An hour from Boston by commuter rail, Providence, R.I. is an exciting day trip for Boston University students looking to explore more of New England, offering all of the attractions of a city in the country’s smallest state, with shopping, restaurants and nightlife.
For the typical shopping environment, the Providence Place Mall is an attraction with three levels, a movie theater, Nordstrom’s and other department stores, including Coach, Guess, H ‘ M, Thom Brown and Jasmine Sola and restaurants including Fire and Ice and the Cheesecake Factory.
Thayer Street, near Brown University, presents an entirely different shopping and dining experience with tiny music stores with the latest indie music, movies for the “discerning viewer” at Avon Cinema and thrift stores like Foreign Affair, where shoppers can find the perfect vintage pieces.
“Foreign Affair is one of the last vintage stores left in Providence,” said Margaret Hayden, a Foreign Affair employee. “We have men’s and women’s clothing, boots, shoes and it’s really great for costumes. Last week a bunch of kids came in looking for costumes for a Miami Vice party.”
Hayden said most of the clientele are students from nearby Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design who have an affinity to vintage clothes, just like Hayden, who admits she loves to “play dress-up.”
Hayden, a Providence native, said Thayer Street is one of her favorite places in the city, both day and night.
“Thayer Street is only a few blocks long, but there are a million restaurants, stores and bars,” she said. “I love Providence. I was born here and I’ll probably never leave. I guess that makes me a townie.”
For some wholesome fun, the Roger William’s Park Zoo offers an atmosphere that can make anyone feel like a kid.
“We’ve been open for 134 years,” said Laura Dunn, public relations representative. “This is the third oldest zoo in the country and though it’s a relatively small zoo, we have a lot of different exhibits.”
For dining, Federal Hill in Providence is comparable to Boston’s North End, with Italian restaurants, including local favorite Cassarino’s, renowned for amazing food.
“Cassarino’s is Northern Italian food,” said Tyler Barron, restaurant manager. “We serve veal, steak, seafood, chicken and all kinds of pasta. It’s a very romantic atmosphere, but not too dressy.”
With many regular locals, Cassarino’s is a neighborhood restaurant but remains friendly to tourists.
“Federal Hill is a great location since it’s always busy,” Barron said. “There’s about 30 other restaurants on the street and many shops. It’s the Little Italy of Providence and it’s great. I love it.”
A romantic and beautiful attraction in Providence is WaterFire, the art installation by sculptor Barnaby Evans. Ninety-seven fires along the waterfront ignite at sundown and are kept burning all night by volunteers on select weekends from late May to the end of October.
Evans selects music to accompany the flames and the fragrant smoke of pine, oak and cedar adds another element. Visitors can also rent a gondola to watch the fires while floating on the river. The last scheduled date to catch WaterFire is Oct. 21.
