This video is actually kind of annoying, much better photos from the Chicago Sun-Times here. And some cool photos from Flickr here, here, here, here, and here.

From the Sears Tower website:

The Ledge brings an exhilarating new experience to the Skydeck. At 1,353 feet up, The Ledge’s glass boxes extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor, providing never-before-seen views of the city. An unmatched view is not all the Skydeck offers. From the moment visitors arrive they enjoy interactive and educational attractions that not only highlight the iconic landmark, but also celebrate Chicago’s sports, architecture, pop-culture, history, food, music and people.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

More info and tickets at: providencerollerderby.com.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

The Mayor’s Office is asking residents to fill out a brief survey about their park usage:

We will use this information as a basis for community meetings in the fall that will focus on merging the Parks Department and the Recreation Department to provide better open space and recreational programming to our residents.

The survey is here.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

Well, August actually, but the good news here is; YEAR ROUND CRAFTLAND! Abby Saunders interviews Deb Dormody on the Live Downcity Blog and has all the details.

Visit the Craftland Blog where I’m sure there will be more details posted as they work on getting the new store open. Craftland will live at it’s usual holiday location at 235 Westminster Street at the corner of Union Street.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

The July 4th weekend comes upon us once again, and like many other traditions of our day, Smith Hill will be host to the grandest neighborhood party in all the land, the 10th annual LibertyFest!

This annual event hits it’s decade mark this year, and will be located in a new location, West Park Street. With 22 bands going from noon on to the late evening (10 – 11ish), you get to catch the full spectrum of Providence’s music scene, and even some friendly visitors from across the northeast. Having brought memorable performances in the past from such bands as Mahi Mahi, Deer Tick, What Cheer? Brigade, and other high-caliber locals, this year’s line-up seems fit to carry the torch in superb fashion, and has three stages on which to do it. Red Hat Records has taken the task of arranging the bill this year, and has succeeded fantastically in assuring the cream of the crop from nearly every genre. There will also be activities for children ( and the young at heart ) as well, so this is an awesome event for families.

Beer will be all local, and is being provided by Narragansett Brewing Company, Block Island Blonde, and Basement Brew. The volume has always seemed enough, but this years reserves seem to be of an astounding quantity. Oh yeah, did I mention this is all free?

Food will be potluck, so feel free to contribute your own specialties, or mooch off of others as you wish. It’s a karma payment plan sort of thing. The roasting an entire goat over an open fire will carry on this year as well, a tradition that has almost become a symbol of the event, or at least a commonly told detail in many stories.

The line-up of acts is as follows, in no particular order:

• White Mice

• The Butcherings
• The Viennagram
• Llove
• The Warmingtons
• Blizzard of ‘78
• Brownbird Rudy Relic
• Midnight Mongo Sound System
• Slave
• Valu-Pak
• Orb Mellon
• Triangle Forest, GlassAndSteel, Pet Set, Chris Rosenquest, Vibe Police, Caroline Hecht, Chris Hansen, Industrial Sonic Echo, Brokedown Serenade, The Atlantic Thrills, and The DEM.

If you’ve never been to LibertyFest, it’s a must that you attend at some point in your life. Living in Providence, I’m sure we’ve all come to learn that outdoor music in the summer is quite possibly one of the best things about this city, and this is one of it’s premier examples.

View Larger Map

More, at the facebook page.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

ProJo reports that the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority is proposing raising tolls on the Newport-Pell Bridge and reinstituting tolls on the Mt. Hope Bridge (tolls were removed from the Mt. Hope Bridge in 1998).

The toll to cross the Newport span would increase from $2 to $4 for those paying cash. For those with E-ZPass transponders from out of state, the toll would go up even more, from $1.75 to $4. Tolls for commercial vehicles would increase $1 per axle.

In-state E-ZPass users would continue to pay 83¢ per crossing and out of state E-ZPass commuters ho use the bridge at least 30 times per month will continue to be charged 91¢.

The Authority says it needs the toll increases to help maintain the bridges in the future and prevent a $223 million budget shortfall from materializing over the next 20 years.

While we are not opposed to tolls, we think the toll stick needs to be accompanied by a carrot. See: Tolls: A stick with no carrot. Only so many cars can possibly fit on Aquidneck Island. Ensuring we have robust transit options; bus, boat, rail to the island can be that carrot. It should be possible for island visitors and workers to leave their cars in Kingston or Fall River for example and be shuttled onto the island.

RIPTA Route 14, which runs between T.F. Green and Newport, does offer park n’ ride facilities at Routes 138 & 1A just at the mainland side of the Jamestown Bridge, and at First Ave. and Post Road in East Greenwich. However there are some issues. One, marketing, do people even know this option exists? Two, schedule, it has a healthy number of scheduled buses at rush hour, but overall it only makes 17 trips per weekday (and only 6 on Saturday, and none on holidays and Sundays, total FAIL for tourists). Three, marketing, yes marketing is one, but it can’t be stated enough. If the Newport Visitors bureau would push options that had visitors leaving their cars on the mainland, people might actually do it.

It is no secret that the state is in a budget black hole. If the Turnpike and Bridge Authority needs tolls to keep it out of the budget abyss, then I say jack the tolls. But let’s gets some carrots to reduce congestion on the island, reduce pressure on the bridges, and reduce green house gas emissions.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | One comment |

Yes sir. I like that sign, very nice.

Are those lights up there, is it illuminated at night? Please.

Photos by Jef Nickerson

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | 4 comments |

Sigh. Where to start, let’s start at the top.

“No Parking Here to Corner”

First, why do we need this sign on every corner? Most other municipalities make this plain with yellow markings on the curb. Second, RI General Law § 31-21-4 states that there is no parking or stopping “[w]ithin twenty feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.” The city has a $25 fine for parking within 25 feet of a corner [section 15.2]. This sign is not 20 feet or 25 feet from the corner of Aborn Street (or is that Don Imus Way?) , so why is the sign here?

“Handicapped Parking Permit Required”

Well, no problem with that really. The disabled may not like being referred to as handicapped anymore though, Differently Abled Parking maybe?

“RIPTA Bus Stop”

Oh, wait a second. I’m not finding the actual law that prohibits parking at a bus stop (and the bus stop sign does not say “No Parking”) but there is a $30 fine for parking at a bus stop [section 15.2].

So, is it a handicapped parking space within 25 feet of a corner or is it a bus stop? All uses are wrong, and a bus stop and handicapped parking sign can’t exist in the same space, especially not within 25 (or 20, take your pick) feet of a corner (though a bus stop could exist within 20 or 25 feet of a corner). FAIL.

But all of this is moot, wanna know why?

Photo by Jef Nickerson

BECAUSE THERE IS A GIANT TRAILER PARKED HERE!

Wha!?

Gee, wonder if the bus driver can see me as I stand behind this giant trailer. DOUBLE FAIL!

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

Fireworks have been going off here on Federal Hill for the better part of a month (seriously, there’s a guy on Federal Street who puts on a show that rivals New York’s), but the official fireworks display is set for July 4th, this year at India Point Park.

Mayor’s Office press release:

Mayor David N. Cicilline announced today that the City of Providence and the Providence Tourism Council will sponsor an Independence Day Celebration on July 4th at India Point Park which will include performances by Providence’s own RPM Voices, The Carlos de León Band and a spectacular fireworks display at (approximately 9:15 pm).

The Independence Day Celebration will kick off at 7:30pm with a performance by RPM Voices, a community choral group with members ranging in age from 13 to 94. The group will present a program of inspirational and patriotic songs.

The Carlos de León Band takes center stage at 8:15pm. Trumpet player Carlos de León fuses the music of his native Dominican Republic with the sounds of Cuba, Brazil, and Puerto Rico to create jazz, salsa, and samba. With his clear sense of history, the Latin jazz master nurtures the Afro-Latino connection with a variety of cultures in his music.

The celebration will end in traditional Independence Day style, with a fireworks display lighting up the sky above India Point Park at dark (approximately 9:15 pm).

The Independence Day concerts and fireworks in India Point Park on July 4th are free and open to the public. The event is presented and sponsored by Mayor David N. Cicilline, the Department of Art, Culture & Tourism, the Providence Parks Department, and the Providence Tourism Council.

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |

STATE HOUSE – Rep. Edwin R. Pacheco has introduced legislation that would create a council led by the lieutenant governor to coordinate transportation policy for the state.

The Transportation Review Council would issue recommendations to the governor and the Department of Transportation regarding transportation issues such as quality and standards of Rhode Island’s transportation system, adequacy of funding, staffing, and enforcement of regulations. The council, of which the lieutenant governor would serve as chairperson, would also be empowered to establish subcommittees to investigate special areas of concern and issue reports to the findings to the council as a whole.

Representative Pacheco (D-Dist. 47, Burrillville, Glocester), who served as cochairman of a joint commission that studied public transportation for about two years and proposed legislation (2009-H 6337) aimed at making the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority a more viable transportation option for all residents, said he introduced this legislation because he believes there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to the state’s transportation planning and policies.

“We have a state agency that is concerned with building and maintaining roads and bridges, another that is concerned with buses, another for the airports, and various city, state, and town agencies that are concerned with planning for development. What we need is an effort to look at the big picture and bring parties from all these places together so they’re working in concert. This council will lead to greater efficiency, better communication and better coordination so transportation in Rhode Island is improved in sensible ways,” said Representative Pacheco.

The council would consist of 12 members. One would be the lieutenant governor, who would serve as the council’s chairperson. The governor, the lieutenant governor, the Senate president and the House speaker would each appoint two other members, and the Secretary of State, the General Treasurer and the director of the Department of Transportation would each appoint one.

By law, the lieutenant governor is responsible for leading other similar policy councils, including the Long-Term-Care Coordinating Council, the Small Business Advocacy Council and the Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council.

“Transportation planning shouldn’t be done piecemeal. We need to consider all forms of transportation, address the gaps, and share information so that we can use the limited resources we have wisely,” said Representative Pacheco.

For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Waterman, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2457

Ian Donnis notes that Rep. Pacheco may well be considering a run for Lieutenant Governor in 2010.

Via WRNI “On Politics”

© Greater City: Providence, 2009 | Permalink | No comment |