Your Guide to Wickenden
This year I moved to Perkins, which is sort of like getting the flu in that everyone is always directing a weird sympathy towards you. But so far as I can tell, Perkins is pretty great. One, you live in Fox Point, which is just a cool thing to be able to say. "Yeah, I go to Brown, but I live in Fox Point." Two, the walk to campus is keeping me very fit. And three, you live near Wickenden, an area totally unknown to most first-years and too far for most people living on Wriston Quad, in their huge, comfortable rooms with beautiful views. Ha.I hadn't really every spent much time on Wickenden before this year, and I guess some of what's nice about it is its relative obscurity to college students, but because I trust you specifically, here's your guide to the best spots on Wickenden Street. 1. The Duck and Bunny (312 Wickenden)You might want to go to the Duck and Bunny just because of the adorable name (they call it a “Snuggery!”), but the food is also really good here. Plus, it’s in one of those huge, historic Providence houses you always want to see the inside of. They’re closed for renovation at the moment, but when they open, be sure you go early in the morning and get a spot. 
2. Blick Art Materials (200 Wickenden)If the RISD store is too far a walk, and, like me, you’re afraid of being pegged as a non-artist the minute you walk in, Blick is a wonderful place to go instead. I’m pretty sure I haven’t drawn anything except stick figures since elementary school, but if you like nice pens and pencils go here. It sounds weird, but all their pencils smell amazing. Also, it’s meticulously organized and very calming. 3. Brickway on Wickenden (234 Wickenden)There might be no other way to describe this place other than as the Platonic ideal of diner food. It’s what all the diner food you’ve ever eaten on a weird road trip wished to be. The coffee is the perfect amount of watery, the eggs are the perfect amount of fried, and the toast is just a tiny bit burnt. Plus, it’s astonishingly cheap and there are big portions. A Saturday morning hotspot, for sure. 4. Coffee Exchange (207 Wickenden)Know how you know the people who run the Coffee Exchange are smart? They shut off WiFi on the weekends, so people don’t camp out all day there. The Coffee Exchange was sort of what I pictured Brown would be like before I came—it’s sort of dimly lit in there, and there’s a ton of people, and the art-y vibes are popping. The coffee is really good (duh), and they do good work supporting coffee farmers. 5. Nostalgia Antiques and Collectibles (236 Wickenden)I hadn’t been in Nostalgia until this year, when I arrived at school without any furniture or bedding. And while Nostalgia didn’t really help me with the bedding (thanks, Target), I got everything else I needed here. The highlight was a table whose top you can take off to store things in. They also have a great selection of art prints for your walls, cool glassware, and reasonable prices. It might be worth it to go and just try to find the weirdest thing you can. 
6. India Point ParkAnd finally, when you’re done a long day on Wickenden, you can always go over to India Point Park and look at the beautiful sunset. And if this is all a little too ~college~ and ~sincere~ for you, you can rest easy, because there’s a fantastic view of the three smokestacks at the old Manchester Street Power Station, too. Hell yeah, Providence. Images via, via and via.
