The "Biggest Little"

[suzubeane]

If you're here, then you probably know that the title refers to Rhode Island, sometimes called the "Biggest Little State in the Union."

(I was going to title the thread "Vhode I'lun" but new-comers to the state might not know the local vernacular yet. Same with the oft' suggested state slogan "Mobsters and Lobsters")

Anyone my neighbor? I'm in Providence.

[oneday someday]

Hi. I'm from MA, but wanted to say HI and to bump you up! RI girls...get out here and represent!! :D

[suzubeane]

Heh - I think I need to change the name of the thread, huh?

[oneday someday]

I knew it was RI....but maybe some folks haven't heard RI being called "the biggest little state"..... Let's give folks a little more time to pop on in. They're just being shy! :p

[TerpsFan]

Born & raised a Rho D'ilander.... live in MD now. But I do like to hang out here sometimes for local scoop! I miss being 30 mins from the beach!

[Kay]

Hi. I just found this thread. I guess I missed it before when I was looking ( not because of the title). I was born in Providence and lived there up until 3years ago. I now live in Westerly, RI. I still work in Providence at RI hospital.

[suzubeane]

Hi, Kay - I used to work in Westerly for an Architect on Beach Street (many, many years ago.) My kids are in the Providence Public schools - did you attend them?

TerpsFan - 30 min from the beach? I thought Rhode Island's claim to fame was that you're never more than 20 minutes from anything!

[Kay]

Yes, I went to public schools. My oldest son also started school in Providence. He went up until the first half of second grade before we moved to Westerly. I loved all his teachers. They were great and he did very well in school there. The Westerly schools are great too. The only difference is that the Providence classrooms had a few more students....around 20 where in Westerly the average size is 16-18 students.

[TerpsFan]

Coming from EG with ALL the traffic and annoying lights on Rt 4 would make it a good 30 mins to get to Narragansett Beach to watch the hottie surfers and lifeguards :-)

[Kay]

OMG :mad: the traffic here is ridiculous in the summertime! I don't live right near the beach but its still bad in town!!

[sheartm7]

Hi everyone! I'm in RI as well, born and raised. I'm transitioning to MA once I find a job up there, but for now I'm still working in Portsmouth, near Newport.

And yah, traffic really sucks during the summer. Route 4 is pretty bad from the beach. And those 3 traffic lights don't help. :rolleyes:

[suzubeane]

When I lived in North Kingstown, it was on West Allenton Road - number two of those three stop lights (no matter which direction you were traveling.)

What a PITA! I used to get so mad driving home from work on summer Fridays, competing with people getting an early start to their beach weekend.

[Kay]

How is everyone doing? Tourist season is over so the traffic is so much better now. What a difference when walking through town. School here doesn't start until next week. They built a new middle school that isn't ready until Monday so all the schools in town aren't starting until Monday. The kids love it but I can't imagine when they will get out now, especially with the snow days I am sure we are going to have.

[LandR02]

I'm definitely not a native RIer (still trying to figure out all of the local colloquialisms), but have been a resident for about 14 months. Just thought I'd say hello..

[Kay]

I am so sick of rain! My basement is now flooded:mad: I need to look into getting an ark at this point!! I seriously can't take any more of this rain:mad:

[klav]

hey there I was born and raise in RI but as soon as I went to colloge never went back. the few things I miss, 1. the beach, 2. del's lemonade,3. saugies, 4. clams, and Laabster dinners(LOL) yes I had a shirt that had lobster's and mobsters on it( excuse my spelling)5. coffee syrup! 6. clam cakes and chowda.
I have relocated to MD.:)

[suzubeane]

Was your lobster shirt a cartoon by Don Bousquet?'

I always thought it was "Phillipe and Jorge" of the NewPaper (now the Phoenix) who came up with "Lobsters and Mobsters." Anyone know?

[suzubeane]

What, no party pizza from the Italian Bakery "Party pizza." Is that the stuff without the cheese that never seems to go bad?

[klav]

yes weniers are on my list they are the saugies!! with the meat sauce on them!!yummmmm and yes the shirt was from Don B. never found it again, I wore it out!!! I assume it was Don?
Sorry I never had that pizza! and I found good pizza here? So...

[suzubeane]

Party Pizza: I see it out on the counter at convenience stores sometimes, so I assumed it never went bad. (I'm embarrassed to admit that a couple of times when my son needed lunch to take to school, convenience store party pizza came in handy. He's still alive to tell the tale!)

[klav]

are you talking about the pizza strips you find at the check out counters at some places!! totally forgot about those. YES!!! I did have those ,but sadly no don't missem:o

[klav]

LOL !!yes I remember them my mom never really gave us those and never were too appealing??:p we never asked for them?

[suzubeane]

Though I suspect the convenience stores get it directly from the bakeries to sell...Yes, they do ... but the thing is, with the stores, you don't know how long they've been there.

I used to be married to a native Italian, and he would drive across town during rush hour just for good bread. He used to go to Anne's in Silver Lake, or Zoli's on Budlong, but then "Daily Bread" opened, and he actually left the Italian Bakeries! :eek:

From Solitros, we used to get the kids' birthday cakes. They make the Zuppa cakes with the lady fingers up the side ... they look like big hats:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:8Wr-qZ6duUkJ:www.jenniferscatering.com/images/Lady%2520Finger%2520Cake.jpg

I used to go to Calvitos on Park a lot, too.

[klav]

that looks awsome!!yummm

[suzubeane]

Do your ILs live in that part of Cranston? Knightsville?

[klav]

ok who is sending me some of the good suff???

[klav]

that was the sockanoset school for the boy's I did my thesis on it!! that place was so cool and historic!! I'm so sorry the knocked it down for shopping!! it was all built by the boy's who live there. they would learn a trade or something so when they were released back into society they could work and maintain a liviing
thanks Bellefior I'll keep you in mind when I have a craving!!

[klav]

That's better then the plans I read about and saw. I actually still have the plans from the old school laying around my house. In my thesis I converted it into a eldercare ( semi nursing home more indepent) with facilites for advanced care and a daycare. It's nice to know they did not knock them down they are great buildings! and the church waws cool I heard that was to be a resturant? is it?

[amd1005]

Another Rhode Islander here!

[klav]

hey there!!:D :p

[klav]

very quite in here today..................shhhhhhh





BOOO!!

[suzubeane]

I actually still have the plans from the old school laying around my house. You're an architect! Me, too! (Well, actually, I left a firm and am now doing interior design while I try to finish my own home renovations. See my LJ for details - link is in sig, and all remodeling posts are public.) I came to RI to go to RISD, and never left.

I would kill to see to see those plans! My thesis was in the "jewelry district" of Providence (where Leo's used to be, and the Last Call - now just called "The Call.") And mine was also multi-generational and multi-use community space.

I haven't been down near Garden City in a while, and it did seem at first that they were salvaging the shells of those buildings, but for some reason I have a feeling than more ended up coming down. I'm not sure why I think that. Bellefior, you've probably seen it more recently than I have.

Knightsville is indeed a sort of sister city to Itri. It's because of the knightsville neighborhood that Cranston has the distinction of having the highest concentration of immigrants from any one town in Europe (Itri, of course.) It's not the highest number, but the highest per capita concentration. My ex is is from Itri, and he is indirectly here because he knew people in Kinghtsville 25 years ago.

Bellefior, remember last summer when I was posting on the Boston thread about driving my ex and my daughter to Logan at Rush hour? They were going to Itri! My kids go there a lot; My son (16) goes by himself sometimes. If you look at the photos in Café Itri, you can see my kids grandparents house.

amd1005 - welcome to CC, and the RI thread!

[amd1005]

Thanks!!

ok, I have to ask, are you guys talking about the brick buildings you can see from Rt. 37? Because don't ask me who I heard it from, but I was told that used to be an asylum. Call me strange, but I've also always been freaked out by them because whoever told me what they were, also told me they were haunted...that kind of stuff just really creeps me out...:o

[klav]

I asure you amd1005 if you mean the sockanoset buildings that are stone&gray they were not asylums they were a disapilary school for boys who were on the wrong road. they taught they boys a trade, Via makeing them build some of the structures and walls in the area as well as other things s they would be able to function in society and not be criminals. there is not much written about them but a friend of mine also gave me a doll that was used as "prop" for a display it was found in one of the basements in the school........as for being haunted that I have never heard?
sorry so short have to run will reply later tonight!!:D

[Kay]

"bad boys" school.

Thats what I always called them too.

Bakery pizza is good, but only if its from a bakery. I had some that was bought at Stop and Shop and it was just not the same.

[klav]

suzubeane YES I AM!! fortunately for me I went to Pratt in NYC. I lived in a little town in the north west corner of the state and could not wait to get out!! I never looked back. but like I said there are a few things that I miss that these MDiers do not have... or get

[klav]

AUHG. That stinks!! about Dels!!

[amd1005]

Well, now I can drive by those buildings without being freaked out anymore...;)

[amd1005]

mmmmm....Awful Awful's...You could always go to NY Lunch on Main Street in Woonsocket.... they are notorious for "gaggers"

[klav]

yummmmieeeee!!!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

[amd1005]

See, I used to love them, but I just have a serious problem eating meat that is so bad for you that it's only legal in two states.... obviously, there is something wrong there.

They are really tasty though... :p

[klav]

OK do not want to know why!!!! Yuck!!:p
But they taste SOOOOO good???

[suzubeane]

... I forget what street it is but is the same one as Spain Restaurant ... That's Reservoir Avenue. If you had kept driving north, passed the highway entrance and the CalArt Tower, you would have been in my old neighborhood. :) (just over the boarder in Providence.)

[LandR02]

You guys are cracking me up. As a resident, but not a native RIer, I feel like I'm an anthropologist on a field study. I'm definitely going to have to try some of these bakeries - suzuki, that cake you posted a few pages back looks divine. I live on the West Side of Providence, so I'm not that far from Cranston. We need to get out and explore more.

And now I understand the whole party pizza thing. Though I thought it was called paahty pizza. ;)

bellefior - I'm not a meat eater, but I think (??) there's a NY System up on Smith St. near the capital. But we stick to Spike's veggie dogs.

[suzubeane]

There was a NY System on Elmwood Ave in the Elmwood section, too.

LandR - are you living near the Armory now? Heh - Cranston wraps around Providence, so there are only a few places in town you can live and NOT be right on the border!

[LandR02]

Land the one and only original place to go for weiners is NY System in Olneyville. Wein-A-Rama in Cranston is pretty good too, with NY System in Cranston a close second. We also like Spike in Cranston, very different from the hot weiner you'll get at Wein-a-rama or NY System, but good nonetheless!

I thought that the Olneyville one was the place to go, but you sounded so upset about the Cranston one, I second-guessed myself and figured that Olneyville was its own separate place! :)

LandR - are you living near the Armory now? Heh - Cranston wraps around Providence, so there are only a few places in town you can live and NOT be right on the border!

I used to live in Wayland Square - if you asked me then, I wouldn't have even been able to tell you where Cranston was! But we moved, and quickly discovered our proximity to Cranston when we needed to make an emergency trip to Lowe's!

I think that we now technically live in Federal Hill, but it's kind of that weird no-mans land between Federal Hill and the West End (I think??). I'm always a little confused about where, exactly, we're supposed to say we live! Hint: we are very close to Julian's.

[suzubeane]

I used to live in Wayland Square - if you asked me then, I wouldn't have even been able to tell you where Cranston was! I work in Wayland Square and yes ... the East Side is one of the few places in Providence that is not near Cranston.

But we moved, and quickly discovered our proximity to Cranston when we needed to make an emergency trip to Lowe's! I'm such a Rhode Islander now - I used to live near that Lowes and I'd go all the time; now we don't and I actually go to the new one in Seekonk. (~hangs head in shame~)

I think that we now technically live in Federal Hill, but it's kind of that weird no-mans land between Federal Hill and the West End (I think??). Oh! I was just over there the other day looking at all the new construction (it's a very industrial neighborhood, right?) I do business with "Spritzo" which is a cool plumbing fixture supply on Harris Ave near the strip clubs. ;).

eta: Scratch that - I looked up Julians, and it appears you live in the "Broadway" neighborhood. Does that sound right?

[LandR02]

Hehe. That's great.

What's funny is that I *always* used to go to Seekonk from the East Side. And now that we've moved, I think I've been there once. In fact, I didn't even know that there was a new Lowe's. It seems as though we traded spaces!

So is there a "Broadway" neighborhood? If so, then that's definitely where we live! I can never figure out where one neighborhood ends, and another begins. Case in point - it seems Wayland Sq and the Brown Stadium areas are considered separately, despite the fact that they are just down the road from each other. :confused:

[amd1005]

Just figured I'd post this...it's kind of long, but pretty funny :p

You Know You're From Rhode Island When...
-You celebrate "birt-day"
-If your oldah brodah is a retad.
-If you had a "wickit" good time at the beach.
-When you hear an amazing fact your immidiate reply is "no suh!"
-You can drive two miles with out seeing a Bess Eaton
-You know the difference between red, white and clear chowdah
-You consider a car journey of longer than one hour a day trip.
-You can curse in Italian.
-You know the basic rules of DuckPin bowling.
-You own garden tools from Job Lot.
-You have tried to drive the measured mile in less then 45 seconds.
-You know what the expression "side by each" means.
-You have used the expression "Not For Nuthin" or "bubbla".
-You serve bread with every meal.
-You know what "3 all the way" means.
-You load up on milk and bread before a snowstorm.
-You feel compelled to hear at least one weather report a day.
-You understand the humor of the Ocean State Follies.
-You have pulled out of a sidestreet and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you could make a left-hand turn.
-You consider your holiday season incomplete without a trip to Lasalette Shrine.
-You have a bottle of coffee syrup in the fridge right now.
-You've phoned into a talk show on WPRO or WHJJ.
-You have given a bottle of Sakonnet wine as a gift.
-You've gotten sick from eating too many clam cakes.
-You own at least one coffee table book with a picture of a lighthouse on it.
-You've boasted about the money you saved at the Christmas Tree Shop.
-Your first live concert was at The Civic Center or Rocky Point.
-You own a hat with a red "P" on it.
-You were born at Lying-In Hospital.
-You still call the Rhode Island Mall the Midland Mall.
-You have close relatives who work for the state.
-You've gone to "Legs and Eggs".
-You have used a demolished landmark when giving directions.
-You secretly watch "Providence" even though you tell your friends you don't.
-You have slammed on your breaks to discourage a tailgater.
-You know what a burger "The Newport Creamery Way" is.
-You have dated a girl named Brenda or a guy named Vinnie.
-You have used the breakdown lane on 95 to pass someone.
-You've personally met Vinnie Paz.
-Your idea of a dream house is a raised ranch.
-You have relatives who have been to Edgehill Newport, Codac, or Butler.
-You have driven more than 5 miles out of your way to save less than two bucks.
-You've been on a RIPTA bus less than 12 times in the past 6 years.
-You can sing the Rocky Point theme song.
-You know what a "governor-preferred" plate is.
-You know someone who works for the Registry.
-You've asked your mechanic for an inspection sticker even though your car failed to pass.
-You have a degree from RIC, CCRI or URI.
-You think vodka and Del's is a great combination.
-You've been to Twin Oaks for your birthday.
-You've borrowed dealer plates from a friend.
-You know how to pronounce Pawtucket, Cowesett, Usqepaug, and Narragansett.
-You've been to Scarborough Beach but not Block Island.
-You know where "The Pier" is located.
-You've been on a Bay Queen cruise.
-You can recognize a Cranston accent.
-You think high hair, gold chains, and gum go together.
-You think there's a "v" in the name Cheryl.
-You drop the "w" in Greenwich, Kingstown, and Warwick.
-You use the expression "down-city" for downtown.
-You've eaten at Haven Brothers.
-You celebrate St. Joseph's Day and know what a "zeppolla" is.
-You have at least one gallon of Newport Creamery coffee ice cream in your freezer.
-You know what "ProJo" stands for.
-You still call CCRI "reject".
-You know who Jack Comly, Sara Wye and Sherm Strickhauser are.
-Your city house and your beach house are less than an hour away from each other.
-You know the original name for Airport Road.
-You always start giving directions by saying, "Well, you get on 95"
-You know where "NiRoPe" comes from.
-You know what "John from Alpert's" sounds like.
-You can recite the license plates of all your family members and friends.
-You know where "Harvard on the Hill" is located.
-You refer to the movies as the Show.
-You know what a "package store" is.
-You think lots of gold jewelery looks great on the beach.
-Your favorite expressions are, "Are you serious?", "Wicked", and "You know what I'm saying?"
-You know you need "quahogs" to make "stuffies".
-You know there's a West End but not a West Providence.
-You think banana, vanilla, and idea all end in "r".
-You put vinegar on your french fries.
-You've eaten at Haven Brothers, drunk.
-You know what Allie's makes.
-You've gone to Cumbie's for milk or gas. (HAHAHAHA Cumbie's!!)
-You know that there is never any school in Fosta-Glosta when it snows.
-The girl you ended up marrying lived no more than 6 blocks from where you grew up.
-You've converted the basement of your house into an apartment.
-You call spaghetti sauce, "gravy."
-You tell friends that something is "on special", instead of on sale.
-The meal at every wedding you've ever attended was chicken, shells and french fries.
-You put celery salt on your hot dogs.
-You are never from Providence, or East Providence, but from the East Side, Rumford or Riverside
-You order an iced coffee in December.
-You read the wedding announcements in the Sunday Pro-Jo and recognize at least 3 couples.
-The seltzer guy delivers bottles to your home on a weekly basis.
-People at work wish you a "Happy St. Joseph's Day!
-You know someone who knew the Farrelly brothers when they lived around here.
-You know exactly which parts of Dumb and Dumber, There's Something -About Mary, Meet Joe Black and Amistad were filmed in RI, and you can tell someone exactly where that is.
-You know what the Coffee Cup Salute is, and who does it every morning.
-You grew up with everyone you see at Stop and Shop.
-You know where South County is, even though it doesn’t exist.
-You and everyone you know are either Italian or Irish, or both.
-You've never been farther south than Jersey, and not farther West than there, either, but are planning to move to Florida as soon as you turn 60.

he he :D

[klav]

HEY i HAVE COFFEE SYRUP IN THE FRIGE!!

[Kay]

And WTH?
You know where South County is, even though it doesn’t exist.

What we always refer to as South County is actually Washington County. There is no official South County.

[suzubeane]

Yeah, Jakedog - I think the point is that there's no county named "South."

[klav]

But is it autocrat
Is there any other? LOL

[suzubeane]

Is there any other? LOLNot since '91 when Autocrat bought Eclipse!

[klav]

really I had no idea?
so do you think it was better before or after?

[suzubeane]

I guess I'm still a New Yorker - I never purchased coffee syrup. (~hangs head in shame~)

This is ironic for me ...

-Your first live concert was at The Civic Center or Rocky Point.My first live concert WAS at the civic center, but I was a college student in Worcester, MA, and had no idea I'd ever live here!

[amd1005]

-You have pulled out of a sidestreet and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you could make a left-hand turn.
guilty...I did this just the other day :D

-You have a bottle of coffee syrup in the fridge right now.
and it's autocrat

-You have used a demolished landmark when giving directions.
all the time...

-You have slammed on your breaks to discourage a tailgater.
it does the trick, doesn't it?? :cool:

-You put celery salt on your hot dogs.
mmm...yummy

-You order an iced coffee in December.
someone actually tried to tell me once that you're better off drinking hot coffee in the summer and iced coffee in the winter :confused:

[klav]

I was actually given coffee milk as a child, instead of chocolate milk.
Me too and my DH thinks I werid for it.. told him My kids will get it too!!
( when they decide to show)

[LandR02]

So what I want to know is this:

What on earth is the measured mile? We're always trying to figure that one out...

As for the Butler reference, I go there every day!

(I work there).

But we fondly refer to it as Butlah's.

Still haven't worked up the guts to try a coffee milk. DH has gotten ill from clamcakes, and the driving references were particularly special.

Although not on the list, I would also add - parking your car so close to the end of the curb, that people trying to turn off the side street can't see a thing! You're practically in the middle of the road by the time you can see if you're about to get plowed or not. What's with that?? :eek:

[TerpsFan]

-You have pulled out of a sidestreet and used your car to block oncoming traffic so you could make a left-hand turn.

Am a native Rhode Islander in MD and I do this all the time too... and I yell at drivers in front of me "to stick your nose out there!"

When asked where the water is at work, I've been guilty of saying "the bubbla is around the corner"..always gets a strange look.

[klav]

the bubbla i'M GUILTY OF THIS ONE TOO and get looks like what did you say?:p

[LandR02]

I asked DH about this one. Basically its a way for cops to figure out if you are speeding w/o having a radar gun depending on how long it takes you to do the measured mile.

I figure if you are doing the measured mile in 45 secs, then you are going about 80 MPH [60 secs in a minute x 60 minutes in an hour = 3600 seconds in an hour. 3600 seconds divided by 45 secs (to do a mile) = 80 MPH].

Thank you! That makes so much sense, and it never crossed our minds once. I cringe to think back to all of the times I've driven through that measured mile going well over the speed limit... oops! ;)

I'm not sure if it was on the original list, but does anyone have any insight into why all proper names are referred to in the possessive form in RI - Nordtrom's, Williams-Sonoma's, Butler's?? :confused:

[suzubeane]

I'm not sure if it was on the original list, but does anyone have any insight into why all proper names are referred to in the possessive form in RI - Nordtrom's, Williams-Sonoma's, Butler's?? :confused:No, but it drives me CRAZY!

[klav]

Lol!!:d

[ginad724]

Don't know if it's worth bumping this thread, but I'm hoping for some help from you locals!

We're headed to Narragansett for vacation in a couple of weeks and it's our first time there. We're staying near the pier and there will be 4 adults and 4 children under the age of 6. Any suggetions for some family friendly activities? Or things we shouldn't miss visiting RI? I also have family in Westerly and Stonington so will be spending a bit of time there.

Any things we shouldn't miss? TIA!

[suzubeane]

I don't live in that part of the state, but the tourist industry is huge down there and I imagine you'd be able to find a lot of stuff online.

If you like kitschy seaside dining, look for Champlain's Seafood at Point Judith. Inexpensive lobster dinners, clamcakes, fried seafood, etc. Always a long line out the door but it moves fairly quickly. A real family restaurant, right on the water - no ambiance at all so don't worry about bringing a big group. People go for the experience of eating right at the dock, and for the price.

On the way to Westerly from Narragansett check out the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown. Nothing to do with umbrellas or factories, but interesting shops selling local art and a beautiful garden with animals roaming around.

[ginad724]

Thanks, suzubeane!

I haven't been able to find much on-line, suprisingly. At least nothing that's helped me plan out this trip and find some must-sees! Many of the reviews I've found too are really mixed, so it's hard to get a sense of places.

I'll definitely check out the Umbrella Factory and we'll look into Champlain's Seafood, thanks for the suggestions.

Any preference for a day trip? I was thinking either Newport, Block Island or even Providence.

Thanks again,
Gina

I don't live in that part of the state, but the tourist industry is huge down there and I imagine you'd be able to find a lot of stuff online.

If you like kitschy seaside dining, look for Champlain's Seafood at Point Judith. Inexpensive lobster dinners, clamcakes, fried seafood, etc. Always a long line out the door but it moves fairly quickly. A real family restaurant, right on the water - no ambiance at all so don't worry about bringing a big group. People go for the experience of eating right at the dock, and for the price.

On the way to Westerly from Narragansett check out the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown. Nothing to do with umbrellas or factories, but interesting shops selling local art and a beautiful garden with animals roaming around.

[suzubeane]

Here are some websites you might find helpful:

Visit Rhode Island (http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/)

The RI section of Visit New England (http://www.visitri.com/)

South County (http://www.southcountyri.com/) (Narragansett is part of what's dubbed "South County" but there is no actual County named "South.")

Block Island (http://www.blockislandinfo.com/)

Newport (http://www.gonewport.com/)

Providence - Warwick Tourism (http://www.pwcvb.com/)

Providence (http://www.providenceri.com/)

I'm most familiar with Providence; if you have specific questions, feel free to ask. :)

Kay lives down that way I'm pretty sure - maybe PM her?

[TerpsFan]

:

South County (http://www.southcountyri.com/) (Narragansett is part of what's dubbed "South County" but there is no actual County named "South.")


Love that about RI! For a day trip I would probably recommend Newport. Won't have to worry about ferry times, and in the summertime I think it's more preferable over being in Providence.

I was born and raised in RI, transplated to MD now.