Visiting Providence This Winter.
HOPEFULLY THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF BIG EAST CITIES VACATION GUIDES:
This is for our three new member schools' fans, but also for all our Big East compatriots... these are my personal observations and recommendations, and I definitely want others to correct me where I may have my items wrong...! Would love to get the low down on other Big East cities, especially our new compadres.
Spending time in Providence to watch a Big East game at the Dunk?:
TRANSPORTATION:
Providence by car:
Interstate 95 from north or south leads into the heart of downtown. The Dunk is next to I-95.
1 hour from Boston.
3 hours to New York City.
Providence by train:
Amtrak from north or south, and the MBTA (commuter rail) from Boston leads into the heart of downtown, with the Providence Train Station just south of the capitol building. The train station is a short, easy 10 minute walk to the Dunk, and three nice nearby hotels and a major shopping mall (the "Providence Place Mall") are all basically along that walk.
Providence by air:
Small, easily-accessible airport that all Rhode Islanders and many Bostonians and Connecticut residents use because of its convenience:
Rhode Island's airport is T.F. Green Airport ("Green Airport"), in the city of Warwick on Route 1 (Post Road), two cities south of Providence. The airport in Warwick is an easy 15 minute drive (except during rush hour) on I-95 north to downtown Providence. The city of Cranston is between Warwick and Providence.
HOTELS:
Warwick, near the airport, has a ton of rental cars, major hotels and local and chain restaurants right next to it on Route 1.
Providence around the Dunk has three major hotels.
- The Hilton Providence is next to the Dunk to the south.
- The Westin Providence is a 3 minute walk to the north of the Dunk. The Westin is connected to the Dunk via interior corridors by cutting through the Convention Center (access varies thru here). The Westin itself is connected by interior walkways and bridges to the Providence Place Mall to the north.
- The Biltmore Providence (maybe built in the 20's?) is a 7 minute walk to the northeast of the Dunk.
I think (this might have changed) that the Biltmore is the most expensive, then the Westin (built late 90's), then the Hilton (renovated, but originally a Holiday Inn built in the 70's).
Other hotels are in the area (for example, a Radisson is on India Point south of Brown), but you'd need a car, and they'd be less convenient and not within walking distance of anything really, and isolated and pinned in by I-195 and the harbor... so you'd be better off just staying near the airport.
RESTAURANTS:
Warwick has basically every chain restaurant imaginable, either near the airport or on Route 2 (Bald Hill Road), about a 5 minute drive from the airport.
Providence has fantastic restaurants, with a good range of prices and styles.
Providence --> Italian --> Federal Hill -->
if you exit the Dunk to the south, and walk past the Hilton, and cross over the I-95 overpass (a 2 minute walk heading west), you will enter the Federal Hill neighborhood (passing under a pineapple-topped arch on Atwells Avenue). There are a ton of restaurants and bakeries up and down the street within a 5 to 10 minute walk. My family always tries to go to Angelo's Civita Farnese, an inexpensive, non-fancy, excellent Italian food restaurant. (Try to sit in the dining room to the far right when you enter, because it was the original restaurant, and still has the porcelain tables and the menu on the wall. I think it closes by 8pm, so you'd have to go before the game.) Other notable places on Federal Hill are Schialo's bakery (maybe go there in the morning for Italian pastry); Caserta Pizza (pizza); Bob and Timmy's (nice meals); Cafe La Dolce Vita (dessert); Basically, have fun exploring, there are a ton of restaurants up and down the street and on side streets and plazas, so I can't possibly name them all. Federal Hill is a working class neighborhood, with a great atmosphere.
Providence --> Brew Pubs -->
I've heard Trinity Brewhouse is great, across from the Dunk to the east. There are a ton of clubs, etc, all around the area... I'm a little older with kids so I haven't kept up with the current ones...!
Providence --> Seafood -->
on the other side of the river, at the base of College Hill (location of RISD and Brown), is Hemenway's (on South Main Street). You can walk during the day (about a 15 minute walk from the Dunk), but at night I'd recommend driving over.
THE ARTS:
Providence --> Plays, Concerts, Performing Arts -->
- Trinity Playhouse is two blocks from the Dunk to the east.
- PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center) is several blocks farther (recommend driving) to the east.
- Leeds Theater is on College Hill, at Brown University (20 minute walk, much of it uphill, so I recommend driving).
Providence --> Art Museums -->
- Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum, a 15 minute walk from the Dunk, is a block up from the base of College Hill on Benefit Street. Usually open daily, closed evenings, has art from every era and type... Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, Medieval, Renaissance, Dutch Masters, French Impressionists. An amazing collection is a small museum. Definitely recommended.
Providence --> Gentlemen's Clubs -->
Ok, I'm listing this under "The Arts". :o)
Regarded as best collection of clubs in New England, so much so that Big Papi spends a lot of time down here, plus many Patriots too. About a half dozen places.
OTHER SPORTS BESIDES BIG EAST BASKETBALL:
Ice Hockey and Hoops -->
- Providence Friars hockey is on campus, a 7 minute drive from the Dunk to the north. The rink has just been renovated this year. Our conference is excellent, so any game will be worth watching.
- Brown University basketball and hockey. Brown hoops and hockey, when home, both usually play Friday-Saturday. The court and rink are next door to each other, a 5 minute drive from the Dunk. Very casual at Brown, but some good teams visit, like hockey national champ Yale, and Frozen Four finalist Quinnipiac. Hoops of course has the Ivy schedule.
- URI basketball is around a 40 minute drive south to Kingston. Excellent arena, the Ryan Center. URI plays usually on Saturdays, typically at the same time as Friar games, but sometimes the Rams play Sunday games. A Sunday game might work if you're visiting Newport too.
SHOPPING:
Providence Place Mall is connected to the Westin. Has Nordstrom, etc, plus IMAX and all the typical mall stuff.
BEACHES, NEWPORT, OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:
- Newport is about a 45 minute drive south, using the Jamestown and Newport Bridges to get there (recommended). Excellent restaurants, excellent seafood, very historic. Too many restaurants and bars to name. The Newport Marriott is right in town and provides walking access to everything you need. Tennis Hall of Fame is awesome. Gilded Age Newport Mansions have daily tours. Naval War College Museum is great (weekdays only). Off season is nicer because you'll be the only tourists.
- Beaches in the winter are pretty cool because you have the whole place to yourself and the nearby towns on the coast are authentic and cool, like Jamestown or Galilee or Wickford. Not a heck of a lot to do, but nice places to escape for an afternoon. Definitely clean salt air and the seafood is amazing.
- Woonsocket area (downtown a little rough)... (20 minute drive north) only mentioning working class Woonsocket because of three local restaurants that only locals would know that at some point you should try... (Woonsocket was a French-Canadian immigrant city years ago)
--> "Wright's Chicken Farm Restaurant" --> 6 minute drive west of Woonsocket, all you can eat chicken, fries, macaroni and salad... eat like a pig if you want, excellent food, great atmosphere because you'll be around real northern Rhode Islanders with our accents and all. When the Patriots trained at Bryant College 10+ years ago, they often go here.
--> "The Beef Barn" --> 3 minute drive from downtown Woonsocket, sandwiches, milkshakes, been there forever, very working class and tiny place.
--> "Ye Olde English Fish n Chips" --> in downtown Woonsocket, the most authentic English style crunchy fish n chips, the last of its kind around here. Excellent food. Sit in dining rooms. Recommend going on a Friday during Lent when the line is out the door.
HELPFUL PRONUNCIATION OF LOCAL PLACES:
Warwick --> "WAR-ick".
Pawtucket --> "puh-TUCK-it" (do NOT pronounce the "W"...!).
Woonasquatucket River --> "wuh-NAHS-quah-TUCK-it".
Quonochotaug --> "QUO-no-kah-tog".
Matunuck --> "mah-TOO-nick".
Narragansett --> "nar-rah-GANN-set"
quahog (large local clam) --> "KAW-hog".
Martha's Vineyard --> "the VIN-yid".
CHOWDER TYPES:
Clear broth is Rhode Island chowder.
White broth is New England chowder.
Red broth is Manhattan chowder (unpopular).
CONCLUSION:
Anyway, enjoy your stay. Rick Pitino will miss it...! Jim Boeheim will miss it...! Providence is an easy city to enjoy. Not too big. Everything close. Providence is basically a flat city downtown, with College Hill across the river to the east.
For a Saturday night game vs the Friars:
I recommend this basic framework:
- flying into Warwick on Friday,
- renting a car,
- staying at the Westin in Providence,
- walking to early dinner on Federal Hill,
- driving to a PC hockey game Friday nite,
- going for drinks in downtown Providence after hockey game,
- getting breakfast on Federal Hill Saturday morning,
- walking to the RISD art museum Saturday noon,
- walking to Hemenway's for late lunch on Saturday,
- watching your team lose to the Friars on Saturday nite,
- get something to eat and drink downtown on after loss,
- getting breakfast on Federal Hill Sunday morning,
- take a walk around the Providence Place Mall and State House to burn all the calories you've been taking in at all the restaurants,
- see what's playing at Trinity,
- drive to Newport check out the city,
- eat seafood in Newport,
- stay at Newport Marriott Sunday night,
- Monday in Newport check out Tennis Hall of Fame, etc,
- get healthy breathing in ocean air,
- fly back to Omaha/ Indianapolis/ Cincinnati/ etc.
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