Jiggers Cafe – East Greenwhich Rhode Island

I’ve been working a lot on things on my life and continue to struggle with photo uploads to this website so I once again apologize for my absence but as I navigate through whatever phase of burnout this is I have continued to search for fantastic eateries and weird and whimsical destinations and Jiggers seems to hit both categories.

I was just expecting a typical tin diner when I showed up on their door step but everything from the welcome mat outside to the whole interior was decked out with Halloween decore. Purple garland, pumpkins, witches hats hanging from the ceiling. It’s still September so this early burst of holiday spirit made me smile.

Inside the diner was remarkably well kept up for being so old. If I remember right a sign on the wall mentioned it being built in 1950. In addition to the Halloween decorations awards lined the wall and a beautiful case of muffins and bagels greeted us at the door.

The staff seemed genuinely happy and we’re very friendly. And the menu? Delightfully quirky. So much so I wasn’t sure what to order so we visited twice. The first time I had some sort of lemon flavored stuffed French toast with blueberries which… sounded so odd I couldn’t resist. It was deffinately different but not in a bad way. The second time I ordered a seasonal special the Harvest Omlette which was loaded with butternut squash and granny Smith apples. I got a side of black bean and sweet potato hash because that also sounded weird. I loved all of it. Even ate almost all of it which I don’t usually do. I also took a bagel to go and it was sooo chewy and wonderful I didn’t even toast it.

My companion was also happy with his choices. He had a Monte Cristo sandwhich the first time and the corned beef hash benedict chosen specifically because the corned beef hash was made in-house. I taxed a bite of the Monte Cristo sandwhich and it was melt in your mouth warm and wonderful. I’m just not a fan of corned beef hash but he must have liked it as he ate all of it. I also took a couple of his home fries and we both agreed this place had really good home fries that “weren’t covered in paprika” which for some reason most of the restaurants around here do.

Will I come back to this diner? Probably. It had a lot to chose from, much of which was super unique. It added a sort of quirky charm.

Rhode Island Antique Mall – Pawtucket RI

After perusing the Wickford Village Antiques we made our way to the Rhode Island Antique Mall. This destination I suggested because it had the word mall in it’s very utilitarian title which indicated it had multiple vendors which is always good when you’re trying to find something weird. And I was. Sometimes it’s fun to actually try to find a specific item and this place looked promising. This time around I had chosen to seek a long silver pipette. Not because I have any particular interest in tobacco paraphernalia as a nonsmoker but because I was toying with the idea of being a flapper for Halloween and how cool would it be to have a pipette to complete that ensemble?! Especially knowing flappers were the first women allowed to go to bars and smoke in public (and vote!) which was HUGE at the time. Flaunt that independence! It’s amazing! Sadly, I did not find what I was looking for but the antique mall was still a great place to end up. We lost several hours wandering here.

This place was pretty big with two fully packed floors that had everything from rows and rows of sparkly jewelry to a fully functional pinball machine. But things didn’t get real interesting until we stepped into a little side room that I hope was tended to by a mortician with a sense of humor. If it wasn’t then…. I have some questions. You see the room contained a child sized coffin cooler (because adult coffin coolers aren’t morbid enough?) A couple fetish dolls (not sure what the correct term for them is?) an old wooden wheel chair and even creepier still a whole shelf full of expired embalming fluid. Because who doesn’t have a few bottles of that kicking around, ammirite? And if death related items weren’t your thing there was a cow yolk here with a tag reading, “This looks like a chastity belt but it’s just a cow harness.” Inappropriate humor! This one tiny room alone was totally worth the trip but there was so much more.

I ended up wandering downstairs not long after this and whew! What a wonderful assortment of random things! Haunted dolls, LOTS of probably haunted dolls made my heart jump with glee. There were even two possessed Micky Mouses and a Donald Duck I am pretty certain was employed reaping souls in the thirties. That’s not to mention the medical dummy with removable organs, the slew of terrible taxidermy and alligator purses, the really old Halloween decorations, or a brand new unicycle! I ended up going home with a $4 Phil Ochs record (a wicked steal!) and The Best of Procol Harem because… I don’t know, it struck my fancy that day. I mean what other band is named after someone’s pet cat AND a random phrase in Latin? That totally embodied the spirit of our meanderings that day.

This was an awesome place that I do believe I will visit again and highly recommend to anyone interested in antiques. Their prices were very reasonable and their assortment was vast!

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