Show me the love in Providence

May 31, 2022 8:09 AM

My husband and I are moving from Portland, OR to New England to be closer to my mom. We're looking at Providence, RI. What are some things we might love there?

Long story short: as my mom is aging, we're looking to move closer to her. We've grown to love Portland, OR over the decade we lived there--lots of friends, creative community, great climate (except for the recent wildfires/heat waves), tons of nature, great food and coffee scene, progressive and queer-friendly folk, etc. We're sad to say goodbye to it, but after researching around, Providence seems like it has potential-- it's an hour train-ride to my mom, a smaller city than what we're used to but probably better than most of our CT options.

The problem is: I don't know a lot about Providence and unlike Portland I don't know a lot of people there! I've flown in and out of there most of my adult life but haven't really visited the city in a long time so I don't know a lot about its culture. Googling and checking out r/providence has only gotten me so far, so I'm hoping to solicit suggestions from those who have visited or lived in and around the Providence area (surrounding towns are okay too, but I think we're mostly looking at the city itself because we don't own a car right now).

So I'd love to hear about things you love in and around the city-- things to do, places to visit, food and drink options, cool communities to connect with, etc. If it helps tailor your suggestions--we're both nerdy introverts who like hiking, comedy, exploring cities, playing board games, eating tasty food (we're pretty flexible, but recs for good ramen/sushi spots and Indian food are welcomed especially!) and visiting chill coffeeshops and bars (I drink cocktails, but we both really enjoy cider and sour beers) I'm an illustrator who loves art, cooking, museums, creative community, learning, and volunteer work; he's a programmer who loves social games (especially roleplaying where he can flex his storytelling muscles, but also board and video games).

Hoping this will help us get excited about our new potential home and start to see where we can find community. Thanks so much!

posted by actionpact to Society & Culture (20 answers total)

Waterfire is cool when it's happening and RISD is there and they have a very cool museum. I'm often about 30 minutes east in the summertime (am also a fan of some of the funky stuff going on in Fall River MA and the smaller town charm that is Tiverton RI). I'd also suggest learning to love Portuguese food (one example). You'll be really near the ocean which is kind of great and you can get to a LOT of New England from there since New England states are so small. The downtown public library is pretty great and there is also a community library system in the neighborhoods. We've gone to the Commedy Connection in East Providence a few times and gotten great deals on Groupon and seen some pretty great comics there. The population definitely doesn't skew as young as Portland but there's definitely a young person scene there. I hope the other MeFites who live in the area chime in with more day to day stuff.
posted by jessamyn at 8:29 AM on May 31, 2022 [4 favorites]

Providence has a bookstore bar! I haven't been but it's one of the things a friend who lives there points to as one of the reasons she loves it so much.
posted by babelfish at 8:31 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

I spent a good deal of my childhood in New England not all that far from Providence, and then spent a while living there as an adult as part of a work gig, a few years back. It's a great little city, and it's well-connected to Boston, if you want to do things that require a Big City to do.

There are good restaurants and a fun food scene; Providence has a fairly unique culinary history, with a distinctly Portuguese influence. (Rhode Island even has its own take on clam chowder, which is a good first stop if you've never had it before.) Pretty much all the restaurants run by Newport Restaurant Group are solid. (Waterman Grill was one of my standard places for business dinners when I was there and had an expense account to burn.)

Due to the presence of Johnson & Wales, there's (or was before the pandemic, anyway) a revolving-door of new restaurant startups often founded by graduates. There are a variety of coffee shops, boba tea houses, late-night falafel and pizza joints, and other college-student-appealing places, particularly in the neighborhoods around RISD and Brown. Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches is worth a visit.

It's a surprisingly bikeable city ("surprisingly" given that it's full of not-trivial hills and river crossings, and an Interstate unfortunately punched through downtown), with nice multi-use paths. I made a habit of renting a bike (from these guys) when I was there, and if the people at the hotel thought it was weird to drag it up to my room in the elevator at night, they didn't say anything. If you can work out how to get to the East Bay Bike Path from wherever you are (and there are parking areas at various points along it), it's a very pleasant ride.

If you're feeling like getting out of town, you can easily take the commuter train (MBTA) into Boston for dinner and drinks. Fares are reasonable and the ride is a bit over an hour, if memory serves. Goes all the way to South Station (or you can get off at Back Bay or wherever). While I'm sure there's a lower-tech way to do it, the phone app for buying tickets en route is convenient and honestly works well. Bikes are allowed on non-peak trains. Just don't miss the last train south (11PM on weeknights?) or you're in for a very expensive Uber.
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:51 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

You are going to love it! Museums and hiking and exploring! It's meant for you. Being such an old region, there are so so many great towns so close together. I could write a book on the day trips and weekend trips you have ahead of you. Even NYC is only 3.5 hours away. You have like 5 airports to choose from if you want to go some place. Speaking of airports! Now you are on the east coast. Feel like going to Iceland for the weekend? About 500 bucks and a 5 hour direct flight. Also the Caribbean is short flight away. And that region has close ties with Portuguese so Azores flights are pretty good.

But now -- day and weekend trips. And something you will NOT miss. We have so much good food! And museums?! Boy do we have museums.

Newport, RI. Beaches, food, history, museums.
Boston, MA. Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum! North End. Museum of Fine Arts. Take the ferry to Provincetown.
Sturbridge (living history museum - 1830s about)
[and next door.. 3 times a year Brimfield has an amazing "flea market" where antique dealers from around the region/country/and world display their wares for a week. You've got to come.]
Portland, Maine!
Plymouth, Ma (Living history museum Plimoth Plantation, beaches, history, etc)
Northampton/Amherst. Adorable college towns with food, shops, museums.
Mystic, Conn- cute seaside town with Mystic Seaport. Museum about historic maritime life. Sea Shanty festival. Nice Aquarium.
You'll be able to take road trips to White Mountains, DownEast Maine, Acadian National Park, Cape Cod, Green Mountains, Berkshires, Montreal, North shore (Newburyport), Hudson River Valley - all within 2-6 hours.

Vermont is so lovely-- best museum I've ever been to is Shelburne Museum.

There are SO many wonderful historic homes to tour. Literally hundreds.

I could go on and on.. and on. I have been exploring this region for 35 years-- as soon as I got my license. I haven't run out of things to see and do.
posted by beccaj at 9:06 AM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Providence is close to Narraganset Bay, which has white sand beaches, lovely farming villages, and world class sailing in Newport. For spectacular views, fish & chips, and fried clams, you can visit Evelyn's Nanaquaket Drive-In.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 9:54 AM on May 31, 2022

Reading with interest! I am moving to Providence in July with my spouse for similar reasons- wanted to be closer to my aging parents in MA, wanted to buy a house and couldn't afford Boston area, don't really know much about the city but liked the vibe. Looking forward to trying out these suggestions especially the food ones :)
If you do move to Providence let's do a meet-up!
posted by emd3737 at 11:41 AM on May 31, 2022

If you think that you'll be taking the train a lot, the East Side is probably the place to live--much of it is walkable to the train station downtown or is connected by bus lines. Providence is no longer the bargain that it was years ago, but it's still cheaper than Boston. You might want to check out the area around Hope Street, or Wayland Square--both are just far enough from Brown/RISD to be a little quieter and less student-focused. You might also consider downtown (or "downcity", as it was historically known). There are quite a few funky (yet expensive) loft buildings there.

Providence definitely punches above its weight in terms of food. For Indian I like Kebab and Curry on Thayer, and Rasoi just over the border in Pawtucket (and if you go there, pop into the excellent Wildflower Bakery next door for vegan goodies). Check out Seven Stars for bread and baked goods, too. Other places I like: Xaco Taco for spendy but good tacos; Knead for amazing donuts; Sandwich Hut for Italian sandwiches; Harry's for sliders; Narragansett Brewery for a beer by the harbor. If you like Italian food, the Federal Hill neighborhood has many good options for restaurants and some good Italian markets as well.

On the culture side, nobody has yet mentioned the Providence Athenaeum, a membership library that does book events. It's in an amazing 19th century building that is worth checking out. The Avon Cinema is a good option on the East Side for indy film.
posted by Call me Ishmael at 12:11 PM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

You know about RISD....right? Just making sure. :7)

I work for one of the colleges downtown, Johnson & Wales University, though I now WFH full-time. Our graduates help provide a stronger-than-our-size restaurant culture in Providence (though the industry-wide trends are still hurting here, too). Ask me whatever you like about the higher ed field if it's interesting to you.

There's lots of cool food thing happening here, like a giant greenhouse that came online during COVID to grow produce in the city, and the new Farm Fresh Rhode Island building at he edge of downtown, with its weekly flea- and famers markets, plus food-related businesses (like an awesome coffee roaster that I love).

A culture that's big in RI but not elsewhere in the U.S. is the people from Cape Verde islands. They speak Portuguese, I believe, and the food is really cool. Historically there are also a ton of French, Italian, and Portuguese people here -- so as a result, the cultures are well known. (My town's high school offers kids French, Spanish, and Portuguese language -- which, as a kid from the Midwest, struck me as quite exotic.)

Lots of traditions here, since so many of the towns are around 300 years old: Bristol has the country's oldest July 4 parade, for example.

There are neighborhoods adjacent to downtown, but also a ring of suburbs. I live about twenty minutes out of the city in a small-ish suburb. Many of the suburbs have decent parks, and there is more green space that I would have guessed remaining in Providence and the 'burbs. In addition, there are old buildings and historical sites all through the state -- which, being maybe an hour's drive north-to-south, means that you can explore anything on any day without much advance planning

The beaches are obvious in summer, but throughout the year access to the shore makes for great outdoor adventures. The winter isn't as bad as New Englanders think it is, and most activities remain possible even in the winter months.

If you geocache, there are tons to find -- and they are a great way to get introduced to an area. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:28 PM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

Lots of us slag off the state's public bus system, but the state is so small that you really can get across it on a bus. (There may not be a lot of them per day, but you can get there.)

A former employee of mine owned a bike plus a Zip Car subscription, and he found that a useful compromise.

There's also a private bus company called variously Peter Pan or Bonanza, with stops both downtown and a few miles away, that runs all over New England. It's a good value and the buses are clean and safe.
--
Note that most directions you get from locals will be thiiis close to useless, because they are studded with references to landmarks that are long since gone -- or even entire retails chains that have gone out of business, one by one. And there are no damn signs on the streets, so pay attention to your phone's maps when you're out and about. (It's infuriating, and they all seem to think my complaints are nonsense.)

Many Rhode Islanders just...stay in Rhode Island -- but New England is small enough that it's all basically on your doorstep, so make sure to explore Vermont and Maine as well as Tiverton and Gloucester (both of them!).
posted by wenestvedt at 12:49 PM on May 31, 2022

There's a whole new vegan foodhall on the river downtown, if that's your thing, called Plant City.

It's at the end of the new-ish pedestrian bridge over the river, and a couple of blocks from the very good Coffee Exchange (across from a Dick Blick, which probably is your thing).

To let everyone know how well you've settled in to PVD life, take a picture for your holiday card on the middle of the pedestrian bridge. I've seen it on bunch of high school seniors' graduation cards, and it's a great backdrop in every direction. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:53 PM on May 31, 2022

I second the RISD museum! I have only been to Providence once but will definitely return: I loved the vibe and friendly people.
posted by smorgasbord at 2:27 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Oh my goodness, you would LOVE Providence. Seconding all the good advice above!

The city has a ton of people who love it and celebrate it, from Waterfire to Doors Open RI to PVDfest to local historians (I'm currently listening to a VR tour of old Chinatown in Providence!).

There's obviously a big art scene with RISD, but I'd also look into AS220, a local arts nonprofit that hold a ton of community events! I learned to screen print there & a friend used to take their ballet classes.

When you get here, your husband (and you, if you'd like!) should check out Untapped Games in Pawtucket. They have DnD nights, Pathfinder, and maybe some other rpg nights? As well as a bunch of board game nights.

For ramen, I like Tori Tomo downtown and Wara Wara on the East Side (think they have the same owner?). Yoo Sushi and Sakura are my go-tos for sushi. I'll also throw in two additional recs: Chomp (incredible burgers & sandwiches) and Gracie's (the best restaurant period imho).

Also, there are so many pretty places and parks within the city. The architecture is beautiful. Everyone is right that you're super close to the best of Boston and the northeast in general, as well as some beautiful beaches - but honestly, I spend most of my time in Providence because it's so much fun. And if you live in the city, you can walk everywhere.

Feel free to DM if you want more info!
posted by abry0 at 4:11 PM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

Nice zoo, and the hot weiners at Olneyville NY System. I’d go back just for those two things.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:41 PM on May 31, 2022

I lived in Providence for 5 years, and would move back if we had a good excuse to do so. Great train connection to Boston & NYC, but a fantastic flavor all its own.

No one upthread had mentioned Trinity Rep, so I will do so here. Despite living in the bigger city to the north and being regular theatre goers there, we are subscribers at Trinity. They are one of the few true repertory companies left in the US and going there for years, we've enjoyed watching younger actors gain their feet and older actors show their versatility on stage. It is the place that really helped me fall in love with live theater. They also have pay-what-you-can nights and a number of related community events.
posted by chiefthe at 5:31 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

You'll be striking distance to the Vineyard, come visit!
posted by vrakatar at 6:19 PM on May 31, 2022

My time in Providence was back in 1970-72, so I'm pretty much out of date. I came in to point out that Boston dominates New England in some ways. The easy example is air travel. There are direct flights to everywhere from Logan, not so with Thomas Greene. You may find this is also true in some industries (maybe insurance and banking) that could affect employment opportunities.

But Providence is one of the great matriarchal cities of New England.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:49 AM on June 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

T.F. Greene has picked up more direct flights to "good" places than it used to -- I like it *SO* much better than Logan. It's small, efficient, and clean. Also, both the train and Peter Pan buses stop there.

And while Trinity Rep has great shows and a good bar across the street, three blocks away is the Providence Performing Arts Center (a.k.a. PPAC, pronounced* "pee pack"), which gets touring Broadway shows. It was restored a few years ago, and is a gorgeous place to watch a play or concert. We saw "Hamilton" there, but my daughter's high school graduation was there a few years ago, as well as live music and other acts. It's a great space.

(N.b.: everything in New England gets a shortened name. In Boston, Massachusetts Avenue is called "Mass Ave." Down in Providence, you have the "PPAC" name. Dunkin' Donuts shops were called just "Dunkin'" long before the company re-branded itself a year ago -- and possibly the reason they did so! Anyway, be aware that when you find yourself thinking, "Gee, that name is similar to this other place, I wonder if they're near each other," it's actually probably the same thing. Or maybe the thing's old name. Bah!)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:24 AM on June 1, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for all the great answers! These make me so much more excited to explore the city-- I'm actually from New England and TF Green is usually where I fly out of when I visit my mom, so it feels doubly silly that I don't know more about Providence. Sounds like there's a lot to like though! Thankfully, we're both not sweating employment opportunities (he works remotely and location's not an issue, I'm freelance so my work is flexible) but I'm glad to know Boston and NYC is there if we need more to do.

Happy to take any more food/coffee recs too! :)
posted by actionpact at 7:32 AM on June 1, 2022

Bayberry Beer Hall usually has a few good sours on tap, and it's a cute place to hang out. I also love the sours at Proclamation and I think technically you can get there by train from Providence but I haven't tried it.

The Eddy has great cocktails and also some beers on the menu

Neutaconkanut Hill is a hidden place to hike close to the city

and so is Roger Williams Park, which is very bus accessible
posted by beyond_pink at 12:32 PM on June 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

I missed this question! I've lived in Providence for a little over ten years. Every so often I dream of moving somewhere else but Providence and Rhode Island have a lot to offer. I think you'd like it.

A few things that may or may not have been mentioned above that I think of when I think about why I love Providence/Rhode Island:
-Street festivals-- PVD Fest in the spring/summer and Pronk! in the fall
-Riding my bike on the East Bay Bike Path
-Eating clam cakes and chowder at the beach in the summer (also now available in downtown Prov at Dune Brothers!)
-Playing pinball at Freeplay Arcade (also fun: going to the penny arcade in Burrillville)
-Weekend hiking and climbing trips to the White Mountains (~3 hr drive)
-Hiking in Arcadia Management area
-Kayaking on the Narrow River. If you want to get really into kayaking or sailing, there's also fairly affordable memberships through the Community Boating Center
-Lots of good food and coffee, lots of bars of all kinds and breweries have opened up in the last five year
-Good artist culture. AS220 is a good place to start to access that

Feel free to memail me :)
posted by geegollygosh at 6:37 PM on June 1, 2022 [1 favorite]