MikeR

It's incredible that elected officials can be so shortsighted. Perhaps the city councilors of Pawtucket and Central Falls should examine how the expansion of the T in greater Boston sparked economic growth. Look around the Quincy Adams and Braintree T-stops; new office buildings have been built next door where companies employ hundreds of high-paying jobs. Perhaps they should make a field trip to Brockton; once a forlorn crime-ridden city with an abandoned downtown; until MBTA put a T-stop there. Now, downtown Brockton has renovated their downtown core, and old mercintile buildings, once abandoned, are now loft-style apartments where former Bostonians have moved into and are now spending their large salaries in new businesses nearby. Sound familiar? It's been proven time and again that wherever convienient mass-transit infrastructure exists, the economy in the surrounding area takes off. Can't the elected officials of Pawtucket and Central Falls understand this simple concept? It's not too hard; all they have to do is jump on the T and see what's around each T-stop. Oh, that's right, they can't. They just sealed the doom for a T-stop in Pawtucket and Central Falls.

Also remind them of all the state lawmakers they've bought and and them if Todd Olrich has been bought too. Remember Bill Irons and John Celona? http://www.turnto10.com/politics/2784086/detail.html http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/02/cvs-...-lawmakers.html

Money changing hands. Happens every time. Amen.

WHAT A DISGRACE. Talk about the squeaky wheel getting the grease. F*ck*ing ridiculous. And to think I used to live in Central Falls where my wife is from and we often taked about how nice it would be if we could just go down Broad Street and grab the train from there to Boston or Providence on weekends. There is NO doubt in my mind money changed hands here. There was a payoff somewhere along the line and if the Central Falls City Council and Mayor are what they were like 10 years ago, you can bet your ass on it. No wonder the city is what it is today; a joke. The train station would not only preserve an important piece of history, but would seriously revitilize an area that desperately needs it.

If anyone wants to see a street whose houses are really lit up for the holidays...check out 'Christmas Lane' off Rt. 1 in N. Kingston; about a mile north of Quonset Point. Every house is decked out to the nines; even the garage doors are open and moving displays are inside. There's about 8-10 houses to see there. Obviously everyone on that street wants bragging rights to the best display, so the displays are really something to see!

Google has been promoting this and (Product)RED all day...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone; be careful out on the roads this afternoon if you're traveling.

It won't matter if they stop in RI or not. This flu spreads on the cruise ships, and espically on airplanes after the cruisegoers fly back home. This flu has about an 80% communicable rate. I work down at the Naval Clinic in Newport, and after walking though Family Practice two years ago during an outbreak, I caught it and was knocked out of action for 3 days. It hits you hard and fast!

That's a great idea. David Brussat hands out his "rasberries and roses" awards at years end. We should too!

We went to Bravo's to eat; we liked it a lot and then we went to Gracie's for a drink afterwards. Both were excellent. Finnegan's Wake needs some serious updating. We walked in and left immediately after seeing it. It is looking really rundown.

My wife and I are going to see James Taylor tonight at PPAC. What's the best eatery within a five-minute walk of PPAC? It's been a while since I've eaten downcity and a lot has changed in the past few years...

CNN has put up a great article on Castine, Maine. Sounds like a great place to visit after reading it... http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/DESTINATION...aine/index.html

No kidding! That whole website is nothing to cheer about. All fluff and no substance.

Don't forget to take in and walk Benefit St. It's one of the oldest streets in America that retained the whole of its' Colonial infrastructure. The walk is beautiful (about 1 mile), and there is plenty of 18th and 19th century archectiture to behold. A must see if you're here.

Damn, those pics of Cathedral Squre really highlight the wasteland that place is. That sculpture/fountain brick thingy in the middle has got to be the uglyist public sculpture around. It's too bad, the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul really is beautiful when you see it up close.

DevBanker, will you please chill out. There are plenty of members of UP and most of them are Providence residents and all of them know the city plenty enough without you shouting over everybody here to get your point across. Calm down.

mental757 - do you know when detailed renders will be available online? I've surfed the web and have come up empty. The drawing I saw in the ProJo did not reveal a whole lot.

Huh? Then my tour guide was wrong! She told our group that Rome could not put in a subway system due to all the ruins lying underneath the city and the ancient sewer system built by the Romans that is still in use. We were there for only 2 days, so I never got to do a more serious walkaround the city. Thanks for correcting...

Cool! The SmartCar is finally coming to the US: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/06/26/smart/index.html These cars are all over the place in Rome. Rome has no subway system (due to all the ruins below the street) and these cars are absolutely everywhere there. This car may be a good choice for someone who simply needs a two-seater to get him/her from Point A to B in Providence, Pawtucket, etc.!

Your friend has a great view though - I like the angle from here...excellent pic.

Cotuit posted a good photo of Kayakers in Waterplace with the GTech bldg. in the background. It looks to be very reflective in the daytime - you can see reflections of other buildings clearly in the photo. And I like the finished look of the parking garage too.

It's not that bad if you know how to get around it. Most Bristol commuters go across Gooding Ave to Metacom Ave and then take Rt. 136 to the end and jump on I-195 via Exit 2 in Swansea. I've detoured that way before and it's not that terrible. Also, some East Bay commuters sneak through Hampton Meadows in Barrington to avoid downtown traffic and jump on the Wampanoag Trail by the High school after crossing the bridge near Hundred Acre Cove.

BJE - Based on your comments, Bristol is you best bet. I live in Tiverton and I take the family there often - to the town square behind the old courthouse (good playground) as well as downtown and Independence Park by the harbor. If you land in the historic downtown area, most everything is in walking distance, and the sidewalks are wide and smooth. Note that the Bristol-Warren school district ranks lower than other school districts in East Bay. If good schools are more important to you, you may be better off in Barrington even though the downtown is spread out on County St.

Pretty much so. They're dismanteling it at this time. I hear scuttlebut that the tower will go back up, but who knows, things could change again.