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Do you mean right now? I drive and park on Thayer all the time...

We are now approaching my favorite time of year - When you first realize that the students have finally left and the city is ours once again. Easy to find parking ahoy!!  There is nothing I like more than the first week or two after the kids pack up shop and move home.

Liam

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I agree with ya. I can usually find parking on Thayer, but only after driving around the block a few times. But I do get so angry at Brown for not providing enough parking for students and faculty. If we close the street, which will NEVER happen, where are the RIPTA buses suppose to go???????????????

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I meant to mention this earlier. Ocean Coffee Roasters on Waterman Street has closed. Sign in the window says it is becoming @ Ease Cafe. New management, new menu, and extended hours. Re-opening in Mid-July (of course it's Late-July now).

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Does anyone have any new photos from Thayer of the Brown Life Sciences building under construction? The only one's I've seen online are from ArtinRuins, and they are 7 months old. Living in Florida now, I don't get much chance to walk by and check the progress. ;)

Also, my two cents on making Thayer a pedestrian street (even though there's no way it would really happen) ....

I think it would actually work well. Traffic patterns would not be meaningfully disrupted, since no one in their right mind actually drives down Thayer as a through-street (since traffic always moves at about 15 miles an hour, as people cruise for parking).

Most businesses wouldn't suffer. Many people seem in denial about what Thayer street is naturally becoming - Brown's food court. Eastsiders shop at the mall, wayland, or north main street now. No amount of bittersweet nostalgia will ever turn Thayer into a "neighborhood" shopping strip again. A pedestrian street would make Thayer an even more attractive loaction for students to hang out, thus increasing business for all the food vendors.

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Does anyone have any new photos from Thayer of the Brown Life Sciences building under construction? The only one's I've seen online are from ArtinRuins, and they are 7 months old. Living in Florida now, I don't get much chance to walk by and check the progress. ;)

I'm not sure a ton of progress has been made. The building's steel is draped with sheeting right now. It's pretty darn big, actually... Good for Brown, as they need the lab space.

I'll take some photos for you the next time I'm in the Science Tower on Thayer.

Also, my two cents on making Thayer a pedestrian street (even though there's no way it would really happen) ....

I still don't like the idea... I think there's some dynamism that happens with the cruising and strutting of cars, bikes, etc. there... I wouldn't want it to feel like Burlington's pedestrian mall (even if it was a good setup for such, which I don't think it is).

Many people seem in denial about what Thayer street is naturally becoming - Brown's food court. Eastsiders shop at the mall, wayland, or north main street now. No amount of bittersweet nostalgia will ever turn Thayer into a "neighborhood" shopping strip again.

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What a great quote, "Brown's food court." That's 100% correct. The same is actually true in Wayland Sq too, which is rapidly dividing in the same way Thayer is... Right now, about 40% restaurants, 40% neighborhood services, and about 20% "destination shopping." I think Wayland Sq will continue to become evenly split between services and food, even though its owners seem to want it to become a "tiny Garden City."

You're right about the "bittersweet nostalgia" too, which is starting to become more bitter nostalgia amongst the 65+ and India Point folks... There are few places anymore where you have the main street where you do your clothes shopping, shoe shopping, car shopping, food shopping, appliances, repairs, etc all in the same hamlet... That died in America (sadly) about 2-3 decades ago, and nothing about the American economy (production, distribution, marketing, etc) is structured for the success of such endeavors anymore. Main streets need to make themselves dining, entertainment, and niche retail destinations...

- Garris

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Thanks a bunch Garris. A photo of the LiSci from the SciLi would be perfect!! (and yes, that's what Brown people really call them).

Also, I don't want to sound too harsh about all the neighborhood and "indy" retail closing - but reality is reality. The locals are shopping at the mall, and the Brown/RisD/high school kids simply don't require the same type of retail as the locals did. So things will shut down.

I mean, the dirty hippie in me (and all Brown students have a little dirty hippie in them) thought it was really cool to have stores like Toms Tracks, In Your Ear, Atlas Bower, College Hill Bookstore, Geoffs in the big pretty building, and so forth. But the brutal reality is that I never actually bought stuff there - and neither did most of the other students. (I especially don't understand how the hell Geoff's stays in business. Overpriced and mediocre.)

Want to know where I regularly went in my four years there? Kabob & Curry, Paragon/Viva, Antonios, Andreas, and CVS. Lots of my friends were big on Starbucks, ABP, Ben & Jerry's (and Urban Outfitters for some inexplicable reason). Hell, maybe some of those places have closed since 2004 ... but it seems to me that the places popular with students are the ones that are healthy and stay open.

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Thanks a bunch Garris. A photo of the LiSci from the SciLi would be perfect!! (and yes, that's what Brown people really call them).

No problem. It'll be my pleasure...

But the rutal reality is that I never actually bought stuff there - and neither did most of the other students.  Want to know where I regularly went in my four years there? Kabob & Curry, Paragon/Viva, Antonios, Andreas, and CVS. Lots of my friends were big on Starbucks, ABP, Ben & Jerry's... but it seems to me that the places popular with students are the ones that are healthy and stay open.

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Absolutely 100% correct... Obvious, one could say :). Yale used to poll the students and community about what businesses they wanted on Broadway in NH, and they'd try to attract them. It's just the same kind of mix Thayer has right now...

I especially don't understand how the hell Geoff's stays in business. Overpriced and mediocre.

I agree. It's a decent place, but not for the prices they ask for. Amazing they get business.

I went to Kabob and Curry for the first time tonight. Not bad at all... The spiciness/hotness is way toned down for American tastes (Taste of India and Bombay Club do that way better) but K&C is a good value and the service was nothing short of outstanding. I had selections off their beer festival menu that were very nicely done...

- Garris

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Random observations:

- The building with Sakura on Wickenden seems to be building out/expanding...

- I just noted the business Tropical Gangsters on Wickenden (I have no idea what they sold) is closed, but I don't know how long this has been the case for...

- The new restaurant on Angell in Wayland Sq seems to be making good progress. The storefront is beautiful, with a big cool fork over the door...

- Similarly, the storefront (restaurant front?) that they've been working on for some time on Angell near Thayer seems to be nearing completion...

That's all I've noticed on the East Side for now...

- Garris

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The storefront next to the new Subway on Waterman has had it's front patio all torn up. Don't know if it's utility work for the building (some pipes were exposed by removing the patio) or if it's work for a new shop.

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Can anyone tell me how and when the biker phenomenon on Thayer St. reached the level it's at now? I went there quite a bit as a teenager, and don't remember the scene being anywhere near what I see when I venture to Thayer St. nowadays.

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Anyone know what the deal is with Smoothie King?  What a sad story...ripped out all the old pharmacy fixtures in that building to ply their bland corporate image and then they fold after a year.

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I remember when that was E.P. Anthony Pharmacists, one of the anchors of a classy neighborhood shopping district. Beautiful old mahogany cabinets and kindly old pharmacists wearing white coats and bow ties. One of those Thayer St. institutions like the Thayer Market (now CVS); the Alba-Runci barber shop (with the wooden horse in the window); A.S. Bunn Liquors (they used to deliver); Ashby-Dean Sporting Goods; and Arthur Palmer (where Starbucks is now) where you would buy your Levis.

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The storefront next to the new Subway on Waterman has had it's front patio all torn up. Don't know if it's utility work for the building (some pipes were exposed by removing the patio) or if it's work for a new shop.

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You beat me to it :). I noticed this too... I hope it's for a shop, as that would be a cool space there below street level...

Also, in Wayland Sq, the "Synergy: Power Yoga" studio on Medway St. (which seemed to open and then close in the span of a week after replacing a pilates studio that went to Wickenden) is being cleaned out again and looks like it's being prepped for something else.

I think I may have mentioned it before, but the new restaurant on Angell in Wayland Sq (I think owned by the Mills Tavern folks) looks real close to opening. The facade (including big stylized fork over the door) seems done, the interior has chairs and tables, and white coated wait staff seemed to be milling around the interior yesterday!

- Garris

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I remember when that was E.P. Anthony Pharmacists, one of the anchors of a classy neighborhood shopping district. Beautiful old mahogany cabinets and kindly old pharmacists wearing white coats and bow ties. One of those Thayer St. institutions like the Thayer Market (now CVS); the Alba-Runci barber shop (with the wooden horse in the window); A.S. Bunn Liquors (they used to deliver); Ashby-Dean Sporting Goods; and Arthur Palmer (where Starbucks is now) where you would buy your Levis.

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I think when people have referred to people looking back on Prov neighborhoods "nostalgically," this is what they had in mind :). It must have been really interesting to see, but I think the days of Prov neighborhoods like this, with markets, clothing shops, shoe shops, etc is long past. It's all about dining, neighborhood services, and niche retail now.

- Garris

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Definitely true - for better or worse. The merits of Thayer St.'s condition now as compared to its condition 20 or 30 years ago is questionable. But the city as a whole is much more interesting place now than it was then. Unlike some native Providence residents, I wouldn't want to go back. Bring on the new Providence!

I think when people have referred to people looking back on Prov neighborhoods "nostalgically," this is what they had in mind :).  It must have been really interesting to see, but I think the days of Prov neighborhoods like this, with markets, clothing shops, shoe shops, etc is long past.  It's all about dining, neighborhood services, and niche retail now.

- Garris

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The new restaurant in Wayland Square in the former Newport Creamery site is now open! It's Called "The Red Stripe: An American Brasserie." I jogged by this evening, and it was jam packed (how do so many people already know it's open if I live down the street and just found out?).

The interior looks absolutely gorgeous, with an open kitchen on the right and a matching, slick bar on the left, with seating in the middle. There's also some very limited sidewalk seating as well.

Everyone in there looked well dressed, and I didn't want to run in dripping sweat to look at a menu. Open at about 9:20 PM across the street from the also open (and quite nice) Starbucks space, Wayland Sq now has a touch of life past 8 PM (Starbucks, Wayland Bookstore, Haruki, Twist, Subway, and Minerva Pizza now are all open past 8, and all but the bookstore past 9).

I'll plan to go soon and post a review.

- Garris

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Went to Red Stripe for dinner. It's nice, especially if you enjoy my parents' set of 50 year old friends with too much money. It's definitely an East Side scene. Finally a place in Providence where you can get pommes and steak frites and omelettes aux truffes. Reminds me of Pastis on 9th Avenue in New York.

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I went to Red Stripe last night too and had a great experience. The Lamb is up there with the best dishes you can find in Providence. Certainly not cheap but I thought they did a great job especially with the service given that they've only been open a week or so. My only negative review involves the noise. They didn't design a good way to muffle conversation making the place louder than most. Over all, high reviews from me.

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I went to Red Stripe last night too and had a great experience. The Lamb is up there with the best dishes you can find in Providence. Certainly not cheap but I thought they did a great job especially with the service given that they've only been open a week or so. My only negative review involves the noise. They didn't design a good way to muffle conversation making the place louder than most. Over all, high reviews from me.

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Wow, I'm glad to hear it and I really want to go... But again, I ask... How did all you folks know this was open!?!?

- Garris

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I went to Red Stripe last night too and had a great experience. The Lamb is up there with the best dishes you can find in Providence. Certainly not cheap but I thought they did a great job especially with the service given that they've only been open a week or so. My only negative review involves the noise. They didn't design a good way to muffle conversation making the place louder than most. Over all, high reviews from me.

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Where is it?

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It's just opposite Starbucks in Wayland Square and I knew it was open because I walked by and poked my head in. They also mentioned that they'll be open for lunch starting later this week or next week - can' remember.... Worth the trip for the food but decidedly older crowd - not a huge surprise given the price tag :whistling:

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Or in Rhode Islandese, where Newport Creamery used to be.

It's just opposite Starbucks in Wayland Square and I knew it was open because I walked by and poked my head in. They also mentioned that they'll  be open for lunch starting later this week or next week - can' remember....  Worth the trip for the food but decidedly older crowd - not a huge surprise given the price tag :whistling:

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