Snow Day on Wickenden St.

Due to the large amount of snow that hit Providence overnight on Tuesday, I did not have to go to work on Wednesday. One of the benefits of living and working in New England is the Winter snow days. I made a rough list of things that I wanted to do with an extra leisure day suddenly at my disposal. After the snow shoveling and ice scraping was done, I gingerly approached the roads and ventured into town. 

I have spent a handful of days on Wickenden St. since moving to PVD but hadn't really been over there since Christmas time. I parked at the bottom of the street across from Utrecht Art Supplies and checked out their supply of charcoal before walking up the street. Located at 236 Wickenden St. is Nostalgia: A Curious Emporium and it is wonderful. I go in here every time I'm on Wickenden and every time that I go in, I find something awesome. Locals rent out small spaces within the three floor store and sell their antiques and collectibles to patrons. The prices are perfectly reasonable and because there is a variety of vendors supplying the store, the effect is eclectic, funky, and retro. Today I stumbled upon a box of skeleton keys which was perfect because I have been planning a craft project which would require some of these antiques. Naturally it was a bulk box of around 45 keys and I only used 5 in my project. Now I need to find more craft ideas to use up my collection of skeleton keys. 

Skeleton keys.

Totally invigorated by my unexpected find, I walked up the rest of the street and then made my way back down the other side. It was about 2:15pm which meant my afternoon coffee headache was starting to kick in. Luckily I had several coffee stops at my disposal on Wickenden. I chose Cafe Zog located at number 239. The menu looked delicious and had I sat down I might have ordered the maple walnut banana pancakes which looked delightful and I had to restrain myself from ordering one of the brownies, cinnamon twists, or coconut macaroons in the pastry case. The coffee drink I ordered was a Mocha Valente which is a double espresso with ground chocolate, steamed milk, orange flavoring, and whipped cream. 

Walking down Wickenden.

The restaurant was small and very hipster with exposed brick walls and unique colors. I took mine to go but had time to do a little listening in on the conversations around me. There was a band stopping through for coffee who happened to be on tour and coming through PVD for the night. There was a younger couple in back focused on their laptops. The girl closest to the door was caught up in a book and wrapped up in a huge coat. I don't blame her, it was pretty chilly in there. I mean, everywhere was pretty chilly today due to the Winter weather but because of the huge front windows and the opening and closing of the front door, there was an unwelcome draft cutting through the middle of the restaurant. I'll go back, maybe with T for pancakes late night since it appears that Cafe Zog is open until 12am. Service was a little slow but they do take cards with no minimum purchase requirement.