Day One: We made our way to PVD via Route 6 on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, by the time we arrived the clouds and rain had given way to sunshine. Thank you PVD.
We crossed the Providence River proceeding directly to the Fox Point neighborhood for coffee at Coffee Exchange. Fox Point sits at the convergence of the Providence and Sekonk Rivers providing a long southerly view of the Providence River as it wends its way towards the Rhode Island Sound and ultimately the North Atlantic.
After Fika we strolled around the Fox Point neighborhood where we photographed a number of murals (above and below). The fox mural pictured above was painted by Ben Keller who is a native of our home state of Connecticut.
From Fox Point we ventured into the adjacent College Hill neighborhood admiring the bevy of beautifully maintained historic homes and buildings on Benefit Street.
Every historical jaunt warrants more coffee and tea so we popped into Brown Bee Coffee where we found a table amongst the many Brown University students enjoying coffee and conversation. The photo second left, below is our first ever specialty coffee shop hot dog croissant. Boy howdy!
After imbibing our coffee and tea and consuming the Bee’s ever popular hot dog croissant (house-made tomato jam, whole grain mustard, crispy fried shallots and chives) we walked back to our vehicle at Fox Point. From there we made the short drive to downtown and checked in at the Neptune Hotel. The Neptune is fairly basic but is in the heart of the downtown arts district and makes for an excellent location if you are inclined towards walking.
After our obligatory lie-down we walked to Mokban Korean Bistro where we had a very good late dinner.
Day Two: we started our day as we always start our days: Fika. Bolt Coffee is a convenient five minute walk from the Neptune. Bolt Coffee has two cafes and a roastery in PVD and is a highly regarded specialty roaster in the Northeast. Our drinks and breakfast food items were excellent.
Our plan for day two was a downtown walkabout and mural tour. A non-profit organization called The Avenue Concept has been formally sponsoring public art and in particular street murals in Providence for the last ten years. The downtown area is chock-a-block with large scale murals.
After having our fill of murals and sightseeing we walked to the beautifully restored Providence Union Station building to have our fill of lunch.The station was constructed in 1898 by the long defunct New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (some of us are old enough to have ridden the line).
Track 15 (Photos below courtesy of Track 15) occupies space in the lower level of the former train station and is home to seven food purveyors and Bar Romolo.
After our tasty lunch break we walked along the Providence River to the Ode to Joy yarn store which is located within the jewelry district. If you are a knitter or crochetist we recommend you pay a visit while in PVD.
After yarn shopping we took our customary lie down at the Neptune before getting some tasty fish and chips at Murphy’s Providence.
Day Three: Another gorgeous day in PVD so after fika at Bolt we made the short drive over to the East Bay Bike Path (EBBP) Trailhead.
The East Bay Bike Path extends south from East Providence to Bristol. The EBBP was built on the former Providence, Warren & Bristol Railroad line. The railroad operated from 1855 until the 1930s carrying passengers and freight. During the 1930s passenger service was discontinued. Freight service continued until 2006.
The trail is a 29 mile out and back ride from the trailhead in East Providence. There is a great view of the Ponham Rocks Lighthouse (built 1871) from the trail.
As you can see from the trail map below a significant portion of the trail provides views of the Providence River and crosses the Barrington and Palmer Rivers which makes for a scenic ride.
The trail ends at Bristol Harbor where we stopped for a few minutes to admire the view before starting the journey north to the East Providence trailhead. The Del’s stand in Warren was perfectly placed for an Italian Lemon Ice break.
After our ride we returned to the Neptune for a lie down. For dinner we Ubered up to Federal Hill in PVD which means Italian fare. We had a delicious dinner at Ristorante Il Massimo (photo left below courtesy of the ristorante).
Day Four: Museum Day. Our first stop (after Fika) was the Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design. The museum was founded in 1877 (the same year as the school). The museum has acquired over 100,000 works of art and design since the founding. Approximately 2000 works are on display.
The school was founded to meet the needs of textile and jewelry industries which were thriving in post Civil War PVD. While the textile industry is long gone the college has continued to thrive. Today the college has 2700 full time students and offers forty undergraduate and graduate degrees in art and design.
The RISD Museum is the 20th largest art museum in the United States despite the small size of the school. It is considered one of the best university art museums in the United States. We would concur.
After Fika at the Bolt Coffee cafe conveniently located at RISD, we walked a bit further up College hill to visit the John Brown House.
The John Brown House in Providence is not related in any way to John Brown, the violent and radical abolitionist (Bleeding Kansas) born in Torrington, Connecticut. The John Brown (Brown University) from Providence was a member of the affluent Brown family who made his fortune as merchant, ship owner and slave trader.
Brown was tried under the Slave Trade Act of 1794 but was acquitted. He continued to fund the transport of enslaved individuals. The John Brown House was quite an eye opener for us. We had no idea that Rhode Island was so deeply involved in the slave trade. Of course, Brown himself (not surprising under the circumstances) owned slaves (many of whom contributed to the construction of his grand mansion).
After our two museum visits we had lunch at Maruichi Japanese Food & Deli and then walked back to the Neptune for our afternoon lie down.
For our ultimate dinner on this excursion to PVD we selected New Rivers. The restaurant food and service were excellent. The interior aesthetic is warm and cosy. We heartily recommend this restaurant.
The restaurant sits along the Providence River in a restored iron merchants warehouse. It is the second oldest industrial building still in use in Rhode Island. The original section of the building dates to 1793.
Day Five: With another beautiful weather day in store we decided to bike the EBBP again before returning home to The Fort in Connecticut.
We had cycled by the Borealis Coffee Company in the Riverside neighborhood of East Providence on our first ride but the cafe was closed by the time we returned from Bristol.
With an earlier start we were able to stop at the cafe (a former railroad depot) for a well deserved Cortado, London Fog and chocolate chip cookie. Excellent drinks and a friendly barista. Nice.
We also took advantage of our second bicycle ride on the EBBP to track down one of Thomas Dambo’s gigantic troll sculptures. Pictured below is Mrs. Skipper which he completed in 2025. This sculpture sits on a point facing the Providence River and is a short walk from the trail.
We had not been in PVD for a number of years and are glad that we decided a brief city tour was in order. PVD with a population of just under 200,000 is a relatively small town but has lots of interesting things to do and see. Having several colleges and university in town always adds to the diversity of sights and sounds in our experience. Our four and a half days with a couple of bicycle rides mixed in was just right.
Be seeing you!
