Travel

Posted on January 31, 2013 by John

Greetings all,
In this second message in a series (originally sent to the VRA Listserv) about the 2013 VRA Annual Conference, “Capitalizing on Creativity,” Local Arrangements Chair Mark Pompelia and I will highlight some of your travel options, both regional and local. This message is meant to provide a broad framework for travel planning with details to be provided on the conference blog.

While Providence is a small city, it benefits from being located in the transportation-rich region of the Northeast Corridor, just an hour south of Boston. For its midyear meeting last summer, VRA Executive Board officers scattered about the country used a variety of travel methods—planes, trains, city bus, etc.—all without incident.

Getting to Providence by air:

PROVIDENCE (PVD)

Theodore Francis Green (TF Green) International Airport (http://www.pvdairport.com/), is located about ten minutes south of downtown Providence, in the suburb of Warwick. Ground transportation options include both taxi (around $35 one way) and public bus transportation ($2 cash fare one way) with both express and local routes to Kennedy Plaza directly adjacent to the Providence Biltmore. Again, please look to the conference blog for further details and links.

BOSTON (BOS)

This past summer I had the pleasure of visiting Providence for the first time. Getting there from the west coast was surprisingly easy and fun. I had never been to Boston before, and that was on my list of cities to see, so I arranged to fly into Boston’s Logan International Airport (www.massport.com/logan-airport/) and spend time exploring Boston before heading to Providence by train.

Flying into Boston was cheaper (at least $100 cheaper) from the west coast than flying into Providence’s Theodore Francis Green (TF Green) Airport (PVD) and I was able to fly non-stop, whereas flying from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to TF Green required at least one stop. Mark assures me that PVD offers competitive airfares (he’s opted to use Boston Logan just twice out of dozens of itineraries) so it will boil down to your origin city and travel preferences.

From Logan Airport you can take the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Silver Line from the airport to Boston’s South Station (http://www.south-station.net/) where you can connect to subways, buses and trains (the Silver Line is actually a city bus and is free of charge outbound from the airport to South Station). I took an Amtrak from South Station to Providence for around $15 because of my schedule, but the Boston Commuter Rail extends to the downtown Providence train station for half that price. The station is then only a short walk from the Providence Biltmore.

NEW YORK CITY (NYC)

It’s also possible to plan your trip to Providence by way of New York City and take a bus from the Port Authority or train from Penn Station to Providence. The Amtrak from New York to Providence can be pricey ($50-$125 one way) so you might consider Megabus or Peter Pan ($3-$15 one way).

So many affordable options! Rest assured, once you’ve encamped at the Providence Biltmore to join your colleagues at VRA2013 in Providence, Rhode Island, the only transport required will be of the pedestrian variety. I look forward to seeing you there!
John

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Shout-out to the Arts in Providence

Posted on January 30, 2013 by elainepaul

What did the newly retired National Endowment for the Arts Chair Rocco Landesman have to say about Providence in his recent NEA blog entry?

“It probably won’t be surprising that outside of Washington, some of the most rewarding places I visited during my term were places that are very engaged in the arts, that have a great arts infrastructure and commitment to the arts. Providence, Rhode Island, would probably be at the top of the list.”

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Explore Providence: Walking the Independence Trail

Posted on January 29, 2013 by elainepaul

Did you know that Providence is one of America’s most walkable cities? (It was ranked 9th by MSNBC in 2011.) Consider exploring historic Providence on foot if the early April weather cooperates. The Independence Trail is a circular, 2.5 mile self-paced walking tour that “showcases 4 centuries of Providence history, architecture and culture, highlighting 133 notable sites altogether. It tells the story of Rhode Island from its founding by Roger Williams through the first shot in the Revolution, and points to places where Lincoln spoke and Washington slept.” It includes Benefit Street highlights mentioned in an earlier post.

The trail passes near the Providence Biltmore Hotel — it doesn’t get much easier than this! Just look for the brightly painted green line on the sidewalk and start following it in either direction. Along the trail you will find circular emblems on the sidewalk. Each provides a unique location number and general phone number. After listening to the welcome message, enter your location number and you’ll hear a short narrative about your current spot (after listening the first time, press the star key to skip the welcome message). For photos, maps, and more information, visit independencetrails.com.

Get inspired to explore Providence by reading this article from Yankee Magazine.

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Welcome to Providence

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Mark

Happy 2013 to the VRA membership.

This is the first in a series of messages in which Providence, The Creative Capital, will be featured as the location for the 2013 VRA Annual Conference celebrating VRA’s 31st anniversary from April 3-6 at the historic Providence Biltmore hotel.

It’s a perfect time to be writing to you about a springtime gathering… as the Providence River freezes solid this week. Not to worry: southern New England boasts four true seasons and spring should be in full bloom to welcome you with moderate temperatures—though possibly some showers, which is perhaps unavoidable in The Ocean State.

It’s also a perfect time to be writing to you on the day after the Rhode Island House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed historic legislation granting full legal rights (marriage equality) to same-sex couples in the state (civil unions were approved in 2011 and the state recognizes same-sex marriages conferred by other states). Whether this issue is something you feel strongly about or not, civil rights and equal treatment under the law are hallmarks of Rhode Island history with its settlement by Roger Williams as a haven for religious freedom and its refusal to sign the US Constitution until a Bill of Rights was included.

Rhode Island was at the heart of trade routes for the colonies (nearby locations with names such as India Point speak to this role and to the awful truth of being heavily involved in the slave trade) and was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, known primarily for textiles and silver. Like many formerly industrial strongholds, Providence has redefined itself as a center for education and medicine. With flagship institutions that include Brown University (most liberal among the Ivy League), Rhode Island School of Design (long-ranked the #1 art and design school), and Johnson & Wales University (preeminent culinary school that offered the first degree in the culinary arts), and with a low cost of living for New England and a location ideally situated close to Boston and not far from New York City, Providence is home to many artists, performers, musicians, etc.—truly a Creative Capital for critical thinking and making.

With one of the most centrally located hotels for a VRA conference, all of your destinations will be within a very short walk, starting with Starbucks located off the hotel lobby. Restaurants of dizzying variety, jazz clubs, galleries, pubs (English *and* Irish), Little Italy on nearby Federal Hill, etc., are all nearby for you to enjoy. And should you have any questions (or momentarily lose sight of the Biltmore’s iconic neon sign), Rhode Islanders are friendly to visitors, partly born of pride in this smallest state with the longest name and its fierce tradition of independence and dissent, but also because Rhode Islanders love to talk.

Future messages on VRA-L will expand on these aspects of Providence as a host city for VRA*31, in addition to highlighting the impressive conference programming that awaits attendees. I’m pleased to call your attention to VRA’s first use of a blog platform as the conference website, http://www.vraweb.org/conferences/vra31/, allowing for greater fluidity and variety of content. Look to the blog as your primary resource for travel planning and other logistics, with links to the conference program and registration.

Other city-related websites of interest:

Hope to see you in April for a conference that promises to be “wicked good”.

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Grocery and Drug Stores

Posted on January 25, 2013 by elainepaul

If you like to have a supply of snacks for busy conference days, there are a number of small grocery stores and delis in the neighborhood of the Biltmore Hotel (I’m told the rooms do not have mini fridges, so avoid perishables). There is also a CVS drugstore nearby.

CVS Pharmacy: 3 blocks.
70 Kennedy Plaza, 401-861-5050
Head east on Dorrance toward Washington. (to the right as you exit the hotel). Walk two blocks and turn left on Fulton. CVS will be about 3/4 of a block on the right.

Gourmet Heaven: 7 blocks.
173 Weybosset Street, 401-536-9000, gourmetheaven.com‎
Head east on Dorrance (to the right as you exit the hotel). Walk five blocks to Weybosset and turn right. Walk two blocks to Union. Gourmet Heaven will be on the right.
Organic snacks and meals, imported candies and nuts, and everyday grocery essentials. Includes hot/cold buffet tables and deli.

Whole Foods: 1.5 miles (farther away, but easy to get to by bus and good to know about if you have special dietary restrictions).
261 Waterman Street, 401-272-1690
Take the 78 bus toward 78 Pawtucket. The bus stop is around the corner from hotel — head east on Dorrance, to the right as you exit the hotel. Make a left on Washington. Bus stop is on the right about halfway down the block. Approximately 10 minutes and 9 stops to the stop at Butler Ave. (it will be the next stop after Gano St. then Wayland Ave.). Whole Foods is right there across Butler on Waterman. Find schedule and fare details on the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority Web site.

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Explore Providence: Benefit Street

Posted on January 23, 2013 by elainepaul

To soak in some local history in Providence, be sure to plan a visit to Benefit Street — the famous “Mile of History.” Nestled between downtown to the west and Brown University to the east, here you will find an impressive array of beautifully restored colonial and Victorian homes and other buildings. Look for the John Brown House Museum (1786), built by the merchant, slave trader, and statesman; the Nightingale-Brown House (1792), home to five generations of the Brown family and now part of Brown University; the Sarah Whitman House, home of the transcendentalist poet and love interest of Edgar Allan Poe; the Old State House (1762), the colony and state legislature headquarters for almost 150 years and site of the first act in the United States providing for the gradual emancipation of slaves (1784); the Providence Athenaeum (1838), a Greek Revival structure built to house Providence’s membership library; and many more.

Walking tour booklets for Benefit Street and other neighborhoods are available for $3.00 each from the Providence Preservation Society (visit their office at 21 Meeting Street between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 401-831-7440).

While you’re in the neighborhood you may want to visit the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, which is just across the street from the Athenaeum. At both ends of Benefit Street you will find restaurants where you can refuel after your walking tour.

Be sure to bring your cobblestone-friendly walking shoes!

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Three R.I. restaurants make OpenTable’s ‘Top 100’ list

Posted on December 12, 2012 by John

An article over at Providence Business News today announced that three restaurants in Rhode Island, Bouchard Restaurant and Inn, Castle Hill Inn and Gracie’s, were listed in OpenTable’s Top 100 list:

Three R.I. restaurants make OpenTable’s ‘Top 100’ list

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JetBlue kicks off service at T.F. Green

Posted on November 29, 2012 by John

JetBlue Airways Corp. will provide twice-daily nonstop service to Orlando International Airport and one daily flight to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport beginning Thursday, Nov. 29.

JetBlue kicks off service at T.F. Green

JetBlue adds service to T.F. Green

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Travel Awards – extended deadline

Posted on November 26, 2012 by John

Dear colleagues,

This is to announce that the deadline for this year’s VRA travel awards has been extended until Monday December 3, 10am EST. We look forward to receiving applications from amongst the well-deserving VRA membership!

Full details are once more copied below:

Visual Resources Association Conference Travel Awards 2013

VRA Travel Awards are available for attendance at the 2013 VRA conference “Capitalizing on Creativity” in Providence, Rhode Island April 3-6. The deadline for receipt of applications will be Monday, December 3, 10 am EST. The list of recipients will be announced on the VRA listserv the third week of December.

A preliminary conference schedule with a listing of workshops and sessions has already been posted at: http://vra2013annualconference.sched.org and information about costs is posted here: http://www.vraweb.org/conferences/vra31/registration/

Before you apply, PLEASE READ “Travel Award Rules and Guidelines”, “Tips for VRA Travel Awards Applicants”, and “Types of Travel Awards”, all linked here as PDFs: http://www.vraweb.org/about/awards/index.html#travel

THE APPLICATION

The form is also linked from the What’s New on the VRA homepage.

You do not need to be a member of the VRA to apply for a travel award, but please note that upon winning an award an applicant who is not a member of VRA must purchase a membership, with the option to use funding from the travel award to do this. This year by removing the membership requirement for all applicants, we hope to draw more interest and expand membership.

In order to allow funding to go further, Tansey awards will be distributed according to financial need i.e. full awards (up to $850) may be given to some, whilst lower amounts may be awarded to others with partial institutional/ other support.

For 2013, we are fortunate to have generous financial support from sponsors and funds provided by the membership:

* The Archivision award of $1000 for a international attendee and/or a media professional in an architecture library or program
* The Gallery Systems award of $750 for a media professional in a museum environment
* The Davis Art Images award of $250 for a conference attendee with partial funding
* The Kathe Hicks Albrecht award of $850 for a first-time conference attendee
* Two New Horizons awards of $850 each. These awards are aimed at members in the following categories: solo VR professionals, part-time VR professionals, geographically isolated VR professionals, VR professionals in smaller institutions, and/or first-time attendees
* The Joseph C. Taormina Memorial award of $250 for an applicant with partial funding
* A New Horizons student award of $300, for a full-time student enrolled in an accredited degree program and considering a career in visual resources
* $4800 in Tansey fund awards ranging from $250 to $850 each

Stay tuned and watch VRA-L and the VRA website for further details about the conference. Please email if you have any questions not answered by the documents noted above.

So don’t delay – apply today!

We look forward to receiving your applications,

Heidi Eyestone & Vicky Brown
Co-Chairs, VRA Travel Awards Committee

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Providence’s South Main Street features slower paced shopping

Posted on November 19, 2012 by John

Need a custom-made suit while in Providence? Maybe some cultured pearls or wine & cigars? Here’s a recent Boston Globe article that can help:

Providence’s South Main Street features slower paced shopping

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