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Hey all, my girlfriend is going to Harvard and I am going to Brown in Providence this Sept. We're looking for a place that's near the commuter rail to Providence, I believe that means somewhere near the Ruggles or Hyde Park stations.
Any suggestions on areas near these stations that are better or worse to live in for a young couple? I've heard mixed reviews about Ruggles station and the Northeastern area, so I'm a bit concerned, but in my experience the supposedly "dangerous" areas of cities are really just "interesting".
Any tips/hints on areas we should concentrate on or avoid? Are Hyde Park and Ruggles really the only options for a Providence commute?
You could look for something on the Orange Line in Jamaica Plain, like near Green Street or Stony Brook, where I used to live. Fairly safe there, just don't get too close to Jackson Square and the projects there. (Fine to travel through on the T, especially during normal hours, but don't go walking around Jackson Square at night.) Not particularly ideal for either of you but a reasonable compromise. You could take the Orange line to Ruggles easily, then commuter rail to Providence; she could take the Orange line to Downtown Crossing and transfer to the Red line going to Harvard.
I can't speak to the Hyde Park station; Ruggles is okay, not great but okay, itself, but depending on what direction you venture from the station it can definitely get, ahem, "interesting."
Hey all, my girlfriend is going to Harvard and I am going to Brown in Providence this Sept. We're looking for a place that's near the commuter rail to Providence, I believe that means somewhere near the Ruggles or Hyde Park stations.
Any suggestions on areas near these stations that are better or worse to live in for a young couple? I've heard mixed reviews about Ruggles station and the Northeastern area, so I'm a bit concerned, but in my experience the supposedly "dangerous" areas of cities are really just "interesting".
Any tips/hints on areas we should concentrate on or avoid? Are Hyde Park and Ruggles really the only options for a Providence commute?
As zaphod001 points out, you could look for anything along the Orange Line. That way, your girlfriend could transfer to the Red Line downtown and you could take the train from Ruggles. If you want to live close to Ruggles (one subway stop), there are really only two feasible options, Highland Park (preferable) and Parker (Mission) Hill (less preferable).
How do you plan to get from the Providence rail station to Brown? Just to let you know, there are no buses that leave directly from the train station that go to Brown. It's about a 2 mile walk (depending where on campus you need to go), but it is uphill from the train station. And during bad weather, this wouldn't be fun.
If you want to take a bus, you will have to get yourself to Kennedy plaza and then take a bus from there. Again, during the nice weather, this is fine. Bad weather - even the walk from the train station to Kennedy will be unpleasant.
Of course, you could do taxi rides, but this could get pricy (not sure on the exact cost).
How do you plan to get from the Providence rail station to Brown? Just to let you know, there are no buses that leave directly from the train station that go to Brown. It's about a 2 mile walk (depending where on campus you need to go), but it is uphill from the train station. And during bad weather, this wouldn't be fun.
If you want to take a bus, you will have to get yourself to Kennedy plaza and then take a bus from there. Again, during the nice weather, this is fine. Bad weather - even the walk from the train station to Kennedy will be unpleasant.
Of course, you could do taxi rides, but this could get pricy (not sure on the exact cost).
Those are all very good points. Add to that the "fun" of climbing either Angell or Waterman past RISD in icy weather. What all of this points up is the very real difference between a large city with ample public transport and a smaller one with sketchy public options, at best.
If you want to live close to Ruggles (one subway stop), there are really only two feasible options, Highland Park (preferable) and Parker (Mission) Hill (less preferable).
Fenway is definitely another option. Quite close, quite safe, but the student factor varies from street to street. The part of Fenway on the north of the Fens is less student-y.
you are going to want to drive to Prov. most likely, its not a bad drive 45 min, reverse commute.
If your girlfriend is attending Harvard, why not look somewhere around Quincy along the redline and you are already south of the city to prov.
the train is possible, but the pvd station to kennedy plaza to bus through the tunnel to brown is just asking for delays and schedule timing issues.
I think that's the best situation, too.
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