Providence in 24-hours
Aug 27th, 2003, 12:32 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
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I was in Providence last September and saw the state capitol. It's very pretty. Has a famous portrait (by Stuart?) of George Washington in it.
They had a tourist bus that I bought a pass for. I took about 1.5 hours and rode both loops just to get a feel for the area. One of them ends a little earlier in the day so you might want to watch that. As I recall I ended up walking back to the downtown mall from Federal Hill where I had dinner because the shuttle had stopped running.
I don't remember the name of the restaurant where I had dinner. It was at the start of restaurant hill as you walked up to it. It was on the left hand side and had big windows that had been removed so it felt more like dining outside. I had the best mussels in marinara sauce with a course bread that I've ever had.
The downtown mall is very nice for a mall. The art museum is near one of the shuttle stops and is supposed to be good but I didn't go in.
If you're really lucky (I wasn't) they'll have waterfire going the night you're there. They burn wood in metal baskets on the canal/harbor/river that's downtown. It happens just after dark and pictures I've seen are really pretty.
They had a tourist bus that I bought a pass for. I took about 1.5 hours and rode both loops just to get a feel for the area. One of them ends a little earlier in the day so you might want to watch that. As I recall I ended up walking back to the downtown mall from Federal Hill where I had dinner because the shuttle had stopped running.
I don't remember the name of the restaurant where I had dinner. It was at the start of restaurant hill as you walked up to it. It was on the left hand side and had big windows that had been removed so it felt more like dining outside. I had the best mussels in marinara sauce with a course bread that I've ever had.
The downtown mall is very nice for a mall. The art museum is near one of the shuttle stops and is supposed to be good but I didn't go in.
If you're really lucky (I wasn't) they'll have waterfire going the night you're there. They burn wood in metal baskets on the canal/harbor/river that's downtown. It happens just after dark and pictures I've seen are really pretty.
Aug 27th, 2003, 03:50 AM
#5
Join Date: May 2003
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Along with the other posters, I would recommend a meal on Federal Hill - you can walk across 95 to Atwells Avenue (look for the gigantic concrete arch, with either a pinecone or pineapple hanging from the middle), where there must be 20-something Italian/Portuguese restaurants/cafes all in a row. I believe indytravel is describing Mediterraneo, a nice place on the lefthand side with very good service and food. Be warned, if you are driving it would be best to leave your car at your hotel, as parking on Atwells is exclusively valet, and the rest of the city is fairly walkable anyway. Unfortunately Waterfire will be on the 6th (www.waterfire.com), but you should check out the Museum at the famed Rhode Island School of Design (RISD, pronounced riz-dee) - they have a number of excellent works from German and Russian artists from the early 20th century. The streets around RISD are hilly, and have beautiful brick townhouses. The Capitol building is beautiful as well, and the Providence Place mall is pretty swank (don't expect bargains!). Wander the canals that were recently resurrected downtown (they used to be paved over), and if you want a bit of lunch the Trinity Brewpub across from the civic center has wicked good burgers. If you have a good map, wander towards Brown U. - there's a kind of main drag street there (name escapes me) where there are any number of college-type restaurants. Walk around as much as you can, and have fun!
