Mention Westerly to most people and they will probably come back with either Misquamicut or Watch Hill. 

Downtown Westerly? Insert Crickets.

Too bad so sad for them because breaking news, DW is hopping these days. 

Last week, I was talking to friend of mine who enjoys great food, live music, and the occassional cigar, and he was raving about a recent nighout in said village (Just learned THIS on Wikipedia.) that included dinner, followed by some live music and drinks (quite possibly craft beer) at the Knickerbocker (Not new per se, but let's say revamped with a different name...instead of a cafe, it's being called a Music Center.). He may or may not have stopped off at the cigar lounge not far from the Knick. Not absolutely sure, but there is one in the vicinity if that's your jam. 

The weather was so lovely that week (Dare I say summer-like, without fear of jinxing us all for the rest of May, into June. This has been one weird Spring, that's all I'm saying.), I decided to take a drive to see for myself. Now, don't even think about dismissing DW because it might very well be a 45 minute to an hour drive for you. There's too much going on there, and there's still this fantastic small town vibe (in a goood way) and energy running thru everything: beaucoup galleries, a health food shop/juice and smoothie bar (My bad! The owner's far from a newbie and has been in town for at least three years or more. Tres embarrassing.), two yoga studios, shopping, a bar/pinball arcade called Flip Side (So County's spin on this trend), and lots of fantastic new-ish restaurants (including Amigos Taqueria Y Tequila which I don't remember seeing before).

And, don't forget The Savoy, the bookstore that serves up an impressive selection guaranteed to please even the most persnickety reader in your circle (We all have at least one snob.), along with a cozy coffee bar where you can veg out with a beverage of your choice and a cookie, muffin or bagel. In addition, it's also pretty stunning inside and out. 

So, to paraphrase the grizzled Mickey (Burgess Meredith) in the original, and best, Rocky movie (before Sly took up painting and modelizing) - What the hell are you waiting for?

Photo credits: All photos courtesy of PattyJ.com