Garris

Welcome! Enjoy living in Hope Village/Summit. It's a great neighborhood. How are you enjoying the Hotel Providence and being downcity? Any initial Providence impressions? - Garris

Ok, here's a non-specific topic/question. While I was in L.A., I noted many chain stores in historic buildings (or in newer buildings designed to match neighboring older buildings) had facades designed to match the historic context. For example, a Staples on Miracle Mile with art deco signage and detailing, a Rite Aid with Spanish Mission Style lettering and detailing, a McDonalds with what I can only call California 30's style swoopiness with similar detailing and lettering. For years, we keep hearing that chains can't/won't change any of their corporate "look" for the sake of communities. That it erodes their branding and puts their business at risk. So we get bland, cookie cutter Brooks, banal CVS's, anyplace-USA strip plazas, etc. But my trip to L.A. seem to stand as dramatic evidence that this isn't a universal rule. How and why do neighborhoods like the ones in L.A. get fanastic facades and period architecture and detailing, while we get the corporate kit? It's like Sierra Suites... Our design looked as airport-hotel as could be, while the Sierra Suites in Napa, CA is gorgeous. Is it zoning? High community standards? What do we do to get that level of design? - Garris

Wow, I'm not the only one out there! I have no idea why Opera hasn't taken off (my guess is since it was late to the IE alternative party after Firefox). My browsing life hasn't been the same since MouseLook... People are shocked at how rapidly I manipulate tabs with Opera. It's one of the reasons I can sneak time to post here during the day! I too use Firefox for the rare Opera incompatibilities. How do you like Opera 9 Beta? I saw it's out, but haven't tried it yet. I'm always scared that with each new release, they'll bloat it a bit and it'll loose all of the slick, fast, elegant design that makes it such a pleasure to use. - Garris

You remembered correctly, but that was not me... I was in civilian clothes that day on vacation, although I was around the square! My sister, BTW, may have been there at that time. She loves Minerva's Pizza. I agree with Soren. This is the stereotype, but I haven't seen the reality. The only major crime I've witnessed has been the ubiquitous graffiti and a car window broken, and that's it in 2+ yrs. I feel completely safe walking/jogging around here at any hour of the day and morning, and know many single women who feel the same way as well. For my sister, having mild developmental disabilities, this meant we looked hard at neighborhood safety before choosing where to live, and there were none better in the city than here. - Garris

Try Opera as well. It too uses tabbing, has great mouse movement controls for navigation, and has never taxed my system resources, even with an unnatural amount of tabs open... http://www.opera.com - Garris

Since I believe it was you who recommended the shopping plaza parking option, should I assume you got towed? - Garris

Off topic: So did I technically violate the rules when I asked for help in finding a plumber? How about our restaurant topic board? - Garris PS: To keep this on topic, I think it would be rare to find a Studio in Summit, although members who live there may be able to tell you differently. It tends to be more multifamily homes and condos. I agree that it's one of the few areas of Providence with a good mix of livability, walkability to a vibrant retail core (not to mention a library branch and ballet company), and affordability. All it lacks is a market. It it had that, there would be no reason to use a car there at all. It's nearly as "complete" a neighborhood as Wayland Square, but its prices are 25-50% lower. Still a hugely affordable neighborhood for what it offers. It I hadn't found the bargain I did in Wayland Sq, that's where I would have ended up living.

Here are the rest of my L.A. photos! More of the Disney Concert Hall... The entrance... An interesting sculpture hangs in a building's entrance... More shots of the L.A. skyline as jets streak through the sky... L.A. facades... That's it for now! - Garris

Very, very nice!! - Garris

Thanks to all for the kind words... Wow, I certainly don't consider myself a big travel person, and most people who know me wouldn't either . I also know multiple individuals who are far more travelled than myself. I think I may explore the cities I visit a bit more than some other people, who tend stick more to their hotels/destinations/convention centers. One factor in how travelled I am vs some people here might just be a function of being older than some others on the boards (early 30's). A favorite city? Besides Providence? Well, New York City I guess... I mean, on almost any urban issue you want to examine, New York has it in abundant excess. Perhaps too much, which is why I wouldn't want to live there again, though... If I could choose one city in North America to live in besides Providence, it would be Vancouver, BC, which you have to visit to appreciate, as pictures of the city don't (and can't) do it justice. Portland, OR would be a close second right behind it. What did I think of Providence after returning after almost 2 weeks (about as much as I can stand) away? A couple of impressions: - TF Green is fantastically easy and convenient to have for a city our size... - It would be nice if we could do something more dramatic entering the city on 95, although the new 195 bridge might change that. What about framing the triple deckers lining the highway with lights just like Boathouse Row in Philadelphia? - Providence has tremendous character and flavor, which is all the more obvious being away and coming back. While we all like some dash of modern from time to time, it really is the older architecture (triple deckers, downcity designs, East Side charm, etc) that defines the city more than, say, the Textron Building. All that brick really does make an impression. - Providence's density and accessability really is amazing. That infamous RI attitude of not wanting to drive more than 15 minutes for anything really has a basis in reality. I mean, how many cities can you start off in the center of town and, within an easy 15 minutes drive (more often than not) be at the beach (Oakland Beach), forest (Lincoln Woods), airport, major hospitals, major shopping (PP, Rt 2, Seekonk), major dining, a gaggle of universities, sports (McCoy, Dunk, almost Foxboro), culture, world-class parks (RW Park), exercise amenities (East Bay and other bike paths), etc.? We take it for granted, but it's actually quite rare. - Our graffiti really is quite bad compared to other cities. Sure some other metros have it, but ours is everywhere... - As has been discussed before, our infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, signage, etc) is subpar for major US urban spaces, which is especially obvious after being elsewhere. This should be, after public schools, Providence's #1 priority. - In general, RI'ers are quite a nice, non-flashy, even-tempered, grounded, "down to earth" type of folk compared with people in other regions, which is something I'm increasingly appreciating. - One big similarity between here and, say, lower NY State and the Philly suburbs is that all are supposedly booming regions with soaring home costs, lots of building, and supposedly high salaried younger professionals moving in, but the retail health doesn't feel like it's there in any of these communities. Providence, like the Hudson Valley and Philly, has lots of empty storefronts, high retail turnover, and a general feeling of retail fragility. This just isn't true in other booming places you visit, which just makes me wonder what the problem is... Is it the high costs of doing business, that a viable retail balance just hasn't been struck yet (downcity's problem I think), lack of imagination (I'm always impressed by the cool shops I see in other places), or all of the above? Does anyone here who owns a retail business want to comment on this? - Garris

This is always what I thought would probably happen. Hopefully, once the G-Tech shops and restaurants are open (that late?), a sense of vibrancy will be added to that corner of waterfire which was always quite dull in the days of the empty lot... BTW, I'm not sure why people ever expected the bonfires to reflect in the windows of G-Tech. Wouldn't reflections we could see from the street level depend upon windows angled downward? This, of course, isn't the case... Perhaps when seen from, oh, the 15th floor of the Waterplace condo towers will there be a reflection... - Garris

Thanks! Coming from you, that means a lot, considering you shoot some quite aspirational stuff yourself. Catching up on the forum topics, I found this one among your recent excellent Waterfire shots that I'm particularly fond of... - Garris

<Long, very off topic> Hey everyone, After being away on and off for almost two weeks, I thought I'd post some travel impressions and some photos of L.A. after being there for a conference. While I've popped into and out of L.A. for interviews a few times in the last few years, I hadn't been there for an extended period in almost a decade. In summary, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, especially seen through newly urbanist eyes. Here, in no particular order, are some impressions: Character: Love it or hate it, L.A. is unabashedly, unashamedly what it is - one of America's flashiest, wealthiest, auto dependent cultures. It makes no apologies for its sprawl and its conspicuous consumption and, indeed, it embraces such values enthusiastically. Oddly, this lead me to view it more favorably than I expected. I respect the city's embrace of self. It isn't trying to be anything other than what it is. In many ways, much of America has become more like L.A. than the reverse, but in L.A.'s case, it's "authentic." I left thinking that trying to force a "new urbanist," walkable, Northeast style lifestyle on L.A. would be like trying to force L.A. style living on Downcity Providence... Likely impossible, and certainly not desirable. In upscale neighborhoods, wealth is on display and is everywhere, leading one of my co-workers to marvel, "Wow, where does all this money come from?" Such displays are worn quite literally on people's sleves. We think places like the East Side or Little Compton are upscale... Those communities are thimble sized compared to such places in L.A. In many places, there are upscale neighborhoods that feel like they are the size of the entire state of Rhode Island. Drive around neighborhoods in the Hollywood Hills or Beverly Hills, and it's clear why this lifestyle continues to fascinate and enthrall the American popular culture. The city is certainly auto friendly. Signage is outstanding and, save for traffic (more about that below), it's very easy to navigate and get around almost blindly. Highway entrances/exits are clearly marked, large, and unambiguous. Every destination had ample street, lot, or garage parking without exception. Density: Despite its reputation for suburban sprawl (and it's definitely there in spades), there's a lot of density to be found in the L.A. megapolis and, interestingly, due to continued price increases and continued interest of people to relocate there, developers are trying to squeeze more units into their lots and the most height allowable in many neighborhoods. Indeed, I saw many a suburban neighborhood with new or ongoing 3-4 story, street fronted development that was starting to transform them into something looking more like Cambridge or Brooklyn than Scarsdale. Lamented my uncle who lives in such a neighborhood, "Everyone except me seems to want as much density as possible here. No one is fighting a thing." Downtown: This is actually one of the least impressive aspects about the city. First of all, the downtown core is quite small, especially for a super-sized metro like L.A. It felt about "third tier" city sized, much smaller, comparatively, than the mixed use cores of other cities I'm familiar with like Minneapolis, Seattle, or Boston. The downtown footprint is probably more the size of a Center-City Philadelphia, but not nearly as dense. Downtown L.A. has a reputation for being on the "rebound," and that certainly appears to be true to an extent. There's a good amount of building ongoing (both residential and commercial) and the skyscraper density (see photos below) is quite impressive. The streets and sidewalks were quite clean and I felt safe at all hours. That said, the atmosphere is more like that of Stamford, CT on steroids. There's a very "tall-corporate-office-park" sterility about the place (kind of like the business district of Seattle, but not as nice), and the streetscape is underdeveloped. The L.A. affinity for broad plazas and graded terraces which gives so much of the rest of the metro its character doesn't work at all here, making many of the building entrances feel cold and distant. Oddly, unlike the rest of the auto-friendly metro, the downtown can be seriously confusing for the non-native to navigate by car, especially around the public library and arts district. Disney Concert Hall (see photos below): This is worthy of separate discussion. This was my third or fourth exposure to Frank Gehry's architecture, and I am becoming more of a fan each time. The new concert hall is the undisputed architectural star of the downtown, and it's a real gem. Gehry's designs are endlessly fascinating to gaze upon and the look of the metal surfaces and how the light plays on them change with almost every step down the sidewalk. Unlike much of modern architecture, the Concert Hall feels warms and welcoming. The swooping wings of metal almost seem to embrace you, begging you to come inside. Gehry's curved metal surfaces are so foreign, so de-differentiated that the scaling of the structure is almost universal since there is no stereotyped point of comparison. I found myself wondering what a whole street or block of Gehry architecture would look like, rather than just one building, and I found myself concluding that it would be a thing of wonder. Thankfully, I think we'll get just such an opportunity soon in downtown Brooklyn... Food: L.A. is a fantastic food town. Almost everywhere I went, from the hole in the wall red-sauce Italian in Studio City to the high end restaurant in the Disney Concert Hall to the unambiguously named "Ethiopian Restaurant" in the Little Ethiopia section of town was wonderful. As a friend there put it, if a restaurant opens that isn't wonderful, "it doesn't have a chance of lasting more than a month." Attractions: I didn't have much time for entertainment due to the conference, but I did go to the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Getty Museum. The Petersen is a must for any auto enthusiast, but I found it a bit disappointing. Their collection is indeed amazing and deep, but rather than it being a huge garage with as much packed in as possible, it strives to a more relaxed, museum type layout that limits the number of cars there, which was a bit disappointing. A huge percentage of floor space was currently devoted to hot-rods and customized cars, which also didn't appeal to me nearly as much as the rare originals I preferred to see. The Meier design Getty Museum in West L.A. was simply remarkable. The architecture of this city on a mountain, accessed by tram, is one of impressively cool precision (with just a hint of superior detachment). The view, which is a near 360-degree vantage point over the L.A. megapolis, is worth the visit alone, with its sightlines from the Valley to the ocean limited only by the degree of haze hovering over the city. The exhibits (which I limited to seeing ones of photography due to constraints of time and interest) were fascinating. Traffic I can't discuss L.A. without discussing traffic. It's quite real, and quite amazing. The best driving conditions on the highways would be described as "congested." Our hotel was less than 15 miles from LAX and it took us very well over an hour to make the trip coming and going. Ok, enough of that. Here are some photos! Downtown L.A., daytime: Different L.A. downtown architecture: Reflections from a glass building lighten up a building across the street: Skyscraper downtown: Interesting angles downtown: Signs of life downtown: Sunset downtown: L.A. Times Building, downtown: L.A. City Hall: Skyline at night: The Disney Concert Hall: An interesting view of a wall at the Getty: Ok, I'll post the remaining shots tomorrow. Have a good night! - Garris

All good suggestions, although none of these areas really have any retail "downtown" or Main St strips per se... If you're willing to try the Providence public schools, definitely look at Wayland Square (I walk to everything from the supermarket to the pharmacy to my vet to my doctor to restaurants, all within three blocks, one of the few places in RI to be able to do this) and Hope Village. Both neigborhoods have rentals (with back yards), although they are going to be on the spendy end of the spectrum. Otherwise, don't count out Barrington. I know its Main Street is upscale up strip plazas (although some are built to the street), but it is the kind of place where you can live in/rent a SFH within walking distance of everything from supermarkets to pharmacies to cleaners to restaurants. East Greenwich might also be worth considering. It too has a "Main Street" of sorts and if you live close to it, it could be quite walkable. - Garris

This gave me my biggest laugh of the day... I can hear the Mos Eisley music now, watching people move around down there I'm sorry to hear about your car... In more than 2+ years living in Providence, I finally had my car vandalized recently to the tune of 2,100 dollars of repairs not here, but while visiting Boston... My parents live in the suburban county in New York State with the highest per capita income of any other in the state, which values its rural character and has tons of open space and suburban amenities, and guess what? My mother's car has been keyed in her work parking lot twice this year (I still think it was a teacher's union hood, but that's another issue ) and my father pulls his hair out regularly at all the dents and dings he gets in the suburban strip malls and plazas. It really can and does happen anywhere. Why stay in the city? The reasons are innumerable. Character, convenience (I walk to almost everything I need in life in Wayland Square, from groceries, to my doctor, to my vet, to restaurants), diversity. There's a there there. Try staying in an average anonymous suburban community surrounded by no-name strip plazas and stores and see how long it takes until you are bored to tears not just from the lack of things to do, but from the lack of visual, aural, and other sensory stimulation that an urban area provides. If you aren't bored, then you're in the right place, and more power to you. Living anywhere has a tradeoff, unfortunately. Despite what we would all like to think, a lack of respect for personal property and civic space is unfortunately present everywhere. - Garris

Hi Pixie... I'm another RIH'er... Medicine subspecialty fellowship. Basically, I think that your take of all the neighborhoods (especially as someone who will be on call coming and going at all hours) is spot on. You're right about Wickenden definitely being more lively than Wayland Square... Wickenden has a bit more lower volume Newbury St thing going, vs Wayland Sq's more Newton Center type of scenario... I can't help you with the price issue, but I know people who do the Fox Point to RIH walk/bike and as long as you stay vigilant, there aren't really any issues. If you look in the morning and afternoon, a lot of people are walking there. Would I do it at 2 AM on-call? No, I'd drive... Hum, interesting question. My guess is that in the long run, with increased access to the park and completion of the disruption, it can only help. I would bet the larger real estate forces at work in Providence will be more important than the 195 work in determining where property values go, however... - Garris

Churches on Westminster and Weybosset... The skyline and the edge of the Biltmore sign... Not sure how much I like this photo itself, but it is interesting to see all of the contrasting styles of Capitol Center's facades now that G-Tech is moving along... Perhaps one or two more from this series to come, and then that's about it! - Garris

Some photos I'd posted in the Rhode Island section taken from Providence's Biltmore Hotel, looking down at the city from various viewpoints...: Looking East, from left to right... Old Union Station complex, Citizen's Bank building, Burnside Park, Kennedy Plaza transportation station, skyline... Providence's tony "East Side," home to Brown U, RISD, etc forms the background... The aforementioned Kennedy Plaza... Looking North, this is Capitol Center. From left to right, the skyway from the RI Convetioned Center connecting to the Westin hotel (with a taller hotel addition and residential condo tower under construction in the foreground), the Providence Place mall, the G-Tech Headquarters (under construction), and in the foreground, the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. In the background is Waterplace Park and the RI state capitol... Looking Southwest, these are the "W" streets, formally a retail-heavy district now being reborn as a mixed use neighborhood of lofts, rentals, condos, restaurants, hotels, and retail of all types. In the foreground is Washington St, followed by Westminster St, then Weybosset. Way off in the distance on the left are Providence's largest hospitals, Rhode Island Hospital (main teaching hospital of Brown Medical School) and Women and Infant's Hospital... A view of Federal Hill looking West, Providence's historic "little Italy" and home to more good restaurants of all types than any one neighborhood should be allowed to have... Looking South, the lit banner is for the Providence Performing Arts Center... In the background is the beginning of the Jewelry District, which will be reconnected with downtown once Route 195 (behind the Arts Center) is rerouted in about 2-3 years... More later! - Garris Providence, RI

PPAC from a bit of a different perspective... Federal Hill (and Olneyville in the distance?): Kennedy Plaza: More yet still to come... - Garris

Yet another... Capitol Center... This is going to look great after Westin II is constructed... - Garris

Here's another shot, this one of the "W" streets... Front to back Washington, Westminster, Weybosset... In the distance is the RIH campus... - Garris

From a few nights ago. Thanks to the Underdog folks for lighting up a few more buildings than usual: I'll try to post more later! - Garris

Outside of any quantifiable boundries or population numbers, certainly the Chicago metro is virtually as big as the entire state of RI. There are people living in communities an hour in any direction from downtown Chicago who solidly consider themselves to live in the metro and often commute there daily. - Garris

I've feared for them too in the past. The few times I've been there it's been empty as well, although the people behind the counter tell me they'll be crazy busy at times, so who knows. I'd hate to loose them, as they're my favorite sandwich destination downtown now... - Garris

First, thanks for the photos! Rolfe Square is really interesting. I found it almost by accident one day trying to find a chinese restaurant down the street. It has high urban potential, especially with some of the great buildings (town hall, high school, etc) around there, but feels a little... run down, right now... Interesting your photo was of the Touro Fraternal organization. I haven't seen many Jewish "Men's Clubs" outside of synagogue structures, but this is one of them, and one of the largest in New England with over 600 members I believe. I honestly don't know much about it, and didn't know until I saw your photo that it's in Rolfe Square... For some reason, the Death Star march popped into my head when I looked at that building... I think my favorite Cranston building is that tower at the intersection of Route 2 and Pontiac ave, I think it is? - Garris PS: The best time to try a photo you want at sunset is to be there about 1/2 hour before and after the formal sunset time (check any weather site to find the formal sunrise/sunset times). How the sunset will turn out will depend upon the cloud cover and other factors. Make sure, if you want the sky detail, to aim your viewfinder at the sky for light metering, not buildings.