Your Weekend Agenda

I had a lapse, and I apologize. Last week, there was no Agenda, and I'm sure you all sat on your hands and wasted a perfectly good weekend. But you had a World Series to watch, or at least I did, which screwed everything up. But we're back, bringing you the events that you simply must attend, and the places you simply must be, if you are any kind of cool at all. So abandon all critical thinking and do exactly as I say.

Thursday: I told you in my last posting that you need to see some PC Friars Hockey. Now you get a rare Thursday home game to see just what the hype is about. So get over to Schneider Arena on Huxley Ave. in Providence, pony up your $5 for a ticket, and see the Friars wipe the ice with the BU Terriers. To fully embrace the experience, I recommend wearing a bulky ski jacket and stuffing it with as many cans of Coors Light as it can hold. Not that I condone breaking campus rules on alcohol (ab)use, but I think that's a fight long since abandoned by the powers that be.

Friday: Support the Blackstone! If you haven't been yet, you're hurting America. Or at least Pawtucket, and the Rhody art scene in general. But Friday is a good day to go. You'll be able to check out opening night for the Celtics on the many televisions, while you check out SexCoffee and a few other bands. It's located on Main Street in Pawtucket, and the cover's likely $5.

Saturday: If you're going to bargain shop, you want to be at a bazaar. Just the name says, "I may have to fight someone to the death, but I will get a good deal on a secondhand rug." There are two you may want to check out in Providence on Saturday: first, go to the Armenian Bazaar and Food Festival at Saints Sahag & Mesrob Armenian Church on 70 Jefferston St. It starts at 11:00. If you're anti-Armenian (in which case you might want to leave the state, change your name, and take a vow of silence...) there's an apparently non-ethnic bazaar at the St. Bartholomew Church Hall on 297 Laurel Hill Avenue. It's from 9:00 all the way until 7:00, so you'll have plenty of time to get your baked goods and advent wreaths.

Perhaps you've had a stressful week. You might be thinking, "as long as I don't hear some experimental music, and can just relax, I'll be OK." Well, tough, because you're going to Firehouse 13 to see Black Forest/Black Sea and a host of other funky bands. BFBS is releasing a new album (literally...it's on vinyl only), and if the clips I heard on their site are any indication, it's some very evocative, odd, non-rhythmic music made with a cello and a guitar. (Think WaterFire music without the ambiance or smoke inhalation.) There are a bunch of other bands playing, based from as far away as Scotland and San Fran. (I'm intrigued by Charalambides.) So go, do something different.

Sunday: Listen, I don't get out to the periphery as much as I'd like anymore. (By that, I mean anything beyond Provtucket.) I used to go to places like Warren all the time, even if it was just to drive for the heck of it. But now I'm old, busy, and in possession of a house that requires me to rake and clean gutters. But I'm tempted to suck up the 25 minute drive to go to the 2nd Story Theater to see Gross Indecency. It's the story of Oscar Wilde's incredible life, and it's the final performance of the show. Tickets are $25 for all seats.

Hail Providence, We Praise Thy Sports

Rhode Island is best in summer. I make no effort to deny that. However, in the spirit of making the most of the coming cold, I offer you the consolation that is the winter sports schedule in our little state.

My fellow Friars might recognize the reference to the Providence College alma mater in the title. I'm certainly not a great booster of the school in most respects: let's just say that I read the Publisher's Clearinghouse letters before I pay attention to the fundraising letters I get. But I will say that the school excels its Rhode Island peers in two areas: alcohol consumption per capita (URI grads, please don't argue this point. You'll lose, and it really isn't that great of a title to hold, anyway.) Second is our sports teams. I know URI has football, which, if they ever get to a BC-ish level, will put them ahead. But aside from some success with the teams nobody cares much about (go track!), we have good teams in two top-tier divisions: hockey and basketball.

In some ways, the PC hockey team is actually the better, or at least the more fun, of the two. PC hocket is played in Schneider arena on campus, and tickets are only $5. Hockey really needs to be enjoyed live, and this is a great, intimate venue. The season has already started: there is usually a home game a week on Friday or Saturday, or Thursday this coming week.

But Big East basketball is the main event, probably across the state's sports calendar. I'll save my preview for another post, but suffice it to say that the Friars have a chance to suprise some people. Tickets are usually about $15 for the cheaper seats, and the place rocks, especially on nights when a team like UCONN is in town. Opening night is November 15th against Temple.

If you want to go minor leagues, the P-Bruins are one of the more respected franchises at that level (I haven't been to see them yet, but I will this year. I'd much rather see them than their major league counterparts in Boston.) Their opening night is November 14th, and that Friday, the 16th, they are having free t-shirt night. Tickets run about $18.

As much as I'd like to ignore URI completely, or just stick to making fun of them, the game I saw at the Ryan Center was one of the best college hoops games I've ever attended. Their opening game seems to be November 9th. I'd like to tell you more, but their web site stinks. Probably because people who go to URI can't use computers with their big ape hands. (Sorry, so sorry! Instinct.)

While football is a fall sport, and while Brown (and all of the Ivy league, for that matter) isn't what you'd call "good", it is entertaining, and worth it to go to a game at Brown's big, old fashioned stadium. Their final home game is November 10th versus Dartmouth, and adult tickets are a very reasonable $15. (Be warned, that's going to put you on a bench.)

While Rhode Island will never compete with the World Series and Superbowl teams up north, we have a variety of fun winter sports that can cheer the long winter. So check them all out, and go PC!

A Quick Saturday Recommendation

I had one of those 'perfect storm' weeks where too much happens to get on and blog. But I'm back, baby, and I'd like to make it up to you.

First, this Saturday is free-for-all at the RISD Museum, so it's a good time to go check out some great art in a great space. It's a great day for kids, too: the Puppet People will put on their rendition of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It's free, 11-4, and the museum is 224 Benefit Street in Providence. (But of course, you knew that.)

I was going to recommend the Olneyville Fall Festival, too, but the weather makes it a little less appealing. If you're willing to brave the rain, it's at Donigan Park on Valley Street, Providence. There will be children’s activities, canoe rides, rock climbing, pumpkin painting, and more goodness. No word on whether they'll cancel due to inclement weather, though the rock climbing might be perilous.

Finally, there's a Waterfire tonight; last of the year. And while I'll be watching the Red Sox, I will say that Waterfire on a drizzly night in the fall is a much different, and maybe even better, experience than it is on a packed summer night.

I'll try to get back later today with another review of a good place to watch the Sox in the Series, and some other stuff.

Bar Tabs: East Avenue Cafe

If the East Avenue Cafe had a pool table, I'd live there. Last year, it closed for remodeling, and I was convinced that it would open up with a beautiful expanse of green felt in a corner somewhere. Or at least a foosball table or a dartboard. Something to keep you entertained when the game was a blowout or you needed to slow down your drinking pace. But alas, East Ave, in the Oak Hill section of Pawtucket, is the classic bar/restaurant, and so I've decided to love it on its own terms. And, even though I might not be there every Friday night, there's still a lot to love.


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First of all is the beer selection. In addition to a great range of beers on tap (usually about 15, including Sierra Nevada, which is great on draft) they have a huge case of about 50 exotic beers from around the world. The bartenders are very knowledgeable about the beers, and can guide you to some new labels that you'll greatly enjoy.

Just as good as the drink is the food. My wife has been talking about their buffalo fries since we first tried them a few weeks ago, and they have the slew of classic Rhode Island appetizers. If you're in the mood to be a little less engorged, their salads are quite good for a bar, and of course they have all the burgers and sandwiches you could want. Their menu is actually quite extensive, and included a range of entrees from steaks to seafood to barbeque.

The ambiance is half Irish pub, half sports bar. Tonight, as I'll join the packed house there for the Red Sox game, it will definitely feel more sports bars, as their 10 or so TVs will all be tuned to the game. (Get a table in the dining section in front of the big screen and you'll be all set.) But when the Sox season ends, there's still a relaxed neighborhood vibe, a good jukebox and some cool Rhode Island and Ireland paraphernalia to check out.

I'm willing to forgive the fact that East Ave isn't the exact bar I'd want around the corner, as long as it keeps doing what it does so well.

Your Weekend Agenda

I have a theory that as soon as you start a blog, you're going to get swamped with every other thing you can imagine. So of course I find myself slammed at work, dealing with freelance problems, and handling a wife who won't be quiet after she drinks a martini. So I've got stress, and that means less blogging time. So I hope you appreciate the dedication that has me bringing you these recommendations.

Thursday: I can't believe Smashing Pumpkins is at PPAC. Didn't you think they were going to be a fuzzy memory by now? But they're back in a big way, and getting pretty good reviews, too. If you can afford a $50 ticket, and you're a child of the '90s, you can't go wrong.

Friday: You know you don't have enough banjo in your life. You just don't. It's not your fault, don't beat yourself up. But what you could do is head to the Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House on Douglas Avenue in Providence and see Kill Henry Sugar. You will get some banjo back in your life, and a quirky, interesting show. Feel free to try before you buy/visit: here's a clip of a song named after a loveable Italian dictator. The show, which includes other bands, starts at 8:00 and appears to be free. After, you can visit several bars on the Dive Bar tour, which are within easy driving range. Just scroll down for a look.

Saturday: Who am I to resist the awesome power of the cornfield maze? Head down to Escobar's Highland Farm in Portsmouth to navigate your way through ths stalks for some fall-time fun. They're open from 10 until dusk, and it costs just $7.

I can't think of anything more different then a corn maze (which, by the way, are promoted as 'maizes', which is just painful) than a night at the ballet. But if you feel like doing something cultural, or if your girlfriend read my "Date Night" post and said, "why don't you take me anywhere nice?" (Sorry) then you could check out the Festival Ballet's world premier of Viktor Plotnikov's Cinderella at the VMA in Providence. Tickets start at $17, and the 7:30 start time means you'll still have time to head out downtown afterwards.

Sunday: Spend Sunday appreciating art at the RISD Museum on Benefit Street in Providence. In addition to their great exhibits and the wonderful, relaxing building, there are kids activities from 3:00 to 4:30 every Sunday. This week, you can tour the museum to see some of the fearsome creatures seen in the artwork, and get inspired to make your own monster (maybe a mask for Halloween) using their supplies. Tickets are $8 for admission and the activity.

Date Night: Temple Bar and the Philharmonic

The art of dating is in danger of degenerating into a series of hookups, hanging out, clubbing, and the occassional dinner. There, I said it, you heathens.

Alright, so that's crap, but it's undeniable that pulling off a date, as classically defined, is harder and rarer than it used to be. First, we do live in a casual culture, and it can be difficult to ask someone who you've only been seeing a short time to do something very formal like go to a theater performance or a charity function. And us married folk often neglect to force ourselves and our spouses out of the various ruts we fall into.

But a date is good for you. The person your with is likely to take it as a compliment that you'd go through the trouble of planning something beyond the ordinary, and you'll feel good for having spent a bit more time and effort on thinking through a nice evening. Fortunately, Rhode Island does have some good 'date' venues. Some of them, like Trinity Rep, are well-known. But there are lots of lesser-known performing art groups, galleries, and other cultural happenings in our state that can help you to class up your Saturday.

And, gentlemen, you look better in that suit than in your tight jeans and a polo shirt. Trust me, she will agree.

This past Saturday, I went on my first such date in a month or two. It went well enough that I'd recommend the itinerary to you. We had two tickets to the opening night of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, which featured Beethoven's 5th Symphony, but thought we'd first head over to Temple, the bar in the new Marriott Renaissance hotel in the Masonic Temple Building. The first cool thing you'll notice about Temple is the grafitti art scattered throughout, a reference to the massive amounts of grafitti that covered the inside of the building before it was rehabbed:

But Temple is a lot more than a cool space. They have a great bar menu, which includes basic bar foods and good seafood dishes (try the stuffies!) at reasonable prices. They also have a good list of wines by the glass, and have even figured out how to make a decent caipirinha. (If you want the best one in the state, you'll have to find your way to my house. I learned from a pro.)

After our drink, we headed over to Veteran's Memorial Auditorium for the concert. My chief complaint about this facility is the small seats: it's the Fenway Park of concert halls. But the space is very nice, and like Fenway you are very close to the action. The acoustics are good, and the Philharmonic itself compares well to the orchestras in much larger cities. Larry Rachleff, the music director and conductor, brings a great deal of energy, enthusiasm and good humor to the ensemble. (True story: at the end of intermission, he announced he'd stay after to take questions from the audience. This being the middle of the Red Sox-Indians game, someone yelled out "What's going on with the Red Sox?!" He smiled, pretended to be confused, and said, "But my socks are black!" Then he turned and started conducting Beethoven.)

Afterwards, we went back to Temple for another drink and to check the Sox score. Surprisingly, the place really fills up with a younger crowd after about 10:00. Still, they had enough bartenders to handle the crowd.

You can probably have a round of drinks and a decent array of bar food at Temple for around $40, maybe a bit more if you get cocktails and more expensive dishes. The tickets we got for the concert were $65 each in the front section. They can still be expensive in the upper level, but students can get really cheap tickets with their IDs in many cases. At any rate, for under $100 a person, you can have a high-society night of sophisticated drinking and music that can compare well to one you'd have in a much larger city.

The Dive Bar Tour of Providence

As I get older, it is a comfort to tell myself that I am getting more sophisticated. I enjoy a nice bottle of wine more than I would a six pack of beer. I like places that have cool music or interesting art or good lighting. But the reality is that I'm not a particularly sophisticated person, and I've always enjoyed the pleasures of cheap beer, weird crowds, and the ever-so-slight chance that there might be a bar fight. So, to fully celebrate the joys of the more blue collar watering holes in our capital city, I took my wife (who was the designated driver and reluctant participant) and a degenerate friend who we'll just refer to as Panda, and set out on a tour of our favorite sketchy bars.

(A quick note: there are more sketchy places than the five we went to. But there are fun dive bars and there are places where people get murdered.)

We started with a trip down memory lane. As all three of us are Providence College grads (thus the above-average tolerance), we thought to start the night with a trip to Louie's, a trashy place that was liberal in its over-21 policy. It also had a trough in the men's room in the place of urinals. But it must of suffered through one too many raids, because it is now closed. So we improvised and went to Elmhurst Pub on Smith Street as our alternate college dive.

We were a little disappointed at first glance. There were flat screen TV's on the wall. A decent assortment of beers, including several on tap, had replaced the old fridge full of domestic cans. The crowd seemed largely respectable, and they even had an ID scanner. (Sorry, college kids.) We weren't sure we could even qualify it as a dive bar.

But there were some redeeming features, like the very active Keno business taking place at the bar, and the retro, very ugly bar stools and wood panelling. But the most dive bar-ish feature of all was the on-tap Icehouse, a beer I haven't even thought about since I turned 21. So we ordered a pitcher (which cost $7.75) and settled in. We soon remembered the reason why no respectable adult drinks Icehouse. It tastes like feet and sour apples. But we quickly finished it up and headed on to bar number two.

And let me just say from the first that the Lithuanian Club (also on Smith Street, though the door is down the side street a bit) wins the best dive bar award of the night hands down. Leave aside the $7.00 pitcher of Miller Lite, the best drink deal of the night. Leave aside the probable crack addict in the back. Leave aside the $1 jello shots that were suddenly available, the ancient picture of Carl Yastremski tacked to the wall, or the big screen TV from 1982. No, you go to the Lithuanian club for two reasons: first, a crowd of crazy, fun people doing bad karaoke with gusto, and second, you can still smoke. That's right, it's a social club, and thus just about the only place you can still go in Providence to combine your two favorite vices. And, as a topper to all that, it has a glass cube bar:

So Panda got the pitcher, did his famous karaoke rendition of Dennis Leary's "Asshole", and I did my part by performing the Lumberjack Song.

Next up, we shot over to Ives Street to check out Captain Seaweed's. The only other time we'd been there, it was full of surly Portuguese guys and a friend of ours (who's a bit of a chicken) freaked out and ended up helping them put the chairs up so he wouldn't get stabbed. But it's really quite a friendly place, and indeed has been largely colonized by Brown kids, making it feel decidedly respectable. (Panda thought the mirrors over the bar completely took away the edge.) Still, the nautical decorations add a cool, funky touch, and there are plenty of respectable dive-ish entertainments, from pool and foosball to the Maxx Sapphire video game system on the corner of the bar (which, last I played it, has a bizarre strip poker game on it.) You could get the classic 16 ounce Narragansett cans for $2, which is another plus. So we left, but not before I showed my appreciation for their hospitality:



Next it was off to the Penalty Box on North Main Street. When Panda and I first went here, it was as big a dive as we'd ever been to, one of those Bud and Bud Light places. Now the inevitable gentrification of that part of town has somewhat taken the edge off, but made it much more fun, so it's worth including. While it's the only bar on the tour to lack a pool table (a major sin) it makes up for it by having Golden Tee, pinball and Ms. Pacman, as well as a regular slate of live music.

The night we went, a four piece rock band was playing, led by a guitarist who kept taking his clothes off while demanding someone buy him a shot. So despite the flatscreens and the nicer floors, it's still got some dive to it. Panda was a little distracted by some of the cute/scantily clad (or as the wife said 'slutty' girls at the bar, and bought Guiness, which cost $4 a pop. But they have Narragansett and other cheaper beers on tap, as well as a Yagermeister machine. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Our last stop was supposed to be the City Line Pub, also on North Main, but it was closed by the time we got there, so we broke one of our tour rules and crossed about a half mile into Pawtucket. There, we went to Murray's Pub on Main Street, which deserves inclusion if only because it embraces its low-rent status to the point that it is housed in a trailer and has a porch festooned in Christmas lights.

Like the Lithuanian Club, Murray's features pool (in a little back room) and Karaoke, although this crowd tends to go more to hip-hop songs than monster ballads. At this point, my wife was getting a bit impatient, so we quickly downed $5 shots of Yager, chased them with $2.25 Budweisers, and staggered off into the night, content that tomorrow's hangovers would be reminders of why we crave sophistication as we age. Basically, because we can't take the alternative any more.

Ready, Set, Soapbox!

No matter how good the local 'scene' is, there are only so many live music shows, funky bars and street fairs someone can take before they start craving something different. If that's how you're feeling, then this Saturday offers a treat: the Red Bull Soapbox Race. You may have already seen their commercials, in which case you're either gung-ho, confused, or have already decided its stupid. (If you fall into the last camp, there's not likely to be much of interest to you in this article or on this blog in general.)

For everyone else, let me just assure you that this is no stupid stunt. Ok, well it is a stupid stunt, but a gloriously stupid stunt, with wacky little cars hurtling down College Hill competing on speed or the insanity of their vehicles. For those of you who remember the street luge held when the Gravity Games were held here (oh happy days), imagine that but with miniature parade floats.

The first race is at 1pm, but you can go as early as 11:00 to check out the pits, say hi to the teams, and probably get some free Red Bull. The last race is at 3:00, and then there's an awards ceremony.

There are a bunch of local teams involved: I'm rooting for the Rhode Island Reds out of historical appreciation. (I'll change my allegiance to Team Spikes if they'll hook me up with free hot dogs. I can be bought.

The starting line is at Fones Alley and Prospect Street. Most of the race then runs down Waterman, to the finish line at the bottom of the hill. I assure you, if you're anyhwere near Brown on Saturday afternoon, you won't be able to miss it. And you won't want to.


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Report from the Ground

My wife just got back from her RISD art class, and reminded me that the alumni art sale is going on even as we speak. Its in the main RISD building on Benefit Street. There's food, interesting art, and of course the fascinating people that make RISD what it is.

She also reports that you'll be parking somewhere close to Cranston. If you're looking for a good space, try by Roger Williams Park or the river and walk up.

Your Weekend Agenda

As always, we present your agenda for a weekend of fun and enlightenment. The RhodyRocks team (by which I mean my wife and I) are feeling a little light in the wallet lately, so our goal for the weekend was to get you through with as little damage as possible. So, everything on the agenda this week is cheap or free. Then, as a little bonus, we threw in a Sunday night budget-buster if you're feeling frisky. Enjoy.

Thursday: Tonight feels like a night for The Blackstone Tonight they have Corinne Wahlberg on the stage at 9:00, and I'm sure the televisions will be tuned to the Yankees getting whooped up on by the Cleveland Indians. The Blackstone is located on Main Street in Pawtucket (see the review on this blog for more details.) There may be a $5 cover: you've been warned.

Friday: Cafe Zog isn't exactly known as a live music place, which is a shame, because it hosts occassional shows that are intimate, a little weird, and a good chance to actually meet some local artists and musicians. This Friday, they're hosting a free show featuring a bunch of bands and performers, including Nick Anderson, Ben Pilgrim and Smiling Carcinogens. It's on Wickenden Street in Providence, and it starts at 8:00

Saturday: Spend your afternoon among the spokes and handlebars at AS220's Broke and Busted Bike Swap and Sale. This free event will feature cheap bikes, cool bikes, bike parts, a lot of bike people, and of course easy access to the wonderful tacos at Taqueria Pacifica, inside AS220's cool art space. And unlike most biker events, you won't have to deal with revving Harley engines and exhaust fumes. It's from 12-5 on Empire Street in Providence.

As sun sets, get your English on by heading to the 10th annual Guy Fawkes Bonfire Night at the Andrea Hotel in Misquamicut. In addition to the traditional reenactment of the execution of Guy Fawkes (who famously tried to blow up Parliament in the name of the 'Papist religion'), there will be entertainment from the Misquamicut Players, The Kentish Guards Fife and Drum and an assortment of other properly British attractions. It's free and starts at 7:00 at 89 Atlantic Avenue. You've got to love a reason to get to the shore one last time before winter.

Sunday: Go from English to Italian festivities up on Federal Hill in Providence, as Atwells Ave. celebrates Columbus Day in style. There will be a parade, great food, and the shebang will include Maryann Esposito of theCiao Italia cooking show on PBS. Additionally, soul band Tribeca will be playing from 2 to 6. The parade starts at noon, and of course everything is free except the massive amounts of food you're sure to find irresistable.

Finish up the weekend with a laugh. Score tickets to see the very funny Brian Regan at the PPAC. If you've taken advantage of all the free and cheap events this weekend, you should be able to swing the $32.50 ticket charge. The show starts at 7:30.

Bar Tabs: Ivy Tavern

Every guy needs to have three skills in his back pocket: first, a quality story he can tell in awkward social situations. Second, he needs a recipe (preferably on the grill) that he can make better than anyone else he knows. And finally, he needs a bar he can go to with a group of people where he knows everyone will have a good time. My story is about the time I got fired, my dish is flame-grilled bruschetta, and my bar is the Ivy Tavern.

Why the Ivy? First and foremost its the bartenders. Its not that I know them really well. The reason I like them is that you don’t need to in order to have a good bar conversation; about the Red Sox, what’s going on in the neighborhood, whatever. At its best, the Ivy feels like a group of friends hanging out, and the bartenders are the gracious hosts.


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Second, the food is pitch-perfect bar fare. The Ivy is the only place other than San Francisco that I’ve ever had finger-sucking good garlic fries. They also do an exemplary job with hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and other pub sandwiches. If none of that suits you, they usually have some decent pizzas or other specials, and my wife can even find a good salad or the like if she’s trying to be healthy.

Finally, there is just something about the place itself. They’ve got a bunch of good beers on tap (reasonably priced, too), some cool old boxing and wrestling posters on the wall, and a notice board with surprisingly funny messages spelled out in scrabble letters. The crowd is a mix of Brown kids, twentysomethings, and neighborhood folks in for a beer and dinner.
Check it out the next time there’s a big game on or you want to spice up a slow Saturday night. Then you just need a good story and a good grill recipe to complete your manly troika.