Do What Feels Good

A few weeks ago, I promised a posting with recommendations for what to do on New Year's Eve. And I've thought about it a great deal. And I realized that I always have a good night on New Year's Eve, and rarely is it planned. So, if you're into planning your night, I'd recommend going to Bright Night or the First Night celebrations in Newport or Westerly. Or, if you've got $55 to spare on a ticket, you could check out Tracy Morgan at the Comedy Connection. These are the events you've heard all about, and I'm sure they'll be good.

But I think you're best off going to a place that means something to you, preferably in the company of someone that means something to you. Last year, for example, my wife and I went to Oak on Hope Street, had a nice dinner, then went to watch the fireworks at midnight at Prospect Terrace Park on Congdon Street.

Another year we went to our favorite bar at the time, Maverick's in Wayland Square, and had a late dinner and played with noisemakers as the ball dropped.

A few years ago, we volunteered to mind the door at a modern dance event (part of Bright Night), before wandering around downtown.

Once, we got drunk on Margaritas at Tortilla Flats...and those of you who know us know the rest of that particular story.

Anyway, don't use New Year's as a night to try to do something impressive or over-the-top. Find a place and a person you care about, and enjoy the many possibilities the year has in store. And, while you're thinking of what that will be, let me be the first to wish you the very best in 2008.

Paul Mecurio Recap

I'm dangerously close to developing a man-crush on Paul Mecurio. I went to his final stand-up show at the Comedy Connection last night, and it was outstanding. I'm not dumb enough to try to capture a bunch of improvised jokes in writing, but I will say that you simply can't get more mileage from talking to a woman whose baby was born with two teeth than Mecurio did last night.

It's over now, and you all missed it, but make sure to keep an eye out for the next time he's back in town.

For any readers who check in over the next few days, we'll soon have a post up with New Years' recommendations. If you're bored in the meantime, check out this post by Ian Donnis on movies that force you to watch through to the end if you find them on TV. All of them are guaranteed to get you through a slow winter evening at home.

And, of course, a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and festive other holiday that you may be celebrating between now and the start of 2008.

Mecurio Speaks. Be Afraid.

We are pleased, for the first time ever, to break from our traditional format of mindless rambles about cool bars, restaurants and other happenings in the Ocean State, and to bring you an interview with bona-fide Rhode Island celebrity. Amazingly, in our very first time out, we managed to get our subject to confess deep, embarrassing truths, and otherwise be very entertaining. If his show is half as funny as the responses he emailed me below, I might have to wear diapers to the Comedy Connection. So, without further ado, I give you Paul Mecurio.

Q: I heard you grew up in Providence. Is coming back more happy or traumatic?

A: Both. Happy because I can drive like a maniac and give people the finger when they cut me off, so I fit right in. Traumatic because the giant bug from New England Pest Control gives me nightmares for months after I come home!!!

Q: What is your fondest memory of the Buddy Cianci years?

A: It's a toss up between the corruption and his bad toupee. I always thought they should put him away for how cheesy that toupee looked. It was like a hamster died on his head. I met Buddy once at Andrea's restaurant on the East Side and was shocked to find out he is only 3 feet tall. His police escort would carry him around in a Sherpa bag!

You know, I particularly miss how when I went to pay my "property taxes" in Providence it had to be in cash, in small bills placed in a white envelope behind a dumpster next to city hall.

Q: What is the difference between writing for someone else and writing your own material? Which do you find more satisfying?

A: Writing for someone else involves knowing their voice and what they feel comfortable doing and writing for THAT voice, which often is different than your own voice. In writing my own material I am driven by the point of view I want to get home. Writing for myself is ultimately more satisfying, particularly in the case of Jon Stewart because he can't read so everything has to be spelled phonetically?

Q: Are you part of the writer's strike? And if so, is attending your show a way to stick it to the man?

A: I am supporting the writer's strike and YES, if you come to my show we are telling the man to shove it! In fact, during my show I hold a rally where we bring out the lifeless body of union leader, Jimmy Hoffa--yes I found him, he was behind the Lincoln Mall--and then we drink beer from his skull while chanting "brotherhood forever!"

Q: Why should someone come out and see your show instead of finishing their shopping or spending the season with love ones? And does holding a show this close to Christmas make you a bad person?

A: First, people should be shopping online: who shops in stores anymore? That is so 1999. Second, by shopping you are feeding the corporate beast but by coming to my show you are allowing me to make enough money so my son can get that kidney he so desperately needs, but don't feel OBLIGATED to come! Besides, who wants to spend time with loved ones? Studies have shown that most deaths are caused by interacting with your family...no good ever comes from that.

Regardless, coming to my show DOES make you a bad person, but so what!?! It's bad, but not "Buddy Cianci bad."

Q: In the interest of boosting traffic to RhodyRocks.com, do you have any scandalous comments or confessions you'd like to make? (Honesty isn't really required.)

A: Yes. First, I am actually a woman. Secondly, in 1990, I once put 375 crushed roofies in a Dells Lemonade stand at Scarborough beach and as a result pregnancy rose 800% that year.

Happy Holidays everyone! See you at The Comedy Connection! - Paul

See Paul Mecurio, Preferably for Free

If you've done any driving in the past week, you could use a laugh (and probably some type of opiate derivative.) Since posting information on the latter is probably illegal, I will refer you instead to the impending visit Paul Mecurio will be making to our fine state, for a group of shows at the Comedy Connection in East Providence. Shows are from the 21st to the 23rd, and tickets range from $10 to $17.

And for those of you who don't like to pay, Mecurio will be giving away free tickets to his show for the next few days. In fact, the winner becomes an official(ish) sponsor of Paul's Carpooling with Strangers Tour, and gets 4 free tickets and a chance to go backstage after the show.

I haven't seen Mecurio perform live yet, but I've caught bits of his act, and let me just say that he has a joke about the tryptophan in turkey that almost had me spitting up my drink. What's more, he's a writer for the Daily Show, so if the writer's strike has you missing your fix, here's the best way to get it.

Check back in the next few days to see if we can get Mecurio to answer a few questions for us.

Last Chance for the Foundry Show

If you haven't already finished Christmas shopping (and I bet you haven't) there's no better place to go for a unique, tasteful gift for that hard-to-please relative than the Foundry Show in Pawtucket. You'll find a great selection of arts and crafts, most by Rhode Island artists. But the last day is tomorrow, so make sure you brave the weather and check it out. It's at the Pawtucket armory.

By the way, posting will likely be a bit lighter than normal for the next few weeks as I prepare for the holidays. But we'll have a few good posts to check out (including, hopefully, our first interview) and a New Year's preview.

Early Week Suggestions

While most of you are probably like me in that you do most of your merry-making between Thursday and Sunday, you might find yourself itching to get out early in the week now and again. If so, I have two suggestions on recurring activities that might make it worth your while to leave your couch before the weekend hits.

On Mondays, think about heading down to Trinity Brewhouse in downtown Providence for cheap wings, football (at least for the next few weeks) and some of the best beer in the state. And if wings aren't enough for you, I'll add that I had these guys cater my wedding, so either the food is pretty awesome or I'm a sad individual (or both, I suppose.) I'd highly recommend sitting at the bar; it's a good crowd.

On Tuesdays, you can't go wrong by heading to the Blackstone for live jazz. Mike Tanaka and friends put on a free show every Tuesday starting at 8:00, there's a limited food selection, and you still get all the many joys that come with the Blackstone. (If you don't feel like clicking over to my write-up of the place, it is at 1005 Main Street in Pawtucket.)

I have to be honest, I don't have a good regular Wednesday event. (If there continue to be Wednesday DJ sessions at Local 121 downtown, that may be it.) So, readers, if you have any thoughts, please email me or post them in the comments.

Your Weekend Agenda

As the holidays approach, many of you will find your itineraries starting to fill. My advice: ask people to keep their parties on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Try to keep your weekends free for more enjoyable pursuits. Why let December be ruined by a bunch of awkward social (or even worse, family) gatherings? If, however, you find a party absolutely unavoidable, remember that the booze at those things is free, and you can probably sneak out early enough that it can serve as college-style pregaming.

Friday: Fresh off their domination of the local competition in winning the Mayor's Cup, the PC Friars hockey team will take on likely patsy Union on Friday night at 7:00. You could watch it on Cox 3, but watching hockey on TV is like listening to a friend talk about a vacation: about 1,000 times worse than being there yourself. So get to Schneider Arena on Huxley Street, pony up your $5, and enjoy some of the best college hockey action in the country.

Saturday: I don't know about you, but to me nothing puts me in a festive mood like observing marine mammals. The summer might be for whale watching, but the winter is all about seals, which you can see thanks to Save the Bay by taking an observational cruise out of Newport. The boat leaves Bowen's Ferry Landing at 11:00 on Saturday (and noon on Sunday, if you prefer) and the cost is $20.

If you would rather stay off the water, go to Benefit Street at 3:00 to stroll the street, hear local high school carolers, and see the historic houses all decked out. At 4:30, the festivities will head downtown, where there will be free carriage rides and the City Hall Christmas Tree lighting.

If all that hasn't worn you out, head over to Firehouse 13 for a live music three way, starting at 9:00. The Cold War, Six Star General, and Hope Anchor will all play, for a miniscule $5 cover. Firehouse 13 is on Central Street in Providence.

Sunday: You know you've been craving a bit of theater, and you probably want to avoid Trinity Rep a this time of the year. So check out the closing performance of Perishable Theater's Wild Porcelain a funky-sounding comedy put on by the Workhorse troupe. And by funky, I mean the main character craps dishes, the play is performed in three different languages (one of which is Dutch...instant comedy!) and there appears to be an Indian headress prominently involved.The show starts at 2:00, and tickets are $10-$12

Bar Tabs: Remington House Inn

What are the good parts of Rhode Island? Well, Providence is the center of what culture and class the state has. Pawtucket is the Billy Carter to Providence's Jimmy. Newport is its tourist hub. Bristol is Newport for the natives. Warren is the ever-so-slightly edgier version of Bristol, because there are two square blocks that feel blue collar. Jamestown and Block Island are where you go to dream of a different lifestyle. Westerly is that town you go to once a year and say 'why don't I come here more often?'

The point is, all these towns have an identity that draws at least some of us to leave our own and visit them. I could have gone on: Narragansett, Gloucester, Little Compton...all have their strong points. But then there are the towns that people are leaving to go to all these Rhody gems. And while there are actually quite a few (Johnston and North Providence, I'm talking to you), the Warwick/Cranston complex is the beating suburban heart of our state. So the question becomes, what do these towns have to offer the rest of us? What, besides Garden City and Twin Oaks, would draw us in?

In an attempt to find out, I asked my wife, who worked in Warwick for a while, if there were any places that she would recommend people check out. After a pause, she said simply 'The Remy'. A little later, we were on our way to the Remington House Inn, a bar and restaurant that is worth braving I-95 for.


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I posted this under Bar Tabs because we went for drinks and a few appetizers. But by the time we left at 6:30 on a Saturday, the restaurant was packed. It seems the Remy is not exactly a hidden gem. However, I would definitely recommend the bar experience. The drinks are very reasonably priced, and they have a nice selection of beers on tap. What's more, they have a good selection of happy hour appetizers that, at least the day we were there, were available until 6:00. (I had the impression they might have extended this an hour.) We got the bruschetta and the potato skins, which were both a step above the typical bar fare and more than filling enough.

But the real reasons to go are the location (in a cool old building by the water) and the crowd. The people there tend to be a little older than your average Providence crowd, and for whatever reason, this made the people-watching and eavesdropping spectacular. I was priviledged to hear two complete strangers debating the details of the Catholic sex abuse scandals of a few years ago, with one inebriated orator stating emphatically that, "the nuns are just as bad as the priests, and everyone in my school knew it." I only wish he had been together enough to explain where that came from. Another group of 40-somethings looked like teenagers sneaking a drink out of their parents' liquor cabinet, so thrilled were they to be ditching the kids and throwing down a few with some friends. After too many nights of hipper-than-thou bar patrons in the city, it was refreshing to see people letting loose and enjoying themselves, and observing the wild results.

I won't be making the Remington House a regular stop (I've become too much a Rhode Islander to take 95 that often), but I'll always keep it in mind when I need some tasty bar bites and a break from the regular scene.

Pawtucket Rising

I think the principle choice in my life is whether I turn left or right at the end of my street. Left, and I am swiftly on Hope Street, headed towards the familiar bars, restaurants, and other merry-making options that exist within the city that I consider my first adult home. Right, and I delve into the depths of Pawtucket, which seemed like a joke even after I bought a house just over the border. I mean, why would anyone go to Pawtucket when Providence is right there?

So why do I find myself more and more frequently turning right? Why do I now tell my colleagues at work in Boston that I live in Pawtucket? Why have I been shunning some of my more familiar Providence haunts? Because, at long last, the resurgence of Pawtucket is not just a dream or a theory, but a true, if fragile, thing.

I plan on writing more about what's going on in Pawtucket over the next few months, but I wanted to start by highlighting a few of the places you should be checking out right now.

The first thing you should do if you're a Pawtucket neophyte is to cruise through the downtown. The whole thing is actually on the National Register of Historical Places, mostly because of the fantastic 1800's commercial and industrial architecture. Despite a great number of architectural calamities, you'll get some sense of how wealthy and powerful the city was not too long ago.

While you're there, make sure to check out the Grant, and particularly Cafe Lila, which is making a strong push for being the best independent coffee house in the state. (In a pinch, I'd still give the crown to White Electric.) It is a hard place to describe, so go down to Main Street and check it out for yourself. And, if you want a treat, get a root beer float...you will be a very happy camper. Then check out the odd assortment of businesses and shops that make up the rest of the building.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Pawtucket right now cannot be localized in a single place: rather, it is the collection of artists that are giving the city its pulse which are so intriguing. To find out what's happening in the city's art scene, a good place to start is the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative. With the holidays upon us, you might consider finding some of the many art shows to fill your gift giving needs in a truly original, and beautiful, way.

But you need to sort of localize yourself to eat, and I'm sad to say I haven't eaten a meal in downtown Pawtucket yet (but I'm gunning for the China Inn this week.) Anyway, my favorite raft of Pawtucket restaurants is right on the border of Providence, in the plaza where LJ's Barbeque (which I've already written about) resides. If you're in the mood for something a bit lighter, that same plaza houses the Garden Grille, which is the only vegetarian restaurant that I, as a carnivore in good standing, have ever found to be a pleasant dining experience. It is one of the more unique restaurants in town, and I highly recommend it.

Finally, there are a number of quality bars throughout Pawtucket, many of which have been documented on this site (subliminal message time: gototheBlackstone!). But the most recent addition to my laundry list of bars is certainly the News Cafe, which has friendly people, cheap drinks, and an overall good vibe. When you're tired of the increasing expensification of Providence, it's sweet relief.

Anyway, this is just a primer. The best way to explore Pawtucket is to get in your car, hop on I-95, and get off any exit between 26 and 30. You'll find something worth your time. I guarantee it.