Providence, Rhode Island
 

We will be spending a day in Providence. Does anyone have some suggestions for must-see sights and a nice restaurant for dinner on a Saturday night? We will have about seven hours for sight-seeing during the day.<BR>Thanks!

Any place on Federal Hill is great to eat.

Try to get a glimpse of Buddy Cianci before they put him in leg irons.

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but here are a few suggestions:<BR><BR>1. The zoo is wonderful, yet I know not everyone is into zoos.<BR><BR>2. The East Side has Brown University, which is a fun area to explore. <BR><BR>3. Eat in Federal Hill<BR><BR>

Hey watch what you say about Buddy! We Providence residents may be slightly out of our minds, but we love our mayor. <BR><BR>The best way to experience Providence is to take a good walk around the "river" area. There are lots of views, a nice mall, and many good little cafes and restaurants to eat a quick lunch at. If you're into art, the RISD Museum is quite nice. Small, but with many interesting items. The Brown University area (Thayer Street) is an interesting way to spend some time. Lunch at the Paragon Grill on Thayer Street is always good. I love their burgers and salads. <BR><BR>As for dinner . . . it depends what you are looking for. If you want a glimpse of our mayor before he's imprisoned and really good Italian food, try Meditteraneo on Federal Hill. In the summer, they open the doors and you can eat outside. Buddy's usually eating his dinner at the bar. I think it's the best of the best of Federal Hill. If you're looking for seafood, there's a new place called the Riverwalk Cafe that looks out over the river and serves fabulous seafood. It's a little loud in their, but very classy and serves very consistent food. If you're more into beef, try the Barnsider. It's also on the river and is also excellent. They have a nice salad bar and the best steaks in the city.<BR><BR>

If you're in town on a Saturday nite in the summer or early fall, try for Cafe Nuovo- a fabulous restaurant on the river that is a great spot during waterfire(www.waterfire.com). Providence is a small but great city. It's pretty quiet in the summer and on weekends. You can tour old mansions on the East side and get a good look at the campus of Brown. Along the river area, and in a lot of downtown areas, there's a vast array of fabulous restaurants. The new Providence Place mall is adjacent to the convention center. In the winter, we have a brand new outdoor ice rink that is already a big success. Federal Hill is our answer to the north end of Boston. There are shops with Italian wares, cheeses, wine and meat. There are also some good restaurants in this area. From the nearby harbor area, you can get a water ferry for a day trip to Newport(in the summer) if you wish - this would be a good treat if you like beaches and the Newport area. I hope this helps - have fun!Use www.oso.com for more RI info.

Thanks for all the good suggestions for sightseeing and dining! We look forward to seeing what everyone is talking about (and we don't mean the mayor!)

But Buddy is the show!<BR><BR>Look at Providence, realize that 20 years ago, it was a grimy, run-down, dead mill town. The difference between what it was, and what it is, a renewed, vibrant city, is Buddy Cianci. And they're gonna throw him in jail because of it.

Just happened to do what Emily suggested last Saturday night. Waterfire is truly an amazing event. There are hundreds of people wandering watching the fires, listening to the music and enjoying the summer. Cafe Nuovo was recommended by local friends and the food - a fusion of Asian and Italian - was great. <BR><BR>Say what you will about Buddy, he's turned Providence into a showplace.

I lived in Providence for a few years and I can say that Buddy was great!<BR>He made his own marinara sauce and used the profits for city schools. He used to drive out to fires and "help out". His criminal history was entertaining and he was funny. What enterprise, government, religious or private is not, in some way, corrupt in Rhode Island? I miss the East Side, the Cable Car, Swan Point, the PawSox, Daily Bread!! Now I am just a bitter Bostonian!

The Roger Williams Zoo, The IMAX Theater in the Providence Place Mall, RISD Museum, Historical houses on Benifit St., Tour of the State House.<BR>Have fun!