RI is packed with scenic beauty, even in our big city of Providence. I had to take a trip (RI terms for a 30 minute ride) to Roger Williams Park Casino, no longer a casino but an incredibly beautiful old building that overlooks the lake. The main structure is set at the entrance of the city's largest park and RI's zoo. As I walked towards the stunning building for a meeting I couldn't help but take a detour down to the lake to see the landscape in all it's winter glory. I typically visit the park during the spring or summer months but the lake and bandstand structure were so beautiful in the picturesque white backdrop I couldn't resist taking a longer more indirect course. I walked down flights of stairs, around the lake and back up a hill, meandering as if I had time to kill, it was all worth it for the site of the icy waters with the old bandstand backdrop. I found it incredible that I was in the heart of our city and not see another human, I had the entire park all to myself. Imagine the mobs of people that sit along this lakeside in the warm sunshine but never get to see this site? Funny thing is, I was just bragging about RI's beauty...shocking I know. I had a call from a woman in Colorado, a work call but it ended up me telling her how fantastic our little state is. Once she said she'd never been to RI I couldn't help myself. It's as if I'm doing a public service by encouraging folks to visit. You'd think I'd want tourists to stay away but instead I want the world to see RI, it's coastal beauty, it's amazing parks, fantastic restaurants and historic sites. We seem to get overlooked with west coasters visiting New York or Boston, never imagining that RI would be the hot spot. The wealthy back in the day sure found our tiny state, building summer homes in Newport and Watch Hill, enjoying our coastal towns and waters. It's hard for me to imagine someone living an entire lifetime never seeing Beavertail or the Great Swamp! I appreciate the irony, I've never been to Colorado but had a greater interest in a stranger visiting RI than I did considering me traveling there. My heart and soul are intertwined with our little state, as if I sprung from its soil. I feel blessed every day to call RI home, after all, it's the biggest little state in the union.
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