Zealousideal-Bus5806

Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_jdkchpf wrote

Reply to Driving into Providence for 2 days….Any must see sights and places to eat? by D_2_DA_E

Eastside/Downtown:

Food: Dune Brothers** (lunch/dinner outdoor seating only); Aleppo sweets (l/d); Oberlin (d)*, Palo (d)*

Shops: Nostalgia*, Lore, Craftland, Eno Fine wines, Symposium Books, Stages of Freedom bookstore, The Vault

Coffee: Coffee Exchange, Dave's

Sights/Walks: Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge and river walk**; Benefit Street; Athenaeum; RISD Museum; Providence Public Library; Blackstone Blvd

West End/ Federal Hill:

Food/Beer: Long Live Brewery* (outdoor seating); Slow Rhode* (d, outdoor seating); Pastiche Desserts (amazing cakes and tarts, unfortunately no indoor seating since COVID); Ogie's (weekend brunch, dinner)

Shops: If you're here on a Sunday, the Providence Flea is at 10 Sims and runs from 10-3pm I think. There's also food, coffee, and ice cream in the building which is an indoor market **; White Buffalo, Nest, Frog and Toad*

Coffee and pastries: Seven Stars Bakery

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Southside:

Sights: Roger Williams Park (includes a Botanical Center, and Japanese garden area)

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*Highly suggested

**Must go!

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Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_jb1j282 wrote

Reply to Monday/Tuesday date ideas by TheNewGrandHistorian

Providence athenaeum and walk around Benefit Street, get a coffee at Coffee Exchange and shop at Nostalgia (thrift shop). Then walk to the Pedestrian bridge and enjoy the view.

Roger Williams Botanical Center and walk around the park and make sure to get a nice view at the Temple to Music.

Walk around downtown Westminster and checkout the fun wine selection at Eno.

Dinner at Massimo on Federal Hill and before that pop in to look around at Venda Ravioli and Scialo Bros.

Lots of walking... Something I enjoy on my dates!!

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Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_j6cwpv4 wrote

Reply to Can we talk about the Armory (Dexter Park) and the subsequent influx of homeless/addicts/drunks in the area? by [deleted]

The state senator and rep for the area recently got state funding for professional trash clean-ups around the Armory. https://twitter.com/SamuelWBell/status/1616486479538028546

I feel like turning the Armory into a warming center to address the unhoused crisis is an issue the state rushed into (albeit necessarily because, um, it's really cold in the winter) , didn't realize the scale of the issue and unintended consequences, and are doing what they can (although frustratingly slow or incompetent sometimes). It's never going to be perfect and you can't please everyone.

Not everyone that uses the Armory for shelter is "one of those drug using, drunk poopers" we may get frustrated by. There are people who genuinely need this so they don't freeze to death overnight. They are minding their own business and trying to just get by in this harsh capitalism-f*cked economy we live in. Yes, the Armory doesn't address the mental health or drug use aspect, and so much more, but this is what we/the state can do at this time and it does address a need.

As Dr. Jim O' Connell from Boston Healthcare for the Homeless says when people criticize that his health care focused work doesn't do enough to address the root causes of homelessness : “This is what we do while we’re waiting for the world to change.”

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Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_j5m3abc wrote

Reply to Commute to Boston commuter rail by Annual_Account9238

Hi, I've lived in Providence and worked in Boston for about 8 years.

Will you be driving to the commuter rail from your house or getting dropped off? If driving/parking, I'd recommend parking in the new Pawtucket/Central Falls station or in Attleboro where the parking is much cheaper than Providence.

3x a week is not too bad. When the train is working, it works fine. It's comfy and roomy, and it's easy to do work on the train if you have hotspot. Not uncommonly, there are delays of about 10-15 minutes. It's less common to encounter a significant delay of 30 minutes plus. I'd recommend taking the "express" trains that skip a couple of the stops between. One example is the 7:40am train out of Providence.

If you are getting dropped off and depending on how flexible your schedule is, you can buy Amtrak tickets in advance that are only $9 for certain times (I think there's like a ~3:20pm out of South Station) and it takes about 36 minutes to get to Providence. There are fewer cheap Amtrak options in the a.m., but you can take Commuter Rail one way, and the Amtrak the other. The Amtrak is really nice if you can swing getting picked up in Providence (it doesn't make intermediate stops between Boston except for Route 128).

Good luck!

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Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_j5786kd wrote

Reply to Biking in PVD (?!?) by dancingdivadrink

I have been biking regularly around the city for over a decade. Mostly the west end, downtown, east side, Southside and Olneyville (so not Smith Hill or Mt Pleasant). My advice is to be calm, alert and give yourself space. Assume the worst of drivers. Like if you're close to a car on the road, assume he/she might make a right turn without signaling and almost swipe you. Again, give yourself space and always be prepared. If you expect the worst, you'll minimize your chances of being caught off guard.

The roads can get crowded, especially during rush hour and when there are cars parked too. Don't be afraid to use the middle of the lane for a bit.

Honestly most drivers are fine and I think used to the narrow busy streets of Providence. But you will run into some dodos too.

Providence has also immensely improved their biking infrastructure the last few years although there is a lot to improve too. If you have specific routes you need help with I'd be happy to weigh in!

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Zealousideal-Bus5806 t1_j4b6gk7 wrote

Reply to Need a sanity check on my gas bill by ancisfranderson

We keep ours at about 65 during the day and 58 at night. But we also got rid of our gas stove last year and use an electric one. 2 br, 1 floor ~ 900 square feet and our Dec gas bill was $150. There were a couple really cold days around Christmas.

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