All That Jazz

or Reasons Prov Rocks: 1st Installment

Multiple Choice Pop Quiz.

Cocktail Week in Providence is:
A. Way cooler than Boston's Restaurant Week
B. A celebration of RISD's new "Cocktail Culture" exhibit
C. Stacy and Erik's "Welcome to Providence" Party

So obvious and so flattering. Thank you Providence. We are glad to be here too.

I'm not sure what's better: the fact that Providence has a college hip enough to create classes, write books, and curate a museum exhibit centered on the cocktail culture or the fact that the whole city cared about said museum exhibit and launched a week of cocktail related events around the idea. OR that Providence has happy hour. But that's another blog post.

RISD's website says "Cocktail Culture: Ritual and Invention in American Fashion, 1920-1980 is the first multi-disciplinary exhibition to explore the social ritual of the cocktail hour through the lens of fashion and design." The museum will showcase everything from Dior and de la Renta to Art Deco martini shakers and fancy barware.(I mean seriously - am I dreaming?) The exhibit runs from April 15 - July 15th...

but back to Cocktail Week - which is this week only! Take your pick of hipster bars and throw-back cocktails. I'm heavily contemplating the exhibit opening night event this Friday April 15th at Cook & Brown Public House where guests are "encouraged to arrive nattily attired in their finest period clothing or cocktail wear." A+ on using the phrase "nattily attired" (which I will now be adopting). A++ on giving people a reason to dress up and clink glasses after doing their taxes.

And so I say - bring on the deep v-back dresses, the cigars, and the dim lighting. And the martinis of course.

Taking suggestions for natty threads and throw-back drinks to try. Hit me. Oh and visitors welcome!!

"C'mon Babe, why don't we paint the town... And all that Jazz. I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down... And all that Jazz. Start the car I know a whoopie spot... where the gin is cold and the piano's hot. It's just a noisy hall, where there's a nightly brawl... And all that Jazz."

Four letter words

MOVE is a four letter word. That's what my mom says and moms are always right.
WE DID IT is a seven letter phrase. (I did the math in my head.)

Now that it's over, I thought I'd share the two most important ingredients to our successful move.

1.Marry a mover. Alright, or get new friends with moving experience, or talk your kid into a summer job schlepping furniture in 90 degree heat, or take a part-time job yourself, but someone in your circle of trust needs to know the jenga-voodoo-language that translates "that couch will never fit around that corner through that door" into "booya." Not that I'm bragging but we have 2 movers on our squad: I'm in love with one and my sister's in love with the other. You do the math.

2.Get a crew. Because you'll need one. Many hands make light work - it's not a cliche for nothin. From Boston to Providence, load + deliver (mover lingo, see number 1) in less than 6 hours. And that includes a 1 hour drive. Again, don't want to brag but we had 10 people in our crew. We could have moved to Providence or moseyed over to the basketball courts with 2 full teams and dominated heads. Feed your crew, water your crew, beer your crew, hug them, thank them, tell them you love 'em. Just repeat it constantly. See them in the elevator? Love you. Pass them again at the loading dock? Love you. Shout em out in a blog?** Love you.

Yes, there is a lot more that goes into a successful move - get used boxes and good tape, make mad lists and be overly organized, etc. ad nauseum - but really if you have 1. and 2. you can pretty much do anything. Amen.

We're here. We're exhausted. We can't find anything. We have been eating like shit. We are surrounded by moving boxes and plastic bins. But we are happy. And... we are HOME. (count 'em)

** Shout out to moving day crew: Erik and Zack (head movers) (even their names look bad ass), Lisette, Shane, Sue, Brandon, Lisanne, Mom and John. Hugs, thanks, and loves. Big time.

What's the 411... er...401?

Providence. Divine foresight. Prudence. Care. Also the capital of Rhode Island, the Ocean State, Providence was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams. 367 years later, my brother Brandon landed there. Known for its jewelry and silverware, its Italian people and “influence”, and great restaurants, Providence went from the “Beehive of Industry” to the “Creative Capital” and remains the second largest city in New England. Brown University, renown art school RISD and culinary school Johnson and Wales call Providence home. Wikipedia Providence


Approx 50 miles from Boston, MBTA and Amtrak connect the sister cities - 45 minutes on the train. And that’s precisely how Erik and I began to know Providence after moving to Boston in 2003. Brandon commutes to Boston for work, and we soon realized the two cities are more accessible to each other than Boston is to some of its suburbs. Countless train rides (with just enough time for 1 adult beverage from the bar car), weekends of dinners out at small independent restaurants, trips to the beach (hello Block Island), and walks around Providence’s tony East Side - we started slurping the pasta sauce.


The premise of Project Prov is this: people will see Providence as an extension of Boston - smaller city living at a more affordable price. And if we in our heart-of-hearts believe that to be true, we figured we’d better be willing to put our selves, our money, our energy - our lives - there. Stop talking about it and start being about it. I’d say it’s more difficult than it sounds, but it even sounds difficult. Uproot our city life in Boston and move it 50 miles down the road to another city in another state. See what happens. Hope it’s not boring. That’s how the story begins...