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Also, Downtown Providence is close to Kennedy Plaza which is the main hub for RIPTA, public transit. Lots of people in RI would rather walk than ride a RIPTA bus, especially after dark. The crowd at Kennedy Plaza is sometimes a bit 'problematic'. Go into the CVS at Kennedy Plaza sometime and you'll know what I mean. This is the reason Downtown will never have a grocery store or deli or what have you. There's no market you can walk to to get some food. No paperbag with french bread and vegetables sticking out of it like in Manhattan. That means people who look for that kind of life don't live in Downtown Providence. Also, rents and property are simply expensive. Remember, 'luxury' is the keyword here. Forget the student/artist crowd, they can't really afford Downtown and choose other areas of Providence to live. So that leaves you with people who can afford to live here but you'll never see their faces.
This is interesting...so downtown is more of a place to work, and NOT a place to live or live near.
But places that are Manhattan-esque exist somewhere in Providence though? I mean, neighborhoods where you can just walk and get your vegetables and whatever else...at any moment, quickly and easily, etc.?
No, absolutely not. The entire East Side is near downtown, for one, and many more people live downtown than used to be the case. When was this post written anyway, everyone knows Providence has made enormous strides in revitalizing the urban core. Have you even Wiki'd Providence? And the best is yet to come, when the highway comes down, and the Jewelry District, and the end of Wickenden/Benefit St, Point St area- thats all gonna change. Plus NYT article on Prov last week mentioned the city has a spot on the river where there will be an outdoor amphitheatre- very cool indeed. There is a new 24 hr small grocery place downtown; I wouldn't rely on that for all though. There is a place that sells nice breads and cheese too. There is a Whole Foods you could, could walk to from downtown. Lastly, Providence is diverse. I like that when I go to a place for good coffee or lunch, there is a variety of people- from cops, to workers to artists all in the same spot. There are a lot of street people downtown, but you get used to it. There is also a strong police presence downtown.
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