Going to the Chapel!

Don’t let the rain fool you. It is indeed spring. And spring means wedding season! It is hard not to love a wedding. Fairy tale couples with their sparkles, poofy dresses, and poetry readings. Those DIY, crafty couples that see a wedding as an art explosion, filled with opportunities to show off their unique abilities. The sleek, elegant types, using the wedding as an excuse to don a silk gown and a tux while feeding guests an over-the-top menu to the sounds of a string quartet. Even the couples who claim they don’t care about weddings don’t mind an excuse to have all of their loved ones in one room belting out the lyrics to “Don’t Stop Believin'”. There you have it; I’ve broken down all couples into 4 stereotypes. I am a genius.

Why am I rambling about weddings? Not because my first anniversary is coming up and all the glowing memories of that amazing day are bursting at the seams (but that does help). The reason is that it is Warren’s Wedding Weekend!

This weekend 3 stores are offering discounts to couples planning their wedding. Here are the details:

1. Muse, American handcrafted jewelry: 10% discount to couples on their wedding bands, gifts and favors.
2. Wedding Belle NYC: 10% discount on wedding dress orders, 15% off wedding dresses off the rack, and 60% off bridesmaid and social occassion dresses
3. The Greenery: 10% discount on all floral orders

Before I give you my unsolicited advice on shopping at these three establishments, let me bore you with details about our wedding. We planned a small, informal wedding on my grandparents’ farm in Freeport, Maine. Think lobsters, Dogfish IPA in plastic cups, tons of candles in Mason jars, tents, and a shoestring budget. I also wanted to follow shop local, which doesn’t always go with the shoestring budget and the drool-worthy Martha Stewart weddings.

When searching for wedding bands, we looked all over for something simple but not boring. Elizabeth at Muse was fabulous at helping us find what we want and working within our budget. She did the whole, “Hey, check out the sale rack” thing, and by George if one of those bands didn’t work out for my man! She also made necklaces for my bridesmaids and maid of honor that were stunning and again, within budget. I knew I made a good ch0ice with the present for my maid of honor, who has a reputation of having no heart. When she opened the box, she started to cry. If only I had caught the tears…I’m sure they have magical powers.

The Greenery was not yet open in Warren when we were planning our wedding, but it would have been perfect for us. The owner, Bridget, is easy to work with and super friendly. I love her flower selection and her bouquets are always beautiful and unique. For our wedding, we did our own flowers, a misguided decision probably based on a blog post or an article in Martha Stewart that gave me entirely more bravado than I deserve. I wanted wildflowers and simplicity and instead I got a wilted mess (with the exception of beautiful blue hydrangeas from my friend Janet’s garden). Based on that experience, I would say go ahead and pay someone for your flowers. They’re such a luxurious part of the day (fresh flowers!) and doing our own was time I would have rather spent knocking back jitter-calming cocktails.

Wedding Belles NYC has a beautiful selection of wedding, bridesmaid, and special occasion dresses in all price ranges for every type of gal. It is definitely worth a visit as the service is impeccable and the shop exactly what a bride is looking for: brimming with elegantly feminine details.  David’s Bridal this is NOT! Obtaining my wedding dress was a bit of experience for me, so I ended up with maybe 2 months to my wedding and needing a dress. I went major chain – J Crew. Don’t tell. I did go to Wedding Belles at one point in my dress shopping journey and loved the experience and the dresses. I was THIS CLOSE to buying a gorgeous sweetheart neckline, champagne silk dress with amazing lace detail (you know it’s a good one if you can still picture it). I highly recommend stopping by and seeing if your dress is there for you. Also, they have fabulous fancy-pants non-wedding dresses as well. I will probably stop by myself this weekend as I have a bunch of weddings to attend this summer. See you there, lovebirds!

Weekend in Warren!

Oh my goodness! It’s here! No, not the rapture, that’s May 21. See this for more info.

The weekend!

Here is what is going on!!

Friday

1. Stella Blues is featuring Nate Mott. Oh Friday night, what with your wings, Monty Python ale, and live tunes. And no work the next day.

2. Have art? Of course you do, you live in Warren, RI! But you always need more, right partner? The Wooden Midshipman is having an opening for Life as it Should Be, a collection of images of Bakersfield, CA. Think gritty black and white suburb + industry.

3. In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play at 2nd Story Theatre has been praised all over the damn place as being funny, hip, thought-provoking, and answer-providing. If you haven’t seen it, well, duh, get there. If you have seen it, then you know, right? Go see it again! And yes, it is about vibrators. Go tonight because  Saturday night it is sold out.

4. Acoustic Open Mic at the Coffee Depot. Free to sing and free to listen. Nice.

Saturday

1. Church Street Coffeehouse is in session tonight with Susan Souza!

2. Movie night at the Baptist Church in Warren featuring “You Again!” Doors open at 6:10pm, movie starts at 6:30. There is a small concession counter. Movie tickets are only $1!

Sunday

1. If you haven’t had your May breakfast yet, no fear! St. Mary of the Bay is having one just for you from 8am to 12:30. $6 per person and $3 per child. Mmmmm bacon.

2. Finder’s Keepers, the place for gently used fashion, is hosting a fashion show from noon to 5 pm to help you refresh your spring wardrobe. There will be margaritas and 10 percent of the sales will go to breast cancer research.

Sunday is Funday!

Blossoms and blue sky

Trees in bloom!

Please excuse the corny title but I am just high off of sunshine today! It is too gorgeous and springy and I don’t know what to do with myself besides smile and giggle  uncontrollably. It is a bit scary, must say.

Fellow Rhodies, we have earned this weather. We have suffered through the snow, the rain, and the cold to triumph with days like these. Don’t worry about the humidity the summer will bring; enjoy the fleeting nature of these sweet tempered days. I swear, if ANYONE is inside watching crappy TV today, they deserve their own personal rain cloud a la Grumpy Bear of the Care Bear ensemble. (Unless you are horribly ill or bed-ridden, then get well soon.)

The epitome of springtime

Today get out there and enjoy the weather. Use the bike path, hang outside at one of our cafes, or just go for a walk around town checking out the blossoming trees.

Today at 3pm (really really soon!) you can see the last of the previews for 2nd Story’s In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play. Get your tickets early and often, you know those folks are going to start selling out.

At 6pm down at The Wooden Midshipman (Yankee Magazine’s pick for Best Local Shopping) Michael Stewart will be reading from his new novel(la) The Heiroglyphics. Conversation, cocktails, and cool kids. All in one spot. (Does anyone else notice the amount of free booze Warren shops offer up? Yay for us!)

At Valerie’s Gallery in 30 Cutler Mills Suite 202 from 7-9pm, there will be a solo exhibit of Christine Ashley, the Best in Show winner of Bohemian Night #6.

Saturday in Warren

Apologies for not getting out a weekend activities post for last night. I hope everyone entertained themselves! Oh boy, oh boy, here is what is going on today!

Start your day off right with a tie-dyed luau at Sunnyside to help them celebrate their 2nd year birthday. Like you need an excuse to go there.

Then shimmy on down to help out ole Momma Earth at the Earth Day clean up. Meet at the Pete Sepe Pavilion near Hugh Cole School. You get a free T-shirt!

Tonight you have the tough decision of choosing between previews at 2nd Story for their newest, already praised production of In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play or the Mad Men party at Muse where you can dress up (if you like) like Don or Joanie, throw back martinis, and scope out some vintage dresses.

If I have missed something, please add it in!

Been around the world and I, I, I (part 2)

As promised, here is a continuation of my thoughts from my big trip out west. I loved the feedback on the bike post and so happy to hear that I was so wrong about the bike racks! And that they tie in to this idea:

Major thought #2:

Value public art and encourage creative public spaces

We should be known as the “artsy” town. Besides the wonderful galleries, studios, and artists who live here, our public spaces should be more unique and express our individuality! Where is our public art?  We started with the fire hydrants and that just petered out. They are in disrepair and getting painted back to their plain old colors. Seattle (specifically Fremont) and Portland are showcase cities for mixing public art while maintaining historic value. I am talking major sculptures here, things that make people stop and go Whoa, man. Cool. Now we don’t need a troll under a bridge with an actual Volkswagen Beetle, but I’m just putting the pressure on. Let’s up the ante! Adding a unique sculpture to a public space (say Burr’s Hill) does not take away from the history of the park. If anything, we will have contributed a point on its timeline.

Now before you read both of these posts and say, “If you love the west coast so much, why don’t you marry it? Oh and move out there?” My response would be: 1. I am already married, so I can’t marry either Seattle or Portland. Ah, timing. And 2. These two cities were lovely and we had a great time there but I did miss Little Rhody and missed quite a bit about Warren. I gained some perspective on what we do right:

1. The density of our small town is a treasure. The downtown area has so many wonderful, independent and unique businesses nestled about grand historic homes, whipped by the salty wind of the nearby working waterfront. Then within a 5 minute drive you are in a pastoral setting replete with cows, horses, and wildflowers. When you travel to other towns or cities, even on the east coast, you notice the effects of 1970 era “urban renewal” where downtown scenes were decimated in favor of big box store shopping plazas or urban planning that scatter business and residences far apart in a town.
2. The landscape is subtle and a balm for the senses. The west coast scenery is beautiful in a dramatic way – the crags and cliffs of white-capped mountains in the distance, the brillo-pad texture of pine trees. Warren’s nature is of muted tones and gentle curves. The bend of a river, the faded yellow of seagrass, the gently hypnotic pulsing of the newly arriving lion’s mane jellies. West coast scenery is a sharp inhale of excitement where our corner of the east coast is a slow, soothing exhale of relaxation.
3. Our people. Our lovely little town is full of eccentrics that we own, we embrace. They become our dancing lady. The woman who dances a bit when she jogs? That’s me.
4. Seafood, Portuguese food, and hot dogs. We nail it, every time. No one can convince me otherwise, but they are always welcome to try.

Been around the world and I, I, I… (part 1)

Travel gives “doubt of our own exclusive merits” (Samuel Rogers). After spending a wonderful week in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, I come back home refreshed, renewed and reflective. The two west coast cities we visited had infrastructure in place that really jived with me. Here are some ruminations from a completely unqualified person. Please keep in mind that I am not a town planner, politician, or other expert in the workings of a town. I’m just a resident of Warren who would like to see more of some things and less of other things. Don’t continue reading if this will anger you.

Major thought number #1:

Why are these two cities so much more bike friendly than our east coast cities and towns? What if Warren became a revolutionary little bike friendly town? Here’s what came to mind:

1. We are geographically flat. Great for non-strenuous biking. We could become a fixie playground!
2. We have a dense, downtown area where we are looking to attract traffic, slower traffic. Bikes tend to be slower than cars. Bikes on roads force cars to slow down.
3. We have a popular bike path that cuts directly through our town, right near this downtown area, where the bicyclists already have to slow down for traffic. Why not direct them to the downtown area?
4. 

   Pants for business and bikes!

   Weather does indeed suck in the winter in these parts. No argument here. However, spring? Summer? Fall? Plus, there are stores dedicated to bike culture in the west that sell accessories and clothing for the bicyclist to solve the myriad of problems associated with biking in inclement weather. I mean, biking in Seattle?! Imagine the rain you’d have to deal with! But the solutions are genius and my friends, lucrative. There is indeed a market for this.

So action! What can we do to make Warren more bike friendly?

1. 

   Holds 2 bikes and keeps the sidewalk clear!

   Bike racks. Anywhere. In front of businesses downtown, on Main St, Water St, small ones dotting the street to send the message that Warren loves bikes. There are bike racks you can attach to signs that don’t take up parking spots or sidewalk space.

2. Bike parking off the bike path near the public lot by the Town Hall. A row of them. Then a little sign and map directing people towards our wonderful downtown area, for people who may want to walk after their long ride from Providence.
3. Share the road signs. This would be the first step in becoming a community that respects bikes on the roads and help motorists be aware of bicyclists.
4. Keep the bike path clear of snow in the winter. This one may not be as fiscally feasible and I know cross-country skiers and snow-shoers use the path, but just throwing it down. Keep half the path clear? This would not just benefit those looking to use bikes to commute, but also those who like to run or walk to stay fit. It gets pretty tough in the wintertime.
5. Bike lanes. I know this idea will be a bit more controversial as they take away from car traffic and parking, but a lot of our streets are two opposite lanes of traffic plus parking that are already a bit too dangerous and congested for most people’s tastes (i.e. Main St and Water St). What if we re-worked the flow of traffic to make the roads more spacious and throw in a bike lane? What if we made Main St and Water St one way anti-parallel streets (meaning they go in opposite directions), add a bike lane, and keep the parking. Slower moving traffic that is bike friendly, less dangerous for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists and we keep the parking. This change in traffic flow would also increase the visibility of businesses on Water St.
6. Get a program such as bicycle benefits in place. We would be the first in Rhode Island! This program gives patrons who walk in with the Bicycle Benefits sticker on their helmets a discount in businesses who participate in the program. A great way for a business to say “We love bikes!”

Tomorrow I will talk about the need for public art and then bring it all home, literally.

This Weekend in Warren, RI

Here it is, the hottest events in town this weekend!

All weekend:

The Great Rhody Yarn Crawl is this weekend and our lovely local yarn shop, Bella Yarns, is participating. Any guesses on what a yarn crawl is? Well now that you’ve had your fun, I’ll fill you in. A yarn crawl is where a whole bunch of local yarn shops participate on one weekend (such as this one) and the more shops you browse in, the greater the chance you have at winning rizes! We love prizes! I don’t knit myself, but I inexplicably LOVE yarn shops. The color and textures of the yarn make a happy place for me. Anyhow, the culminating event for the yarn crawl is on Sunday April 17 at the Slater Mill Museum in Pawtucket. Go here http://greatrhodyyarncrawl.blogspot.com/ for more information.

Imago Art Gallery will be open featuring its Spring Invitational. There are some wonderful pieces in there, so get in there if you haven’t seen them yet. Or go ahead and see them again.

Were coming for ya!

Friday:

Tautog season opens! Get your fish on.

Stella Blues is featuring Christopher Rosenquest. Check out the track titled “Princess” on his page. Sounds like a great tune to wind down the week and start up the weekend as you ponder one of life’s great decisions: which beer to order from Stella Blue’s amazing selection.

Coffee Depot is having its famous Open Mic Night starting around 7pm. Check out some budding talent!

Saturday:

Mudstone Studios is so hot it’s melting glass! And then blowing it into fabulous shapes. Stop by from noon to 5 pm for the studio’s annual sale for a selection of pottery, sculpture, jewelry, woodwork, and finished glass pieces.

In Your Ear is participating in Record Store Day! Fall in love with vinyl and the experience of thumbing through an independent record store. As an audiophile myself, I predict that this event will be spectacular!  All new CDs and vinyl will be 10% off, used vinyl will be 25% off, and used CDs will be BOGO (buy one get one). If the weather cooperates, there will be a sidewalk sale and from 4-6pm there will be live music featuring Matt Martin from the bands Angry Farmer and The Wippets. Besides what is announced, there will be some special issue awesomeness vinyl delivered in secret (probably by ninjas) to independent record stores that participate, including IYE. In other words, there will be stuff you can’t get from iTunes. Check out recordstoreday.com for more info.

Stella Blues is hosting Matt Colasanti for some terrific tunes. I couldn’t find anything online as far as his solo work, but he is part of a band called Water Street. Check it out for a taste of his musical talents!

The Admiral Pub will have Colby James from 9-midnight. Fries with cheddar cheese, Monty Python ale, and some acoustic action.

Sunday:

The Wooden Midshipman will be one year old! They will be celebrating with sales and libations so head on down from 12-5. Sweater bags are on sale; I mean, we could party for that reason alone!

Have a great one people!

Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Touisset Wildlife Refuge

This was not “one of those days”. You know, those days where you need to get out of the house just to keep your sanity. It was actually a very nice day and when I got home from work I felt like continuing on with the nice-day-theme. I used my eloquent persuasive skills (come on come on come on come on please?) to convince my husband to explore the wild frontier with me: Touisset Wildlife Refuge, or The Audobon Reserve as the local locals refer to it. It wasn’t hiking weather yet and anytime I saw something in the green family I squealed with delight.

While we shared our stories of the day, we would often pause mid-triviality to hear some rustling through the brush and catch a glimpse of the hind tail of a rabbit. The bridge near the river, where the landscape becomes a marsh, was a breathtaking place to watch the sun prepare its final descent. This was the point when my breathing became deeper, my smile was no longer forced, and the tension in my forehead eased out. As we continue on the trail, we reached an aggressive river, with its strong current and slapping waves. The sound of the wind moving through the reeds made me feel as relaxed as if I had just had a 2 hour massage. We returned home to cook dinner, hungry for food but satiated by our brief trip.

We are so fortunate to have lands such as these preserved and close by. This landscape is so unique and accessible – not a strenuous hill in sight! Please enjoy our local parks, responsibly of course. Click here for more info and happy trails!

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Where are all the cool kids this weekend?

I thought you would never ask!

Friday night

For the bar and live music scene, you have can pop in to Stella Blues to catch Monsieur Kris Hansen or roll over to Tinker’s Nest and have Senior Hughie Purcell croon at ya. Say you are a budding musical talent agent and want to catch the next big thing? And are feeling too sleepy to have a beer? Well my friend, head on over to the Coffee Depot for their splendiferous Open Mic Night. Or what the hell, participate, man! You only live once. And you do a great rendition of Hell’s Bells on the ukulele. To get a slot, e-mail Manny and Cathy Perry at this address coffeshopopenmic@hotmail.com.

I’d talk about the amazing and awesome theater we have in town and how shame on you everyone for only thinking about boozing up and not thinking about going to the theater except I don’t have to. 2nd Story’s The Good Doctor as of right now (Thursday night at 7:46pm) is sold out for Friday night. There are tickets available for Saturday night, but call now, people, they are selling like hotcakes. If you haven’t hit that theater yet, go. Just do it, even if you think you’re “not a theater person”. One, theater is actually pretty great and fun. Two, they sell booze right there, ok wino? Three, this theater is different, it’s intimate, you feel like you could touch them if you had the audacity…it’s a ride.

Also, Friday the fire department is giving free rides to the destination of your choice within Warren. For a small donation, they will indeed blare sirens and you will have the god-like feeling of seeing traffic pull over for you. They have been polishing the trucks all week in preparation and can’t wait to meet the community members who fall for my April Fool’s joke.

In case you misunderstood me, that is a little April Fool’s Day prank. The fire department, to my knowledge, is not giving anyone free rides in their truck. If they are, please call me immediately because it sounds totally badass.

Saturday

Break out your crazy hat you crazy lady (or man). The Massasoit Historical Association is having a Mad Hatter Tea Party complete with sweets, sandwiches, and scones. And tea. No sweat if you don’t have a cool enough hat , they are optional. Reservations and the $15 donation however is politely requested. Call 401-245-0392 for info or reservations or check out the Maxwell House site.

Scared of the dance floor? When someone asks you to do the Dougie Dance, you ask your friend Doug what in sweet Mary’s name are they talking about? Well at 426 Fitness Dister Rondon, a New York choreographer will be holding a hip-hop workshop at 2pm to benefit relief efforts in Japan. The cost is $30.

Saturday night

Once again, Stella Blues is serving up the tunes with an amazing selection of beers! Nicky P is in the Saturday night slot. Hughie Purcell is on again Saturday night at Tinker’s Nest if you missed or liked him Friday night. And as of right now, 2nd Story still has tickets for their play The Good Doctor, which sold out last weekend and is getting great reviews in The Phoenix (“uproarious good”) and The ProJo (“just what the doctor ordered”).

That is all I know about; if you know about anything else, add it in the comments, would ya?

Survival Guide to St. Patrick’s Day

Now you know the details about where to celebrate St. Patty’s Day, here’s my waxing poetic bit:

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the cheesiness of St. Patrick’s Day: the token shamrock decorations, green shirts in abundance, variations upon the “Kiss me, I’m Irish” demands, confusing lines in your facebook feed that could only be attempts at Gaelic. Here is my advice: embrace it. You’ll have so much more fun today if you do!

March 17th has been recognized, for thousands of years by the Irish as the religious feast day of, you guessed it, St. Patrick. Did you know Pat was in fact a Brit? Oh yes indeed. He came to Ireland via captivity and it was there that he received his first message from God to leave Ireland. He escaped Ireland back to his homeland only to receive a second message from God telling him to return to the island of his captors to minister to the budding Christian community there and/or spread Christianity there (conflicting evidence on that second message). If I was Paddy, I would have been mighty annoyed by that second message. I mean, why leave Ireland in the first place? I guess that’s where they get the whole “mysterious ways” thing.

Anyhow, St Patrick was not martyred, so there is no gruesome and gory story about this saint, but he was crucial in converting the island to Christianity and was imprisoned a few times for it. The church was obviously really stoked about his evangelism and activism so bam – sainthood.

Now, a little history on the bacchanalia of St. Patrick’s Day. It is of course an American invention, celebrated in NYC in 1762 by Irish soldiers serving in the English military. They marched in a parade as a way to celebrate their Irish heritage and to connect with other Irishmen. I am sure the English LOVED it!

What I find interesting is that St Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday that occurs during Lent. It is meant to be  celebrated  without meat or alcohol. HA!

Instead, Irish and Irish-Americans have looked to this day as a way to re-connect with their heritage and with one another. The saying that everyone is Irish today is not just a line, it is truly meant. If you have been fortunate enough to visit the Emerald Isle, you will feel the sense of community everywhere in that country, whether it is in a large city like Dublin or small village. People know each other’s names there and don’t mind talking to perfect strangers. This is why I argue that you HAVE to celebrate St. Patty’s Day in Warren. There are tons of Irish pubs in Providence, but you are not going to have this feeling of camaraderie.  In a larger city, only the people you came with will talk to you and no one will sing along to the songs, no matter how much whiskey they’ve had. In Warren, someone might just kiss you – Irish or not.