Broadway Avenue Restaurant Angst

Or, why the city needs is more imagination and less fiddling.

OK, so I'm new to Providence but one thing I've known for some time: this is a city that has become famous far and wide for its food. One might even make the argument that much of the city's recent growth can be directly attributed to the scores of restaurants that have opened over the past handful of years, places that represent a broad range of diverse culinary adventures.

You can imagine my surprise when I recently learned that the restaurants along Broadway are being punished by the city zoning folks for putting tables out on the sidewalk.

It may seem petty and foolish, but in all fairness to the zoning board, like any other organization their primary objective is to enforce rules and regulations no matter how absurd. Of course it would be nice to think that their main reason for being would be to identify a problem and suggest ways the city might resolve it effectively while at the same time allow for the continuing evolution and growth of neighborhoods, particularly neighborhoods that are in sore need of all the help available.

Like the west side of Providence.

Much of the positive development that attracts people like us to Broadway and Westminster are the restaurants. A place to sit outside on late afternoon sipping a coffee or glass of wine, maybe even eat a meal and watch the world glide by.

Like Paris or Florence or, heck even downtown Providence.

Gee, maybe if we spent more time figuring out why our roads resemble those in the Third world and how we can fix them and less time worrying about the impact of putting a few dining tables outside, we just might push the growth of this grand little big city even further.

Just maybe.