Rhode Island

In Rhode Island all seems to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and all its sad turmoils.

Does Rhode Island have an accent? I thawed id was Lawn Guy Land, where it's hat.

Men have evolved in Rhode Island so that the average penis length in .3 inches shorter than other states. Scientists think it's because the state is so small and all the people are kind of squished in.

Are there any good bed and breakfasts for a quiet romantic weekend?

My ID was frozen.

[quote] Are there any good bed and breakfasts for a quiet romantic weekend?

We're not running a bed and breakfast here!

[quote]Are there any good bed and breakfasts for a quiet romantic weekend?

Oh, to spend that quiet romantic weekend with Sheldon Whitehouse....

Rhode Island is one of the most heavily Dem states

In Rhode Island all seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

R9 and R1

Well, as I said, it makes me forget the world and its sad turmoils.

All I can say is it was MAGA before Trump. Just before gay marriage was legalized, as domestic partners in CA my other half was legally entitled to get me on his insurance. The problem was even thought he worked and lived in CA, the main headquarters were in Rhode Island. When I called HR to apply, I got one of the nastiest cuntiest HR ladies I think I ever met. Not only did they deny offering insurance, that snarky bitch said "It's only for real married couples and last time I checked gay marriage is not legal"

Lots of sex clubs

R12 You just know she was a Linda Tripp-type divorcee with dogs

I've been a Rhode Islander all my life.

It's a solid blue state with the exception of a few Republican Governors who have snuck in. But no matter the party, politically it has always been one of the most corrupt states as far as state government is concerned. Things get done on a 'who knows who' basis, and 'who paid off who to make it happen'.

The economy has been strong, unemployment is a bit above the national level but that can be explained over the past eight months in which one of our major bridges had to be closed down due to it falling apart (I -195; again see my post on government corruption) so many businesses suffered since December and had no choice but to close. If customers and employees can't reach you - why bother ?

There is a thriving food culture and arts community here. Many chefs start restaurants here as it's more economical than starting in Boston, Cape Cod or NYC. JWU (a culinary university) turns out some top-notch grads who start their own food busiensses. We are also the home to RISD and Brown University among many other outstanding colleges and universities. Our #1 industry is hospitality and tourism - so yes, there are plenty of bed & breakfast places to visit. We have a heavy concentration of incredible Italian restaurants and seafood restaurants in every price range - which is why Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other chain Italian and Seafood restaurants have failed. We have an increase in the past 20 years of eclectic Asian foods as well. Portuguese food, bakeries and communities are all well represented here, too.

We have a beautiful shoreline, our beaches are world renowned, and our parks are top-notch. There's a huge gay community in Providence, which also has a gay mayor (our second). Minorities are well represented here., as well as many different religions (though we are mostly Catholic). It's affordable to live here still - though plenty of Bostonians have taken advantage of our lower property prices and bought here (but work in Boston - a 45 minute train drive away). The past five years, our property values have skyrocketed because of this.

We're 45 minutes from Boston, 3 hours from Manhattan, an hour from Cape Cod / The Islands and about 2 hours from Provincetown. What's not to love ?

And what R12 is trying to sell - forget about it. He admits that marriage wasn't legal at the time he called the HR dept in RI, and that's exactly what the woman told him. He didn't like the answer.

Do you like drinking copious amounts of Ice Coffee every day OP? If so you should get along fine.

Thanks r15, good info

My brother has a beach house on Misquamicut beach. He bought it decades ago for a song and a dance, and now it’s worth a fortune.

So, I’ve been to RI several times. Watch Hill is fun (Taylor Swift has a huge estate right on the water) and Providence is a cute and fun city, with great food.

Worth a trip

R15 Thank you! What about non-tourist/restaurant jobs? I'm sure schools and hospitals always need people, but what else?

Oh, another thing OP. My brother is from NY and has NY plates, and locals can be quite nasty.

One time locals told him and his wife to go back to NY and harassed them.

The home of former gay Congressman and Providence Mayor David Cicilline.

Go to Federal Hill and have an authentic Italian Meal. Friend opened a restaurant there in the 90's but had to close because he couldn't afford to pay off the mob.

He's no longer gay, r20?

His dad was a mafia lawyer

[quote]Please give me the scope

Oh DEAR

I’ll take a scope of strawberry ice cream

You forgot the most important items of interest to fat whores, R15: New York System hot wieners and bakery pizza strips and pizza rounds.

Back in the day, my mother and I would buy a bunch of hot wieners but take out the wiener and substitute a quality hot dog. The New York System sauce was delicious, but the wieners were quite nasty. There was a bakery on West Shore Road in Warwick that I used to frequent that had the best pizza rounds ever.

Now I'm in shitty Ohio.

[quote]Does Rhode Island have an accent? I thawed id was Lawn Guy Land, where it's hat.

The Rhode Island accent is similar to the Boston accent.

RI has a lot of blue collar types, it's not all wealthy people in big houses.

We were supposed to visit a college friend in Newport over Xmas but got COVID and had to cancel.

R27 wait, New England is not all wealthy WASPs who talk like Jim Backus or Katherine Hepburn?

r29 you'd be surprised how many people think New England is like that. Esp. Connecticut. I'm originally from CT and I've spent a lot of time in the South and it's hilarious how they think we're all filthy rich and live in mansions.

Regarding the accent, have none of you seen Family Guy?

Poor Jay. He bought this house for his wife.

What is Newport like?

R30 I mean the taxes alone have to eat you guys up, right?

The taxes are higher but so are the salaries.

Aside from hospitality / tourism and higher education, the other BIG industry in RI is the medical field. We have outstanding hospitals and medical research labs. We have well-respected renowned doctors, health facilities, and senior living facilities (another growing industry with aging boomers and Xers). There's plenty of job growth here.

Aside from Taylor Swift and Jay Leno, Judge Judy also owns a mansion in RI, which she bought years ago. It was said that when Barbra Streisand played the Newport Jazz Festival back in the 60s, she fell in love with Newport and bought a 'small summer home' there. She hasn't been seen in Newport in many years - not sure if she still owns anything there.

A few towns over from Newport is Bristol, RI - another beautiful seaside town and home to the oldest Independence Day Parade, which has never missed a march (despite weather not being cooperative all the time) since 1785. The parade brings people from all over New England. A beautiful condo complex was built on the waterfront about 20 years ago. Some 'celebs' bought units at the place (for astronomical prices) - according to real estate records back then the buyers included both Joey McIntyre and Donnie Wahlberg (of NKOTB fame), Tom Cruise, and Billy Joel (who also docks his yacht in the mariner nearby). Joel also owns a place on Block Island, RI.

[20] lol Not as gay as he was in his 20's. He was a voracious bottom then. Good for him. [21] True.

Clam fritters!!!

Any vicious trollops?

I posted in the DNC threads the other night that Taylor Swift was NOT going to be 'the surprise guest' at the DNC Thursday night, as she landed in RI on Wednesday evening and went straight to her home in Watch Hill, RI (I know this from my friend whose brother works security detail for her whenever she's home in RI).

Now the local media is all over the "news" that Swift is back in town after finishing her tour early, and she's been spotted the past few days walking the beachside town with Pat Mahomes and Travis Kelce by her side. They've been seen in restaurants, shops and along the beach. What's nice is that hardly any fans have bothered them (could be the security detail keeping an eye on things), which is why she keeps her home here. Also, no pictures of shirtless Mahomes - yet.

R40 True (i.e. old school/traditional/WASP) New Englanders would consider it rude to bombard a celebrity on holiday.

R41 But it's not just New Englanders there at Watch Hill in the summer - that spot attracts tourists from all over the country and around the world. My friend owned a clothing retail business there in the early 00s, and most of her customers were from Europe and Asia - wealthy families who vacationed there.

[quote] True (i.e. old school/traditional/WASP) New Englanders

Okay here's the thing - one of DL eldergays' persistent fantasies is that New England is still full of WASPs who behave like CZ Guest circa 1960. That world is long, long gone. Everybody is just "white people" now, and everybody behaves pretty much the same way. New Englanders of Polish, Irish, Italian etc. ancestry (which is over 100 years ago at this point) behave in exactly the same way as New Englanders who have English ancestry.

The delusions of DLers are kind of sad and funny at the same time.

Hell, the elite private schools in CT and MA are full of Asians, and most of the other kids come from a variety of backgrounds.

Greenwich CT has a large Italian-American population. The Mayor of Greenwich is Fred Camillo FFS.

I know a queen from one of my online communities and chat with him regularly. He works in Pawtucket and is always posting from restaurants having cocktails with his husband in Rhode Island, so I just assumed he was from Rhode Island and referred to him living there one day. He became offended and said he doesn’t live in Rhode Island but just over the line in Blackstone, MA. He acted like I insulted him even though he seems to spend all his work and free time in RI. Weird. Someone explain this dynamic to me.

R45 Massachusetts is the creme de la creme of New England while Rhode Island is the Detroit of New England.

Rhode Island has a lot of lower-class areas, which is surprising to people who aren't familiar with RI. It's like the people who think Long Island is all the Hamptons and the Great Gatsby etc. Huge areas of Long Island have some of the trashiest people in the US. They could give Southern white trash a run for their money.

Which cities and towns are the trashiest?

West Warwick is very blue collar. That was where the horrible Station nightclub fire happened, just over 20 years ago.

R45 I'm betting he works at HASBRO which is headquartered in Pawtucket, RI.

Blackstone, MA is nothing to brag about, yet those who live there do brag. I had friends who lived there for five years (due to her husband's commitment to a family business located there) and couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. It was very pretentious and fake, with everyone trying to 'outdo' each other but don't have the means to do so. Many people from Hasbro who have well-paying jobs live in the more affluent communities of Cumberland RI and Smithfield / Lincoln, RI. If your Hasbro job doesn't pay enough and you can't afford those areas, you pretend to have more money than you do and move to 'Blackstone' .

[quote]Which cities and towns are the trashiest?

Central Falls, RI - by far. Stay away and stay out. Same with Woonsocket.

Providence is the capitol, and is broken up into many neighborhoods. Some are rather poverty-stricken, while others are not. The neighborhoods which are home to the colleges and universities are the nicer, more affluent neighborhoods. These also include the more preferred 'private schools' for K-12.

The other cities in the state fall into the same categories - nice areas vs. not-so-nice. There are 8 cities in RI, the rest are towns.

Newport (believe it or not) is also split. What you see in all the tourist ads are the 'ritzy' areas of Newport.

Yes, Newport has a blue collar area. You'd never guess you were in Newport.

If you really want to see trashbag New England towns, you need to go to Connecticut - New Britain, Bristol, Killingly, Danielson, New London, Waterbury, West Haven and Wallingford, just off the top of my head.

CT has a lot of pretty gross towns full of gross, ignorant people. It's shocking to people who aren't familiar with CT.

Also, Torrington and Winsted. Those two can be downright scary.

Hard Hittin' New Britain and Pistol Packin' Bristol

Who could ever hate a tiny state with so many distinctive place names - Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Narragansett and Glocester (without the 'u')?

What about Providence?

I’ll always think of Rhode Island as “the calamari comeback state.”

[quote]What about Providence?

Which one, there are three to choose from? The big city and capital, Providence, the small city of East Providence, or the town of North Providence.

When Rhode Islanders like the name of a town, they just add a direction before it to differentiate between the places. There's two Greenwich's, Kingstown's, Smithfield's, and Warwick's.

What do Greenwich, Kingstown, Smithfield and Warwick possess?

It IS Rhode Island!

Extensive experience in Newport here. There is a massive divide from those living on Ocean Drive or Bellevue and the rest of the city. I mean, someone has to clean the toilets! The southern third is the fancy part with the mansions. Great restaurants are plentiful. Fun places to grab drinks but it's an early town (1:00 AM closures). You can walk the length of Thames Street (rhymes with flames) and America's Cup Ave from end to end to get the most of the city. Bellevue Avenue is nice if you want to gawk at mansions, but they're worth a tour inside. The Elms is magnificent at Christmas.

Very walkable, and a pain in the neck to find parking.

Thank you, all

OP, are you thinking of moving there or just visiting?

R64 Not sure

OP if moving here, where are you moving from ?

OP would be moving or visiting from Houston, Texas.

I’ve just been to Newport. I did make a great find in an antique store.

The senior Chafee, OP, personified liberal Republicanism. His son Lincoln became a Democrat.

RISD BOYS are delicious but you would need to be young to consume them.

Told this on another RI thread but I visited last year after a friend’s trip to Province Town. Took a one way rental from PT to Newport. Spent about a day there and met up with a guy in the navy in the area for some Navy school. He was a fit, nerdy, with a hold so tight my dick hurt. Fucked like rabbits. Then he showed me one of his favorite bars. Had dinner, before heading back to his house for round three.

The mansions were nice, but that sailor was better.

Yes, many parts of Newport look rundown. Despite it being late August, the weather was so rainy and temperatures went from warm to chilly, that it felt like fall.

I’m not used to sea side weather and not gonna lie was a little jarring seeing a storm roll in.

... is famous for you!

Very high property taxes. It’s hard to run a state, especially an older, denser state with crumbling infrastructure (and as noted, lots of corruption) on the taxes generated by a million people.

R73 wouldn't a smaller state be able to update and upgrade their infrastructure better though?

[quote]His son Lincoln became a Democrat.

He switched from being a Republican to becoming a Dem for only a few years, in his attempt to be taken seriously as a Presidential Democratic candidate in 2016. He wasn't taken seriously. Then he became a Libertarian, and that's what he is today.

His wife Stephanie used to shop in my store all the time - one of the coldest persons I ever met. She would put her items on my counter, and then ask for a discount. I would smile and tell her politely 'no'. She would then angrily respond with 'Do you know who I am ? I'm the First Lady of Rhode Island. ' And I would respond with 'And....?' She'd then whip out her credit card and pay full price. This happened every single time she came in my store - which was every couple of weeks. I believe she is the patron saint of "Karens" all over the country.

R75 how embarrassing.

But John Chaffee was a classy guy, right?

R76 For a Republican in a dark 'blue' state, he was well respected and well liked. I was young when he was in office, but I recall my very Democratic Italian family (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles) always speaking well of him. I believe he brought a nice balance to the state, working well with the Dems.

His son Lincoln, however, was never seen beyond an entitled joke - sort of on the level of Dubya Bush (which political pundits always wondered - was Dubya his inspiration to run for President?).

The horrible James Woods is from RI, Warwick I believe. Great actor, terrible person. DL fave Viola Davis grew up near Woonsocket though, so there's that to redeem it.

I had a college roommate who brought us something called "pizza strips" which were native to RI, essentially rectangular sheet pizza with sauce only - no cheese - cut into strips. Weird, but oddly delicious. Are these original to RI?

Viola grew up in Central Falls, RI, not Woonsocket. DL fave Maya Wiley greatest up in Providence.

R78 Pizza strips are indeed original to RI, as are other favorites - frozen lemonade (nothing like it on a hot summer day to cool you off); clam cakes; coffee milk and more.

Aside from Woods, others call RI home. Yes, Viola Davis moved to RI when she was a kid, and grew up in Central Falls. Elisabeth Hasslebeck grew up in Cranston. Debra Messing grew up in East Greenwich.

Among the celebrities I mentioned above who have bought homes here in the past decades , we can officially add comedian Matt Rife, 28, to the list - he bought 80 acres of property in northwest RI earlier this summer.

Rife explained when he was looking to settle down and set his roots, RI was not even on the list of states he was considering. However, someone from RI brought the listing to his attention, he visited the property and bought it within days. It has two houses currently sitting on it - each with four bedrooms. He's currently renovating them, and building a soundstage on the property.

He has performed in RI before and loves 'the comedy club scene' in RI and nearby MA. He said in an interview that was a big part of his decision when he decided to settle here, as well as the convenient location for traveling.

"I look forward to waking up, seeing the sun coming through my window and the view that I get on a sunny day is just stunning," Rife said. "I got all that for probably the price of a 2 bedroom with no yard in LA," Rife joked.

Matt Rife bought in North Smithfield.

Don't forget moi!

R82 You've already been talked about - at length - in earlier posts. We know you've been a resident her for the past 11 years. No need to remind us.

Should mention, aside from Judge Judy and Jay Leno being neighbors in Newport, Conan O'Brien also owns a home out there - not too far from those two. It was also rumored that Brooke Shields and Andre Agassi bought a home out there years ago (not too far from the Tennis Hall of Fame) but sold it once they got divorced.

And let us not forget, Streisand and Brolin were supposed to get married on July 4th, 1997 on Block Island. It was all the news for weeks before the big day. President Bill Clinton and Hillary had booked a hotel room that weekend and the local and national media were all around the island (on both land and sea). The hotel only confirmed they were booked for a celebrity wedding - never said who. Then the wedding was canceled, they said, and the Clintons were a no-show (though they kept the room available for them for the weekend, as they had booked and paid for it). In her memoir, Streisand mentions this incident - though she claims it was a rumor, and nothing factual. (She ended up marrying Brolin one year later).

That's odd that Leno and Conan both own homes so close to each other, given the bad blood there. Both are from greater Boston so I guess it makes sense. Conan's uncles owned summer homes in Watch Hill for many years, so I'm sure he's familiar with the area.

R84 - My apologies, you are correct. Conan lives in Watch Hill (neighbors with Swift) not Newport. I apologize and stand corrected.

RI/MA/CT are all so small yet have so many different types of people/areas compared to some bigger states.

I'd rather an impressive home in Watch Hill - avoid all the tourism of Newport.

This 14 million dollar one is swell except for one requirement I have for my New England coastline mansion - it needs to be at least several meters above sea level behind a rocky coastline.

R87 Not to burst your bubble, but Watch Hill is just as touristy as Newport - if not more the past decade with Taylor Swift living there.

For a very long time, it was the wealthiest of the wealthy who could afford to vacation there, or spend the day there - lunching at the uppity 'Olympia Tea Room'. It was an international group of tourists (I mentioned my friend's store above, and the clientele she attracted) who had more money than you could imagine. They came in the late spring, left in November, and the town closed up for the winter (actually, there was a small boom of people in December for the holidays).

The schedule is the same, but what has changed is the tourist group who visit. Again, all because of TS.

Oh well, sorry to hear that of Watch Hill. I used to visit a friend's estate there in the 90s.

Where can on get away among the Happy Few, alone, nowadays? Raquette Lake?

What about Burrillville? It looks rustic

It’s cold, R91.

Burrillville is rustic, and used to be a quaint, quiet 'country' town. Burrillville has changed over the years - tons of tourists who want to visit 'The Conjuring House' - lines of traffic all over the town (I believe the town still has one traffic light and a handful of stop signs) looking for 'the house' so they can take pictures of it. The 80 acres Matt Rife bought is not too far from 'the house' (according to him, who has visited the house).

Is it gay friendly?

Out of curiosity, which RI cities and towns are just "middle of the road" working and middle class communities?

Middle of the road /working class are most of the cities surrounding Providence (Johnston, Cranston, East Providence, Pawtucket). That's the area where most immigrants settled in the 1800s/ early 1900s, built factories and were part of the industrial revolution. They worked hard and saved their money.

By the 1950s -60s, as manufacturing dried up, their off-spring started moving towards open pastures (northern RI) and waterfront properties - started buying up land pretty cheap and building on that property. That has evolved: what started as little 'beach houses' (for families to enjoy a summer vacation in a home away from home) became McMansions in the past 40 years, and property has remained 'untouchable' for the working class.

Of course, there's exceptions to what I posted, but this was the general history.

Rhode Island is very liberal and gay friendly. The two elite neighborhoods in Providence (which is where the colleges are located, including a Catholic college) have evolved into friendly 'gayborhoods' over the past 30 years. Again, the property values have skyrocketed. Many of the gay couples who have moved in have either 'retired' to Providence from the Boston area, or have moved here and commute for work to the Boston area.

Fun geography trivia kids. NYS and RI share a maritime border and are less than two miles from each other between Fishers Island/Wicopesset Island in NYS and Napatree Point in extreme southwest RI near Watch Hill. They should build a bridge from LI to avoid CT.

I didn't realize Watch Hill and the southernmost points in RI were that close to LI. Just checked a map. Don't know about a bridge, but when the technology improves they could build an underground tunnel between Watch Hill or Stonington (since WH is very pricy) and Montauk, or possibly between Orient Point and Old Lyme CT.

When I was i Providence last summer it looked rough as hell. Are we sure it's a place people actually want to live in. I thought my car was going to get carjacked from my Marriott parking lot. I don't know, it was run down as hell (typical east coast capital).

R8 Correct but West Rhode Island is Maga as fuck.

MAGAr

[quote]When I was i Providence last summer it looked rough as hell. Are we sure it's a place people actually want to live in.

Try to find an affordable place to live in Providence, and then get back to us on if we're sure it's a place people actually want to live in. We'll wait.

r103, I could say the same about Downtown LA, yet even with two million dollar apartment, i wouldn't walk the streets for fear of a drugged out homeless asshole throwing a bag of shit and piss on me.

By now we should all know that a housing shortage, mixed with bottom barrel interest rates for nearly a decade, made housing expensive almost everywhere. But I'll take your word fro it that this is a desirable location.

Is Providence safe?

R105 Depends on your definition of 'safe' for a city of its size and population. And then the question needs to be asked, 'What city in America is safe ?' No matter where you live or visit, you should always keep yourself safe - always 'be aware of your surroundings' and never let your guard down.

Little Rhody!

I'll give you a topic: Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island. Discuss.

Post election bump.

56%

LOL I love you dizzy stuck up brain dead queens. RI has several of the most expensive real estate markets in the country. The most expensive home ever sold (no it wasn't in CA) it was in Newport RI where I live. It's a beautiful state with its own symphony, ballet, international film festival, strong arts culture, Ivy league University, beauty being belief - friendly and warm and very blue. yes there are republican enclaves, but they aren't hateful. Newport and Providence have their own full time pride offices that are actually line items in the cities budgets, that's how important equality is here.

An Ivy?! Oh my!

Tell us how great you public university system is. It would. URI would be about the 24th best public university in California alone.

*your

R112 spoken like someone who couldn't get in to an Ivy league. R113 no one is talking about public universities - but we have free community college here - as long as you have the grades you can attend a junior college and get more than half of your bachelors degree done for free.....I'd say that's a pretty decent public system -

Every state has that

R109 Here are the red/blue areas of Rhode Island for the 2024 election. You can find out the percentages for each county. You can find out the point spread for each county and there's a chart by township as well.

R113 Is your writing the product of a California state university ?

R71 “ I’m not used to sea side weather and not gonna lie was a little jarring seeing a storm roll in “

MARY!

Born and bred NYer here and I love everything about Rhode Island. New England sensibility with a rougher let-it-all-hang-out attitude. I’d move there but my Latino husband wants Florida [VOMIT]

Thank you, R15

The Rhode Island Tourist Board owes you a fee. They should put you on retainer.

Rumor has it that 'View' host Alyssa Farrah Griffith has bought property here in RI along the coast. She did say she "visited the state during her August vacation and 'fell in love' with RI" when she returned to 'The View' in September. Behar acknowledged it was beautiful here - Behar lived in my neighborhood for two years in the mid-1980s when her first husband was a professor at RIC, and she was a teacher in the Providence school system. It's a strong liberal, Italian / Catholic, middle-class neighborhood. I could see her easily fitting in here - especially these days.

Some RI trivia...

Vanessa Williams - America's first 'Black' Miss America in 1984 - spent summers in Providence, RI from the 70s - 80s , living with her grandparents in a predominantly Black, White, and Portuguese / Cape Verdean neighborhood. Her cousins and aunts and uncles lived in the same neighborhood called 'Fox Point' (back then it was a rather rough neighborhood, bordering the affluent Brown University). She would hang out every day with my friend 'Mona' and her group of friends (they were all around the same age). I didn't know Mona then, I met her in the 80s in college, when Williams had stopped summering here with her grandparents.

Anyhow, Mona said Williams was a fun kid to hang with, and absolutely beautiful as a teenager. Everyone told her she could be 'Miss America' some day, as Williams was entering beauty contests back in middle school and high school. The one thing Williams and her family held the line on was that THEY WERE NOT BLACK. They called themselves Portuguese - don't ever refer to them as BLACK. To this day, 40+ years later, Mona tells us how upset Vanessa would get if other black children asked why she didn't go to their church, or called her black - she'd yell at them at the top of her lungs, saying she wasn't black, but Portuguese . She went to the Portuguese Catholic church in the neighborhood, and avoided the Black church.

Then she suddenly became America's first Black Miss America. Don't call her Portuguese any more.

She came back to Providence a handful of times after the Miss America fiasco in the mid-80s (I believe her grandparents died shortly after) and did some fundraising events for the church when she became a singer / actress in the 90s. She kept in touch with my friend Mona and the other girls she summered with, right through the early 90s, then she disappeared. No one hears from her any more and she hasn't been back to Providence in the past 30 years. She has completely disassociated with her Portuguese family (who Mona is still in touch with).

R123 maybe this is why

More finely manicured lawns you'll never find, and the accent is hysterical. I used to spend summers there with a friend's family, and its contagious, I remember getting a lot of compliments on my enunciation (strange thing to have multiple people comment on in a relatively short span of time). You should time your visit to fall on a feast day!

R50 Hasbro is leaving RI for Massachusetts. Davol left manufacturing in RI long ago, although they still have offices in Warwick. CVS is HQ'd there and just laid off 2900 employees (not all in RI) leaving the hospitals and the Archdiocese of Providence as the largest employers in the state. More people work for the Catholics than RISD and Brown combined.

The property taxes are outrageous, btw, unless you live in New Jersey where they're even more outrageous.

R115 in fact I was accepted…to Brown!

I went to a public flagship instead, saved tens of thousands of dollars and still managed to succeed in. business and enjoy a good life.

That’s the dirty secret: even you did get into an Ivy and declined, or could have gotten in had you only applied, the odds are quite high that you will still do just as well.

R124 Could be - but she identified as a proud Portuguese girl growing up, when there was no DNA...just her grandparents who came here from Portugal. Maybe when she entered the Miss America pageant, she was advised she could go further as a black woman rather than a Portuguese woman.

R126 It's not a done deal that Hasbro is leaving RI for MA. It's not the first time that Hasbro lets the media know that MA is wooing them (they've been doing that since the 1960s) so they can get better tax credits now that the current ones are expiring. Everyone is pretty confident that Hasbro will be staying .

Aside from Hasbro and CVS, Amica Insurance is also headquartered here. And have you ever heard of Bradford Soaps ? Most likely the 'designer' soap you use is made at Bradford. ('L'Occitane' is one of them...)

I heard it's not an island.

R123 is making up some kind of bullshit.

100% not true: as Williams was entering beauty contests back in middle school and high school…

R124 4%? 4%!

Maybe you’re a moron with no understanding of history. If every Black perdón with 4% called themselves portugués—there’d be hundreds of millions of more Portuguese on this planet.

I heard it’s a plantation.

—Jermaine

R126 is full of shit

R132 Actor Ben Powers (Thelma's husband Keith on 'Good Times') was born in New York City, but was raised by his grandparents in Providence (the same neighborhood I spoke about earlier with Williams). His grandparents and relatives were Cape Verdean, identified themselves as Portuguese - not Black. Locally, he won different awards for his acting career from the Black community in the early 80s (he was part of a local repertory company) - and each time he accepted the award he referenced his Portuguese family bloodline from Cape Verde (a reminder that he was not black).

There is a great big population of Portuguese / Cape Verdeans in the Providence area who do not consider themselves Black (no matter how dark their skin color) and will rip you to shreds if you continuously refer to them as Black. Make the mistake once or twice, and they kindly forgive you - after that, you're done.