Columbus Day Weekend

On Monday, my boyfriend and I enjoyed our first day off together this semester. Because it was a Monday and we normally had class, we weren't put on the schedule at work. And because it was a holiday, we had the day off from school. Like most Rhode Islander's on Columbus Day weekend, we decided to head to the Scituate Art Festival. However, unlike most Rhode Islanders, I did not grow up with this as a tradition in my family. Actually, growing up in Foster meant that the Scituate Art Festival was more of a pain in the butt than anything as it blocked off our access to the rest of Rhode Island via Rt 6 for an entire weekend. This was only the second time that I had been to the Art Festival in my life.

I have to say, without the nostalgia of growing up with this tradition, and without the luxury of hundreds of dollars to spend, I find the Art Festival somewhat disappointing. We walked around and looked at beautiful art that we didn't have the money to buy, then we bought a bag of kettle corn on our way out and drove to the Warwick Mall.

I hadn't seen the mall since it reopened, so that, coupled with the inciting sales at many stores, made a good end to the day. I was glad to see that it still looked like the familiar place I've spent so many hours in. The topiaries, although different, were still there, as was the carousel and the giant television in the food court (although now a giant LED screen). Although I would have liked to see more changes, it was also nice that it has stayed mostly the same. I think the best part about seeing the "new" mall was knowing that even the places that were affected worst by the flood are on their way back to normal. It was almost therapeutic for me, as I lived in an off-campus house last year that was one of the few flood victims in this part of the state. Because of the flood my whole living area was torn apart and I had to move back home. Although I was no longer living in that house, every time I drove to work I would pass the Warwick Mall- a giant reminder of past troubles.

In my mind, the mall had became a symbol of the struggles the people of our state had gone though and were continuing to recover from. It was relieving to see this symbol of such a terrible disaster back on its feet and ready to move on.