The year was 1997. Maybe you saw Titanic or Men In Black. The world mourned as we learned that Princess Diana died in a car crash and the Notorious B.I.G. was murdered in a drive-by shooting. Ellen DeGeneres came out on the cover of Time, Teletubbies made its debut, and the final season of Seinfeld started. Closer to home, Providence looked much different – it would be two years before Providence Place opened on what was once a dirt parking lot, the Graduate was still the Biltmore, and the publishers of East Side Monthly decided it was time for Providence to have its own namesake magazine. Through the years, there have been many changes – from staff to paper stock – but one thing remains constant: an unyielding adoration for what would be named The Creative Capital. Through our 24 years, we’ve worked tirelessly to spotlight the unique people, places, and things that make our little city the special place it is. As this, our 300th issue, goes to press, we thank our readers, contributors, publishers, and all the small businesses that advertise with us for being part of our story.
This list begins at 300! Let’s keep it going for the next 300.
If we missed your favorite, please let us know. Email us at Mail@ProvidenceOnline.com (Subject: PM300) or tag photos on Instagram using #PVD300.
From James Beard award-winning chefs and 18-seat restaurants to plucky pop-up businesses and NY System hot wieners – and nestled between the bigger but not better New York City and Boston scenes – Providence has forged a foodie identity all its own. Both born-and-bred Rhode Islanders and chefs from all over the world bring their distinct cooking to all varieties of eateries, while our very own green hub, Farm Fresh RI, helps feed our farm-to-table obsession. The list of PVD food love is long enough to fill a book, but we’ll try to distill it into a delectable multi-course sampler, here.
JAMES BEARD AWARDS
The past 20 years saw a host of PVD chefs nominated for and winning awards from the James Beard Foundation, a prestigious honor in the culinary industry, not to mention Al Forno’s nominations for Outstanding Restaurant 1998-2000.
Derek Wagner, Best Chef Semifinalist | Nicks on Broadway
James Mark, Best Chef Semifinalist | big king & North
Benjamin Sukle, Best Chef Nominee | Oberlin & Birch
Johanne Killeen, Outstanding Chef Semifinalist | Al Forno
Champe Speidel, Best Chef Semifinalist | Persimmon
Olneyville New York System, America’s Classics Winner
Matt Jennings, Best Chef Nominee | Farmstead Inc. (now closed)
Cook & Brown Public House, Outstanding Bar Program Semifinalist (now closed)
Kate Jennings, Best Chef Nominee | La Laiterie (now closed)
The Dorrance, Best New Restaurant Semifinalist
PIZZA JOINTS
In every neighborhood of the city you can guarantee there’s a place to grab a slice of ‘roni or a whole pie, whether Neapolitan (Figidini) or Sicilian (Caserta Pizzeria), brick-oven (Federal Hill Pizza) or coal-fired (Providence Coal Fired Pizza), topped with salad (Pizza Marvin) or tortellinis (Antonio’s). There’s even gluten-free (Pizza J) and vegan (Nice Slice) options. Pizza is a language every Providence dweller speaks.
FOOD TRUCKIN’
Before food trucks were even a thing, we had Haven Brothers in 1893, a horse-drawn cart bringing lunch to folks working in the city, and later the iconic “Aluminum Room” trailer diner in Kennedy Plaza. Today, a fleet of Haven Brothers trucks posts up at events designed with the mobile scene in mind. A visit to Roger Williams Park for Food Truck Fridays or weekends at breweries and other pop-up destinations will satisfy your cravings for all styles of cuisine.
BURGERS: Atomic Burger
SOUL FOOD: Black Beans PVD
SANDWICHES: Dips Dips
FUSION: HG80
HEALTH BOWLS: Incred-A-Bowl
JAMAICAN PATTIES: JA Patty
FILIPINO STREET FOOD: Lumpia Bros
BIRRIA TACOS: Masa Taqueria
CEVICHE: YEYÉ
VEGAN EATS
Home of the first vegan food hall, Plant City, and an annual RI Veg Fest (returning February 12-13, 2022), it’s safe to say PVD likes celebrating the plant-based lifestyle. Finding a veg-friendly cafe or dinner spot isn’t hard to do in our little city, with several only serving vegan and vegetarian eats!
Afro Indigenous Vegan
Beatnic
Blush Bakeshop
Born from Pain Baked Goods
The Grange (temporarily closed)
Like No Udder
Liv Prepared
Veggie Fun
SPEAKEASIES
The Industrious Spirit Co. became our first distillery since Prohibition in 2020, but the roaring 1920s have been felt in small doses at cozy neighborhood bars – dare we say “speakeasies” – for some time now. Here’s a few spots to visit if you like your drinks up and an atmosphere with a little bit of mystique.
The Avery
Courtland Club
The Dean Bar
The Eddy
Justine’s
Needle & Thread
The Royal Bobcat
The Walnut Room
GLOBAL FLAVORS
Our very own Little Italy in Federal Hill is home to the best Italian food you’ll find in the city, from Massimo to Pane e Vino and everything in between – not to mention the sounds of live music mingling with the smell of garlic coming from Pasquale Square, the pinecone or La Pigna Archway serving as a welcoming symbol, and Al Fresco on the Hill summer weekends. Atwells Avenue is home to a slew of multicultural restaurants, too, and across the city you’ll find even more global flavors. These are just a handful worth visiting along your culinary journey.
CARIBBEAN: Garden of Eve
CHINESE: Y Noodle & Bar
EUROPEAN: Chez Pascal
GREEK: Kleos
INDIAN: Kabob and Curry
IRISH: McBride’s Pub
JAPANESE: Tori Tomo
KOREAN: Mokban Korean Bistro
MEDITERRANEAN: Marcelino’s Boutique Bar
MEXICAN: Casa Azul
SPANISH: Palo Tapas Bar
THAI: Thailand
WEST AFRICAN: Bintimani
FARM TO TABLE
Along with the small farms you see cropping up in once-vacant properties – from What Cheer Flower Farm in Olneyville to Southside Community Land Trust’s City Farm to Quaintly Farm feeding North Providence neighbors – our vibrant urban agriculture scene gets everyone involved with community gardens where individuals can tend to their own plots. SCLT notes over 60 gardens they manage or support, including gardens that are part of the African Alliance of RI and Sankofa Gardens across the West End. If you don’t have a green thumb yourself, farmers markets connect us with fresh, often city-grown goods.
Armory Park, Thursdays
Broad Street, Saturdays
Hope Street, Saturdays
Neutaconkanut Park, Mondays
Sankofa World Market, Wednesdays
Sims Market (year-round), Saturdays
Art is everywhere in Providence. There is a palpable entrepreneurial spirit within each city block and it makes perfect sense we call ourselves The Creative Capital. That moniker was actually the result of a $100,000 rebranding effort spearheaded by then-mayor Congressman David N. Cicilline in 2009. Former mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci called Providence “The Renaissance City” but when he went to federal prison on a racketeering conspiracy charge, that closely connected moniker lost some of its luster. No matter what you might dub the city, it has a long history of creative visionaries making their mark locally and globally.
PERFORMING ARTS VENUES
Academy Players of Rhode Island
AS220
The Columbus Theatre
Festival Ballet Providence
FirstWorks
Providence Performing Arts Center
Rhode Island Philharmonic
Trinity Repertory Company
WaterFire Arts Center
The Wilbury Theatre
Veterans Memorial Auditorium (The VETS
STUDIO SPACES
The Dirt Palace
Nicholson File
Rathbone Studios
The Wurks
FILM FESTIVALS
Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi
Providence Children’s Film Festival
Providence LGBTQ Film Festival
MURALS
Bidur
Biofuture
Derailed
Love is a Many Gendered Things
Mi Gente Siempre Responde
Misty Blue
Ode to Artist in Spraypaint
Ruins
Salt Water
Still Here
Selfie Wall
Stories of Mt. Hope: East Side Mural Project
The Revolution Starts in the Earth
VOTE
LIVE MUSIC
Alchemy
Askew
AS220 Main Stage
Colosseum
Columbus Theatre
Dusk
Fete Music Hall
ISCO
Nick-A-Nees
The Parlour
Revival Brewing Co.
The Scurvy Dog
The Strand Ballroom
The Swank
Union Station Brewery
NIGHT/DANCE CLUBS
Alley Cat
Dark Lady
Ego Providence
Fête Lounge
Mirabar
Providence Eagle
The Queer Art Collective
The Stable
YOUTH ARTS
The first step to earning the title of “Creative Capital” is championing new perspectives and diversity – and at a young age. While there’s always more work to do to represent all voices, these organizations begin by fostering safe spaces for Providence youth to be themselves and practice art.
AS220 Youth
Community MusicWorks
DownCity Design
Everett Company Stage & School
RIOT RI
The Manton Avenue Project
New Urban Arts
Providence Children’s Film Festival
Providence ¡CityArts! for Youth
Youth Pride RI
GALLERIES
Bannister Gallery at Rhode Island College
Bert Gallery
The Center For Reconciliation
Chazan Gallery at Wheeler
David Winton Bell Gallery
Gallery Z
Providence College Galleries
Public
Studio Hop
URI Feinstein Providence Campus Gallery
The Gallery at City Hall
Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery
World’s Fair Gallery
FOR ARTISTS
AS220 Community Print Shop
Blick Art Materials
Gather Glass Blowing Studio
Handicraft Club
Haus of Glitter
Jerry’s Artarama
Little Free Craft Library [Photo]
Muse Paintbar
Providence Art Club*
Providence Public Library offers collections full of useful materials for artists and designers: books and media that you can check out with your library card, and reference books and historical collections that you can use on site. 150 Empire Street
Since 2015, the RISD Museum has offered the Rhode Island Artist Membership program, free admission to the museum for one year for one adult who identifies as an artist or designer and resides in Rhode Island. RISDMuseum.org
RISD Store
The Steel Yard
Wolf E. Myrow, Inc.
FOR WRITERS
Whether penning written works or broadcasting spoken word, What Cheer Writers Club is a community of creatives hosting events, coworking spaces, and business services for PVD authors, podcasters, and more. Also, check out Goat Hill for workshops.
INSTRUMENTS
Avery Piano
B Sharp Music
Empire Guitars
The Music Store
For a small city, let’s face it, we’ve got a lot of bravado, and it all starts with the big guy at the top. We’re talking about The Independent Man, the bronze statue covered in gold leaf that embodies the plucky spirit and drive that led Roger Williams to settle in Little Rhody in his search for freedom of worship. If this gilded dude can withstand storms and lightning bolts atop the State House Dome, we feel pretty emboldened to do the same. Through our 299 issues, we’ve seen it all and are sharing some standouts.
THE DIRTY DOZEN By Barry Fain & Steve Triedman
A who’s who of Providence’s not-so-long-ago shady past
When podcasts burst into the national scene, one of the first mega successes was Crimetown, which covered the mob and its intertwined history with Providence. Here are some of the lesser known (or perhaps forgotten) scandals and scoundrels that make our capital city the quirky place we all love.
WALKING TOURS
The Avenue Concept Public Art Wayfinding Tour
Benefit Street: A Mile of History
Bookworm Tour
Downtown Historic Walking Tour
Downtown with Kids
Early Black History Walking Tour
East Side Historic Walking Tour
H.P. Lovecraft Walking Tour & Film Screening
Jewelry District Historic Walking Tour
Providence Ghost Tour
Providence Independence Trail
Roger Williams Park: Art & Architecture
Unseen Providence During the Revolutionary War
West Side Historic Walking Tour
HISTORIC PLACES & RESOURCES
The Arcade
Benefit Street
Stages of Freedom Black History Museum
John Brown House Museum
Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum
Historic Marker Houses
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
The Providence Athenaeum
Providence Children’s Museum
Providence Preservation Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society
Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art
Roger Williams Park Conservancy
The Stephen Hopkins House
Swan Point Cemetery
COOL SIGHTS
Axelrod Music Neon Sign
Barnaby Castle
The Box Office (Shipping Container Building)
Cranston Street Armory
The Crayola House
Gotham Greens
Gun Totem
500 Trees at RWP
Prospect Park
The Wedding Cake House
CELEB SIGHTINGS
What’s more fun than spotting famous faces around the city? Providence’s colleges and universities have long drawn talented students and their visiting parents. Pro-tip: Cafes along Thayer Street are where you’re most likely to run into the latest crop of celebs, including James Broderick, son of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Here’s a who’s who of who has traipsed our streets through the years.
Julie Bowen, Brown
David Byrne, RISD
Jessica Capshaw, Brown
Amy Carter, Brown
Dale Chihuly, RISD
Viola Davis, RIC
Shepard Fairey, RISD
Peter Farrelly, PC
Tyler Florence, JWU
James Franco, RISD
Janeane Garofalo, PC
Hill Harper, Brown
Dhani Harrison, Brown
David Hedison, Brown
Marin Hinkle, Brown
Emeril Lagasse, JWU
Laura Linney, Brown
John F. Kennedy Jr, Brown
John Krasinski, Brown
Seth McFarlane, RISD
Nicole Miller, RISD
Martin Mull, RISD
John O’Hurley, PC
Leelee Sobieski, Brown
Gus VanSant, RISD
Emma Watson, Brown
Tina Weymouth, RISD
Andrew Yang, Brown
COLLEGES
Brown University
Johnson & Wales University Providence Campus
Providence College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island School of Design
STATUES
A Memorial to Young Womanhood
Abraham Lincoln
Benjamin Franklin
Bowen R. Church
The Boy and Girl Fountain
Civil War General Ambrose E. Burnside
George M. Cohan Statue
The Hiker
The Independent Man
Indomitable
Juan Pablo Duarte
Korean War Memorial
Marcus Aurelius and Caesar Augustus
Orpheus Ascending
Roger Williams
The Scout Monument
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument
The Spirit of Youth
The Sultan
Textured Gear
Union Soldier
WWII Memorial
WWII Monument
World War I Memorial
SHOPPING DISTRICTS
Broadway
Fox Point
Hope Street
Thayer Street
Wayland Square
For detailed listings visit ProvidenceOnline: Shop Small
RHODY GEMS
Ever visit a small business and think to yourself: How did I not know about this place? I must share about it! That’s the essence of what it means to be a Rhody Gem. It’s a physical place with a door, it’s in Providence, and it’s special. The Rhody Gem column launched in December 2018 and ever since we’ve mined so many cool and unusual, hole-in-the-wall places that make our city so special.
Benefit Street Antiques
Bin 312 Wine Cellars
The Blue Cottage
Bolt Coffee
Books on the Square
Cellar Stories Bookstore
Coffee Exchange
DWRI Letterpress
Farmacy Herbs
Found RI
Gather Glass
Good Game Grill
Groden Greenhouse
The Handicraft Club
Homegrown
Hungry Ghost Press
Jephry Floral Studio
Jerry’s Artarama
Jordan’s Jungle
Lazy Dog Antiques
LOLA
Lovecraft Arts & Sciences
Mack and Hound
The Map Center
NAVA
Nikki’s Liquors
Paper Connection International
Paper Nautilus Books
Peaceable Kingdom
Pie in the Sky Gift Boutique
POP Emporium of Popular Culture
Providence Pilates Center
Reliable Gold
The Red Fez
Rhody Craft
Simple Pleasures
Studio 539 Flowers
Studio Hop
Tea in Sahara
Three Wheel Studio
The Thrifty Goose Gift Shop
WaterFire Arts Center
Wayland Bakery
West Side Sewing Studio
White Buffalo
Other items that may interest you
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here