It’s sad that Providence is only an hour from Boston, and yet up until last weekend, I had never been. Actually, quite a few people I talked to from Boston have never visited this, or any other “second-tier” New England capital, and after taking a day trip there, I must say I think we’ve all been missing out. It has a quiet persistence and battered about look that I’m taken with, the sort of place that’s been beaten down but that has managed to pull itself back up for another round. That’s my first impression, at least, and it makes me want to come back for more.
L and I left Beantown around 8am and got into Providence in time to break fast properly at Nick’s on Broadway. Nick’s came highly recommended by several independent sources, so we arrived early and hungry. It has the outfit of a retro diner, with its bright red walls, metallic tabletops, and locals with their spreads of newspapers at the counter. That said, it’s a diner for serious eaters. House-made sausage and pickles, frittata of seasonal vegetables, and house-baked brioche are on the locavore-loving menu, alongside more traditional diner fare like breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, and omelets.
Throughout our meal, we also noted the small touches that separate a half-decent restaurant from one you fondly remember. For example, these unusual (but 100% real!) flowers on display from the florist down the street:
I think the waiter told us they were protea flowers. Flora are not my thing, but this one’s massive, hairy bulb and delicate, colorful tendrils (bracts?) caught my eye. Check out this one.
Continue eating ->
. It’s funny, though, how disparate moments in your life often seem to weave these uncanny connections between themselves. I was sharing a little about this with L, who reminded me of Steve Jobs’ fantastic commencement speech at Stanford in 2005, in which he tells a story about “connecting the dots” in his own life. Here’s the speech, which I highly recommend watching/reading if you haven’t yet:
