Rhode Island Town 23: East Providence - 7/27/2020

East Providence. It’s like Providence, but EAST. 
This sentence reflects the extent of my knowledge of East Providence before we went there.

​Hello Everyone , my name is Aemilia, and I was recently enlightened on the topic of East Providence! I feel as though I have become a more knowledgeable and well rounded person as a result of this enlightenment and I feel that it is my duty to share this knowledge with you so you too may experience this epiphany.

We started our journey at the Italian Corner, a sandwich shop that you’ll be happy to know is BOTH Italian and on a corner. Fun fact - Before it became a Italian sandwich shop, this location was a jewelry store and my dad bought my mom’s engagement ring here. ​

Italian Corner, East Providence

Italian Corner, East Providence

Deliciousness to take home

Fresh Pasta

After picking up some sandwiches (I think they were called combination sandwiches??????) we drove over to the Taunton Ave. Bakery. Oh. My. Goodness. The bakery was AMAZING. There was every single type of Portuguese pastry you could imagine! We bought coconut macaroons and Portuguese custard tarts (my favorite:)), as well as a sweet bread, a bag of popovers, and a bag of rolls. So good. I love bakeries. ​

Taunton Avenue Bakery, East Providence

So much deliciousness in one room!

Portuguese Custard Tarts & Coconut Macaroons

As we were driving to our next destination, we noticed that there was a Del's Lemonade nearby! This Del’s was actually special because it was its own building, which is kind of uncommon nowadays. It was even MORE special because it had all the Del’s flavors, which was exceptionally rare. Most Del’s have Lemon, Watermelon, and maybe Cherry or Blueberry, but that’s usually it. This one had all of those, PLUS Pink Grapefruit, Blood Orange, and my absolute favorite, Peach Mango. So delicious. I love Peach Mango Del’s. (Aoife got a piece of lemon in her watermelon Del’s hahahaha) ​

Del's - East Providence

Lemon, Watermelon, Peach Mango, & Grapefruit

Happy!!!!

We went to Hunt’s Mills to eat the food, but before we could sit down to devour all of the delicacies we had anxiously been anticipating, we had to take pictures :(. My mom made us take pictures in every possible location, especially the ones with the sun in my eyes, and THEN proceeded to go for a WALK and not let us eat until she and my dad got back. Very rude. It was even more rude because the mill was supposed to be closing, and my sisters and I were in great danger of being kicked out, and possibly BANISHED from East Providence altogether. ​

Hunt's Mills - East Providence

Hunt's Mills, East Providence

Hunt's Mill's East Providence

Fairy Garden at Hunt's Mills

Waterfall & fish ladder

Waterfall

Finally they came back and we got to eat, and everything was delicious as I had expected. THe sandwiches were on the perfect bread, and the Italian Corner makes its own dressing called salsa verde, which is amazing and is like a pesto.  This truly is a top sandwich of all sandwiches. ​

The Combination Sandwich from The Italian Corner, East Providence

Tarynn loves the Taunton Avenue Bakery Rolls

Hunt's Mills Picnic Area

We continued to explore East Providence by heading to Rumford Chemical Works, the site of famous baking powder production, and then the District 6 schoolhouse, where we had to take more pictures, and a stop at the former East Bay CYO Center on Metropolitan Park Drive so my mom could inundate us with stories and memories of her teenage years. ​

Rumford Center - Original Home of Rumford Baking Powder

Rumford Baking Powder Site

Count Rumford

Painted Rock we left to help Count Rumford Smile

Rumford Chemical Works

District 6 School House, East Providence

Little Free Library at the District 6 Schoolhouse

The Former East Bay CYO Center

We enjoyed a pleasant drive through the Riverside section of East Providence, which included a quick stop to see the Crescent Park Carousel, which was closed but still very nice. I would like to take a moment to apologize to the Crescent Park Carousel for accidentally attributing bad childhood memories to the location, while these memories should have been associated with the Slater Park Carousel, which goes ridiculously fast and can be quite sickening for young children to have to deal with, if you know what I mean. So, dear Crescent Park Carousel, I am sorry for thinking that you caused a bad memory in my childhood. I’m sure that you are lovely and run at a reasonable speed. ​

Crescent Park Carousel

In East Providence, there is a lighthouse called the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, and my parents insisted that we must view it. Unfortunately this particular lighthouse is quite elusive and the Google Maps directions for how to see it were TERRIBLE, so we ended up going down a tiny little street and being stared at by the locals who probably see other people on the street about twice a year, and proceed to laugh at them when they try to figure out both how they got there, and how they can get out. For those of you who thought we were going to give up on trying to see the lighthouse, you have clearly not met our family. Oh no, we were not going to give up on seeing the lighthouse. We ended up walking on the bike path near White Squadron Road and were able to get a good view of the lighthouse that way. ​

Ponham Rocks Lighthouse

Ponham Rocks Lighthouse

To end the day, we went to Sabin Point Park to watch the sun set. It was very beautiful, and some people took time lapse videos of it, which is kind of cool too. ​

Memorial garden at Sabin Point Park

Sabin Point Park sunset

Overall, I would highly recommend East Providence. I thought the food was really good, especially the sandwiches and the Portuguese custard tarts. I hadn’t realized how many things are actually in East Providence (Like the Crescent Park Carousel, I have no idea where I thought it was before, but now I know!). If you are visiting East Providence, I would highly recommend the Italian Corner, Del’s and the Taunton Ave Bakery. Additionally, I would recommend Hunt’s Mill as a good picnic area, although I would suggest NOT leaving your children alone and going off on a hike as the mill might be closing. 
Bye!!!! 
Aemilia

Other Places we've enjoyed in East Providence: 

• East Bay Bike Path - This 14 mile bike path connects Providence to Bristol, and goes right through East Providence. 
• Good Night Lights at the overlook on Veterans Memorial Parkway - Good Night Lights happens every night as restaurants, businesses, and individual people flash lights across the water to say good night to the patients at Hasbro Children's Hospital.  The Wednesday Good Night Lights are extra special because the East Providence Police Department participates by blinking their headlights and running the lights on their cruisers.  We've had the experience of participating in this a few times. 
• Annual Feast at St. Francis Xavier Church - This takes place annually in June and the Portuguese food can't be beat!  
• Rosa Larisa Memorial Park - This lovely waterfront park includes benches, picnic areas. It is right across the street from the Crescent Park Carousel and Blount Clam Shack (closed in 2020).  We have visited the clam shack and then used the benches at the park to eat dinner by the water.  

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