Divine Providence A downtown district, revitalized. Sascha de ...

Tag : Split Marble

Used to be, Providence was perceived by outsiders as a take-it-or-leave-it city—alesser Boston, at best, with a corrupt mayor, crumbling downtown,and transient student population. All that, however, is changing,thanks to a "downcity" renaissance that has reinvigoratedan abandoned warehouse district.
The Westminster, Washington, and Weybosset strips today look like amini SoHo, filled with swank home-design shops and clothingboutiques and flanked by affordable (for now) live/work lofts. (Theattitude is still pleasantly Rhode Island, though: no parkingtickets issued during holiday shopping hours.) Developers havetaken note, too. At least four hotels will debut in the area by2010. Here's what not to miss in New England's newest shopping anddining enclave.

1. Downcity The just-rebuilt Weybosset Street eatery has a sleek all-orange,split-level interior; a comfort food–heavy menu (thinkginger-and-plum-flavored ribs); and the city's best weekend brunch.50 Weybosset St., 401-331-9217, downcityfood.com .

2. Renaissance Providence Hotel/Temple Downtown Set in an old Masonic temple, the 272-room hotel is cooler thanits chain-brand name suggests, with comfortable rooms and thegraffiti-decorated, yuppie-filled Temple Downtown restaurant andbar. 5 Avenue of the Arts, 401-919-5000, marriott.com .

3. Homestyle Part art gallery, part gift shop, part home décor store,interior designer Lisa Newman Paratore's eclectic spot maintains analways creative (and truly covetable) mix of wares like kids' toys,Robin Bruce armchairs, and modern art prints. 229 Westminster St.,401-277-1159, homestyleri.com .

4. Elsa Arms Asian-style tables and armoires showcase women's high fashion atHeejun Arms's modern, spare Westminster Street shop. Herwell-edited collection runs from funky preppy (Tory Burch and NiliLotan dresses) to cutting-edge (Rag & Bone and Manoushseparates). 231 Westminster St., 401-383-5558.

5. Clover Co-owners Patrick Lavelle and Rachel Soloff stock theirconcrete-floored, white-walled men's and women's upscale clothingshop with fashions from emerging labels like Charlotte Ronson,Graham & Spencer, and Seize Sur Vingt. 233 Westminster St.,401-490-4626, cloverprovidence.com .

6. Tazza The cast of Showtime's Providence-based show Brotherhood hangs here; so does just about every other downtownartist/hipster/next big thing. The breakfast-through-dinnercafé buzzes nightly with indie rock concerts, poetryreadings, and fashion shows. Oh, and the food's great, too. 250Westminster St., 401-421-3300, tazzacaffe.com .

7. Local 121 Alice in Wonderland–sized white-leather-framed mirrors,plush cushioned benches, and cascading velvet drapes set the toneinside state senator (and serious foodie) Joshua Miller's fresh,local-ingredients-only boîte, housed in the completelyrehabbed Dreyfus Hotel. 121 Washington St., 401-274-2121, local121.com .

8. Hotel Providence All 80 rooms inside the city's first boutique hotel have wirelessInternet, Bulgari or Molton Brown toiletries, and spaciousglass-and-marble bathrooms. Its adjacent Italian restaurant,L'Epicureo, is an ideal place to start—or end—thenight. 311 Westminster St., 401-861-8000, thehotelprovidence.com .