slides: 10 RI Things I Love: Architect David Andreozzi

One: Hidden jewel

The RISD Museum, Providence

One of the truly secret cultural hidden jewels of RI! The level of worldwide acclaimed artists represented in their collection is stunning! Museum memberships may be the best bargain in the state!  FAMILY NOTE: Don’t miss the totally free RISD Museum Associate Annual Holiday Celebration featuring Santa, carolers, storytellers, art projects, and free Museum admission. 

www.risdmuseum.org

Two: Wine man

Mark Gasbarro at Gasbarro’s Wines, Providence

Many liquor stores share the name but there is only one MarkGasbarro on Atwells Avenue. His Italian wine selection may be the most expansive on the East Coast. His personal knowledge of Italian wines surpasses even that.Values from Sicily? Rock stars from Piedmont? Or new discoveries from ancient Chianti. Salute!

www.gasbarros.com

Three: Perfect walk

Cliff Walk, Newport

Newport’s Cliff Walk starts out benign for beginners, but gets more adventurous as you pass through tunnels, over rocks, and in ravines. Pack a picnic and be prepared to be reawakened to a time when the power and wealth of the Industrial Revolution met the power of the ocean and the cliffs in some perfect and respecting poetic balance.

www.cliffwalk.com

Four: Eyeglass heaven

Gregory's Optical, Providence

Gregory’s Optical for all of my eyeglasses! Their phenomenal selection, fair pricing, and meticulous service is unparalleled!

www.gregorys-optical.com

Five: Memorial Day

White Buck season

Why, because that’s when my wife, Cheryl, lets me wear my beloved white bucks. Nothing connects me more to my RI roots. Buy quality. Not those big round toe rough finishedwannabes that look ugly and fall apart. I wear Crockett & Jones made bucks with nubuck top-grain cattle leather with a thin streamlined toe design. Sweet! Please… no socks!

Six: The best hair cut

Steve Decoteaux, Strands Salon, Providence

The very very best hair cut in the state for a woman or man… Steven Decoteaux. His attention to detail and his drive for perfection is a wonder to experience. I am simply blown by his level of artistry every time I leave. He is currently at Strands on Wayland Square.

www.strandsri.com

Seven: Best view

State House, Providence

The best view of Providence is hard to come by now, but let's look for a way for this to be a special access event from time to time. As a student I received permission to a (once public) stairway in the State House that brought me up to the oculus (or hole) at the top of the internal dome where you can look directly down at the rotunda below, and then up to a roof hatch on top of the external dome just under the Independent Man.  We were speechless.

Eight: Peak cuisine

Persimmon Restaurant, Bristol

Chef Champe Speidel and his wife Lisa opened Persimmon Restaurant in Bristol in 2005. It's one of the best restaurants in New England.  I always start with an appetizer of pan seared Hudson Valley fois gras with a Sauterne or comparable dessert wine by the glass. They also own a great butchery in Barrington, called Persimmon Provisions.

www.persimmonbristol.com

www.persimmonprovisions.com

Nine: Best bar

The Mooring Restaurant, Newport

The best bar in RI is the Mooring Restaurant’s north bar. (The south bar is shown here.) Name your poisons: a big-ass martini, a Guinness with a velvety head, a fresh raw bar, great apps, a comforting menu, a large screen tvfor Sunday afternoon games, and a fantastic U shaped bar where people watching becomes an Olympic level sport. 

www.mooringrestaurant.com

Ten: Great escape

Mount Hope Farm, Bristol

Mount Hope Farm in Bristol includes the 1745 Governor Bradford House on 127-acre historic site, country inn, and special event venue abutting Mount Hope Bay. Explore the property from farms to shoreline for hours. You have to experience the famers market every Saturday morning. It is under tents in the summer and in a historic barn in the winter.

www.mounthopefarm.org