good pen,’’ he recalled. “I thought about taking it to school, but knew 14-karat gold and middle schoolers don’t work together.’’ Fountain pens came on the scene during an evening stroll to the East Side’s Wayland Square, where he spotted a poster of a Lamy in the window of Runcible Spoon, a charming shop that sells stationery and luxury soap. Henry was with his dad. They were talking about moon tides and then, well, I’ll let Henry take the microphone. “I walked in the store and felt out of place,’’ said Henry. “Most 11-year-old boys don’t end up in a shop of fine – whatever. But seeing the writing instruments I felt more at home. The Lamys had a totally different design than your normal click pens.’’ Henry exited a satisfied customer, a Lamy Safari in hand. Henry and Joan, the owner of Runcible Spoon, became fast friends. With
his birthday money, Henry also bought an ink well and a converter for his Lamy. He has his eye on the Lamy Studio, a step up. I’m sure there will be more trips to the Square this summer. Henry says he likes pens because he loves to write and because they are amazing tools. I mean, really, think about it. “It all started with a feather and ink and now it has moved up to Roller Ball pens and who knows what’s in the future,” Henry said. “Computers are everywhere, but a pen is more personal. It’s one with you.’’ One of Henry’s special pieces surfaced in a dusty box during a recent attic cleanup: an antique pen passed down from his great-grandmother, Sophia. Henry did some research and identified it as an Eclipse desk pen, minus the base. The find assumed greater importance when I told him that the ink spots on the green felt on our old desk, also from his greatgrandmother, were probably made by Sophia’s pen. That set his world on fire. Elizabeth Rau can be reached at erau1@verizon.net.
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