Providence

As I countdown to my departure, I'm already anticipating what I'll miss about Providence:

• Walking up and down hills in my beautiful neighborhood.
• Seeing familiar faces on my route: An older man bundled up in a yellow rain coat, a smiling woman with swinging arms who walks fast, a whole bunch of dogs.
• All the unstructured time, with no appointments and no outside demands.
• Indian, Thai and -- most especially -- Vietnamese food.
• Starbucks, I'm a little embarrassed to admit.
• Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
• The view of the State House from the top of College Hill.
• The literature section in the Brown Bookstore.
• Feeling smart and relaxed and competent.
• Doing laundry at the laundry mat (seriously).
• Being able to walk everywhere (oops, I can do that at home!).
• Having my favorite colleague down the hall and his family just down the street.
• Being a train ride away from my family and major league baseball.
• The New York Times, daily, on paper.
• Baked goods in Providence (sublime! divine! added inches to my hips!).
• Sleeping soundly at night, knowing all the noises I hear are for someone else to fix.
  

What I won't miss: humidity, insects, washing dishes by hand and passive-aggressive garbage collectors.