Today’s post comes from a wonderful lady we met in Providence who came to share her aha moment. Christine Chitnis is a writer and the magic behind Lavender and Limes, a popular blog about food, design and life. Her spunky personality prompted me to ask Christine if she’d like to be our first guest blogger for 2010. And without further ado, enjoy Christine’s take on the good life in Providence!

I was delighted to meet the Aha! crew when their airstream trailer pulled into Providence, Rhode Island for a few nights stay. As I started chatting with Jessica, I mentioned that I keep a blog, Lavender and Limes, where I write about living the good life here in Providence. I was honored when Jessica suggested that I write a guest blog post for the Aha blog… there is nothing that I like more than sharing a bit about the lovely town that I now call home.

Providence is a wonderfully funky town, full of artists and innovators, and home to Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and several other top colleges. In recent years, the downtown has undergone a transformation, and trendy restaurants and shops fill the once vacant store fronts.

What I find to be even more exciting is that in the last ten years, Rhode Island has more than doubled the number of farmer’s markets available. You can find me at the Hope Street Farmers’ market every Saturday, chatting with vendors, stocking up on fresh produce and sampling every treat offered. It is the best way to spend a summer weekend.

My other favorite way to spend the day…touring around the RISD campus and watching the talented students and artists work their magic. A trip to the RISD museum and the many galleries around town only furthers my excitement for the local arts. It is because of this dedication to the arts that Providence has earned its title as “The Creative Capitol.”

So if the town of Providence has never even crossed your radar, it might be time to give it a second look. With a flourishing arts scene, fantastic local food network and an exciting downtown, I am proud to call this city my home!

Even though I am originally from the North (well, Pennsylvania and Maryland), I have never ventured above the great state of New York. Driving from the beach to Rhode Island it took us a lengthy 11 hours to commute, and I quickly realized the distance traveled when I found myself suddenly surrounded by that distinct New England accent. Now in Red Socks country, we were definitely out of the South.


On our last night we shared pizza from the original makers of grilled pizza. At Al Forno, the “it” Italian restaurant in town, we were treated to some thin-crusted, slightly blackened, wood-fired grilled pizza. The claim is that major national restaurants have copied this method and the legacy of Al Forno is known throughout Providence. Another find was Nick-a-nees, a local bar that on any night could have life music, swing dancing, knitting and shuffleboard competitions.

My favorite adventure in this big city/small state was a brisk morning run around the financial district and Brown University. I love to experience cities like a local and jog around while people walk to work, seeing things without the camera in tow. I did cheat with a smartphone, but here is a photo from that great morning run.

We met some incredible people at Burnside Park. Providence was a great cultural slice of America and the stories were some of the most unique so far. Here are a few of the aha moments from Providence:

Meet Sean and Shannon:
I was always artistically gifted but it wasn’t until my 3 year old daughter Shannon asked me to build her snowman, that I finally had my aha moment. Her only stipulation; it had to look like Santa. Seeing the look of joy on my daughters face, as she gazed at the completed Santa Snowman was priceless. Over the years my sculptures became larger and more elaborate. I began to notice crowds of people gathering around me as I sculpted. I started slowly, part time at first, creating sand and snow sculptures for parties and special events. My success allowed me to leave my full time job as an auto mechanic to focus on my business full time. The best part is that I get to see the look on all those peoples faces when they see my sculptures.

Meet Mary:
I am the executive director of The Corliss Institute. The Mission of Corliss Institute, Inc. is to provide social, habilitation and employment services to deaf people with diverse disabilities and others with unique communication needs in an independence and empowerment-based model that facilitates living, learning and working successfully as integrated members of the community. As a deaf woman I understand many of the adversities that disabled people must overcome. I want everyone to know that we have identities outside our disabilites.

Meet David:
My aha moment came when a friend of mine gave me some edible bugs as a joke gift. I ate some a thought ‘these aren’t so bad!’. It’s odd, I know but eating those bugs opened a whole new world of eating for me. I’ve now eaten over 40 types of bugs and have discovered a new passion.

As we approach a few days off, we will be spending the holiday weekend in New York City. Hopefully we can find a great rooftop to catch some fireworks! We hope you all have a great weekend as well celebrating the 4th of July. We have one more Rhode Island post on its way, but using my new skills (and some Rhode Island friends), I will sign off using a New England accent:

“Not fuh nuthin’ baht I had a wicked good time at tha pahk (Burnside). Now I’m gonna go get some cawfee and make mah way to new yawk.”

The aha moment tour is back for another year of traveling the country and collecting inspirational stories in 2010. We’ve got a brand new crew, 25 new cities, and we can’t wait to hear your aha moments! Watch this blog for updates from the crew and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @myahamoment and on our my aha moment Facebook fan page. Sign up here to share your aha moment when the tour comes to your area. See you on the road!

may 3-4 fresno, ca
may 7-8 tucson, az
may 11-12 albuquerque, nm
may 17-18 tulsa, ok
may 20-21 austin, tx
may 24-25 baton rouge, la
may 27-28 memphis, tn
june 1-2 huntsville, al
june 7-8 augusta, ga
june 10-11 jacksonville, fl
june 14-15 charleston, sc
june 17-18 asheville, nc
june 21-22 knoxville, tn
june 24-25 richmond, va
june 29-30 providence, ri
july 6-7 albany, ny
july 12-13 dayton, oh
july 15-16 lexington, ky
july 19-20 south bend, in
july 22-23 milwaukee, wi
july 26-27 des moines, ia
july 29-30 kansas city, mo
august 2-3 wichita, ks
august 9-10 grand junction, co
august 16-17 eugene, or