Jerry2

Just got to Philly...not officialy moving until the end of the month/1st week of June but I do love it already....There is a certain vibe when you move to any new area. All the initial inhibitions are overcome with a relaxing calm that I imagine early explorers felt....albeit some level of anxiety...there is something exhilirating about it. Philly is a beautiful city with a lot of character and a lot of space.....can't wait to explore more....

Congratulations! I'm no really sure if this is by the rules or not but if you haven't secured financing yet, you can PM me and I can run through a scenario for you. Our mortgage terms are not based on a fee scale nor a yield curve. As far as the neighborhood, I don't think it's as bad as it is portrayed. The majority of the problems in that area are based around a small low income project on lower Pleasant St. However, as with most of Pvd, I think the best time for an accurate depiction of any area is best done on a hot day in July.

What a riot! I just got done watching it.........lollollol

I stopped in the new Wal-Mart about an hour ago to pick up Turbo Tax and printer cartridges. Other than the place being packed, I witnessed 2 mothers shoplifting while their children drew attention away from them. Furthermore, there were no security guards on duty and the shoplifting sensor was going off the whole time I was checking out. No one even bothered to check anybody. What a disaster! It won't be long before this place is shut down just like Stop & Shop on Elmwood.

Glad you're OK too....It's a shame that had to happen to you, but hopefully you will learn from this experience. Things and places aren't always what they appear to be.

Lone Ranger, That was beautiful!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Let's all take a moment of silence and hope that 2007 brings more vibrancy to our urban centers...less strain on our natural areas....Kudos to West Greenwich and their successful conservation victory....Let's hope that a solid proposal comes out of the Fogarty proposal....that Grant's Block gets development renders, that 110 actually breaks some sort of ground and Miriam sells some of their vacant lots on No. Main. Let's hope that the EP waterfront development moves into the next stage without looking like a Tampa suburb and the Loco-motion doesn't flop. Thank-you for an enlightening year of reading the opinions of others on the climate of Pvd. and RI. Although I sometimes find some of your opinions and ideals a little ridiculous, socialistic( you like that Ruchele huh), and at times borderline blasphemous and racist, I can say that a select few of you have altered my opinions on a number of things...esp. Garris. Have a great holiday!!

I'm leaving work early. I'll be the cuckoo clock with the army bandana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The skyline view from 146 @ Mineral Spring Avenue looks really good.....as does the top of Atwells Avenue.

Think of all the little Veruca's (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) and their daddies in this country!

I have a project going on for one of my classes highlighting retail shopping trends and how taxes and convenience factor in to a consumer selecting their decision....so I went to the Marshall's Plaza today in North Attleboro and polled 100 people on where they live and why they come to North Attleboro to shop. Not all questions illicited a response...more one-liners than anything except for a few elderly who were a little more friendlier. 91% of the people were from RI. Pawtucket-19 Central Falls-10 Cumberland-9 Woonsocket-6 Providence-14 East Providence-3 Lincoln-8 Cranston-4 East Greenwich-1 Foster-1 Burrillville-3 North Providence-2 North Smithfield-4 Smithfield-6 Warwick-1 Most people quoted the sales tax being less in MA and the fact that there was more concentrated shopping with plenty of parking. Interesting...

And 15K of them live from Providence to New Bedford

This place is literally on the Seekonk border so some of the retail is in EP and some is in Seekonk. I don't really care as long as it's convenient and will get me out walking more. I'm surprised that nobody brought that up at the Providence Tomorrow meetings. That has always been one of my biggest gripes about living in Pvd. If you're going to live in the city, it's got to be convenient. With all the other problems that Pvd faces along with countless other urban areas, there has to be an incentive to stay in the city.I can't count how many times I've had to force myself to go out and walk to destinations unknown just to get a little exercise. There are no banks, no pharmacies, no markets, and limited sit down places on Smith Hill. Sure there's a DD and a new Tim Horton's and Olneyville NY system and a host of unkempt Asian places with more health code violations than rice ...but nothing to really make it a neighborhood. I've had countless issues with neighbors, vandalism, anonymous tree-cutters and theft. At some point, it just becomes too much. If it were really worth staying here, I would continue to fight. Also, I can't count how many times people say to me, " Jerry, how convenient! You can walk right to the mall." Now I know there are a couple banks and a pharmacy in the mall...and yes...I could walk to the mall very easily. But realistically, who wants to go to a mall to p/u a prescription or buy a card? If you've seen one mall, you've seen them all. People get off the highway, park, and get right back on. I do think that the mall has overall been a positive step for the city, but I don't think it's helped any of its surrounding neighborhoods. (including Downcity) Hopefully, that will change. The majority of neighborhoods in Providence are subpar with what one would expect with the urban lifestyle. There are a few exceptions like Hope St., Wayland Square, and a few slivers of certain neighborhoods, but overall it's below average. I find it ironic that in so many cases, people vent their frustrations on police sirens but are perfectly content with another medical office opening in prime retail spots because they pay rent. It's almost astonishing. When looking at places, I completely skipped everything listed for Providence. I, at first, entertained the notion of going to an area that I've never lived like the Armory, Broadway, and even Washington Park. After driving down some of the streets and looking at some really beautiful homes, I said to myself, " Are you crazy?" There is nothing here. Yes, it's a nice neighborhood with beautiful homes in one of the densest cities in the country, but there is nothing here. It's not walkable. There are almost no neighborhood services. I'll be using my car even moreso than when I lived on Smith Hill. This is a big issue and it's one that Pvd should address if it is to grow. People that don't like public schoolchildren, police sirens, traffic, and every other thing associated with cities will eventually move on to their sliver of sunshine in suburbia. There are many people that would love to live in the city if it were beneficial to them in one way or another, myself included. Whether that 1 beneficial thing was more job opportunities, mass transit, or convenient walkable shopping destinations...it doesn't matter.