PHOTOS: Providence

[Cotuit]

I only took a few pictures because it was overcast and drizzly and the light wasn't good. I had to manipulate these photos to make them viewable.

From the left, the Hospital Trust Tower, Fleet Centre, and the Fleet Bank Building (aka the Superman Building) as seen from the bank of the Woonasquatucket River, just short of where it joins the Moshassuck River to become the Providence River, leading into Narragansett Bay. The buildings in the foreground are Federal Buildings.

The building on the right is the orginal Hospital Trust Building. Centre Right is the Old Stone Square Building. Some of the buildings on the left are part of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Similar view from slightly further up the river. The shiny building on the left is Citizens Plaza. The little landing there is where the gondolas pick up for river rides. The little pedestals in the river are where the fires are set for Waterfire.

Turning around facing the other direction. On the left is the Marriott Courtyard. This is part of the Union Station complex, so named because it at one time was Providence's train station. The rail lines were moved north (and below ground) to make way for the river renewal. The tower in the centre is The Westin Hotel, which is the largest in Rhode Island, it is attached to the Providence Convention Centre (which cannot be seen in this picture). On the right is the southern end of Providence Place Mall.

From the bridge seen in the last picture. Similar view of Providence Place and the Westin Hotel. The land between the waters edge and the mall is set to be the Headquarters for GTECH if all goes well.

This is away from the river at the edge of Kennedy Plaza. In the foreground is the Fleet Skating Centre, during the winter there's ice skating, and in the summer this skate park is set up. The brick building is the Biltmore Hotel, the other building is City Hall.

[Scott]

Man, That's fantastic! It's only 7:48 Sunday morning I've had 2 cups of coffee and I want to jump in my car and go there!

I'm also curious to see what Bank of America will do with all the Fleet names on buildings in Southern New England.

[Allan]

Thanks for the tour, Cotuit!

[Cotuit]

More Providence from this summer. I really don't take many pictures because my digital camera doesn't seem to be up to the task, Christmas is coming though...

View of Downcity Providence from Prospect Park on College Hill. The statue is of Roger Williams, the founder of the Rhode Island Colony. Roger Williams fled the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonies to escape religious persecution, ironic, no?:

The State House, also from Prospect Park:

Walking down College Hill from the East Side on Thomas Street. This is perhaps one of the best collections of historic homes in Providence. The East Side is the oldest part of the city and many homes feature historic markers that indicate the date of constuction and the original owner:

Providence Superior Courthouse on the banks of the Providence River. The large column is the WWII Memorial:

More Downcity buildings. The 'modern' building is the corporate headquaters of Textron. The Superman Building is in the background, infront of that is the Turks Head Building:

Providence River. In the centre is the Citizens Plaza building. It stands at the confluence of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck Rivers:

The Providence Performing Arts Centre (P-PAC) on Weybosset Street. Broadway touring shows and mid venue concerts come through here:

Another view of PPAC. At the left edge you can see Johnson & Wales University's downcity campus. In the foreground is one of Providence's 'trolley.' Just out of the picture across from J&W is a building that RISD is renovating. This is one of the livelier areas of Downcity.

Looking the other way up Weybosset Street towards Weybosset Hill:

Westminster Street, back in the day was Providence's Main Street lined with many downtown department stores. As you can see today, it's not quite so lively. A boutique hotel, upscale restaurant, as well as several condo conversion projects hope to pump life back into this area. This is only a block from Weybosset Street:

This is Trinity Rep, another theatre, this one tends to play smaller first run shows as opposed to PPAC's larger Broadway shows. This area around Empire Street is, like Weybosset Street, a little pocket of activity in Providence's Downcity, which is otherwise rather lifeless:

The Dunkin Donuts Centre, known as The Dunk, is home to the Providence Bruins hockey team as well as Providence College Friars basketball. Many concerts and trade shows come through here as well:

Next to The Dunk is the Rhode Island Convention Centre. You can see the Westin Hotel peeking over the top here. If all goes according to plan (i.e. if funding is found) another large hotel will be built across from the Convention Centre and connected with a skybridge across this street:

Almost home, this is the arch over Atwells Avenue welcoming people to Federal Hill. Federal Hill has become known over the past 10 years for it's collection of excellent restaurants and italian food shops:

There's a bus stop here, notice the MassHole parked at it...

[tocoto]

Providence is becoming (has become?) a really interesting city, that is still considered a small town by many. It's much bigger than I thought it would be, and the buildings and architecture are great. I have heard there are great restaurants there as well. I've got to take a trip and sample what the city has to offer.

[Cotuit]

It certainly does have a smalltown feel in some areas. It's a good place to live if you like to develop a routine and get used to seeing the same people. I get coffee at the same place every morning, and I have the same trolley driver every morning, and the people at the store know what cigarettes I smoke... Stuff like that is nice. It's definately a city though. We've got the whole gamut of city issues, from parking, to crime, to traffic, to homelessness. But we've also got the good city things, like access to cultural institutions, entertainment and leisure venues, the general pulse of city life...

The city has made remarkable progress in the last 20 years, but it still has a long way to go. It's a pretty exciting time to live here. You get the fruits of the labour of the last 20 years, but still have plenty of new things to look forward to.

[Scott]

btw- The Roger Williams park/zoo is one of the nicest I have ever seen, anywhere.

[Cotuit]

The Roger Williams Zoo is quite nice, but I saw it shortly after seeing the Bronx Zoo, which is really an unfair comparison.

There is a Botanical Garden Project under way in Roger Williams Park, The New England Botanical Gardens. Apparently it is supposed to be pretty damn spectacular.

[tocoto]

It's in RI, capitol of the state, metro 1.6 million with new definitions. ~40 miles from Boston, but some would say a world away. Can be reached by Acela train in ~20 minutes from DT Boston to DT Providence, yet they are separate metros.

[Cotuit]

The Acela is a big selling point for the state and for Providence. We are around 3 hours from New York on the Acela. There are plans to build an Amtrak Station at our Airport in Warwick. If built it would be the closest Amtrak station to an Airport (currently Newark is closest). The train station would be across the street from the Airport and be accessed by a people mover. Amtrak and Boston Commuter Rail trains would use the station.

Rhode Island is often called a city state because it is so small and Providence has a lot of power within it. Over half the state's population resides in Providence County.

[Scott]

btw- Rhode Island has some amazingly rural parts, near the Connecticut line particularly, for a small (land area) urban state.