Good morning, Providence. This is PVD Current, the local newsletter that feels like catching every green light on your way home.

What to expect in today’s Current:

• Fun dinner plans for tonight 🍔 🌮 

• What keeps our mall running 24/7 ⏰

• RI’s “Best State to Live in” Ranking 🤔 

Let’s get to it.

— Oscar Punchak

Currents & Waves

Le Diner En Blanc is Coming to Town!

Le Diner En Blanc is a pop-up event that happens in over 70 cities across the world. It's an annual picnic where guests dress in white and bring their own food, tables, chairs, and tablecloths. The locations tend to be iconic spots in the city, and the location is kept secret until minutes before the event. Le Diner En Blanc is visiting RI in just 11 days ⏳, so if you’re interested don’t forget to secure your tickets 🎟️!

R.I. Ranked 28th Best State to Live? 🤔 

WalletHub, a review website, put out a list ranking all 50 states on a variety of criteria. Massachusetts was ranked number 1, while Louisiana was ranked last at 50. We ranked pretty well in Economy Rank (14th) and Safety Rank (8th) but really got hit by the Affordability Rank (45th), and the Quality of Life Rank (44th). I’m not sure I’m satisfied with how they determine Quality of Life, but we’ll try again next year 🤞. (Hopefully in the top 25 at least.)

🍔 Food Truck Night is TONIGHT 🌮 

No plans for dinner tonight? Thinking about just ordering some pizza? Check out Foster Fairgrounds Food Truck tonight from 5-8pm. You can expect over a dozen food trucks, live music 🎶, and local beer and wine 🍻🍷. No tickets are required to enter, just pay for what you eat and drink. All trucks except cash AND card. You can learn more on their Facebook.

Coastline Commerce

What it Takes to Keep Providence Place Mall Running 

Providence Place opened in 1999 and has now been open for 25 years 🎉. The mall, with over 1 million sq ft of floor space 🏢, has been through lots of change. Originally opening with anchor stores Lord & Taylor, Filene’s, and Nordstrom 🛍️, the mall is now anchored by Macy’s and Boscov’s. A film was released in 2024, made about the mall and an illegal apartment inside of it that was home to 8 artists 🎨 in 2003. Check out the article in the Providence Journal 📰, where reporter Paul Edward Parker goes in-depth on what it takes to keep our mall running 24/7 ⏰.

Seaside Skies

WEDNESDAY

72°🌡 52° | 🌤️ | 💧 8% | 💨 W 10 mph

THURSDAY

72°🌡 56° | 🌤️ | 💧 5% | 💨 WNW 10 mph

(The forecast as of the night before this newsletter was published.)

Sound Waves

WEDNESDAY

Nick-A-Nee’s | Bluegrass Throedown | 8:30pm

Foster Fairgrounds | Food Truck Nights | 5pm

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum | Atwater-Donnelly Trio with Cathy Clasper-Torch | 6pm

THURSDAY

Moonshine Alley | Jesse Desorcy | 8pm

Bar’Lino Pizzeria | Christiana Caprarelli | 7:30pm

Moniker Brewery | Live Music Thursdays | 5pm

That’s all for today…

Thank you for reading all the way through! Feel free to email us with any questions or suggestions. You’ll hear from us again on Friday.

Thanks,

Oscar Punchak | Publisher, PVD Current

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