1990 replies to this topic

[Cotuit]

We've been rolling out these off-topic threads in a few of the subforums.

This is a place where you can feel free to discuss things that don't specifically have to do with the urban issues we focus on here at UP. Also new members who feel they don't really have something specific to contribute can introduce themselves here, or ask questions if they don't feel like they have enough to start a new thread about.

For discussions about specific projects, please go to those projects' threads, or start a new thread if you have some big news to share.

[Cotuit]

Interesting day guys!

I'm off to drink and eat and celebrate my birthday, I'll drink to our future skyline.

Hope some more details shake out tomorrow, goodnight!  

[Garris]

I'm taking this one into the off topic area...

billypc99, on Feb 24 2005, 03:53 PM, said:

Asolutely False!  Im just finishing my PhD, have been interviewing and have offers on the table.  Let me assure you my income will be well in excess of affordability.  Dont be sckewed by the slave wages of academia. 

I'm trying to convince my girlfriend that academia=slave wages...  She's unfortunately addicted to research :-).  

billypc99, on Feb 24 2005, 03:53 PM, said:

Positions I am considering afford me the ability to live almost anywhere in the northeast and some on the entire east coast

What field are you in?

billypc99, on Feb 24 2005, 03:53 PM, said:

Also, not all MD's go onto residencies...Its becoming more and more common for them not to match, esecially white males, even from prestigious med schools.  Therefore, you will find some 26 + 27 MDs single with money

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely not possible, as far as I know, unless they're planning not to practice and are instead going into industry to do research, promotion, or consulting.  It's legally impossible in most places to practice medicine without further formal training.  For example here are the requirements to practice in Rhode Island from the RI Licensing Board:

"If you are a graduate from a medical school in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico you must have the following:

- MD or DO Degree
- National Exam (eg. NBME, USMLE, LMCC, FLEX)
- Two years of post-graduate training in an accredited program"

Without board certification in your chosen field, it's hard to get malpractice insurance and most employers won't hire you (you're a legal liability) and most health plans won't pay you (same reason).  In order to get board certification, you need to complete certain levels of formal training.  The only people I've ever met who didn't pursue a residency were those going into pure research or those going into industry.  Otherwise, there's no point to getting the MD.  

There are few people who go into medicine for money.  While some areas are, granted, paid well, there are way easier professions to make far more money with far less training (10-12 years of graduate and post-graduate training is average, and the average medical student graduates with well over 100,000 dollars in debt, and far more than that is not uncommon).  Many friends of mine from college in the legal and business worlds have far better portfolio prospects than I do working far fewer hours per week, but that's not why I'm in this game.  

- Garris

[billypc99]

Not impossible b/c there is a growing number of MDs who do not go on to practice medicine.  More and more MDs are going into pharma & biotech or branching out into law.  Like I stated before I know several recently graduated MDs who are in big pharma R&D and have no intention of practicing medicine because they are so bitter about total disgrace matching has turned into

As far as Phds....there has been an explosion in the number of regional positions offered by biotech and pharma cos in which you job is to communicate scientific data throughout you regrion..aka medical science liaison/regional scientific director

[Garris]

Hey there!

     Inspired by the Pro/Anti Smoothie King discussion in the Thayer thread, I thought I'd ask a critical urban question:

Where do you all like to go for late night eating?

     My girlfriend and I last weekend were coming back from a play in Woonsocket and she had a craving for some Asian appetizers.  It was 10:10 PM.  Well, we stopped at Asian Paradise, Apsara Palace, Haruki East, everything on Wickenden and Hope and found all of them either closed or about to close and wouldn't serve us, even for take out.  I suggested we hit Federal Hill, but my girlfriend had had it by that time.  We stopped at the Creperie off Thayer (and were the oldest people in there by 10 years for sure) at 10:45 PM and got two awesome crepes...  

     So, where is one to go in Providence after 10 PM for some moderate dining?  I afterwards remembered the Trinity Brewhouse would have been a nice stop, and we could have gone to Paragon on Thayer, although we wanted more takeout, not sit down...  Big Fish in the Jewelry District is open lateish, but it is pricey...  Same goes for Zooma on Federal Hill, which is also open late.  My girlfriend wouldn't have gone for Haven Bros or NY System...  

     For a major urban area and restaurant city, Providence seems to sleep early.  Even in Minneapolis/St. Paul, most Asian restaurants were a safe bet for midnight or 1 AM.  

     Suggestions???

- Garris

Edited by Garris, 17 March 2005 - 03:20 PM.

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Mar 17 2005, 04:18 PM, said:

Suggestions???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A pint of Ben & Jerry's from 7-Eleven usually suits me.

Garris, on Mar 17 2005, 04:18 PM, said:

We stopped at the Creperie off Thayer (and were the oldest people in there by 10 years for sure) at 10:45 PM and got two awesome crepes...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I need to get out more, where is this?  

Garris, on Mar 17 2005, 04:18 PM, said:

Same goes for Zooma on Federal Hill, which is also open late.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have you been to Zooma, how is it?


I actually used to find late night dining to be a hell of a problem in Boston in my younger days running around late at night in the early 90s. Buzzy's Roast Beef was always a good option, but not if you were in the Fenway and on foot.

This is something that Downcity residents will demand once the area starts to fill up. I expect we'll see some places with late-night menus sprouting up soon. As for where to go now, no clue.

[Garris]

Cotuit, on Mar 17 2005, 03:24 PM, said:

A pint of Ben & Jerry's from 7-Eleven usually suits me.

This is what we already do   .  Ben & Jerry's itself closes at 11, which isn't bad, isn't great.  Maximillian's closes at 10   .

Cotuit, on Mar 17 2005, 03:24 PM, said:

(The Creperie)
I need to get out more, where is this? 

If someone hadn't shown it to me, I never would have known...  It's in the alley between the Pain on Thayer and that white strip mallish building with the Asian rug place, the convenience store, and the eyeglass shop.  Seriously, it's to the left down that otherwise anonymous alley.  82 Fones Aly.  Open to 1 AM I think.  It's a hole in the wall, but it's great and open late.  

Cotuit, on Mar 17 2005, 03:24 PM, said:

Have you been to Zooma, how is it?

I haven't, actually.  Someone told me it's quite decent, but he said the best thing is that's it's open until 1 AM.  I don't know this for sure...  The Trinity Brewhouse I think is open until 1 AM and Paragon is open until midnight, I think.  

Cotuit, on Mar 17 2005, 03:24 PM, said:

As for where to go now, no clue.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering you live in Federal Hill, which I imagined would have more late night options than most, this isn't encouraging...  How late is Bombay Club or that take out Chinese place open?

- Garris

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Mar 17 2005, 04:34 PM, said:

Considering you live in Federal Hill, which I imagined would have more late night options than most, this isn't encouraging...  How late is Bombay Club or that take out Chinese place open?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, I don't get out much, so I'm not a good barometer on these things. I think Jessie's and Pastiche are open late, but that's dessert. Some of the places in the Plaza are probably open late. Geppetto's maybe.

[eltron]

Garris, on Mar 17 2005, 05:34 PM, said:

I haven't, actually.  Someone told me it's quite decent, but he said the best thing is that's it's open until 1 AM.  I don't know this for sure...  The Trinity Brewhouse I think is open until 1 AM and Paragon is open until midnight, I think. 

Considering you live in Federal Hill, which I imagined would have more late night options than most, this isn't encouraging...  How late is Bombay Club or that take out Chinese place open?

- Garris

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Julien's on Broadway is really quite good and usually open until 1. Lilly's on Atwells is good as well, though I am not quite sure how late they serve food. Jake's across from Big Fish is excellent for cheap late night eats as well.

[Cotuit]

eltron, on Mar 17 2005, 05:07 PM, said:

Jake's across from Big Fish is excellent for cheap late night eats as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, Jake's is like a little secret in the Jewelry District. It's nice having drinks outside there on a summer afternoon. Do you know anything about the place that moved into where Turtle Soup was at Broadway and Dean? I heard it was a sports bar or something?

I stopped at Venda Ravioli on the way home tonight and walked through the Plaza. Most places don't have their hours posted, but Caffe Dolce Vita is open until 1 or 2. There's a new caffe/lounge on the Hill, Angelo Bianco's. It's at Dean and Atwells where the Providence Cheese Co. used to be. I haven't been in, know nothing about their menu, but I assume they're open late. Also on Atwells next to the Blue Lagoon is Sikar/Federal Hill Pizza. They're open until 1am I believe. But that's the place where all the boys from Cranston come with their greased hair and pretend they are big shots in the big city.  

[Nyuszi]

East Side Pockets (on Thayer) is an awesome place for late night food (though I've had at least one incident where I arrived around 12:15, the sign says open until 1:00, but it was dark).  Just a couple of doors down, Bagel Gourmet Ole is open until 1 or 2 - it has bagels, bagel sandwiches, and mexican food.

I go to both of these places fairly regularly, the staff are wicked friendly and the food is good for the $4-6 you're paying.

I almost cried when the Neighborhood Association forced the Twist license to include closing at 10/11 pm.  (Twist is the new Pinelli-Mara place that replaced Bookstore Cafe in Wayland Manor).  I live within stumbling distance and their apps would be awesome late night snacking.

[kinematix]

Stopped in to the Biltmore Saturday afternoon and got a tour of that new spa that just openned and I have to say I was really pretty impressed. With all the rumors of the Biltmore struggling financially (which it may well be anyway..) I was happy to see some solid outside investment (they did not skimp on anything, at all).  Could even have some positive risidual effects on the rest of downtown as well if people decide to make it a destination if not at least make the hotel itself more of a draw.

[Garris]

Glad to hear that the Biltmore spa is looking good...  Isn't that one of the Elizabeth Arden Red something spas?  They are supposed to be very good.  

I'll add a...

GARRIS RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Restaurant: Twist
Neighborhood: Wayland Square
Address: Angell St, in Wayland Manor

Wayland Square now had several restaurants, none of which I'd necessarily say are "destination" establishments.  Haruki East is good, but those from Fox Point who eat at Sakura or from Hope Village who frequent Ran Zen have sushi that's just as good.  The Daily Bread, Spoons, Ruffles, and the Wayland Deli are nice neighborhood stops, and the Subway's a Subway.  In short, nothing that will have Federal Hill residents clamoring for a RIPTA pass to Wayland Square.  Well, Twist might finally be a restaurant worth coming here for.

     First, it's setting is interesting.  On a dead quiet residential street, you have to walk down a long entrance into the basement of the imposing Wayland Manor apartment building into the restaurant.  When you burst through the doors, however, things change dramatically.  A large, sleek, suprisingly bustling dining room with a stylized, backlist "Twist" lighting fixture on the bar wall beckons you.  The ambiance reminded me much of a good NYC or Minneapolis restaurant that has enough conversation and tableware clanking to say "dynamic!" but not so loud to prevent easy conversation.  We don't have a lot of restaurants in Providence with that kind of atmosphere.  3 Steeple St, Big Fish, and 10 Steak and Sushi pop immediately to mind as those that do, but now we have another in Twist.

So, how was the food?  In a word, excellent.  The menu is best described as New American Eclectic, with a lot of fusiony dishes.  First, the portions are enormous.  My sister got an appetizer, I got a salad, and both of those were enough to be full meals before our entrees ever arrived.  We took a lot home.  

My sister had a hummus appetizer.  The hummus itself was very tasty, if a bit too much lemon for my appetite.  She enjoyed it enormously.  The pita bread was outstanding, being of a puffier variety I've never seen before.  It reminded me more of several types of Indian bread.  The veges, cheeses, and shreaded beets that also came with the dish were all wonderful and fresh as well.

My "Thai" salad was playful and fresh.  The greens, noodles, and mandarin oranges were served in a chinese takeout carton over a bed of dried edamame and dried noodles.  The salad's sweet and sour dressing was wonderful and topped with three plump, fresh chicken pieces on skewers.

My appetizer was a salmon special in a sweet and sour sauce with a warm edamame side and more greens.  The warm edamame side was wonderful, with large, fresh, deliciously textured beans mixed with a hint of butter, salt and pepper.  It was, honestly, better edamame than I've had at any of the Japanese restaurants in town.  The greens were fresh as well.  The salmon dish was maybe the only slight negative.  While fresh and tasty (and a large piece of fish at that), the sauce over it was very overpowering, almost to the point where at times it was hard to tell it was salmon.  Only the texture of the fish told you it was from the sea rather than being a piece of chicken, pork, or turkey.

My sister's turkey club sandwhich, on the other hand, was excellent.  Again, everything was fresh and the bread used was almost a sweet sourdough and was wonderful.  Her mashed potato side was terrific as well, again tasting fresh, chunky, and flavorful.  She felt it needed more pepper, and added some more to good effect.

We were far too stuffed for desert.  And the price for all of this?  Very reasonable.  No entree on the menu is more than $18 (14-15 is more the average), appetizers range from 5-8 dollars, and salads were about 6-9 dollars, all with enormous portions.  When we do Twist again (and we will), we'll likely just forget the salad and appetizers, or just split one, which will make it even more reasonable.  We didn't order wine, but their list looked decent.

The place was packed all night, including when we left at 9:00, which was very encouraging.  The people sitting next to us had said they had already been there several times, but this was the first night it had been standing room only.  Perhaps word is starting to get out.  Twist is a must-eat for anyone living within striking distance of Wayland Sq (and will probably become a regular stop for those folks), and it's worth the trip for those from Downcity, the "Hill," and even the "burbs."

- Garris

[provid]

Nice restaurant review Garris.

(How about that smoking ban eh?  Even places like Tazza are much nicer than before. )

[Cotuit]

Excellent review.

I went to Zooma on Federal Hill and don't have such a good report. The meal was certainly good, but nothing I would rush back for. The service was a little lacking, not that we were waiting for our meal forever, but just little things. It certainly wasn't bad, but I wouldn't rush back, there's plenty of other places I need to try before making a return visit. The bar area is very nice, and it would probably be a good place for drinks, as Eclectic Grill before it was.

[Cotuit]

I think this photo is a hoot!



The article is pretty good too.

[Cotuit]

ProJo editorial about smart development vs. big boxes in West Warwick.

ProJo editorial on forward thinking in Newport.

[Garris]

I found this interesting article on the redevelopment of St. Louis' downtown in "The New York Times."  There are some interesting Providence correlations.  Here's the link (free registration required):

http://www.nytimes.c...ess/30prop.html

- Garris

[Garris]

Help me plan some vacations!!

I have a few days off in about two weeks and a solid week in the end of May and am looking to plan an Urbanplanet sensitive vacation .  My criteria for places to go are:

- There has to be some town/city component, walkable...
- Great restaurants...
- Wonderful photographic opportunities (interesting architecture, on the water, nearby natural beauty, etc.)

For the 3-4 days off in April, I'd like to keep things within 1/2 day drive of Providence.  I'm actually starting in Boston for a day or two (not part of the above 3-4 days), then considering:

- Portsmouth, NH as a base, photographing there and surrounding water/towns (maybe do a half day in Manchester).  Good restaurants, I understand, but is there that much interesting there to photographic in and around the area?  What else really is there to do?

- Montreal - Obviously a larger place, terrific restaurant town, great architecture, many attractions.  I maybe could even make it to Ottowa for a half day or so...  Much longer drive, though...

I'm leaning towards Montreal.  Another thoughts on those options or other suggestions?

For the week in May, I'd like some help.  My criteria for that trip would be:
- Distance not a huge issue...  I'm willing to fly.
- Somewhere warm, although this isn't necessary...
- Needs to be a city or town...
- Some attractions and/or nearby natural beauty preferred...
- Somewhere I've never been before, or not for a long time (you all obviously can't read my mind, but, for ex, I've only been in Seattle for a little more than a day and I already know I'm going to LA for a convention in '06, so I'm avoiding CA for now)

I'm currently considering:
- Charlestown, SC (not sure there's enough to maintain interest, though)
- Santa Fe, NM
- New Orleans
- Seattle, WA
- Sonoma wine country, but I fear this will be an ultra-jammed, popular option after the movie "Sideways."  
- Washington, D.C. (yes, I've been there before, but it's the budget option for now... No flying needed)

Another thoughts on those options or other suggestions?  Thanks!

- Garris

Edited by Garris, 04 April 2005 - 09:32 AM.

[AriPVD]

Garris--It would probably be less expensive to fly to DC than to drive with current gas prices.  Check out Independence Air, Spirit Air and Southwest from TF Green.