Leaving Lost Providence

Wow -it’s been some time since I’ve posted here – but I’m still here.  I’ve actually been working on a book, written about something that’s been going on in my life, written very much in blog style.   Once it’s completed I’ll share links to my previews.

So about 2 years ago I moved away from Providence.   The place kind of grew on me, like Lichen on a tree (you don’t plan on it happening, you just turn around one day and there it is, all green and covering you).  I made some good friends and really appreciated the small town with all the problems of a major urban city.  Hey this is the city that sent their mayor to jail (Cianci) only to see him become a major radio personality and a TV News special reporter guest once released? Yes you read that correctly.  It’s one of those places that never seems to change, the people still refer to the new Starbucks as the place that used to be the place that used to be the old gas-station from 1967.  

So… recently when I went back to visit our friends, I wasn’t surprised to see the same people sitting in the same seats at Starbucks (Guess that happens at any Starbucks).  As I walked into Wayland square, I noticed that the place that used to be an ice cream shop, that became a deli had become a new olive oil and Balsamic vinegar shop.   I walked in and struck up a conversation with the owner.   He had just moved to Providence – I asked him how he liked Providence and his response “It’s ok, it kind of grows on you, but a little small town”.   To which I responded “Where are you from?”   His answer “close to Chicago, IL”.

Two years ago I moved from Providence,  I moved back to the place I love close to Chicago,IL… Ironic,  No?

 

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. – Seuss

…..Just one man’s rambling.

 

Providence Pride – Graffiti

I find it interesting where Providence chooses to spend it’s money – or my money as the case may be.   For such a small urban center, this city seems to be plagued with Graffiti.   It’s downtown, in East Providence, the East side, Federal Hill, no one place seems to be without Graffiti.   I compare this to Chicago – one of the top 3 largest cities – that doesn’t have a graffiti problem.   You see Mayor Daley of Chicago has his own graffiti busters team – sure it costs money, but pride always does – that’s why I always ask if Providence has any pride?   OK to be fair, there is a Graffiti team for downtown Providence, that goes around with rags and bottles and cleans up tags.   In fact the mayor has put a bounty on tracking down these “artists”.   However, I think that’s more talk then action.   In reality, they keep downtown Graffiti clean – but how about the other parts of the town?  There is a government number you can call to have it removed -1800-524-4377, in fact impressively enough you can go to the city of providence website and email a graffiti complaint.  However if you’re not downtown, it will probably take 3-4 calls/emails to get anything done and forget about having it fixed during the winter – they claim that the chemicals they use don’t work in the cold?  Strange that Chicago doesn’t have an increase in graffiti in the winter?  In fact, they claim that in order to remove graffiti from stop signs they need to replace the whole sign?   Have they not heard of anti-graffiti coatings?  We ended up taking things into our own hands and using Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #3 – for a lousy $10, you can remove pretty much anything with this stuff – yet Providence doesn’t seem to think this works in the winter?  Ironically enough, the East side which probably supplies the bulk of the tax base and where the Mayor of Providence lives, is probably the worst area for Graffiti – in fact just three blocks from the Mayors house you can find graffiti – perhaps his tinted limo windows prevent him from seeing it?  Come on Providence, Get some Pride!

 

Providence Parking…

Providence continues to amaze and entertain me.   Parking in the Providence train station runs $7.50 a day.   Cheap and effective parking for the morning commuter from the capital of RI to anywhere on the East coast Amtrak or MBTA will take you.   However if you get to the train station after 7am on any given weekday – the lot is filled – and there is no overflow parking at the same rate.   The next best option is the mall or the local finance building parking lot – which charges a daily rate of $15.00/day.   Fair – but a little high considering 30 minutes earlier I could have parked for $7.50.   Here is where the capital cracks me up.   All around the train station is metered parking – that’s two hour parking – so not useful for the day commuter.  However – if you do decide to park next to the train station and at a metered spot – the ticket you’ll get at the end of the day is $15.00!  So.. I can park in a parking lot 3 blocks away for $15 or I can park 50 feet from the train station for $15.00.   If I was the city – why wouldn’t I raise the price of a parking ticket in this area?  Another shinning example of Providence Pride.

 

Obama to get secret service coverage.

Word out today is that Senator Obama now has the Secret Service working for him – or protecting him.   It’s “Freakin” 2007 and a Black candidate finds himself in need of the Secret Service.   I thought we were past this a long long time ago.    It seems as though our society is going backwards – IMAS, Rap Music, and now the good Senator Obama – The rest of the world hates us, can we just manage to get along inside our own borders – never mind what’s happening outside America?  Take HIV and AIDS for instance – here you have a disease that we can’t cure and thousands of people are dying here in America and continue to get infected – and while we do have a duty globally – shouldn’t we also have a duty to those of us in America who are living with this disease?  So here we go – the Democrats have an African American and a Women candidate.  The republications have a divorcee from multiple marriages and who knows what else.

I saw a bumper sticker today: “Bush lied, Thousands died..” obviously a push at the fact that Clinton lied and no one died – but what did die?  Our social conscience – schools kids today really do believe that oral sex isn’t oral sex.   So before you go on a crusade after Bush, look in the mirror and ask yourself the tough questions – if you sanction the breakdown of the moral fabric of society then something is dying or at least died a long time ago..

Just one man’s rambling…

 

Providence Pride

The thought crossed my mind to send this to the editor of the projo – but why bother – it’s just one man’s rambling thoughts.   So here we sit in Providence going on 2 years and there are some observations that I just need to share with whomever wants to read them.  Just in case you don’t now Providence is a beautiful city – perched on a hill overlooking an inlet from the Atlantic and the Long Island sound.  It’s a city that is experiencing a Renascence of sorts – the capital of Rhode Island, the downtown area is very nice – however there are some things that just don’t make sense for a growing city.

The tax base (Those who are paying the tab for the most part) exists on the East side of the city.  Yet – the city spends the bulk of their money getting rid of the graffiti in the downtown area.   The east side is plagued with graffiti and repeat calls to the city go no where – the graffiti continues to pile up – you’d think it would bother the mayor who lives there – apparently he doesn’t see it through his tinted limo windows.

Then there is the fact that in this Capital city you can’t park on the city streets overnight – and the police have more time to ticket cars left on the street overnight then to help arrest the kids making the graffiti.

The train station, as a broken escaltor – that say’s “under repair” – it’s been under repair for two years!  If you don’t get to the train station before 7am – the capital train station, by the way, then you won’t be parking in the parking garage – and if the overflow lot is full – then forget it – there is no other option that’s close to the station.  The cruel irony of all this?  $7.00 to park in the train station, $15 to park in the overflow and get this; $15 for a city meter traffic ticket – so why not just park at the meter and call it a day?

Compound this with, slow-plows that miss certain small city streets, missing street signs(Good luck finding a street), and high schools that go empty because the the city can’t figure out who to send there, and you have the wonder-full Providence Pride I speak of!

 

LandMSchaffer

Well.. Hi there…  I finally gave up!   I had installed my own blog on my own server to do just this very thing – however this web 2.0 software seems to make the process so much easier and the web blogging software has come so far that I decided it just wasn’t worth it!   So here is where you’ll find my thoughts about what ever it is I decide to talk about.  Enjoy.

Who was it who said “We live in a life where lemonade is made with chemicals and lemon air freshener is made with real lemons?”…