Providence

Downtown Providence seemed much as I remembered it from 2008, my last trip here for a meeting (Providence: October 2018). Most of my four+ days were occupied by the CERF Conference, but I was able to fit in some walks around town and since this isn't as social an event for me as some, I had some evenings on my own.

I was staying at the Dean Hotel, barely a block from the convention center. Apparently, until relatively recently this place had a somewhat more colorful reputation - it wasn't lattes and doughnuts being sold in the lobby (or upstairs, either). The room was small and spare (as was the small cage elevator), but it was pleasant and convenient. Bolt Coffee, in the lobby, served 49th Parallel Coffee (from Vancouver BC).

It was hard to avoid Knead Doughnuts. They were on the counter at Bolt downstairs. They were available in piles at the breaks during the meeting. And they were spread out in neat rows at the main shop on Custom House Street. I'd like to point out that I think I only ate four over the four days I was in Providence, but having just gone back and looked at their website, I'm sort of wishing I had one right now.