Providence

Day 4 - 31st July

The day started with breakfast at the B&B and more Warwickshire gossip, then back into downtown Providence which was slightly livelier than the evening before. We looked round some of the sites, including the oldest First Baptist church in America, dating back nearly 400 years (which in American history terms is practically the dawn of time). There are a fair number of boarded up shops in downtown, including some major fast food chains and retailers, but the mega-mall on the edge of town seemed unaffected. We had Johnn

y Rockett burgers in the food hall (and one regular portion of fries which we couldn't finish between us) then left the mall and visited the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) museum. This had quite a mix of exhibits from the traditional through to the ultra-modern and ultra-weird. Quite a few famous artists were represented including Picasso, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Tracy Emin.

We went for dinner at a place called Red Stripe near the

B&B, so called because most of the food was cooked using Red Stripe beer. We foolishly ordered appetizers and mains, and of course by half way through the appetizers we were full again.

At sunset approached we headed to downtown for a regular event they call Waterfire. This consists of setting fire to bundles of wood placed along the river while an orchestra plays in the main square. It certainly looks very pretty although after half an hour one flaming pile of wood starts to look a lot like the next. Judging by the huge crowds and the big cheer that went up when the fires were lit, this is about the most exciting thing that happens in Providence.