Gay Providence: Strolling Along Funky Wickenden Street

Even if it has been a relatively mild winter in New England this year, there's still a buzz in the air as temperatures warm a bit (albeit gradually, as of early April) and flora begins budding. In Providence, Rhode Island, which I've long considered one of the country's most underrated gay destinations, a number cool, walkable neighborhoods really come to life this time of year, among them offbeat Wickenden Street. This East Side neighborhood near the campuses of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design attract artists, students, gays, and bookish types with its short but colorful row of coffeehouses, ethic restaurants, galleries, and antiques shops, from the laid-back Coffee Exchange to the stylish Z Bar and Grille. Providence lies less than an hour's drive south of Boston and is the largest city in the country with an openly gay mayor, David Cicilline. Travelers checking out the gay Providence scene will find a superb restaurant scene, several lively queer bars (plus New England's only two bathhouses), a flourishing arts scene, and a vibrant GLBT scene.