Back during the summer of 1997, a friend and I were strolling along the canal in downtown Providence, where I went to college. We were talking, the sun had already gone down, but the sky had yet to light up with stars. Without warning, what we thought was a kind of menacing, rhythmic laughter wafted up from the direction of the water. We looked towards the sound and noticed something neither of us had seen downtown before: individual fires dotting the length of the canal. We were immediately entranced - and not just a little bit freaked out. The music chosen to accompany what we later discovered was an outdoor sculpture exhibit by artist Barnaby Evans was downright eerie, especially in the dark.

What we stumbled upon quite by accident that night has grown over the last decade to become one of the city’s premier outdoor events. On Saturday nights throughout the year, WaterFire Providence takes over the cityscape as the sun sets. So many people flock to see the 80 fires flickering along the city’s waterways that the sounds - which are part of a continuous soundtrack featuring globally-influenced ambient compositions ranging from Armenian folk melodies to Russian Orthodox liturgical music - are no longer haunting, but rather wonder-inducing in their other-worldliness.

On many WaterFire nights, live bands and DJs join the fray to turn parts of the downtown are into an outdoor ballroom and concert venue, where onlookers can catch dance performances, take free salsa lessons and boogie on into the night with the fires in the background (check the web site for the full summer season schedule and special non-Saturday WaterFire lightings). With the outdoor setup, proximity to downtown restaurants and hotels, and live entertainment, this is one of those rare urban events that holds just as much appeal for families as it does for college kids, romance-seeking couples and curious tourists. What’s more, with a suggested donation of $3-$5, it’s an affordable attraction in a hip, but wallet-friendly city located just an hour from Boston, three from New York and just over four from Philly.

For more on what to see and do in Providence, visit the Providence & Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One buckaroo. That’s it folks. Earlier this year, BoltBus launched its East Coast bus service offering riders more legroom, wi-fi and low, low fares. Now Greyhound Canada and Adirondack Trailways are following suit with their own juiced up bus line NeOn, whose inaugural 9.5-hour route launching May 22 rolls passengers between New York and Toronto in coaches with extra leg room, free wireless Internet access and in-seat power outlets.

But back to the $1 part, because that’s the best feature (that and the free wi-fi), if you ask me. $1 tickets (each way, plus booking fee) go on sale today and are available through either Adirondack Trailways or Greyhound. Only a few $1 fares are available for each trip, so booking early is key. After the cheapest seats are gone, the fares increase incrementally from there.

After hunting for some of the $1 fares this morning (which I found available on plenty of days this summer), here are some tips for finding them quickly:

- Book via Greyhound. The interface is much easier to use, and, as of today, Adirondack Trailways didn’t seem to have the new route listed yet.

- Select New York Penn Station and Toronto Royal York Hotel from the drop-down list as your points of departure and arrival.

- If you select round trip when you search, the lowest fares will appear as $2. The booking fee for the reservations I tested was $3.

- Note that Greyhound does not identify these routes as part of the new NeOn service.

- If you want to purchase the cheapest fares online, you’ll have to book at least 10 mailing days in advance. Otherwise, you’ll need to buy tickets in person at a Greyhound terminal or agency.

Over the weekend, three students on spring break took it upon themselves to have a dynamite time in Daytona Beach. Quite literally. And we’re not talking about JJ Walker-style dy-NO-mite, either. No, in this case, the story involves real explosives.

According to news reports, the three male students procured a quarter stick of dynamite from some randoms on the beach (riiiighht) and decided to use their book smarts to detonate the explosive at 2:30 a.m. while standing on a sun deck at the Oceanside Inn. The blast sent glass, metal and debris flying 100 feet in the air, pissed off police and generally freaked out the guests at the hotel.

Whatever happened to old school spring break pastimes like getting tanked, talking trash and making out with strangers?

Ah, those Ivy Leaguers. Sometimes, it seems like those smarty pants get all the breaks. But where Princeton University is concerned, incoming students may quite literally find more breaks in their collective futures.The vaunted New Jersey university is reportedly pondering a new program that would assist about 10 percent of each incoming freshman class in putting college off for a year in order to travel the world volunteering or working in service-oriented capacities. Students who chose to defer their studies won’t receive school credit, nor will they pay tuition.

But since Princeton students can already defer admission for a year, it stands to reason that the program will offer participating students some additional support. Financial aid from the university for living and travel expenses is rumored to be part of the deal, but the details have yet to be determined. The school hopes to have the program in place for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Taking a gap year for travel before entering college is common practice in many countries outside the United States, and, though it’s not the right move for everyone, those who do take time off to work and travel in other countries often return home with life experience that trumps anything one could learn in a classroom. Except, of course, for subjects like James Joyce. You do actually need a classroom for that. But personal experience has taught me that living and working abroad not only offers students perspective on the privileges of U.S. living, but also engenders them with a thirst for seeing and exploring the world in the years to come.