I get down to Rhode Island a few times a year — it’s about three and a half hours from Brattleboro on a good day, longer if you go through Hartford at the wrong time. I’ve been making the trip regularly enough that I’ve developed a routine for Providence specifically. November has become my preferred time to go.
Federal Hill is the reason to make the trip. It’s a compact Italian-American neighborhood on the west side of downtown that has more good restaurants per block than anywhere else in New England outside of Boston’s North End. The gateway arch on Atwells Avenue is the landmark. I usually arrive hungry, eat at whichever place has room, and call it the main event of the trip.
In November the crowds are manageable. Summer in Providence brings college students back and the restaurant waits on Federal Hill get long. By November the city is mostly locals, the weather is cold and sometimes grey, and the place feels more like itself.
A few other things worth the time in Providence:
Benefit Street on College Hill is one of the better-preserved colonial streetscapes in New England. It’s a short walk from downtown across the river. If you care about old houses and old construction — I do, professionally — it’s worth an hour on foot.
The RISD Museum on North Main Street is genuinely good. Smaller than the big city museums but with a strong collection and interesting building to move through. Free on Sundays.
WaterFire runs on select dates through the fall — it’s a public art installation where bonfires are lit on the rivers running through downtown Providence. The schedule is on their website. Worth timing a trip around if you can.
I usually stay downtown, drive in Friday afternoon, eat well, walk around, and drive back Sunday morning. Three and a half hours of driving for a weekend in Rhode Island is a trade I’ll make any time of year, but November especially.
DougAlexander.net 