Providence or New Haven? (live, state, better, compare)
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Say you and your spouse are visiting Boston for a few days, then taking the train to New York for a few more. You think of spending a couple nights along the way in either Providence or New Haven--see historic sights, wander around, have some nice meals--but can't decide which city. So you crowd source on C-D for the answer. Which offers more for a day or two long visit on foot?
In the summer, New Haven. Rest of the year it's very close. Two cities are fairly even in terms of things to do, both are dense, both have Ivy League schools and interesting adjacent neighborhoods, both have disproportionately large Italian neighborhoods and great Italian food, both have plenty of rough spots. New Haven, however, is much closer to quaint New England beaches on its eastern shoreline around Guilford or Madison.
Easily Providence. Not only College Hill (Brown/Benefit Street) but also Federal Hill (Atwells Avenue) in addition to the downtown core and the riverfront.
In the summer, New Haven. Rest of the year it's very close. Two cities are fairly even in terms of things to do, both are dense, both have Ivy League schools and interesting adjacent neighborhoods, both have disproportionately large Italian neighborhoods and great Italian food, both have plenty of rough spots. New Haven, however, is much closer to quaint New England beaches on its eastern shoreline around Guilford or Madison.
My mom lived in Guilford. The beaches are lousy. From Providence, you can take a ferry to Newport. There’s also bus service to Newport and Narragansett. If you need a beach outing for a day, you’re way better off starting from Providence than New Haven. I use SeaStreak a lot going to Martha’s Vineyard. Providence to Newport is that same easy hour ride and there are four ferries per day so it’s a great day trip.
New Haven has their coal fired pizza but Italian on Federal Hill is really good. Providence otherwise isn’t a particularly foodie place and food around Yale is better. Providence has WaterFire. That, a ferry day trip to Newport, and an Al fresco dinner on Federal Hill is what I’d probably pick.
If you're just visiting for a day or two, staying near the train station and exploring on foot (and occasional taxi/bus/uber/lyft), then I think Providence is the easy choice for most people. Especially if we're talking several days and not just a single night.
New Haven has a compact walkable downtown with one of the better examples of the classic New England "Green" you'll find anywhere. On the opposite side of the Green, you can explore Yale's campus. With all due respect to Brown which is also really beautiful and prestigious, New Haven has the better Ivy League campus. Outside of downtown, you can meander State Street and check out Wooster Square. You can compare apizza (Sally's and Pepe's are the two most well known, but there are other great ones) and try the classic hamburger at Louis' Lunch. For the architecture nerd, New Haven Union is infinitely more attractive than Providence Station.
But I think there's more to see/do in Providence overall. Downtown is comparably walkable and the Riverwalk is extremely pretty. Outside of downtown, you can explore Federal Hill (Providence's Little Italy), and College Hill (Brown University and the Thayer Street commercial district which is a collegiate neighborhood center). There are smaller little neighborhood centers like Wayland Square and Fox Point with unique neighborhoody shops, bars, and restaurants. Architecturally, I think Providence is a prettier city and you could spend a day exploring downtown, Benefit St. and much of the East Site. New Haven has more well known staples with apizza and the classic burger, but Providence is pretty easily the better food city overall. There's a pretty good representation at all price points so you can do everything from food halls to fine dining (if you're vegetarian or willing to try it, Plant City is a must). If anyone likes beer, Providence has kind of become a sneaky good beer city that has the misfortune of being overshadowed in a brewery-rich region with peers like Boston, Portland, and Burlington. But Long Live, Moniker, Beer on Earth, Revival, Providence Brewing Company, Proclamation (uber accessible, but outside of the city), etc. are all very good. Bayberry Beer Hall is a great place to try a variety of locals and have some great food too.
Again, if you're just doing an afternoon and evening before catching a train the next morning, you can make the case that it's a tossup. But if you're looking at multiple nights, I think Providence has much more to see/do. The idea of spending one night in each is a good one too.
In terms of logistics, New Haven would be more of a half-way stop if you're looking to split the ride to NYC. Providence is very close to Boston. After you leave Providence you'll still have over a few hours to go by train. Another factor to consider is that Providence is connected to Boston by commuter rail while New Haven is connected by the same to NYC. It means you have more travel times to choose from and don't have to reserve Amtrak tickets, if you want to keep things more open ended. This would be useful if you attempt to see both cities since you don't have to reserve a train out of New Haven. Just take whatever Metro North train leaves at the time you're ready. They go all night.
Honestly, I think you'd like either city. The sights you'd see in New Haven are more related to Yale (basically, you'll be visiting Yale just as much as you're visiting New Haven. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though). Providence, on the other hand, has more urban areas to explore that aren't connected to the universities. However, and I'm sure people here will disagree, I think New Haven is more unique. The architecture and general feel of Providence is similar to Boston. If you're trying to see and experience the Northeast, then I'd say see Boston and skip Providence. See New Haven.
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