Providence Rhode Island

Providence.

I did not have much expectations for Providence. I booked a flight with Frontier for $49 US in order to catch a flight to Dublin on Norwegian Air for $99 US. That was the least expensive way to get to Europe but I would have to spend a week in Providence R.I.  

This fit perfectly with my philosophy on travel; the journey is as important as the destination. But I did not expect much, to be honest.

I was able to find three hosts that could host me for my entire stay in Providence. With couchsurfing it is easier to find a host if you only stay one or two nights. So finding three hosts to complete the whole week was a great stroke of luck. I had two hosts in Providence and one in Newport, just down the expressway from Providence. This turned out to be much more than just good luck. As has been my good fortune this entire trip, I met great people who hosted me.

Providence is an unassuming city that claims several universities, The Rhode Island School of Design, Johnson and Wales and Brown University, Brown being the largest. This makes Providence a huge college town complete with trendy eateries and stylish clubs. There are many theaters and performing arts centers as well as modern art galleries and museums. One spectacular place is The Athenaeum. The Athenaeum is a library founded in 1836 and is housed in a classic greek revival building and is located on historic Benefit St. It is well worth checking out. In fact, all of Benefit St. is worth checking out.

The area around Kennedy Plaza is a treasure trove of interesting buildings and monuments. Burnside Park and Kennedy Plaza includes a monument to soldiers and sailors of the civil war that was also dedicated to African American soldiers in the civil war. There are other monuments in the park including a statue of Burnside himself.

The architecture in downtown Providence will surprise you. Dominated by the “Superman Building” it is a typical northern city mixture of colonial and revival classical architecture. It is an urban myth that the ‘Superman building’ was used in the opening scenes of the old 1960’s Superman. The actual building in the show is the Los Angeles City Hall building but when you get a good view of this imposing structure you can easily imagine Superman leaping over it in a single bound.

Just a short walk across the canal you will enter the Brown University campus with its many different styles of architecture. Benefit Street defines the border between Providence and the Brown University campus. This part of the city has a distinct colonial feel. And that's no coincidence. Many of the buildings date back to colonial times. It is indeed a step back in time. There are even two stone end houses which date straight back to the colonial founding of Providence. The area just north of Brown University is a treasure trove of hip nightspots, fusion eateries and eclectic restaurants.

Providence was an important northern port city. Today all the wharfs and railroad yards are gone and in some cases moved a few miles south of downtown.

If for any reason you have the opportunity to visit Providence, you will enjoy your one or two day trip. If you have more than two days be sure to visit Newport just south of Providence.