Best theater for seat-squirmers

'Fess up. Sometimes you're relieved when a play, no matter how good, is over at what you thought was the intermission. Admit it. Sometimes, after a long and grueling day, you just can't follow a convoluted three-hour plot and the Bard of Avon is less welcome than the Avon lady. Not to worry. Just wait for the summer and the Short Attention Span playlets at 2nd Story Theatre. Nominally "10-minute" plays but sometimes twice that long, they are usually funny, in the summer tradition of lighter fare. But the short form is also a good opportunity to heighten drama, as some punchy works by the likes of Tennessee Williams and Chekhov have shown. Devised by co-founders Pat Hegnauer and Ed Shea, and reestablished by Shea this year, the clever series is a must-see. 28 Market Street, Warren, (401) 247-4200.

Best view of the Quonset Air Show

The best seats in the house for the annual mid-June National Guard open house and air show in Davisville may actually be down the bay in Narragansett. Whether you're having a picnic on the village green around the gazebo or sipping a drink on the deck at Oceana, you won't have to pay admission or fight the traffic or compete with the upwards of 30,000 crowding into the decommissioned naval air station. Lean back as jet fighters roar by (maybe the Blue Angels will be performing their patented aerial gymnastics), or biplanes do backward loops and spiral down like Snoopy and the Red Baron. Hold up a sandwich or glass of champagne and maybe one of the military parachutists that are aiming for the green will swoop by and pluck it from your hand. 1 Beach Street, Narragansett, (401) 792-3999.

Best clutch of performance artists

If you thought you had to travel to Manhattan to catch a performance artist performing, you haven't caught the spring series at the Carriage House called Around the Block. For the past six years, the founders of Everett Dance Theatre and the Carriage House Theater have spotlighted local and imported performance artists. For example, Marty Pottenger's piece about the huge water tunnel under New York City was funny and captivating, with a cast of unforgettable characters; Ann Carlson's grass suit in Grass/Bird/Rodeo was a great sight gag. Local artists Len Cabral and Rose Weaver reflected on their lives in compelling monologues; local choreographer/performance artist Paula Hunter gave us her quirky visions of family foibles. And dance troupes like Everett wove spoken words and stories through their dances. Next April, a South Bronx quintet called Universes will deliver Slanguage, a piece that fuses jazz, poetry, and hip-hop with politics, blues, and boleros. Don't miss it. The series runs almost every weekend from March through June at 7 Duncan Avenue, Providence, (401) 831-9479.

Best place to get a work ethic

Whether you're working without health insurance at a finger-crossing dot-com or as a CEO with a golden parachute, it's easy to forget the history of labor rights in this country. The Museum of Work and Culture stresses the experiences of French-Canadian immigrants, but the audio/visual lessons it vividly presents apply to us all. A film on the rise of the Industrial Trade Union is shown in a union hall replica. On the porch of a triple-decker, recordings of mill workers describe labor conditions. Cultural identity is the other theme, and a parochial school classroom is the clever location of a Q&A with a parish priest about "the Sentinelle Affair," in which Franco-American parishioners struggled with their Irish-American bishop to preserve their language. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors or students. 42 South Main Street, Woonsocket, (401) 769-9675, www.wactc.wo.k12.ri.us/workculture/wcfeatures.html.

Best place to work up a head of steam

In the 1790s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in America, rivers turned waterwheels to power the machines of the textile mills. But by the end of the 19th-century, steam power was driving many of those same factories, plus ships and railroads, and Providence became the nation's leader in steam engine design and manufacturing. A museum dedicated to that part of the state's history was established by a group of engineers in 1964 and called the New England Steam and Wireless Museum. The wireless part of the museum includes the 1907 Massie Wireless Telegraph Station, from Point Judith, with its original radio equipment in operating order. A long, low building houses a 28-ton Corliss stationary engine with a graceful 15-foot flywheel, plus many smaller steam-driven engines. At the museum's annual Yankee Steam-up on the second Saturday in October, these machines are fired up and once again whir into action. The museum is open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. from June through September. Call for appointments year-round: (401) 884-1710 or (401) 885-0545.

Best kickoff to summer music fests

It's probably safer to work your way up to the Newport folk and jazz fests, not to mention the Labor Day weekend cajun musical madness in Charlestown. One transition is the Newport Sunset Music Festival, the last week in June at the Newport Yachting Center. A sea breeze is usually cooling you off as you stroll among the fancy yachts bobbing in the marina. But the most pleasant activity is going on in the big tent. In individual concerts held over five nights, the 2001 lineup included They Might Be Giants, Dar Williams, John McDermott, Livingston Taylor, and CPR with David Crosby. And there's more than music, since the event is a benefit for the Rhode Island Autism Project; this year, more than $15,000 was raised for the organization. 4 Commercial Wharf, (401) 846-1600, www.newportyachtingcenter.com.

Best alternative film series

In an age dominated by generic megaplexes and sterile Hollywood movies, the Picture Start Film Series presents an appealing alternative. Launched as a bare-bones operation two years ago in the former Gallery Agniel, the summer series has continued to attract a large and devoted following since resettling at the Columbus Theatre on Broadway. Part of what makes Picture Start so appealing is the variety and unpredictability of the bookings. The individual films might not be uniformly impressive (last summer's technically primitive documentary about kissing strangers comes to mind), but they're almost always fresh, interesting, unlikely to be found elsewhere -- and some are pretty terrific. Pairing Picture Start with the Columbus is an inspired combo, of course, and the location routinely leads to post-screening conviviality at the nearby Julian's -- a development encouraged by organizers Laura Mullen, Ralph Goudreau, Sara Archambeault, and Jack McKenna.

Best place to catch up on office gossip

Tired of that annual staff party at a smoky bar? A luncheon excursion on Bay Queen Cruises, from Warren to Newport and back, makes a great fresh-air alternative. The outside deck on the third floor of the 114-foot, 350-capacity cruise boat is the best place to catch some rays and dish the latest inter-office news. The buffet on the enclosed first deck includes potato, macaroni, and green salads; cold cuts and baked beans; pasta with Swedish or Italian meatballs, or a red sauce with fresh peppers and sliced beef. After lunch you can listen to the loudspeaker tour of Newport Harbor on the top deck, a band (and line dancing) on the first deck, or a piano bar (and singing) on the second deck. Try this out on the top-dog: "Oo-ee, oo-ee, boss man, won't you just take us on a sea cruise?" 461 Water Street, Warren, (401) 245-1350, www. bayqueen.com. Luncheon cruises are from the end of June through September on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner cruises also available.

Best way to close the gender gap

What began as a trio of women crafters producing a one-day women's crafts and music fair to benefit the South County Women's Resource Center has grown into an annual community event called Sharing Strength. The emphasis is still on homegrown music, with everything from African drumming to Portuguese lullabies, from singer-songwriter Mary Ann Rossoni to folk guitarist Josh Schurman. And the beneficiaries are still resources for women in South County. But the town of South Kingstown, the Resource Center, All That Matters, and the South County Women's Consortium have joined forces to make it a summertime family event, which includes food tents and children's activities. This past year, the gazpacho bar was a big hit, as were the folk ballads of Annie Hassett. And there were more than three dozen arts and crafts booths surrounding the park. It's a mellow hang-out day, a breather in the middle of summer. And you won't find shade at the beach. The fest is usually held on the first weekend after the Fourth of July at Old Mountain Field in Wakefield. For more information, contact Joanne Sheehan, (401) 783-2678.

Best impresario

On any given day, Jon Berberian's Columbus Theatre might be hosting a punk rock-influenced circus, Jesus Christ Superstar, the Rhode Island International Film Festival -- and, when all else fails, the kind of X-rated movie to which Travis Bickle took his unsuspecting date in Taxi Driver. Curiously enough, the Columbus was meant to become an opera hall when Berberian's father bought it in 1962. Faced a few years later with a slumping cinema trade, Berberian, a former opera singer, turned to risqué European art movies, and then adult films, to keep the revenue coming in. In the process, he's managed to doggedly preserve one of Providence's beautiful old movie houses (actress Julie Andrews, guest of honor for this year's RIIFF, made a point of expressing her appreciation for the place) while remaining receptive to a variety of bookings. Berberian hopes to offer more three-day films festivals, such as a recent horror fest, continuing an expansion of non-adult bookings at the Columbus. After facing occasional scorn because of his X-rated fare, Berberian is increasingly recognized as a supporter of the arts. 270 Broadway, Providence, (401) 621-9660.

Best reason to fight Apponaug gridlock

Blink and you might miss the Warwick Museum of Art in the modest Kentish Artillery Armory (one of only six in Rhode Island), a miniature castle passed every day by thousands fleeing the one-way mayhem of Apponaug. It has been a grassroots affair since its inception more than 25 years ago, and the museum is currently in dire need of a new roof and accepting (tax-deductible) donations, or join the membership ($20 individual, $30 family), offering special discounts for adult and children's classes, from painting and pottery to cartooning, as well as the All Children's Theatre, from ages 6-14. The gallery recently hosted the 15th annual Rhode Island Open, with 25 locals displaying pastels, oils, and charcoal. Some Rhody-inspired works included "The Power Plant Quonset Point" and "Skiffs of Wickford"; first place went to "Friar's Bridge Over Venice" by David Felix. The month of November is devoted to photographs by Salvatore Mancini. Stop by the museum, drop a few bucks at the door, and grab a fall/winter schedule. 3259 Post Road, Warwick, (401) 737-0010.

Best reminder that all that glitters is not gold

Herkimer, New York, has its own kind of diamonds, and Rhode Island has its state mineral and state rock -- bowenite and cumberlandite, respectively. The latter has sometimes been mistaken for a meteorite and is found in, of course, Cumberland, as the bedrock of a former iron mine. The mineral is jade-like in color and a brooch of bowenite, a gift to Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, is now in the Smithsonian Institution. The best specimens came from the Conklin Quarry near Limerock in Lincoln. Good specimens of both rock and mineral may be found at Apple Valley Minerals in Smithfield. Owner Sal Avella has been a mineral hunter for more than 20 years, and his shop displays many other beauties native to Rhode Island, including amethysts from Hopkinton, fossils from Jamestown, pyrite from Cranston, quartz from Diamond Hill, and much, much more. You might find a sparkly gift for someone special, add to a nephew's collection, or even start your own. 7 Homestead Avenue, Smithfield. Call (401) 231-0602 for hours -- Avella may be out prospecting.

Best writing on the wall

Murals, formal and informal, sprout all around the city, from the Corless steam engine on the side of the Strand Building to the Italian scene on the side of Scialo's Bakery. But the murals most tied to the community in which they exist are those on Broad Street, and the most evocative of these is the one on the side of Company Foods Supermarket. Designed by Munir D. Mohammed, of Munir Studio, and completed in 1994, this painting spans many faces and scenes. At one end, young children are at a playground; at the other, faces of young adults pull you toward the future of the neighborhood. And even more so, the family in the center, with the father lifting a baby and the mother holding a rose for the baby's attention. The faces in the mural are multi-ethnic: a Native American grandmother, African-American youth, a Southeast Asian man, a Latina woman. All the colors of the city. 863 Broad Street, Providence, next to the market's parking lot.

Best unconventional bar programming

Maurice (pronounced "Morris") Collins is a thinking person's tavern owner. A former college professor, Collins can talk with expertise about subjects ranging from bourbon to politics and Irish literature. And as people who see libation as a force for building community, Collins and his wife, Michele Davis Collins, use their Wild Colonial as a launching pad for stuff that extends well beyond the typical imbibing. There's the biweekly pub quiz. A daylong reading of James Joyce's Ulysses takes place on Bloomsday each June, along with the all-day availability of New England boiled dinners. Special guests stop in periodically, such as brewers from the Tremont Brewery in Charlestown, Massachusetts, who came bearing free pint glasses and samples of their cask-conditioned gravity-tapped special bitter ale. The proprietors also schedule occasional field trips, such as an August outing to Coastal Extreme Brewing Co., the makers of Newport Storm Beer. The latest addition, on alternating Sunday nights, will be live theatrical readings. It's this kind of extra effort that makes the intrinsic appeal of a good drink even better. 250 South Water Street, Providence, (401) 621-5644.

Best use of frozen water

Chance are if you have been to a wedding reception in Rhode Island over the last 15 years and marveled at an ice sculpture ("How the hell do they do that?"), it probably came from Art In Ice, a local two-man operation that spends hours transforming ice into highly detailed, awe-inspiring works of art. It starts with a 300-pound block of ice, 40 inches high and 10 inches thick. From there it becomes transformed by master creators Louis Manzoni and chef George O'Palenick, a longtime culinary instructor at Johnson & Wales. In 1987, O'Palenick decided to turn his meticulous and intricate "hobby" into a craft, and has since humbly churned out masterpieces for holidays, corporate events and, of course, weddings -- from ice centerpieces replacing flowers to hand-carved pets based on the dearly beloved's own, a strange yet common request. The small Apponaug outfit recently delivered an iced replica of a newlywed's pet Schnauzer who couldn't make the reception. Orders need only a few weeks notice and deposit, and Art In Ice also fills requests in all shapes and sizes. Their biggest piece thus far is an enormous 220-block castle for a Winterfest held in Maine. The infinitely talented yet modest O'Palenick has garnered national acclaim for his skills, and will be a judge at an international competition during the Olympics in Utah. 33351/2 Post Road, Warwick, (401) 732-1838, www.artiniceinc.com.

Best film fest for filmakers

It's not just about you. Sure, independent filmmaking these days still has something to do with making movies that interest you till the closing credits and provide stimulating coffee conversation afterward in the Cable Car Cinema café. But what about all the trust fund film school auteurs who are churning out all those brooding digital video self-examinations about sensitive young cinematographers? The Rhode Island International Film Festival has a rep for being supportive of even those filmmakers, plus the many others with wider-ranging talent. In the last edition of The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, RIIFF not only was touted as one of the top eight "best-kept-secret festivals," but also commended for "aggressively support[ing] its filmmakers." Because of RIIFF respect when they were nobodies, successful filmmakers tend to come back here. Next August will see the sixth annual festival, with screenings centered in Providence. www.film-festival.org/.

Best place to become Bobby Blotzer

The next time you decide to waste $35 on a night at the movies, check out the MTV Drumscape simulator. For $1.50, you can grab the sticks and fill in on your favorite song. Categories like techno, '90s alternative rock, and '80s metal offer a ton of artists and some unexpected choices from Fatboy Slim to Local H to Ratt ("Round and Round"!), with more than 50 songs in each category. The six black pads serve as snare, hi-hat, toms, crash, and ride cymbals, complete with a kick pedal -- it resembles the set for the one-armed guy in Def Leppard. It's harder than it looks, but the sounds are authentic and loud enough to drown out the group of people laughing behind you. Showcase Cinemas, 1200 Quaker Lane, Warwick, (401) 885-1621, www.drumscape.com.

Best place to argue about the Ken Burns series

No, you don't have to argue. Just discuss. But you may not have the opportunity to do either if you catch one of the blues or jazz performances at Chan's Fine Oriental Dining, and you try the speciality of the house: steamed see gyp shrimp in black bean garlic sauce. With all that sensory stimulation, the discussion may have to wait for the ride home. Chan's has been serving Cantonese, Szechuan, Hunan, Mandarin, Shanghai, and even Polynesian dishes since 1974. When they doubled the size of the restaurant in '86, John Chan indulged his love of jazz by turning Chan's into a supper club and giving local musicians a home. He has since expanded to blues, folk, cabaret, and comedy, with acts booked every Friday and Saturday. Catch Greg Piccolo on November 16, Michelle Willson and the Evil Gal Festival Orchestra on the 17th, and the Kim Trusty Band CD release party on the 24th. 267 Main Street, Woonsocket, (401) 765-1900, www.chanseggrollsandjazz.com.

Best place for small balls

There are only a handful of duckpin (aka "small balls") bowling alleys in the state, and Meadowbrook Lanes in Warwick is one of the originals. Tossing a cantaloupe a bit heavier than, say, a bocce ball is literally fun for the whole family, and pounding a few pitchers while tossing some duckpin with the fellas offers an entertaining alternative to another night hunched over a pool table or sulking on a barstool. The interior hasn't changed in the last 25 years, and it seems the price has followed suit. At $2.50 per game ($1.50 on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and $1.25 for shoes, it's a whole lot cheaper than another $25 night at the movies, and Meadowbrook offers various team and singles leagues. There's no glow-in-the-dark bowling nonsense or silly promotional nights here -- hell, Meadowbrook Lanes doesn't even have automated scoring, but that's part of the fun. Call for open bowl schedule. 2530 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, (401) 737-5402.

Best street artists (literally)

The upside: It sure as hell saves on art supplies. Downside? It's as ephemeral as a Tibetan sand painting. The Buddhist ritual mandala, however, is meant to be destroyed, swept up, and poured into the nearest river, a reminder that all is change. At the Street Painting Festival that has been part of the Convergence International Arts Festival in September for the past two years, any obliterating water has been accidental, if equally a reminder. Such colorful chalk creations have been popular since the 16th century in Italy. There the artists are known as madonnari, which refers to the most frequent subject matter in early years, the madonna. In Providence, scores of artists, from high school students to professionals, find business sponsors to stake them to a square of asphalt and a chance at a People's Choice award of $500. www.caparts.org.

Best intro to bluegrass

Hey, it may not be commercial, but it has its own kind of soul. "High lonesome" is what bluegrass fans call it. Whether it's the tight harmony of an a cappella hymn, the plaintive lament of a fiddle, or the urgent riff of a mandolin, you recognize it by the shivers down your spine. And you can hear it every Friday night from 6 to 9 p.m. on WRIU-90.3 FM. 'RIU has been doing folk and roots shows for more than 20 years, according to the music director of six weekly spots, Chuck Wentworth. Wentworth fills in on Fridays as the bluegrass DJ, along with Tom Duksta, Dan Shramek, and Mike Fishman. You might also try the rockabilly spun by Dan Ferguson on Thursdays, or the Celtic strains played by Laura Travis on Wednesdays. But if you're craving Bill Monroe, David Grisman, Alison Krauss or Rhonda Vincent, twirl that dial on Friday nights to 90.3. Memorial Union, Kingston, the request line is (401) 792-9030.

Best blast from the past

Most Pawtucket fifth-graders know more Rhode Island history than any of us. That's because they make a visit to the Slater Mill Historic Site, where they are treated to one of the best historic tours in the state. No costumes, just facts, more than two hours worth and every minute completely engrossing at this site of the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in America. Englishman Samuel Slater assembled spinning and carding machines into a smooth operation to produce thread in December, 1793. His building, called Old Slater Mill, the 1810 Wilkinson Mill and the 1758 Sylvanus Brown House are all on the tour, which includes a chance to pull the bell rope in the tower, finger pre-ginned cotton and pre-hackled flax and to hear the clackety-clack of huge spinning machines. You will leave with a new appreciation of the early machine-builders (Wilkinson among them), engineers (Slater) and the factory workers themselves. 67 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, (401) 725-8638, www.slatermill.org/. Check in at the Visitor Center across the street.