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Hi all - I thought I would give those of you making the trek to Providence for the MLG event in a few short weeks a small description of our fair city.
Guide Topics
1. Transportation and Parking
2. Places to Shop
3. Places to Eat
4. Bars and Nightlife
5. Event Schedule
6. Meet & Greet / Player Signings
7. Additional Info
Transportation and Parking:
If you read nothing else, read this: Providence parking laws are *very* strict. Plan to park your car in a lot rather than on the Street - if you park in a space that says 2 hour parking, plan to get a ticket if you're there for 2:15.
Providence does not have a subway, but we do have a fairly interconnected Bus system that will allow you to get around the main areas of the city (or visit popular nearby destinations, such as Newport) if you're visiting and didn't rent a car. The bus system is called RIPTA and has its main hub at Kennedy Plaza - a 5 minute walk to the Convention Center. There are buses to and from the airport - fares are very cheap and the ride is not much longer than a cab (easy way to save $20, especially on your arrival). Buses have a schedule that can be found using Google Maps or Google Navigation, just ask it how to get from Point A to Point B and it will give you convenient routes.
The Providence Train Station (PVD) is located next to the mall outside of the Cheesecake factory. While it is possible to take the Amtrak from other cities (e.g., NYC, Boston, Washington DC), trains to and from Boston are $7 on the Commuter Rail (using Amtrak, trains to Boston cost ~$30-$40 each way). The train to Boston is about an hour or so long. If you're planning on flying in and out of Boston's logan airport (rather than TF Green), plan on adding an hour or two to your transportation time, because the Commuter Rail does not stop at Logan - you will need to take another train to get to South Station (Commuter Rail Departure Point).
If you are planning to take the Commuter Rail, there's a schedule posted here (make sure you check the Saturday and Sunday schedules, which differ from the Weekday schedules):
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=PROVSTOU&direction=I&timing=W&RedisplayTime=Redisplay Time
The last train is at around 10PM each day. Your only worry should be that, if you miss your train, you are SOL. There's no other convenient transport back to Boston that late.
Taxis are metered, but there are not a ton of cabs driving around town like NYC, so it will not be as easy to get a ride (although, in some areas of town such as downtown and Thayer st there are enough cabs on the weekends that you can usually get a ride).
Downtown is safe (this is not legal advice). I can't vouch for past 1-2AM and there are obviously places you will not want to go walking around at 4 in the morning (just like any city), but you shouldn't be afraid walking around near the Mall and downtown. Do not go walking around bad areas of Branch Ave in North Providence (far from most of you), under random overpasses near the hospital (far from you), or into any place on Federal Hill that looks like an obvious mob hangout.
Places to Shop:
The Providence Place Mall, located adjacent to the Convention Center, is a huge 4-story Mall with a number of restaurants and shops. (Note: Unfortunately for Competitors that might have forgot some gear, there is no electronics/computer store in the mall - your best bet is probably the Best Buy in Seekonk [~10-15m by car]).
Places to Eat:
The Providence Place Mall has a food court and several upscale casual restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, American Joe's Grill etc).
Providence is home to one of the most famous and well known Little Italy's in the country: Federal Hill. The Hill is literally two-three blocks from the Convention Center on Atwells Avenue. You can pick almost any restaurant on the street and be satisfied. Prices will not be cheap, but not be outrageously expensive either (typically $15-25 pp). Personal favorites are Pane e Vino and Andinos, others will swear by Sienna and Al Forno (more pricey). You can also check out Bob & Timmy's Grilled Pizza (famous place that makes it into top 10 pizza in America list pretty consistently, very different but very good).
For my money, the best restaurant in the city is Andreas on Thayer St, a greek restaurant near the Brown University campus. Entrees range from very reasonable ($7-10) to moderately priced ($15-20). They are able to accomodate large groups (they have a back room with big tables). Lamb Souvlaki is fantastic and they have many good vegetarian options (salads, etc).
Also on Thayer St. is East Side Pockets (good wraps), a few good burrito places, sushi, etc. Two places bear mention here: Nice Slice and Antonios Pizza. Some people swear by one or the other, but they are open late nights (for a snack after MLG). Nice Slice also has very good vegan and vegetarian pizzas, although they don't deliver. Thayer is located ~5-10m from the Convention Center by car.
For Korean food: Mama Kim's Korean BBQ (which gets RAVE reviews) may bring their food truck down to the Convention Center. To increase chances of this happening, tweet @MamaKimsKbbq that you want to try some tasty Korean food. =)
For Korean Shopping: I have been told by a Chinese postdoc in our lab that the Chinese-American Mini-Market (located at 834 Park Ave in Cranston RI) sells a variety of Korean food that Korean competitors might want. I'm not Korean and I've never wanted to get random Korean snack food, so I can't tell you if this is a good place or not. But, it's like 5-10 minutes drive from the Convention Center, so it might be a cool place for an MLG employee or fan to stop off at and pick up some treats for Korean Players. =) I know one complaint of Korean Players in the past has been the distaste for American Fast Food.
Some additional information from teylewr:
For awesome burritos during the day or night, you can try Cilantros on weybosset... my favorite burrito of all time they also have a drink menu and are right next to a nice small bar Aruba Steves which isn't too bad in small groups, not loud if you just wanna chill and have a drink and chat about the games/starcraft.
If you're looking for BBQ and are up for a bit of a longer walk or small drive check out Ricks Roadhouse, they have great atmosphere good beer selection, tons of good food, cornhole and a hot wing challenge that you can get your picture on the wall.
For a piece of history there is Haven brothers food truck right near kennedy plaza with lots of delicious greasy food at night.
Bars and Nightlife
I am probably not the best person to write this section because most of my nights are now spent with the wife and dog (I know, I am lame). Most of my favorite places to go are up on Thayer St., near Pawtucket, or would require a car from downtown.
If I had to choose a bar and had a car, I'd go to either the Ivy Tavern (Great Food, Good Drinks) or Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub (amazing 100+ beer selection), but neither are "nightlife" places. Spats on Thayer St. is also good for a drink.
Some additional information from teylewr:
There are a lot of bars within walking distance of the convention center.
Some recommendations for food and drink since really you should try and avoid the mall, as thats just generic every mall food and providence has some good places, use yelp if necessary!
Luxe burger bar-has build your own burger, really good burgers also pretty well priced beers, probably the best place close by, though it is pretty small so large numbers of people can be iffy especially in november without outside seating
Ri-ra is a decent pub right nearby, though they usually have covers to pay for live bands, really loud not really good if you want to hang out and talk, but good for live music.
Trinity brewhouse - my personal favorite bar around here, they also have good food/nachos, and likely the best place to grab a beer with your friends after, good music, good atmosphere and good local brews though if you want only brand name beers and dont like trying new things this isnt for you, but damn they have good beer!
Walking into downtown about half a mile there are lots of other bars murphys, blakes, tazza, mcfadens( which can accommodate a lot of people although they turn most of their tables into a dance floor, but they have 2 bars and a lot of space) I cant speak too much about the others as I've only really stumbled upon them in pub crawls etc.
Event Schedule
As obtained from: http://pro.majorleaguegaming.com/competitions/25#event_54_event_schedule
StarCraft 2 - Event Schedule
Friday
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Early Check-In
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM Problem Check-In / Registration
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Check-In / Warm-Up
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Welcome
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM Open Winners Round 1
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Global Invitational Semifinals & Finals
8:30 PM - 11:30 PM Open Winners Round 2
10:30 PM - 12:30 AM Open Winners Round 3
12:30 AM - 1:30 AM Open Winners Round 4
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Losers Round 1
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Winners Round 5
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Open Winners Round 5 / Losers Round 2
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Open Winners Round 6 / Losers Round 2
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Winners Round 1
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Open Losers Round 3
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Winners Round 2
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Losers Round 4
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Losers Round 5
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Winners Round 3
I'm glad to hear that Bob and Timmy's is still in business though. Amazingly good artisan pizza.
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Open Losers Round 6
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Open Losers Round 7
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Open Losers Round 8
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Winners Round 4
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Championship Losers Round 1
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Losers Round 2
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Championship Losers Round 3
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Championship Losers Round 4
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals A / Losers Round 5
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals B / Losers Round 6
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Losers Round 7
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Losers Round 8
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Championship Losers Round 9
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Championship Winners Finals
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Losers Finals
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Championship Finals
Meet & Greet / Player Signings:
TLO: Providence Place Mall (adjacent to Convention Center) from 6:30 to 8:30 on Thursday
http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/meet-tlo-and-tsquared-in-providence
QIM - MVP (!!!!), NESTEA (!!!!), LOSIRA (!!!!), Inka, Destiny, Agh, Darkcell: Atwells Hilton (21 Atwells Ave) from 1:00PM to 3:00PM on Friday
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=286319
TYLER: Stride Booth @ MLG from 2:30 to 3:00 on Friday
Additional Info
If people have additional questions and post them below, I'll keep updating this in advance of MLG Providence. Or, if people have other good info, I'll update the post with that as well.
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Mmmm pizza. I love me some good pizza, and grilled pizza sounds gooooood.
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Thanks for writing this up!
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Great guide. I will have to check some of these places out. It may be worth mentioning that the Providence Place mall has a Fire and Ice,which is really tasty, although a little pricey.
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TY for the information! What would an average taxi fare be? (e.g. I am staying at the Marriott Downtown and arriving via train, from PVD to my Hotel.) Do they meter taxis (NYC) or are they prearranged fares? Do the busses run late, and how safe is it to walk at night? (From the Convention Center to my Hotel for example.) And as one last question -- any suggested bars/what are the alcohol laws in the city (When do bars close, liquor stores/off premises drinking sales, etc)
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Updated about Taxis and walking around; I believe your hotel is very close to the train station (if it's the Marriott I am thinking about) so you should be <$10. Is it the Courtyard or the regular Marriott?
(Will post bars and drinking laws tomorrow, but suffice it to say that Providence is in New England and so the only place you can buy alcohol is at a liquor store)
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This should probably be spotlighted due to practicality for those planning to visit.
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I'm not going to Providence, unfortunately, but great thread none the less! Maybe if MLG comes back to Dallas I'll do one about it.
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New York City is also down the street (1-2h by car) and you do stuff there too.
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As all the world's greatest and most resilient battle-minds descend upon...oh...
Rhode Island.
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On October 31 2011 10:20 Torpedo.Vegas wrote:
New York City is also down the street (1-2h by car) and you do stuff there too.
Not sure if this is a joke, but NYC is 3+ Hrs (probably 4+ with traffic on a weekend).
Boston on the other hand is 1ish hour by car.
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How late does the commuter rail run to Boston? I was planning on not getting a hotel and driving down from the Boston area. But now I'm thinking of taking the commuter rail since it's so cheap! Do you think this would be doable? (I would come back at the end of each day)
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On October 31 2011 10:57 shaladdle wrote:
How late does the commuter rail run to Boston? I was planning on not getting a hotel and driving down from the Boston area. But now I'm thinking of taking the commuter rail since it's so cheap! Do you think this would be doable? (I would come back at the end of each day)
There's a schedule posted here (make sure you check the Saturday and Sunday schedules, which differ from the Weekday schedules):
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=PROVSTOU&direction=I&timing=W&RedisplayTime=Redisplay Time
The last train is at around 10PM each day. Your only worry should be that, if you miss your train, you are SOL. There's no other convenient transport that late.
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Don't forget, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun (two of the most famous casino's in the northeast) are only 45minutes away respectively.
Also for any history fanatics or whatever, Fort Whetherall is in JamesTown, a famous war-site and a gigantic 3-4mile wide place for graffiti/paintball/"haunted" stuff (if you're into that). Additionally there is Newport, which hosts some famous tennis tournaments.
Also Brown University is about five minutes by car from Kennedy plaza, for anyone wanting to see the campus or visit it :D.
Also taxi's are I believe 5.25 for the first mile, and then 50c per mile after that(?) with a minimum of $15 from the airport no matter what or something.
T.F Green Airport has a bus that arrives every 15minutes that goes straight to kennedy plaza, and the airport is ridiculous simple and small, so it's pretty easy and simple.
And for anyone who likes hot dogs/weiners etc, go to Weinorama, about 10minutes car drive from providence, your mouth will never repay you for the delight it feels :D!
Hmm, there's also about a dunkin donuts every 2miles, it's probably the largest fast-food-coffee joint in the state, and it's literally infesting the state, and same with mcdonalds almost, but thats about 5miles every mcdonalds.
Rhode Island is also a lot different from other states in my opinion, there's a much higher amount of population per square mile because the state is so ridiculous small, thus not making it like a "country" place, like other states. Although I doubt anyone would notice this since they won't probably stray too far from the venue.
!
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When I visited Brown in Providence, I almost got a ticket for parking over 2 hours in a pay lot... thank god it was just a warning
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I predict that at least 1 Providence LR thread will derail into pizza talk again.
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From the downtown area up to Thayer has a huge hill -- I recommend taking a bus through the tunnel unless you're in the mood for a bit of a climb, which is annoying if you're carrying a lot of stuff.
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Haha great! we need one of these for every event, thanks a ton!
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I had no idea that Federal Hill is a short walk from the convention center.
Fuck MLG, time to get fat off of Italian food. Shitty Italian food is the worst part about living in the south for me.
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On October 31 2011 15:05 Domination wrote:
I had no idea that Federal Hill is a short walk from the convention center.
Fuck MLG, time to get fat off of Italian food. Shitty Italian food is the worst part about living in the south for me.
I'm originally from Boston, but spent 5 years in Iowa in between living in MA and RI. I think I ate Chicken Parm subs for like 3 straight weeks upon coming back to the Northeast.
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United States15536 Posts
So pumped for this, so thanks for the guide. Hopefully I will be able to do something outside of MLG, and not just spend most of my time huddled in my hotel room in an AWESOME ESPORTS COMA.
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This is gonna be awesome!!! Thanks for all the info, hopefully my wallet won't hate on me too much XD.
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There are a lot of bars within walking distance of the convention center.
Some recommendations for food and drink since really you should try and avoid the mall, as thats just generic every mall food and providence has some good places, use yelp if necessary!
Luxe burger bar-has build your own burger, really good burgers also pretty well priced beers, probably the best place close by, though it is pretty small so large numbers of people can be iffy especially in november without outside seating
Ri-ra is a decent pub right nearby, though they usually have covers to pay for live bands, really loud not really good if you want to hang out and talk, but good for live music.
Trinity brewhouse - my personal favorite bar around here, they also have good food/nachos, and likely the best place to grab a beer with your friends after, good music, good atmosphere and good local brews though if you want only brand name beers and dont like trying new things this isnt for you, but damn they have good beer!
Walking into downtown about half a mile there are lots of other bars murphys, blakes, tazza, mcfadens( which can accommodate a lot of people although they turn most of their tables into a dance floor, but they have 2 bars and a lot of space) I cant speak too much about the others as I've only really stumbled upon them in pub crawls etc.
For awesome burritos during the day or night, you can try Cilantros on weybosset... my favorite burrito of all time they also have a drink menu and are right next to a nice small bar Aruba Steves which isn't too bad in small groups, not loud if you just wanna chill and have a drink and chat about the games/starcraft.
If you're looking for BBQ and are up for a bit of a longer walk or small drive check out Ricks Roadhouse, they have great atmosphere good beer selection, tons of good food, cornhole and a hot wing challenge that you can get your picture on the wall.
For a piece of history there is Haven brothers food truck right near kennedy plaza with lots of delicious greasy food at night.
There are many more bars/restaurants in the area as well as all of downtown providence is really just a couple of blocks, but those are my recommendations, which are much less pricy than you will find on federal hill, and not as far as Thayer street, and not as crappy/generic as the mall.
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Updated the OP with that info =)
Surprised you gave Trinity a good review... I have only heard negative things! Maybe I will have to get a beer there after watching MC take out Idra. =)
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Thanks for the info, great help. I'm finally coming to this mlg finally!
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I've walked from the train station to the Providence Place Mall. The convention center is next to that? That's pretty convenient, maybe I'll train it one of the days.
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Hey I'm from pawtucket, you should also mention in your post that if you're looking for a hotel it is probably in your best interest to get a hotel outside of providence for the event! RI is very small any of the outlying cities will get you to prov in 5-10 mins or less by car!
edit: as far as food goes, definitely go to olneyville for hot wieners! if you're visiting RI and never had a hot wiener before you're in for a good surprise! :D
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not sure if I will go from Canada or just go to some barcraft, Montreal's looked pretty sick
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What kind of weather should we expect?
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On November 03 2011 11:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:
What kind of weather should we expect?
its kinda chilly but snow is unlikely pretty nice for a hearty new englander like myself
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On November 03 2011 11:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:
What kind of weather should we expect?
If you are planning on doing a lot of walking, especially at night (back and forth from convention to Hotel) or early in the morning (waiting outside convention center so that you can get one of MLG's 35 total seats), bring a warm jacket. It might be 50s, it might be 10s. It might be bright and sunny, there might be a foot of snow.
New England weather is weird around this time of year. Record high for MLG weekend is 72. Record Low is 10. =(
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On November 04 2011 01:59 Jnai wrote:Show nested quote +On November 03 2011 11:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:
What kind of weather should we expect? If you are planning on doing a lot of walking, especially at night (back and forth from convention to Hotel) or early in the morning (waiting outside convention center so that you can get one of MLG's 35 total seats), bring a warm jacket. It might be 50s, it might be 10s. It might be bright and sunny, there might be a foot of snow. New England weather is weird around this time of year. Record high for MLG weekend is 72. Record Low is 10. =(
Thats good to know though, i'll make sure to take bring cloathing for both cases (-10C to 22C)... Also the temperature is probably going to be a mess at the convention centre as well... it looks very modern it might turn out to be cold in there at times, but hot when it gets packed... i don't trust mechanical systems....
Thanks for all the information.
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Went to providence this summer and I have to 2nd the fact that luxe burger has amazing burgers. My friends and I ate there 3 times. Get the kobe beef with goat cheese.
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On November 05 2011 00:07 Dac wrote:Show nested quote +On November 04 2011 01:59 Jnai wrote:On November 03 2011 11:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:
What kind of weather should we expect? If you are planning on doing a lot of walking, especially at night (back and forth from convention to Hotel) or early in the morning (waiting outside convention center so that you can get one of MLG's 35 total seats), bring a warm jacket. It might be 50s, it might be 10s. It might be bright and sunny, there might be a foot of snow. New England weather is weird around this time of year. Record high for MLG weekend is 72. Record Low is 10. =( Thats good to know though, i'll make sure to take bring cloathing for both cases (-10C to 22C)... Also the temperature is probably going to be a mess at the convention centre as well... it looks very modern it might turn out to be cold in there at times, but hot when it gets packed... i don't trust mechanical systems.... Thanks for all the information.
MLGs are always cold inside
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On November 05 2011 00:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:Show nested quote +On November 05 2011 00:07 Dac wrote:On November 04 2011 01:59 Jnai wrote:On November 03 2011 11:28 Dark.Carnival wrote:
What kind of weather should we expect? If you are planning on doing a lot of walking, especially at night (back and forth from convention to Hotel) or early in the morning (waiting outside convention center so that you can get one of MLG's 35 total seats), bring a warm jacket. It might be 50s, it might be 10s. It might be bright and sunny, there might be a foot of snow. New England weather is weird around this time of year. Record high for MLG weekend is 72. Record Low is 10. =( Thats good to know though, i'll make sure to take bring cloathing for both cases (-10C to 22C)... Also the temperature is probably going to be a mess at the convention centre as well... it looks very modern it might turn out to be cold in there at times, but hot when it gets packed... i don't trust mechanical systems.... Thanks for all the information. MLGs are always cold inside
That is surprising.
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Dear OP,
What would be the best spots to go about doing street / candid photography ?
I'll be getting there a day early and I don't to miss that chance.
Thanks
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We need info like this for every event, save a lot of people some hassle and learning things the long way.
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On November 11 2011 04:42 Pharax wrote:
Dear OP,
What would be the best spots to go about doing street / candid photography ?
I'll be getting there a day early and I don't to miss that chance.
Thanks
I'm not a photographer so I'm not sure what you're looking for. =) DePasquale Plaza on Atwell's (big fountain) often has a cool scene. Shame you missed waterfire!
http://waterfire.org/
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I've managed to find parking somehow in the middle of Boston in an emergency, I was PROBABLY lucky as hell but if its stricter than Boston parking in Providence then I'm gonna be annoyed cookie =(. I hate parking in cities, and I hate lots cause they tend to charge quite a bit if you're staying all day.
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I was wondering if there was anyone close to park near the convention center? I'm staying at the Wyndam, couldn't get a room at the first Hotel MLG had listed. I saw parking there was like 26$ a day, and If that's so I'm going to be fucked lol, is there anywhere else to park.
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nice, I am going to providence, and I will mark this thread via this post! sounds uselful
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Wow great write-up!
However, this now makes me really really really wish I was going to MLG Providence. Too bad I'm poor.  Oh well TL IRC will have to suffice.
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@nGBeast
Cheap alternative is to park at the Burger King & IHOP parking lot and walk 5-10 minutes there.
445 Promenade Street Providence, RI 02908
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On November 12 2011 04:59 TigerGosu1 wrote:
@nGBeast
Cheap alternative is to park at the Burger King & IHOP parking lot and walk 5-10 minutes there.
445 Promenade Street Providence, RI 02908
Can you really get away with this? What are the chances of you getting reported for doing this? I used to park in an empty lot for a long time, but one early morning the angry owner stalked me down and gave me hell for it lol.
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Yeah if anything i'll just talk to the ihop manager's and see if they don't mind, if so I'll have to figure something else out tt
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nick nick nick nick....forget weinorama go to Olneyville weiners on Reseivoir ave after a night of boosing!
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blah tried to delete i guess u cant your own posts.
I live in Cranston and their is also alot of to do outside of providence. since we are so small its only a 10 minute commute. any people coming from a landlocked section of hte world make sure to stop by our beaches we are called the ocean state for a reason =D
Newport is nice and my GFs dad owns a resturant if people are interested ill get him to hook it up. Newport is a little far though from the event.
El Tapatio is an excellent authentic mexican restaurant outside the city so its much quieter.
As the OP said. Thayer Street is jampacked with fun things to do/eat. Ben n Jerrys, a Hookah Bar, Brown, GREAT PIZZA. GREAT BURRITOS!
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@nGBeast & Snuggles
I wouldn't ask the manager. That will just make paint a big tow me sign on your car.
It's a very big lot and I've parked there many times. I grew up a few blocks from there and have lived there for 12 years. It won't be a problem if it's only 5-10 people taking up their spot. The lot can hold quite a bit and there is also a lot behind for RI Blood Bank. Be courteous and buy something when you come back to your car though.
If you're really scared, you could arrange a car pool and then split the parking fee equally with everyone. That would be only 5 bucks a person for the whole day. (This will be harder if you're in the group of gamers that don't shower.)
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I kno the parking lot Tiger is talking about its pretty safe to park their and you probably wont get messed with.
Also if you dont mind moving every 3 hours or so the mall parking lot allowsd you to park -3 hours for 1$ 3-5 for 5$ itsn ot to bad and you can walk through the mall to the even (im pretty sure)
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Anyone know if they serve beer in the convention center/is MLG alcohol-free?
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idk if they do at the convention center but there are bars all around
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Thank you so much bro. I was looking for that kind of stuff. You saved me alot of time :D
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On November 14 2011 00:53 doh_grenny wrote:
Anyone know if they serve beer in the convention center/is MLG alcohol-free?
Last MLG I went to they served Dr. Pepper, hot pockets, and slim jims. I was wastedddddddddddddddddddddddddd
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Thanks a lot. This is really helpful and I was looking for a great place to get a lobster roll up there. Do you have any local suggestions? That or some hardcore New England Clam Chowder.
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My favorite seafood in the area is at Hemenways (http://www.hemenwaysrestaurant.com/) - but it isn't a cheap place. But their clam chowder is great.
Lobster rolls are trickier. Almost everyone will tell you to go to someplace in a small town outside the city to some random shack near the Ocean (e.g., Jim's Dock in Jerusalem) - and they're probably right.
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are the spectator passes for providence sold out or they still available at the door friday night?
I live 30 minutes away, only spending money comes to me 2 days before event, and i will be sorely vexed if im unable to get in =\\
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Couldn't find it on the website. Can someone following this thread post times for MLG?
For example: Friday 9pm-2pm then 6pm-8pm
Whatever the schedule maybe.
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I received a message about safety walking to the Burger King parking lot.
A good idea is if you plan on parking there, let's message one central person on here or exchange contacts. People can meetup after the show and walk back to their cars at the same time to make it safer. (Although, it's pretty safe. I wouldn't want someone from out of state or the country to wander by themselves at night.)
If you think this is a good idea or not, reply on the post.
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Weather Update:
Friday High 47 F 8 C
Low 35 F 2 C
Saturday High 54 F 12 C
Low 46 F 8 C
Sunday High 62 F 17 C
Low 43 F 6C
And Sunny. :-)
Hope that helps!
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Does anyone know when the doors open on Saturday morning? I'm not having any luck finding it on the MLG site.
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This is really cool. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
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As obtained from: http://pro.majorleaguegaming.com/competitions/25#event_54_event_schedule
StarCraft 2 - Event Schedule
Friday
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Early Check-In
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM Problem Check-In / Registration
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Check-In / Warm-Up
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Welcome
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM Open Winners Round 1
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Global Invitational Semifinals & Finals
8:30 PM - 11:30 PM Open Winners Round 2
10:30 PM - 12:30 AM Open Winners Round 3
12:30 AM - 1:30 AM Open Winners Round 4
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Losers Round 1
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Winners Round 5
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Open Winners Round 5 / Losers Round 2
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Open Winners Round 6 / Losers Round 2
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Winners Round 1
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Open Losers Round 3
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Winners Round 2
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Losers Round 4
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Losers Round 5
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Winners Round 3
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Open Losers Round 6
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Open Losers Round 7
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Open Losers Round 8
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Winners Round 4
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Championship Losers Round 1
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Losers Round 2
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Championship Losers Round 3
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Championship Losers Round 4
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals A / Losers Round 5
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals B / Losers Round 6
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Losers Round 7
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Losers Round 8
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Championship Losers Round 9
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Championship Winners Finals
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Losers Finals
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Championship Finals
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Awesome, thanks for finding it battyone. You're an online sleuth!
Maybe the OP can update his first post with the time in it so people reading the thread will see it right away.
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Did so. Also added a "Player Signings" / "Meet & Greet". (Added TLO's Thursday Night signing at Providence).
If other players / teams post announcements, I will update that list.
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On November 17 2011 01:40 Zaranth wrote:
Weather Update:
Friday High 47 F 8 C
Low 35 F 2 C
Saturday High 54 F 12 C
Low 46 F 8 C
Sunday High 62 F 17 C
Low 43 F 6C
And Sunny. :-)
Hope that helps!
It looks colder than that in some websites... http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/usri0050
Low of -1 on Friday 
Thanks again Jnai.
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Welcome to Providence! though I'm not gonna be at MLG because of exams
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I went to the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall once. The food was badly prepared and ridiculously overpriced (considering that it was in fact, not very good food).
I wholeheartedly support OP's recommendation to check out the restaurants on Thayer street. Sushi Express is pretty good, although not great. Generally prices are high but value is much greater than the mall chain restaurants. Providence is also full of bars (both dive and non-dive) that you should not hesitate to patronize.
Byblos Hookah Bar is a must visit if you like middle eastern food and/or smoking hookah.
So hyped for MLG, I always have a good time when I visit Providence 
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Very organized writeup! For that I am in your debt *bows*
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Awesome thread! I live in Warwick and this thread has everything I could think to tell someone visiting providence and more.
For some reason rhode islanders seem to have very strong opinions about their favorite providence pizza joints lol, but personally would recommend Antonio's or Casserta's if you're looking for some good pizza!
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If you like Cambodian or Thai food, check out Apsara in the East Side. Some of the absolute best food you will ever have. Also, be sure to check out Thayer Street for food, Antonio's for pizza (on Thayer), and if you are from the West Coast - try some Dunkin Donuts.
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If you are at Thayer St DEFINITELY hit up Nice Slice. Best pizza in town imo
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Where is the best seafood in town? Anyone have any awesome leads?
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Yeah the Amtrak is freaking expensive. But for me it's the easiest way to get from ME to Providence without driving. Nice to see the station is pretty close to the convention center too.
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I dont recognize any seafood restaurant here(at least not on Thayer street) but you can find many good sushi restaurants here, such as Sakura or Haruki (NOT Haruki Express)
Try Spice or Sawaddee for Thai food
My friend said that the best Indian food around here is in food court in the Mall lol
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Any good Korean food or Chinese Buffets? I have an issue on trips where I just go to Chinese buffets and eat nothing but crab legs for days >.>
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You could try Soban on Thayer st or Teriyaki and Korean house or Sura on downtown. I don't know any good Chinese buffet around here though.
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Osaka27149 Posts
Spotlighted
whoops, apparently done before me. Anyway, GJ OP!
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I went to school in Providence back in the 90s (RISD). I'm genuinely sad I can't be at MLG Providence. It was all planned out but work commitments got in the way.
I'm glad to hear that Bob and Timmy's is still in business though. Amazingly good artisan pizza.
If you have a little free time and you want to see something interesting try to swing by the Armory district, adjacent to Federal Hill. This was my old neighborhood and the The Rhode Island Armory is a wonderful old building to see.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc72/5502352694/in/set-72157624043684410
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This OP is one of the most blatant uses of hospitality I've ever seen.
I've never been anywhere near Providence, never met anyone from Providence, or heard any stories about anyone from Providence. But after this OP, I have absolute certainty that if I strolled into Providence one day that I will be greeted with smiles and rainbows.
You sir, give the people of Providence a good name.
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To add to the list of suggestions for food places:
Ume
http://www.umebuffet.com/
It's an all you can eat buffet with hibachi, sushi, chinese and seafood = crabs.
If you happen to have a car go check it out. 30 minutes from the Convention center but definitely worth it in my opinion.
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On November 17 2011 16:13 XThunderyX wrote:
Any good Korean food or Chinese Buffets? I have an issue on trips where I just go to Chinese buffets and eat nothing but crab legs for days >.>
The best Korean food in town, which gets RAVE reviews, is Mama Kim's (http://www.mamakims.us/).
Conveniently, they have a food truck!
I sent them a tweet last night and told them that 100 Koreans and 10,000 people who wanted to be Koreans were going to Providence this weekend, they replied that they might come park outside the convention center one day. So, you should all support them, because a) they are tasty and awesome and b) what could be better than eating Korean food while watching Idra/MMA. =)
If you also want them to show up you should send them a tweet (@MamaKimsKbbq). Will increase likelihood of awesome.
Also, I think I would avoid Soban if I was on Thayer. I have heard nothing but bad things and if you're on Thayer and want to spend that much on good food go to Andreas. But if someone who has actually been there wants to correct me, please feel free =)
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From personal experience, he ain't kidding about the parking enforcement. Those guys are on it.
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Awesome guide it's always hard for me to find food that is awesome and healthier. At Raleigh I was stuck eating barely cooked fries and the nastiest chicken strips I have ever tasted. Ended up throwing the whole thing out and suffering through my matches on an empty stomach. Going to check these places out for sure!
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Attero,
Thayer street is the place you are looking for. its right next to the college and and has a VARIETY of all sorts of food. I reccommend the Bieblos Burger (prob not healthy) at the Bieblos Hookah Bar!
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On November 17 2011 17:18 CookieMaker wrote:
This OP is one of the most blatant uses of hospitality I've ever seen.
I've never been anywhere near Providence, never met anyone from Providence, or heard any stories about anyone from Providence. But after this OP, I have absolute certainty that if I strolled into Providence one day that I will be greeted with smiles and rainbows.
You sir, give the people of Providence a good name.
I think this ammmount of generosity comes from just being part of the Starcraft 2 Community. In general I work with the public every day out here. and while we arent the WORST people we definately arent the nicest. RI is always moving. people are always in a rush just becareful.
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On November 17 2011 17:18 CookieMaker wrote:
This OP is one of the most blatant uses of hospitality I've ever seen.
I've never been anywhere near Providence, never met anyone from Providence, or heard any stories about anyone from Providence. But after this OP, I have absolute certainty that if I strolled into Providence one day that I will be greeted with smiles and rainbows.
You sir, give the people of Providence a good name.
LOL, perhaps this more reflects on the TL community? IMO Providence, like most other East Coast cities I've visited, has that certain edginess where everybody either seems in a hurry to get somewhere else, is trying to hustle you, or is unreasonably drunk/high/dying from a head wound in public.
OTOH, Providence is less intense than NYC, more fun than Hartford, and less snooty than Boston, so it's probably a good city to spend time in compared to it's neighbors .
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just a fair warning to all visitors, you might want to try to stay away from the streets at night, js its a good chance you'll be robbed or worse, Providence is a dangerous city, lots of gangs, be safe, gl
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Oh also if you want good food (Seafood, steak, etc) Fire & Ice is DEFINITELY a must top for you. They have all the food out raw for you and you bring it up to a huge grill to be cooked however you like it. You can chose from a bunch of different sauces, there is a huge salad bar.
Don't know if they are just relative to the Northeast, but it is definitely an awesome place to eat.
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I guess the food is the best thing, since the real draw of Rhode Island got shut down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Rhode_Island
The Italian can be pretty good, but what you NEED to look for, is a Portuguese bakery, get some sweet bread, or doughnuts, holy jesus those are great
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On November 18 2011 05:48 Beorning wrote:I guess the food is the best thing, since the real draw of Rhode Island got shut down http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_in_Rhode_IslandThe Italian can be pretty good, but what you NEED to look for, is a Portuguese bakery, get some sweet bread, or doughnuts, holy jesus those are great
Not that i would go myself but some light gooling has shown a large number of..errr...full service massage palors. Apparently it's not as dead there as one would imagine.
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On November 18 2011 06:24 battyone wrote:Not that i would go myself but some light gooling has shown a large number of..errr...full service massage palors. Apparently it's not as dead there as one would imagine.
Yeah, I guess massage can be pretty widely interpreted.
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TLO is awesome =)
![[image loading]](http://s1-05.twitpicproxy.com/photos/large/449395253.jpg)
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Okay, if there's no beer at MLG, can we get a barcraft going on in one of those nearby bars simultaneously? Who's in?
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On November 17 2011 23:09 Jnai wrote:Show nested quote +On November 17 2011 16:13 XThunderyX wrote:
Any good Korean food or Chinese Buffets? I have an issue on trips where I just go to Chinese buffets and eat nothing but crab legs for days >.> The best Korean food in town, which gets RAVE reviews, is Mama Kim's (http://www.mamakims.us/). Conveniently, they have a food truck! I sent them a tweet last night and told them that 100 Koreans and 10,000 people who wanted to be Koreans were going to Providence this weekend, they replied that they might come park outside the convention center one day. So, you should all support them, because a) they are tasty and awesome and b) what could be better than eating Korean food while watching Idra/MMA. =) If you also want them to show up you should send them a tweet (@MamaKimsKbbq). Will increase likelihood of awesome. Also, I think I would avoid Soban if I was on Thayer. I have heard nothing but bad things and if you're on Thayer and want to spend that much on good food go to Andreas. But if someone who has actually been there wants to correct me, please feel free =)
Done ;p hopefully they come, I've never had food truck food before.
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I was in RI for 4 years, some additional food recommendations
Korean food: I was going to recommend Solomon's on Benefit St. but apparently its closed down now? I loved that place, one korean mom made all the food and the dad served it. According to Yelp there's a place called Sun and Moon that looks pretty good, it should be just down the street from a tiny korean market named Asiana that I used to go to all the time (it has the staples but PVD isn't really the place to be if you want to get korean groceries).
SE Asian Food near Brown: I know there's Phonatic and Spice near Brown but the best imo is Sawaddee on Hope St. Pretty small place and very good food. Angkor is close by on Thayer if Sawaddee is full (which is likely to happen) and offers really fucking good Cambodian food. I don't really know what Cambodian food is but whatever they serve at Angkor is good.
Federal Hill: I don't think you can go wrong with any of the places, the popular places can get packed really quick on the weekends and with MLG there I'm going to guess its going to be reallllllly hard to get into them. Honestly, its all really good Italian food and if you don't want to to wait, wander around cause there's a ton of restaurants up there. I would recommend visiting Pastiche for dessert though, especially if you have a ladyfriend.
Water St.:
Bacaro: If you want Italian off of Federal Hill and don't mind spending a little more, Bacaro is really good too. Definitely a classier/pricier establishment, lots of sausages of different kinds to eat, very good.
Hemmenway's: Probably the most famous seafood restaurant in PVD, if you like raw clams go there because they have a great selection of fresh clams. Other than that, its pretty expensive and about on par with other expensive seafood restaurants (i.e. you get what you pay for, $$$$ equals =DDDD)
College Hill/Thayer: I personally think the majority of College Hill restaurants are overrated. I ate a shit ton of pizza at Antonio's and wraps at East Side Pockets but I don't think that they're particularly special, just convenient.
-Bagel Gourmet: If you get a chance to, a bacon egg and cheese bagel from bagel gourmet (the one on Thayer, NOT the Hope st. one) is worth it, their burritos are not bad too.
-Andrea's: Andrea's is hit or miss in my opinion, though I would kill for the fried calamari appetizer. The saganaki cheese appetizer is pretty interesting and actually really tasty too.
-Via Via: Despite the fact that this place is sketchy as fuck and is probably a front for some sort of italian mob thing, the pizza from Via Via is actually amazing and I prefer it to Antonio's. If I want a good old pizza Via Via is where its at, Pizza Pie-er if I want a ton of weird "healthy/fancy" toppings.
I know most of you guys are going to be at the convention center and the immediate area of downtown providence but if you're feeling adventurous and need a breath of fresh air, the East Bay bike path is a well maintained path that you can walk on which goes through some really pretty parts of providence/RI. If you can't make it out that far a walk down the river in downtown providence is pretty nice too, especially since it cuts through parts of RISD and there's sort of a running path/park thing down there. You can see where its starts from Providence Place Mall/train station and it runs down to water st.
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Quick question about the schedule: is it in PST? I'm pretty sure it is but I just want to make sure.
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On November 18 2011 11:07 Jnai wrote:TLO is awesome =)
that beard....is fucking terrible XD. Sorry TLO <3
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On November 18 2011 16:27 RiceAgainst wrote:
Quick question about the schedule: is it in PST? I'm pretty sure it is but I just want to make sure.
Probably EST since the event is on the east coast...which reminds me. Train to catch!!!! :D :D :D See ya'll in provi!
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Time is EST. It's really cold in RI right now so bring a coat.
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I've lived in RI and gone to school there my whole life. I'm going to be heading to MLG tomorrow morning but I thought I'd drop a few tips in this thread before I went to bed:
#1 recommendation I can make is to check out Cuban Revolution Restaurant & Bar.
They have *awesome* sandwiches and are only about a 5 minute walk from the Convention Center.
A great place to go for a tasty and relatively affordable lunch or dinner.
On November 17 2011 07:59 warbaby wrote:
I went to the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall once. The food was badly prepared and ridiculously overpriced (considering that it was in fact, not very good food)
Listen to this man. The Cheesecake Factory is terrible, do not go there lmao
On November 17 2011 07:59 warbaby wrote:Byblos Hookah Bar is a must visit if you like middle eastern food and/or smoking hookah.
Byblos no longer has the restaurant downstairs (R.I.P. Byblos Burger)
It is now a full time hookah bar. Their website is out-of-date. Go somewhere else on Thayer Street for food, smoke at Byblos after if you want.
Also, not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but Pastiche, a tiny hole-in-the-wall pastry shop, on Federal Hill is worth going to if you have someone in tow that you are... in a relationship with. Prepare to wait 30 minutes or so to get seated, but it's THE BEST dessert you can have in the entire state bar none and the atmosphere is appropriately cozy.
If you are not used to chilly New England weather, bring a coat. If you're some sort of crazy Canadian mountain man you'll probably feel right at home though- it's a little colder than the forecasts predicted.
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How about some grocery stores/supermarkets walking distance from the venue?
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LOL, god i wish i had read this last night before me and my friends were walking around in the bad area basically lost...you sir are going to save me a LOT of trouble with this now.
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On November 19 2011 21:59 ggofthejungle wrote:
How about some grocery stores/supermarkets walking distance from the venue?
There is a 7Eleven at the south west end of Kennedy Plaza on Dorrance Street. Don't know what food they stock but they do have enough (soft) drinks.
Now where on this anyway: anyone know a place on walking distance (if possible heading south from the convention center) where you can take out some basic food that is open late night and decent?
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EPT
