I don’t mind it since i’m big on outdoor seating. It would be nice if it was public seating. Usually I hate when restaurants open up seating on the sidewalk or bike lane, but this doesn’t seem like any roads or sidewalks are blocked.

I say we drain the water and put the plants back in the fountain. Anything else you wanna do is fine, but the way some people lost their fucking minds over that was my favorite thing Elorza has ever done.

I had no idea the square wasn't owned by Venda, it's been entirely restaurant seating anytime I've been by in the last 2 years.

Far too much restaurant seating. Needs open spaces to stroll and some public benches

Wow, I think nobody realizes it's not a restaurant's private property. So yes it should be more accessible, and more clear what are the rules and limitations of the restaurants' borrowing of public property.

As long as that butcher is next to it, I don’t really care to sit over there even with more available seating. Beautiful area though and I support opening the area up.

Edit: I support hearing any ideas for that area because there is absolutely room to improve.

I love going there. It's one of my favorite places to go out with friends in the summer, I think the extra seating makes it more festive, and you never have to wait.

Restaurants and entertainment bring us a lot of tax revenue and a lot of decent working class jobs (i used to wait tables at constantinos/venda, it's a good place to work). Places like DePasquale Square bring that Boston/suburb money into Providence for dinner, and then those folks usually spend money across the city in the course of the evening. I think it's probably a good investment

I love chilling in public parks, but DePasquale square isn't that fun to hang out in: look at it: there are no public seats, it's all paved. There are two available, much nicer public parks (my favorite: the Bocci park and st. johns) within easy walking distance.....

I don't see the problem

Wait until you hear about Saint Jones park

https://providenceri.nextrequest.com/requests/17-761

I wish the back end of the plaza was a bit more free form. The way the two restaurants off of Spruce Street are boxed in feels defensive and uninviting. I wish the whole square was a bit more free form - with the restaurants tables and chairs emanating from the restaurants into the square like you’d see in an Italian plaza.

That massive chicken and cutout better never leave!

I feel like the entire square is only for paying restaurant customers. I’ve never gone there to enjoy the square or area because of this perception.

I think its use has been more or less established as an outdoor restaurant seating area.

Theres a few parks on federal hill they could spend some extra funding on to make nicer, and 45k to repair the fountain was kind of a bad use. I'd be super into them adding some more public seating/tables in the surrounding spots that don't have a ton of anti-homeless architecture so you can actually hang out and enjoy the space.

To clarify, they spent almost $400k on the fountain, not $45k

Exactly. That is new, by the way.

Yogi Berra would probably say:

"Nobody goes there anymore - -

It's too crowded "

This is America. I always feel like I’m not welcome anywhere except a public park if I’m not spending money if I’m honest

Man I would love it if there was regular public seating fits a great spot I would sit there and read a book or draw. I never knew it was public! It def should be opened back up to the public

You make much use of the bocci park or St. John’s?

That has to be a bribe. 400k for some cracked underground pipes? You could get a whole new fountain.

Obviously a bad investment when they could've had the business owners surrounding the fountain contribute but god forbid Venda paya for how much of the public space they take up.

It's bad usage of funds but the city isn't great with priorities, if they have a few businesses complaining they really bend over backwards.

That doesn’t feel too inviting when there’s old men playing bocce we need to take back the public domain I used to love reading around the fountain around 2010 my first apartment was on depasquale now it’s like Venda/ Gianfranco property smh

Lol if you scared of old Italian bocci players, wait till you see drunk Italian twenty somethings. Maybe the neighborhood isn’t for you?

Idk if I used the word scared pretty sure I said unwelcome as a female it’s like they get entertained by catcalling and disrupting my art or book reading….

You can barely even cut through the plaza to get to the other side! I wish there was less outdoor seating and maybe just more public tables and places to sit! There’s so many places that you can grab food/snacks from that don’t have any real seating. It’d be nice to make it back to a public space!

What I’m trying to say is depasquale square as-is is pretty unique. we don’t have many other places in providence that are like it: car-free, diverse in terms of race/age/class, walkable to other fun stuff. The bars and restaurants are a big part of the vibe (not even taking account the tax revenue, jobs, etc.) and I think they should be encouraged.

On the other hand, we as a city are blessed with a TON of publicly available green space, fed hill included. There is something for everyone, but fed hill has a specific character.

If you didn’t like the bocci park because it’s full of fed hill people, you prob won’t like another park full of the same fed hill people.

Actually I’ve enjoyed myself quite a bit since my last art project turned into men over 60 with mob mentality AnyWho been living on and off the hill the past 15 years I was just agreeing that DiPasquale is overtaken by the restaurants a common agreement among other people here… is there any reason you’re not asking them to leave the hill 😂😂😂

I enjoy anywhere anyone else would like to go, is it inappropriate that I asked to be respected as a human in those spaces…? Maybe instead of you telling me I should be more like those undesirable humans that have turned me away from wanting to hang out in open public places due to their bad behavior?

No one from Boston is driving to Providence specifically to eat at any of the restaurants in DePasquale Square

As someone who used to work there, I can tell you you’re incorrect. North end is played out.

As someone who knows the best Italian restaurants in Boston are NOT in the north end… I still am telling you no one is fucking visiting Providence just to eat at the Plaza or Constantinos.

Public libraries!

someone drove into it around 2019/2020, so maybe that upped the cost, as well.

Yeah I thought it was getting bad lately, but I thought maybe I was misremembering. I have a photo from summer 2017 where you can clearly see the tables behind the right side of the fountation (adjacent to the restaurant)-- leaving a walking space around the whole thing. The center used to be completely open. Last time I was there a few weeks ago, I had to explain to my friend that it was public property even though it was literally fenced in and that we could walk over. I still didn't stay long as it felt like I was hovering around people eating.

OP, what can be done? It always seems like Federal Hill restaurants are given a lot of leverage.

Your comment is a little incoherent? You didn't really finish your thought in the last sentence?

I'm not telling you to be like anything, and I'm not condoning the social attitudes of elderly Italian-American men. However, they ain't gonna change, and fed hill is theirs.

As someone who grew up in providence hanging out in MUCH more hostile/dangerous parks than the Bocci court, I can tell you that enjoying public spaces in urban areas takes having a somewhat thick skin. They aren't for everyone, it is what it is.

I think you are representative of the type of person who is advocating replacing well-utilized, fun restaurant space with half-assed park space that you won't use and that will be under utilized generally.

I live pretty close to Federal Hill and I avoid it altogether. I have no interests in that area.

I’m guessing the Providence Board of Licenses has granted these restaurants “Seasonal Expansion of Premises” licenses. I’d also assume they will expire at the end of this season and will require renewal next year. Perhaps a convo with someone at the board of licenses? Or maybe there’s a hearing process? I am sure someone else can speak to this better than I can.

I had my 21st birthday on the Hill in 200?. I saw Buddy, had my first Martini, and then proceeded to walk in the fountain. No body cared because nobody was there. It was a Friday night in August. The square was empty and the only sound was the bubbling water. Maybe it was midnight. Maybe.

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Yesterday, at around 11am, I'm making the rounds for a dinner party I'm preparing. Pastiche, Venda, Gasbarro's, Roma, Scialo Bros. Bakery. I parked over by Pastiche because the tart needs to be the last thing I pick up since it can't sit in the car while I finish running errands. Trying to walk from Pastiche to Venda, through DePasquale Square was a minefield. There were no "dining al fresco" people at 11am. The waiters from the restaurants were slinging plastic chairs everywhere and one almost hit me as I walked by. There's no clear path through the square. I was bobbing and weaving through a maze of planters and unoccupied tables. Why isn't there a path through the middle? These restaurants survived just fine 20 years ago without expanding their table tops by 100% with out dining. La Dolce Vita always had outdoor dining, but it never expanded to what it is now. It's a little ridiculous.

​

I can understand setting aside space for performances and concerts, but to relinquish all of the public park space to private businesses does not make sense. If I was in a wheelchair, I don't think I could have gotten through the park at all.

I held off on responding to your initial "we should give public spaces maintained with taxpayer money to businesses because money and stuff" comment.

But just so you know, it's not a great look telling women to grow a thicker skin when it comes to being harassed by men in public. I'm sure you were unaware, but doing so can make you sound like an ignorant asshole.

I’m not telling her to grow thicker skin, I’m just pointing out that she is not going to use or like the institutions she’s advocating.

If someone doesn’t like neighborhood parks because they are open to the (often not-perfect) members of the public, it’s silly for them to advocate more public parks, especially when there are opportunity costs to establishing said parks.

[deleted]

I live in the real world. I could ask these goombas to be nicer, but it would not change their behavior. So what does that mean? Physically remove them?

How would you advocate driving the elderly Italian men and sleepy homeless guys out of the park? Muscular police presence? Violent initial show of force followed by undercover enforcement?

On this sub there is a simultaneous ideological obsession w public spaces that’s combined w a fear and dislike of the types of people who will inevitably congregate in public providence parks.

There's a square already there, no establishment necessary. Just get the restaurant to stop squatting on the whole thing.

>she is not going to use or like the institutions

Says who? According to what?

>If someone doesn’t like neighborhood parks because they are open to the (often not-perfect) members of the public

Oh gimme a break. You know that's not at all what she said, get outta here with this weak sauce.

I don't know why you're acting like you've got a personal stake in making sure that Constantino's gets to occupy the entirety of a public space, but you're not doing them any favors with the way you're going about it. Quit digging.

Uhh I’m there most weekends in the summer, and I love walkable, diverse spaces where you can buy food and support small businesses. I’d like there to be more of these places, including in underutilized parks.

I do have a personal stake in it.

Also (obviously) I enjoy arguing with you losers on reddit. It's a vice. It's fun for me.

Ah yes, a public square completely blocked with private restaurant seating. How diverse. How walkable.

It's underutilized? Can't imagine why. Perhaps because no one can utilize it?

Oh you don't spend much time in fed hill huh? makes more sense now.

My guy, I am there every week for sfogliatelle and biscotti.

You've got a bad habit of making assumptions about people and acting like it's fact.

No need to get heated. Sounds like someone needs to grow a thicker skin?

Keep digging, I'll see myself out.

People defending women being sexually harassed by the likes of you? You have personal stake not even living in the city…? Weir flec but ok 👌 I’m a social worker and quite often need public spaces to offer parents more than a room with a chair and desk for their kids- also if I decide I enjoy spending my time AGAIN MY as in subjective to me someone you don’t know… you seem like a troll and you really showed your a$$ with the thick skin comment for men sexually harassing me no matter where I am. I guess what I’m trying to say is… maybe your a loser babe 😘

Thank you 💕

I wanted to be the bigger person but your largest accomplishment on Reddit was getting roasted because you got jumped by 4 grown men in your own house had no proof and said how can I get money for this ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

…I’ve lived in the city limits providence since I was three months old.

Then your on Reddit lying saying your a business owner living in Boston weird as hell!

… I think you’re confused.

I think your a troll you don’t live in providence or your life is a lie on Reddit either one I don’t care cause you’re tenacity to wanna fight with people online is confusing and concerning I’m a woman that agreed restaurants are overtaking the square…. You’re still on about God even knows what thick skin bocce players who cares God bless you

i apologize for being insensitive. obviously i get a *little worked up* about zoning issues in providence, but you are my neighbor, and i'm truly sorry you were made to feel unwelcome anywhere in providence.

thoughtful apology and I appreciate that. I understand how people can get furious over stuff that is minuscule to others thank you and again god bless

Outdoor dining is always a good thing

You must be new here.

The square was renovated FOR the restaurants. Thats how the city operates. Restaurants pay city hall, city hall does things for them, everyone wins, except you. But you don't matter because either way they're in office and you can't do anything.