2013 SOUTH & EAST COAST Providence 22 - Yes, Indeed, We're Walking

THE STATS:
Temp maybe 32 degrees and got into the low 40s. Outside of that nothing special except the very unexpected snow scene upon wake-up.

THE HAPS:
Woke up to 6-8 inches of heavy wet snow. Even though the steep hilly streets here are cobblestone, I was chicken to drive. TV news said it would get up to 40, so we took our time for the snowplows and temp to make the snow disappear. It didn't disappear, but it slushed up.

Randy fixed a nice fresh fruit plate of melon, big blackberries, and blueberries, along with yogurt and scones. As we were the only guests, he cooked made-to-order cheese omelets and crispy bacon. Soaked up the delish coffee with real half and half.

T had school business til late afternoon, so we were on our own til then. We headed for Atwells Street on Federal Hill to the Little Italy area. First stop was Costantino's Deli. Fabulous displays of cheese, olives, bread, meats, beans, olive oils, vinegars, and you-name-it-Italian. Also, a little gift shop (we bought a V & O set and two limoncello glasses) and café tables so you could eat the sandwiches you just bought on the spot.

Continued walking the whole street up and down. Saw DePasquale Square, which looked to be the heart of the area, although nothing happening at this time of year. Stopped by Roma's for an espresso (for Mike) and latte (for me). Stopped by the Euro Bistro for a Tuaca (for Mike) and a Chianti (for me). Stopped by Pastiche (pastry shop highly recommended by T), but it was so packed we moved on.

We still had time to kill. As we are big foodies and have had sooo many delicious meals on this trip, we decided at the last minute to go the Culinary Museum at Johnson & Wales University, College of Culinary Arts. It displayed food history facts; chef uniforms over time; famous chef info (although we had already seen Julie Childs' actual kitchen displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., so hard to beat that); historical tools and appliances of the cooking trade; a number of reconstructions of kitchens, drive-ins and diners; food products over time; things used in airplane kitchens (close to our hearts), Howard Johnson waitress uniforms; and oh so much more. We would recommend this museum to any food-a-holic.

Back to the B&B to drop off stuff and the car. My sis was right, this is the worst place to drive. Too many one-way streets, lane shifts, lanes ending unexpectedly, have-to-turn lanes. Just a mess and quite intimidating to someone unfamiliar. Soooo, even though it was cold, wet and slushy, off we went a walking.


First, headed toward the capital building. Thought we would tour it but ended up just taking a few exterior shots. Then to the RISD Museum Store, where they sell products developed by the art students. Very cool stuff, but nothing we really need and pricey. Then just started walking along the river and into the hip district we ate in last night. We wanted to see the old buildings in daylight and browse the stores. We got a little lost, as none of the streets are square, and walked a lot farther than we had anticipated. But we saw a lot of interesting stuff. There is a collage of architecture here--very old mixed with new. Also saw Big Nazo's, a neat store that sells theatre props like the giant man-eating flower in Little Shop of Horrors. Lots of futuristic monster stuff, too.

After miles of walking today, Deb's knees started aching. So about 4:30pm we headed back to the B&B to await T's call. When she called, she advised she had a late lunch and a long day and needed a few winks. In the meantime, we munched on fruit and pretzels.

She called a little before 8pm and told us all about her exciting day at MIT, where they were exploring a collaboration between MIT and RISD. She was pumped to say the least and we were glad she had a productive day.

We ended up saying our good-bys and thank-yous over the phone. It was pretty nasty and cold out, and no need to visit in person for just a few minutes as I would just get all sentimental anyway. Besides this gave us time to do some blog catch-up.


Goal 2) complete. On our way home tomorrow.