ERIC KIM

Providence is Paradise

Providence Rhode Island is my new favorite city in America; possibly the world?

Why providence, Rhode Island?

  1. Relatively cheap cost of living. For example in our luxury tiny apartment condo, we pay only around $1550 USD a month for a luxury studio. This means everything is included; rent, utilities, water, in-unit washer and dryer, insanely fast wifi, etc. I like this notion — uber simple and small, but more expensive and high-end. It is like an iPhone apartment: the best, for a more luxury price, but simplifies your lifestyle.
  2. History: Providence Rhode Island as one of the OG colonies in America. Very rich history and lots of beautiful old buildings. Lots of buildings made in the 1890s, 1900’s etc … which makes for beautiful textures, ‘wabi sabi‘ vibes.
  3. Stop and shop is the best. Our local grocery store; can buy meats for around 99 cents a pound!!! I am getting all the gains here; working out, eating lots of meat. I constantly have ‘meat on tap’ in our apartment here with our crockpot and oven. Also the ‘Peapod’ grocery delivery service which means we never gotta go to a grocery store if we don’t want.
  4. Good diversity: Good mix of intellectuals, rich people, working class poor people, and races and ethnicities from all walks of life. Far more diverse than West coast (which tends to skew more towards Asian and Caucasian).
  5. Very fun, walkable, and lots to see. Providence has a river and canal going through it– just like Venice!!! Super gorgeous. The best walking paths.
  6. Four seasons: Having different seasons is good for me. Winter is good, it makes me appreciate the spring and summer more!
  7. The hill: I like walking up the hill. Good exercise, and feels good on my back, hips, and ankles.
  8. Ability to NOT need to own a car. This is big for me. NOT owning a car has made me 1000x happier. Sure I would love to have a Lambo (more for aesthetic purposes), but for real life, I prefer to walk.
  9. Visual diversity: I can walk up the hill and see trees, walk around Brown Campus, or I can go to downtown and see a real urban city. Isn’t this perfect?