Providence, RI

[Guest daphna]

If anyone has any information on Providence, RI, I would really appreciate it.

So far I've heard that the city is sort of run by the mafia, but that this doesn't in any way affect the feeling of personal safety.

I've heard that there are some break-ins, but that overall its a pretty safe place to live. Is that true?

I have also heard that while the area around the campus is quite a nice area, the downtown is really not-nice. However, from another source I heard that the downtown has been going through some changes lately and is now becoming a nice place to hang out with resteraunts, bars etc. Any information on that?

Do most people related to the university tend to stay in that area (are there things like stores, resteraunts, bookshops etc. In the area around the university)?

Thanks!

[Guest Mr. BrownStone]

Providence is a small wintery town. During the winter you're like burried in snow. It can be quite depressing. In addition, I don't really see the point in attending Brown University. It is a second rate University at best!

[Guest daphna]

Thank you so much for the really encouraging response.... not.

Actually, Brown University is one of the best universities in the world in my specific field of History, so your opinion on the matter is really irrelevant.

If you can't give proper responses to people's questions, its really better not to answer at all.

[Guest Lambda]

Daphna,

I may also be attending Brown (Econ PhD), and I'm also looking for info about Providence. I've never been there, but I'm going to visit next week. I'll report back, but obviously I won't learn everything in one day. Hopefully someone helpful and knowledgeable about the city will reply to this post soon.

[thomasf]

I wouldn't call myself knowledgable about the city since I've never been there...but I do know that it's only 45 minutes from Boston and a few hours from NYC so even if it is small, weekend escapes are very feasible.

[rising_star]

Providence is a small wintery town. During the winter you're like burried in snow. It can be quite depressing. In addition, I don't really see the point in attending Brown University. It is a second rate University at best!

I disagree on both points. Providence isn't any more wintry than other New England cities. Yes there's snow but you're right near the coast so the climate is a bit more moderate. At any given time, it is usually only 3-4 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler in PVD than it is in NYC/NJ/DC (okay, maybe 6-7 for DC).

Brown is definitely not second rate. It is one of the 8 Ivy League institutions. Granted in many fields it's name is less recognized than some of the other Ivy League schools but the name recognition certainly does help, just like a degree from any Ivy gives you some name recognition that you wouldn't get otherwise.

To the OP, good luck. I think Providence is a charming town. Brown itself is on a huge hill and most of the city is below it so be prepared for that. There is a great regional theater there (it won a Tony for best regional theater), Trinity Repertory Company, if you're into that sort of thing.

And that is actually all I know about Providence. I visited five or six times.

[Guest]

I attended a conference at Brown last year and spent a little time in the city. I can tell you that it is small, pretty city, but having spent most of my life in metropolitan New York -- it definitely has that "hemmed in" feeling. There is a young, trendy area right around the college -- pizza joints and clothing stores, etc. There's a more upscale area on the other side of town with a big mall and chain hotels (near the train station).

While it was definitely an attractive place, it also felt a bit aloof, if that makes any sense.

An earlier poster mentioned that it was close to New York. I took the train from Penn Station and it was loonnngggg. Lots of stops -- again, scenic, but awfully tedious. So, theoretically, yes, you could go to New York, but how often will you, given all the other demands on your time?

Of course, there is no comparing it to bigger cities like New YOrk or Boston or DC, and it may sound as if that's what I'm doing. To be fair, it seemed to have many charms. It certainly felt more "real" than some other Ivy towns which shall remain nameless. In any event, there's no substitute for actually visiting if you can at all manage it. I am a firm believer in letting a place "speak" to you. Best of luck!

[Guest]

I'm actually pretty happy about it not being a big metropolis like NY, LA etc. I like a small town, and as long as there's a cinema, a couple of coffeeshops, and some decent bookstores, I'm happy (it's also a lot better than the town I'm living in now). I understand Brown does offer all of the above? :-)

Anyway, New York is pretty far away, but Boston does seem to be quite near, which is great because I love Boston.

[Guest daphna]

sorry, the last message is from me. For some reason it didn't post my name. :-)

[Guest]

Hi there,

I grew up in Rhode Island and now live in Boston - I think Providence is a wonderful city. Yes, it's small, and yes, you probably won't go to new york often. However, it is much easier to get to Boston (1 hour by commuter rail, and only six bucks) than to New York, so Boston is definitely a feasable weekend or even day trip. That being said, Providence has enough on its own to keep you busy, as long as you're not expecting NYC. Downtown is nice - completely redone and a lot nicer than it used to be, especially since they finished the providence place mall and waterplace park. The east side and college hill are fun too, as is the downcity area. There's also Federal Hill, with the best Italian food in the world - better even than some I had in Italy. :-) I really loved living in Rhode Island - you can't beat it for easy access to the beach, the city, the suburbs, and the middle of nowhere, all within a 45 minutes drive.

[Guest daphna]

Thanks a lot for that! It sounds good. Just the kind of place I like - small city but with some life to it. :-)

Actually, it turns out a friend of mine is doing some campus visits right now and she's sitting at Brown this very minute, giving me updates on the campus and the city. Her messages sound very similar to what you describe and are quite encouraging.

[rhodochrosite]

I like Providence a lot. I lived there more than five years, living in the Brown neighborhood but working downtown. The only crime I ran into was bicycle theft, and I walked everywhere, even at night, even alone (and I'm female). Maybe not the best idea, but my point is that I felt safe and never ran into trouble. It's entirely possible to live there without a car.

Providence has charming narrow streets, colonial architecture, brick sidewalks, cool old mill buildings, the river, trendy underground kids, some good music and arts, a forever revitalizing effort going on downtown. I recommend it.

[Guest daphna]

Thanks. It sounds pretty cool!

[Guest]

I live in RI, 20 min from Providence, and I can tell you Providence is a GREAT place to live. It's got everything a big city has except all the stress, smog, congestion (to a certain extent) etc. Anything you could possibly want is in Prov or close by. Don't really need a car, I can't say enough good things about Providence !

[Guest Cridamour]

So, I'm going to Brown! Yay!

I visited for a couple of days, but I'd like some more information. Tell me about the housing situation. Prices seem rather high, so what are some of the cheaper options. I'm also thinking of getting a bike. Are there any places where students buy/sell bikes when they come/go? Apart from that, tell me about grocery shopping in the area of the university without a car (I really didn't see any supermarkets...). Any other information about things to do/see are welcome. I'm not much of a party-animal, I do enjoy going to the movies, theater, concerts, and such.

So, teach me all about Providence!

[Guest Cridamour]

I'm also going to Brown and I managed to visit for 3 days a couple of weeks ago. I don't know much, of course, in such a short time, but the overall impression I got certainly corresponds to some of the reactions here. It's a great place! Loads of nice places to get coffee/tea, bookstores, and cinema/theater. (Daphna, when I read your post, I immediately recognized it, it's exactly what I'm looking for as well ).

For people who like big city life, it might be a bit boring after a while. (not too much crazy clubbing, etc., which, for me, is all the better...).

The campus area is really nice, everything just matches (architecture and stuff). I didn't really have time to visit the downtown area (I had loads of appointments with faculty and sat in on a number of classes), but the State Capitol is nice.

I think the worst of the mafia years in Providence are over. Crime used to be a problem, but since the 90s, large part of the downtown part has been rebuilt and it's now pretty safe. The areas around the university seemed very safe.

I guess that's about all I know about the area.

If anyone has more information on housing in the Eastside area, please post it!

[Guest daphna]

cool. Thanks for adding your information. :-)

[rhodochrosite]

The grad center at Brown was always the best place to find housing for me. Not the housing office, but the bulletin boards. I got two fantastic deals from notecards landlords tacked up. Sometimes there are good postings @ Whole Foods on N. Main St. too.

Good luck! You're even making me a little sad that I don't live there anymore.

[Guest Cridamour]

Thanks for posting this. So, do you think it's wise to show up in August without housing and then find something in a couple of days? Or are all good deals gone by then?

[Capriccio]

Hi everyone

I am wondering that whether I can live in Providence with 1500 bucks per month or not. I believe you guys here can help me with information.

Thank you

[Guest daphna]

are you alone? If so, I've been given to understand from my grad student friends that it is possible to reasonably ive on that kind of stipend there, although of course it isn't a very fancy life. Maybe someone here can comfirm.

[Capriccio]

Thank you daphna. I'm alone. And I don't expect for a fancy life :-? How much will it cost ??

[Guest Cridamour]

I got some interesting links from someone currently at Brown. http://www.brown.dailyjolt.com: this site has postings and info on housing, entertainment, buying and selling of second-hand furniture/bikes/electric appliances/etc. It also offers some info on places to eat, shop, and so on. It's pretty good!

http://providence.craigslist.org/ : this one also offers info on Providence and is good for housing and anything else you might be looking for.

Furthermore, on the graduate student website, there is something called "the Brown book" which offers pages and pages of useful stuff. You can download it from the Brown website.

Then there is the graduate student listserv which is supposed to be the best one to find roommates and such, but I think you can't subscribe to it without a Brown e-mail address. Well, you can subscribe, but you can't read any of the threads... If someone manages to get in and read it, let me know how!

[Capriccio]

I think live on-campus is cheaper than off-campus. Am I right ??

[Guest Cridamour]

The thing is that the difference between off-campus and on-campus is minimal. You just need to make sure that you're on the East side of Providence, and then you'll be within walking distance of the campus. I don't think there is much on-campus graduate housing and in some cases, depending on where you need to be on campus, you might be closer living off)campus in many cases, because on- and off- campus really sort of blend in. And, as long as you stay on the East side, everything is close by.