Hello! My name is Adriana of Just By Living and I will be showing you around Providence, Rhode Island, my home sweet home. I live here with my husband, a DJ and daddy blogger (check him at The Hipster Dad), my 9 year old step son, and my 1 year old son, Hendrix. I am a freelance writer and owner of the (coming soon) vintage shop Runaway Vintage. Providence is a small city, I like to call it "manageable" especially with a kiddo in tow. You get everything you would want from a big city, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, art, and culture but without the headaches of city living. Traffic is hardly ever an issue, cost of living is low, and there is a great small town feel to Providence. I love that when going for brunch at our spot (more on that later) we will run into people we know, block parties are a pretty common occurrence, and the people at the farmers market know Hendrix by his first name. It's a welcoming, warm community and we are so proud and lucky to be apart of it.
Let's start with food.
If you want something yummy to eat head to Julians. This is my absolute favorite spot in Prov. The food is amazing, the cocktails are great (and cheap!), and the decor is really fun. Hendrix is always fully entertained looking around pointing out his findings. It's a bit like being inside an eye spy book. The bathroom even has an enormous collection of vintage pez dispensers and old school cartoons running on repeat. Art from rotating artists hang on the walls and they have a lot of options for vegetarians and vegans.
AS220 is an artists gallery, restaurant, and event space. They specialize in vegetarian and vegan meals and everything is made from fresh ingredients right in front of you. You can sit at the counter and watch the cooks do their thing just a few feet from you.
Chez Pascal is one of the most popular restaurants in Providence and it's not surprising. The food here is exquisite. I can't really say a bad this about Chez Pascal. They have a food truck that comes to our farmers market and i usually stand in front of it, salivating, for a good ten minutes trying to make up my mind about which delish dish to try.
Olgas Cup and Saucer is another fun spot to grab a good brunch or a coffee to go. It's right down the street from the Providence Children's Museum (more on that later) and we like to hit up Olgas before heading there for some fun.
Shopping
Queen of Hearts is a womens clothing shop filled with indie, hip clothing designers. Next door is an adorable shoe store called Modern Love (LINK http://www.queenofheartsandmodernlove.com/). Both are highly recommended. They carry some of my favorite brands including I'm Your Present and We Love Colors.
Rocket to Mars is a funky little vintage shop with great prices, friendly staff, and a fantastic collection of vintage goodies. They carry mens, womens, housewares, and furniture.
Craftland is an over the top craft store. When you step inside it's walls you feel like you fell down the rabbit hole. Colorful displays brimming with supplies, whimsical artwork, and crazy pinatas make up the decor.
Some other noteworthy shops include Frog & Toad for fun trinkets and gifts, for toys Creatovity and Pow Science. If you are in the mood for a day trip head to New Bedford and go vintage crazy at Calico and Circa.
Family Fun
The Providence Children's Museum is just lovely. I can remember going as a child and loving it. They have a really cute forest themed toddler area, large water room, huge outdoor play area, and giant sized light bright.
Roger Williams Zoo is a beautiful zoo surrounded by a large park.They have everything from a carousel, to a pond with swan boats, and of course, the animals. The elephants are Henry's favorite and if you time your visit right you can catch them getting their daily bath.
The Museum of Art at The Rhode Island School of Design is stunning. They have a family fun day on Sundays where you pay only a donation of your choice and man times on the weekends they will have activities for children to get them involved in the exhibits.
Providence is filled with playgrounds, splash pads, and parks. It seems like there is one on every corner. For a list and more info on some of my favorite parks head HERE.
If you are looking for some nightlife you can head the dubstep night called DGAF on Saturdays, Shake for indie music on wednesday, and the monthly night Flipside on the second Friday of every month.
Rhode Island is a small (the smallest to be exact) state but it is filled with culture, beaches, activities, and restaurants. Rhode Island boats so many fun little towns for day trips. My favorite is Newport, RI. It is a seaside getaway most famous for being popular with the rich and famous of the 1920's You can take tours of many of the Newport Mansions. They have names like "Rosecliff" and "The Breakers", overlook the sea, and make you feel like you are straight outta the book The Great Gatsby. You can head to one of the many beaches, my fav known a "1st beach" has a carousel, aquarium, and amazing views. You should stroll the cliff walk, play games at the giant arcade called Ryan's Amusement, shop on Thames Street, and dine at my favorite Newport eatery, The Salvation Cafe.
I hope you enjoyed my Slice of Providence, Rhode Island. Thanks to Dani for having me! xo.