Providence, RI

[Sosteadilygo]

I will be moving to Providence from Brooklyn late this summer. Some friends tell me that Olneyville is the place to be in the city in terms of music scene, young people, and affordability. Would it be possible to commute to College Hill from Olneyville via bus/trolley? Any other recommendations of places to live that aren't necessarily on the East Side? Thanks.

Onleyville is in no way "the place to be". Onleyville is considered the ghetto here, I would definiely not live there. I am a native Rhode Islander, and I would recommend living on Broadway. It is closer to Brown without being on the East Side and there are fun things to do around there. The above links for things to do are either located on Broadway or closer to Brown on South Main Street or the East Side. Please let me know if you have any more questions, or if I can help anyone else out.

[JustAnotherModernGuy]

Onleyville is in no way "the place to be". Onleyville is considered the ghetto here, I would definiely not live there.

While I don't have much firsthand knowledge of Olneyville, I can confirm that many do consider it a rather rough neighborhood with a relatively high crime rate. Rhode Island has been hit rather hard with home foreclosures, and (if I

[canadiana]

What are travel options from College Hill in Providence to Logan Airport in Boston, MA? I just spent about an hour googling routes and it seems like there are a lot of transfers and walking involved. Specifically, are there any buses going into Providence Train Station?

[JustAnotherModernGuy]

What are travel options from College Hill in Providence to Logan Airport in Boston, MA? I just spent about an hour googling routes and it seems like there are a lot of transfers and walking involved. Specifically, are there any buses going into Providence Train Station?

Pretty much any bus or trolley (which are really just heavy busses designed to mimic trolleys) in Providence will terminate (or pass through) "Kennedy Plaza" in Downtown Providence (which the locals often called "downcity"). The Providence Train Station is just a few blocks walk (up a small hill) from Kennedy Plaza. According to google walking maps, it is a 0.3 mile walk up Exchange Street (with an estimated walking time of 6 minutes). If you have a lot of heavy luggage you might consider taking a taxi from the campus to the station (or having a friend with a car drop you off), otherwise it is a quick walk.

From the Providence Train Station you can purchase a cheap MBTA ( http://www.mbta.com/ ) ticket (currently $7.75 each way) at the cafe/sandwich shop (they only take cash) to get to Boston on the commuter train line; note the official looking ticket windows do not sell the MBTA tickets (only Amtrak tickets). I have heard that you can purchase tickets on the train (again, if you have cash) from the conductors; I have seen people do this (though I always like to purchase tickets in advance). Amtrak also runs a service from the same train station (but prices are higher $12.00-$30.00)--purchase their tickets at the official looking ticket windows.

Get off the train at South Station (the last stop); after exiting the train you will have to walk into the main station. Here, simply follow the signs to the subway--board the Silver Line to airport, getting off at whichever terminal you will fly out of (http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/ ... ute=SILVER ).

[canadiana]

Wow, thank you. Thank was really helpful! I actually have another question: anecdotally Providence appears to be extremely cold in the winter. One website listed the winter average as -35 degrees celcius (I'm on the metric system). However when I looked at stats online, it didn't seem that cold (around -12 celcius). I'd like an individual opinion on this.

[JustAnotherModernGuy]

Providence appears to be extremely cold in the winter. One website listed the winter average as -35 degrees celcius (I'm on the metric system). However when I looked at stats online, it didn't seem that cold (around -12 celcius). I'd like an individual opinion on this.

I guess "cold" and "extremely cold" are rather subjective opinions, so let's first talk objective measurements. I am almost entirely sure that your first statistic is rather off--here's a rather reliable website (http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/s ... undeclared ) (click on "Metric" option to convert) that suggests the coldest month (January) in Providence, RI has an "average high" temperature of 37? F (or 3? C) and an "average low" temperature of 20? F (or -7? C). When you find the chart you can also activate the record highs and record lows. It seems that the record low is actually -17? F (or -27? C); it was in February (though not while I've been living here).

Perhaps sometime, somewhere in Rhode Island someone once held a thermometer reading -31? F (or -35? C), but this certainly isn't the average winter temperature. Originally from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, I don't find the winters too particularly cold here. The cold, however, is a rather humid cold (which takes a while to shake off when you come inside); the skies will be dreadfully grey for months on end, but as we're rather close to water we actually don't get that much snow fall. Occasionally there is a nasty ice-storm, but so far I certainly wouldn't label the winters horrible.

[psychapplicant2011]

Hi,

Well, I will be interviewing at Brown in a few weeks, and if I get in, I imagine I will probably end up choosing Brown.

I will be looking for safe, family-friendly neighborhoods that are in a very good school district (elementary) and are convenient to Brown either by bike or public transportation. I would like to be away from large undergraduate populations. If possible, I would like to be walking distance to some shopping and restaurants, but this is less important than the other requirements. My family will be looking for a 2 or (preferably) 3 bedroom for around $800-1100 a month. If need be, we could probably go as high as $1300 a month, but that would really, really be pushing it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[UrbanWonk]

Hey all! Just accepted to Brown, and it looks like a lot of the information on here might be a bit outdated. Can someone give me an idea of the general cost of living in Providence these days? I'm coming from Upstate NY, so I realize costs are a lot higher...it looks like a single apartment in the general off-campus area is about $800-$800/month...is this accurate? What's a reasonable amount to expect for food costs (I plan on cooking most of my own meals)?

Thanks very much!

[adri86]

Hey guys,

I'm a current Brown grad student and just wanted to offer a couple of pointers on finding an apartment.

First, I would recommend finding a place with a roommate for a few reasons.

1. Utilities (in the winter months) are expensive and it's a good idea to have someone to split them with. You can alternatively mount this obstacle by renting a place with utilities included (in particular, heat).

2. It will automatically broaden your social horizons which can be quite important insofar as you'll be both busy and brand new to town.

3. You can afford a nicer apartment, which will improve your quality of life, ceteris paribus (I say "ceteris paribus" because if you land an awful roommate, then the cons very well may outweigh the pros they provide), if you have someone to split costs with.

4. It's very common to have a roommate-- I'd say more common to have one than to not have one as a grad student. If falling within the Brown grad student cultural norms matter to you, then having a roommate is no problem.

Second, how should you hunt?

1. Come visit Providence, and just drive around the neighborhoods you'd like to live in, keeping an eye out for "for rent" signs. After weeks of searching on craigslist, etc., this is how I ended up finding a place. I found a roommate independently of this method, of course, via the grad student listserv (see below).

2. Subscribe to the grad student listserv! You can send out messages to all current subscribing Brown grad students (and also receive any that others send out).

3. Just use good old craigslist. This medium can work for finding a roommate, or a place, or both.

Just send me a personal message if you have other questions!

And welcome to Brown!

[Gunner24]

Adri,

As the creator of this thread, are you able to change the title? This is great information, but there's no way that someone who's looking for info on Brown would know to click on something just titled, "Housing!" Generally in the City Guide it'll help if you just put the city and state. If you can't change it it's probably not a big deal, but for the future...!

Good info!

Edited March 6, 2011 by Gunner24

[adri86]

Haha, just noticed that. I will just delete this thread and repost under the Providence topic.

Thanks.

....On second glance, it doesn't appear that I have the ability to delete the post here. Perhaps the site's administrators can help us out by deleting the thread! Thanks!

Edited March 6, 2011 by adri86

[adri86]

Hey guys,

I'm a current Brown grad student and just wanted to offer a couple of pointers on finding an apartment.

First, I would recommend finding a place with a roommate for a few reasons.

1. Utilities (in the winter months) are expensive and it's a good idea to have someone to split them with. You can alternatively mount this obstacle by renting a place with utilities included (in particular, heat).

2. It will automatically broaden your social horizons which can be quite important insofar as you'll be both busy and brand new to town.

3. You can afford a nicer apartment, which will improve your quality of life, ceteris paribus (I say "ceteris paribus" because if you land an awful roommate, then the cons very well may outweigh the pros they provide), if you have someone to split costs with.

4. It's very common to have a roommate-- I'd say more common to have one than to not have one as a grad student. If falling within the Brown grad student cultural norms matter to you, then having a roommate is no problem.

Second, how should you hunt?

1. Come visit Providence, and just drive around the neighborhoods you'd like to live in, keeping an eye out for "for rent" signs. After weeks of searching on craigslist, etc., this is how I ended up finding a place. I found a roommate independently of this method, of course, via the grad student listserv (see below).

2. Subscribe to the grad student listserv! You can send out messages to all current subscribing Brown grad students (and also receive any that others send out).

3. Just use good old craigslist. This medium can work for finding a roommate, or a place, or both.

Just send me a personal message if you have other questions!

And welcome to Brown!

[fxcassell]

Hi guys! So excited to start at Brown this summer! My program starts mid-June so I'm looking for apartments now. How fast is the apartment market in Providence? I'm thinking I might visit for a few days in late April to secure housing, but will ads looking for a roommate posted in early April generally be filled in a few days?

Also, how useful is biking in Providence? I won't have my car so I'm thinking I might get a bike, but I know there are a few significant hills around town.

[alexpap]

Heading to Providence this Fall for PhD at Brown! I already visited the campus and I really liked it. I am an international student for a much bigger city, but I found Providence charming and unique. My only concern is the freezing cold of New England...

[marybri1211]

Hello~

I am in the process of applying to Brown for a PhD, to start in 2012. We are going to relocate our family (me, husband, two small kids) to New England this fall. It looks like my husband is going to find work north of Boston, along Rt. 128. Since the schools are good there as well, we'll probably end up living in the Burlington/Bedford/Winchester area. How much of a hassle is it to commute from Boston to Providence/Brown? If that's what I have to do, then I will, but we can always look for housing closer to RI. Interested in your thoughts! Thanks~

[RefurbedScientist]

Hello~

I am in the process of applying to Brown for a PhD, to start in 2012. We are going to relocate our family (me, husband, two small kids) to New England this fall. It looks like my husband is going to find work north of Boston, along Rt. 128. Since the schools are good there as well, we'll probably end up living in the Burlington/Bedford/Winchester area. How much of a hassle is it to commute from Boston to Providence/Brown? If that's what I have to do, then I will, but we can always look for housing closer to RI. Interested in your thoughts! Thanks~

Boston is about 50 miles north of Providence. Driving is a straight shot down Rt. 128/95.* Rush hour traffic can be tough going in and out of Boston, but the advantage to 128/95 is that you sort of skirt the metro area. So you probably won't find yourself sitting in rush hour for hours, but just having to deal with traffic trying to get onto Rt. 93, 90, and 2 in order to get into the city. Then traffic can be bad getting into Providence, but not so bad compared to bigger cities. If you're living just north of Boston, I would say it's a 75 minute drive without traffic from door to door. I used to live in Waltham, and it would take me maybe 55 minutes with light traffic.

The other option is to take the commuter rail. You can get on the Providence/Stoughton line of the MBTA Commuter rail at its Rt. 128 station, which is off the highway in, I think, Needham. By this method, you would drive to the Rt. 128 station (which is just off Rt. 12/95 maybe 10 miles south of Boston), park for the day, and take a train in to downtown Providence. From the train station in Providence, it's about a 15 minute walk to any part of Brown's campus (uphill). The train from the Rt. 128 station to Providence takes about 45 minutes.

*Edit: Actually, if you were to live in Boston proper or its immediate environs, then you would probably take Rts. 93 or 90, or some other route, to get onto 128/95. If you live west or northwest of Boston, then you're more likely to be right off 128/95.

Edited December 14, 2011 by SocialGroovements

[dhm0219]

From Boston proper the fastest route is probably 93 -> 95. And don't worry about rush hour if you're commuting from Boston to Providence, as the bulk of the rush hour volume will be going in the other direction.

You can also take the commuter rail, as mentioned, and it's quite easy/cheap, but it's a little tricky getting from the train station to Brown's campus. Depending on where you end up within Brown's campus you will probably be ~2 miles from the train station, which is a long walk especially in the winter. You could leave a bike at the train station, though. Brown also has a pretty good shuttle system, although they don't go to the train system. You could pick up the shuttle downtown, though, on South Main St and have it take you up the hill to campus.

[InquilineKea]

How does the cost of food (especially vegetables) compare with most other places like Seattle?

[dhm0219]

I'm not sure about relative price, compared to Seattle, but with only New York to compare to I have always thought that produce was really cheap. There are also some awesome CSAs that I don't personally subscribe to, but I have a lot of friends who have been really happy being a part of them. http://www.farmfresh.org/food/csa.php?zip=02903

[meowmeowmix]

If anyone wants to sublet an apartment starting June in Providence, PM me! Also, if you're an incoming student at Brown, the grad student listserv often has housing/roommate ads.

[daykid]

Wanted to revive this thread. I'm contemplating brown for Fall 2014. Any one else thinking of making the move to Providence?

[ashing]

I posted in the URI/Kingston thread, but I'll put it here too - I've lived in RI my whole life (about 15 minutes outside of Prov), so if anyone has any questions about the area feel free to ask or PM me:)

[mhnaomi]

Wanted to revive this thread. I'm contemplating brown for Fall 2014. Any one else thinking of making the move to Providence?

 

Hi, I think I am attending Brown

[skybythelight]

I posted in the URI/Kingston thread, but I'll put it here too - I've lived in RI my whole life (about 15 minutes outside of Prov), so if anyone has any questions about the area feel free to ask or PM me:)

 

I second this--native Rhode Islander here! 

[Aenrichus]

This is a pretty quiet thread. I am actually going to UConn, but have been advised that Providence is the best city to live in within reasonable commuting distance.

 

We are looking to live within about 15 minutes of the Amtrak station, so that my wife could work in Boston if she finds an opportunity. Ideally, we would like to live south of the station, east of 95. It looks like crime is higher in the north and in the west.

 

Can anyone recommend places to live? It will be just the two of us, so we do not need anything too big, but we would like to be in a safe, walkable area. Something with plenty of cafes, restaurants, etc. Recommendations for things to do and places to go would be welcome, too!