Weekend Adventures in Providence, Rhode Island
Last Friday, Michael and I drove across three states to head to the bachelor party for my brother-in-law, Gabriel Biele. He had secured a lovely rental estate in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally scheduled for Connecticut, the destination was changed to accommodate a smaller group of people gathering from around the New England area (with one person arriving from Minnesota).
As we drove past the campus of Brown University nearby, I admired the eighteen-century architecture abound, with brick lined sidewalks underneath the hurried steps of college students. Arriving at the Victorian-area home across the street from the athletic fields of Hope High School, Gabriel and others were sitting at a table on the covered porch. At the table, there was Michael Foschino and Scott, both Gabriel’s longtime friends, as well as Michael Leonard, the brother of Gabriel’s future wife, Becca. With three people named Michael, we opted for nicknames to differentiate everyone. I reminisced about a humorous College Humor video from 2016 narrated by Mike Trapp about the prevalence of people named Michael.
Walking through the foyer, there was a magnificent portrait of a man presumed to be its original owner back in 1886. We ascended the creaky spiral stairs on our way to drop off a bag of clothes and toiletries before heading back down to the first floor renovated open kitchen. As the streetlights illuminated the streets, we began our city adventures and walked toward downtown.
The walk was short but steep, providing an unintentional calf workout. I provided some entertaining laughs when I pulled out a Bluetooth lantern from my bag, a Christmas gift from Gabriel to Michael and me in 2023. The flickering light, upbeat tunes, and great discussions created a pleasant walk to Main Street, where we ventured into Harry’s Bar and Burger. Named “Best Burger in Rhode Island” from LoveFood.com, it had a casual atmosphere with a menu filled with unique nomenclatures for sliders, hot dogs, fries, and milkshakes.
I ordered a Sloppy Harry Chili Dog, reminiscing about my summer day in Glens Falls last July when I entered a hotdog eating contest. Michael got two cheeseburger sliders with a side of “Harry's Animal Fries” to share. Both of us thought that it tasted like a McDonald’s Big Mac, with its fried onion strings, melted cheese, scallions, and special sauce. I gulfed down my meal enjoying the subdued bitter and refreshing taste of Best Day Brewing’s Kolsh Style non-alcoholic beer. On the back of the can, it had a list of occupations and hobbies that would appreciate being clearheaded and refreshed, from runners to teachers and everyone in-between.
Once we were filled with sustenance and paid the bill, we marched onward to the next adventure, thanks to a selection of options provided by Michael Foschino. We walked past many buildings and over a bridge overlooking the Providence River. While taking a shortcut through a parking lot, Michael Leonard and Scott shared their gymnast prowess by performing a cartwheel to the delight of everyone.
As the night of tomfoolery continued, we heard music up ahead. Remixed versions of contemporary songs blasted on speakers at the Providence Rink, which was holding a September concert featuring Meduza, a famed Italian house music band. Overhearing from a security attendant that tickets were $70 per person, we opted to continue exploring the city. I noticed a beautiful building with rainbow lights highlighting its Victorian-era facade, later learning that it was the Trinity Repertory Building. Originally the Emery Majestic Theater in 1914 that hosted historical vaudeville performances, it was renovated in 1973 to house the Trinity Repertory, a professional resident theater company created in 1963. It was later named an official State Theater of Rhode Island in 2014.
We opted not to venture inside the theater, instead walking westward toward a craft beer pub called The Malted Barley. Rebranding in 2015, it features an industrial design and open layout, filled with tables, boardgames, and giant Connect4 sets. After we bought a pint of local beers, I snagged a game from the boardgame shelf, called “New Phone, Who Dis?”. I had played the amusing game with my family, so I knew it would elicit some entertaining laughs. Following a couple rounds of the game, Scout and I played a heated game of foosball. I narrowly won, though I did accidentally score against ourselves due to the fast pace.
It was nearly 11:00pm when we hailed an Uber to head back to the house, our feet thoroughly tired from walking. While playing a game of Jackbox together, Gabriel’s other friend, Cory, arrived from Minnesota. His face was obscured by a magnificent beard, just as majestic as my own. As everyone chatted in the kitchen, I perused a free magazine that I snagged at the Malted Barley, called Motif. The magazine started in 2004 by Jim Vickers to “to help bring to light some of the amazing music, arts and culture happening around Rhode Island”.
One of the articles that intrigued me was “An Ode to Libraries”, written by Cathren Housley. Her piece counteracts arguments against public libraries made by Panos Mourdoukoutas in Forbes from 2018. As she eloquently describes, "Libraries are more than a place to check out a book and read. They have evolved into community centers that provide a myriad of educational and social opportunities.” I think we can all agree with that sentiment.
The following day, we watched college football and played games until venturing into the city for dinner from a place called Cav. From their website, it has been “a staple in Providence since 1989, serving eclectic, contemporary, award-winning cuisine in a unique and historic loft. CAV (pronounced CAHV) stands for Cocktails, Antiques, Victuals.” Stepping into the restaurant certainly felt like entering a museum with antiques and sculptures scattered amongst the dining tables. The food, cocktails, and atmosphere were divine, and I highly recommend reserving a table if you travel to Providence, Rhode Island.
Gabriel’s college friend, Autumn, met us at the restaurant, reminiscing over their shared experience at Bentley University. After the meal, all of us walked toward Free Play, a bar arcade that offers unlimited arcade games for just twelve dollars. It was a lot of fun, as the experience nostalgically recreated and procured hundreds of classic games, from pinball machines, side-scrolling adventures, racing games, and various Dance, Dance Revolution duplicates.
Scott, hoping for a decisive rematch, challenged me to a game of air hockey. While I dominated the game, the LED score board was broken and neglecting to track dozens of my goals, so Scott humorously asserted victory. After two hours of tireless fun, we headed out into the streets toward Fire Side Rooftop Bar, a nightclub that overlooks the Johnson and Wales University building. On the way there, we passed by hundreds of people dressed for a night out in the city. After we elevated up the elevator, all of us were led to a table by the courtyard and ordered cocktails.
After chatting about our experiences at the arcade, I ventured to the bar to procure a seltzer with lime and chatted with a gentleman named Andrew. He had finished a long, leisurely five-hour bike ride to Newport, Connecticut and back that afternoon. After a short while, I ventured back to the group, and we headed out of the building. The two Michael’s hailed an Uber back to the house, while Gabriel, Autumn, Scott, and I decided to walk. It was treacherous journey with steep hills that tested the limits of our resolve. I placed a half dozen stickers throughout the city, each highlighting a simple message that “there is hope”. It also advertised the Suicide Prevention hotline, and I hope that it would save a life as it did for me.
The evening culminated with a late-night stroll across the street to the playground, where we climbed the two-story hover net and swung on the swings. It was a fun time, reconnecting with our childhood curiosities, though with our adult sensibilities. As I noted in my reflective piece on childhood stuffed animals, “finding moments to acknowledge and understand our inner selves is necessary, as Alain de Botton writes, ‘in the most adult of ways, we’re acknowledging the debt we owe to the more fragile, historic parts of us. We’ll accede to a fairer, calmer, kinder adulthood once we accept with grace how close we remain always to the delicate, sensitive, tear-prone little person we once were,’”. It was a perfect way for Gabriel and all of us to celebrate his marriage to Becca Leonard, acknowledging that life should never be taken too seriously and should encompass childlike wonder on all experiences.
On Sunday, I groggily woke up in the morning, laced up my running shoes, and started a run through downtown Providence to explore my own path in the city. Partially listening to a ZRX story about an alternative Sleepy Beauty tale, I navigated the winding roads filled with hills, historic sights, and, unfortunately, lots of trash. I picked up some and tossed them into nearby containers, acknowledging my thoughts on the paradox of cleaning that I wrote about last April.
I passed by unique sculptures along the river, like the “Textured Gear”, a creation by Rob Lorenson, an artist and educator based in Fall River, Massachusetts. Fabricated in 1997, it was installed in Providence's Waterplace Park as part of the 2001 Convergence International Arts Festival. I learned about Edward Bannister, an award-winning artist and first person of Black descent to win in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition Painting category. He had been a committee member of the Rhode Island School of Design, setting a foundation of a welcoming and diverse center of art and design. His likeness is sculpted and perched on a bench in Market Square. By the time I returned to the house, I felt a sense of appreciation for the artistic and natural beauty that Providence offered.
Within a couple hours, all of us wished each other well as we packed up and headed back home. Michael and I enjoyed the short trip to Rhode Island, connecting with his brother and friends as we explored the city. And we will see everyone next month for the wedding celebration of Gabriel Biele and Becca Leonard in Massachusetts.
