Rhode Island Monthly January 2020 | Page 12

FROM THE PUBLISHER Bay Watch UPCOMING ENTERTAINMENT AH, MY FELLOW RHODE ISLANDERS, WE ARE SO PREDICTABLE, parochial and so perplexing. Yes, in our DNA is a need for things to remain the same and when they don’t, we cling to them like an obsessed teenager with a first crush. This was reinforced recently when I was asked by a new arrival why we still give directions by the locations of a grocery store chain that closed its doors almost twenty-five years ago, “And what is an Almacs, anyways?” After thirty-one years in six different offices in Providence, Rhode Island Monthly is on the move again, seven miles from where we are located now to Pawtucket. The wailing, gnashing of teeth and “test drives” to our new address commenced almost immediately. It’s in our collective DNA. So in this issue we take a look at the perennial debate of who wins bragging rights for being the best, the East Bay or the West Bay? GRAND FUNK RAILROAD & THE GUESS WHO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8 As someone who grew up in the East Bay and now lives in the West Bay, it was an interesting look at the quirky psyche of Ocean State natives, in particular. I spent my formative years in a blue-collar neighborhood in Barrington, working in Riverside at the venerable Crescent Park and never venturing out of that ten-mile radius until I entered URI. Now a resident of Warwick and fan of nearby Pawtuxet Village, my jaunts back to my old ’hood are sporadic, often driving by houses of relatives reciting, “That’s where my cousin/aunt/uncle/grandparents’ house used to be.” It’s in our DNA. So while I hope our transition from a renovated mill building in Providence to a renovated mill building in Pawtucket will go smoothly, we’ll be sure to give directions by where the closest Benny’s used to be. COLLECTIVE SOUL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Enjoy the Rhode. –J.J.P. Featuring over 4,100 big - hitting slots, over 110 table games, a poker room and now including sportsbetting! Enjoy endless entertainment, first - class dining, non - stop excitement and stay and play at our new hotel; featuring 136 rooms and suites. Only at Twin River Casino Hotel, voted New England’s friendliest casino! 877.82.RIVER | 100 Twin River Road | Lincoln, RI 10    RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2020 JUST 10 MINUTES FROM PROVIDENCE!