P&K USA: PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: A SUNNY DAY OF DISCOVERY

RHODE ISLAND is the smallest state in America by area and as of 2020 had just over 1 million residents. It was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1790, and became the 13th state, having been one of the original 13 colonies, and is one of the six states making up New England. Its capital, PROVIDENCE, is the most populous city in the state, and was named by Roger Williams in 1636 after ‘thanking God’ for protecting him during his exile from the neighboring Massachusetts Bay Colony.

View of the Graduate Hotel, formerly the Biltmore, Providence, RI.

Our arrival to Providence aboard a Peter Pan Bus Lines bus on the afternoon of Thursday August 1, 2024, meant we didn’t have too long to explore the city, for we were due to depart for Maine early the next day. Our sparse luggage was ditched in our suite at the Graduate Providence Hotel (where one of our TVs kept turning itself on and off – spooky!) and we quickly set off for what was an enjoyable 4 mile walk around the Downtown area in bright sunshine and reasonably comfortable humidity at 52%.

Public art around the Providence River.

We explored parts of the city around the Providence River as well as the magnificent and imposing Rhode IslandState House.

The Gun Totem.

Memorial Park is a sculpture-filled park, on the east side of the Providence River, near Main Street and overlooked by the Providence County Court House. We ambled through it full of doughnut and coffee milk, Rhode Island’s official drink, from Dave’s Coffee (see our review HERE) which we had prioritised as our first port of call. We took a few moments to look at the memorials, including The Gun Totem (2001), an evil looking tower of concrete and rusted guns, plus the Korean War Memorial (1998), featuring a kneeling veteran.

The Korean War Memorial.

A nearby interpretation board gave some information about the American Revolution, in particular the French general, Count Rochambeau, and the arrival of his army in Providence in June 1781, ahead of the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, four months later. It wasn’t clear, however, as to why the sign was at this particular spot in Providence.

Memorial Park.

Back on the other side of the river, and as the temperature hit 107°F according to a big digital sign on Kennedy Plaza, we knew we needed further refreshments, so called into a 7-Eleven....

We love a Big Gulp or Slurpee from 7-Eleven.

Now, we do have a love-hate relationship with 7-Elevens: we like the concept and the convenience, but have noticed across the many states we’ve visited that they can often attract undesirables, usually loitering outside. Once, at an Orlando 7-Eleven, we were approached by a creepy lady who asked: “Do you guys believe in sharing?” We thought it was a joke, but it transpired she was serious and wanted in on our purchases, going on to reveal she was about to be locked up in the nearby mental health hospital so wanted to stock up! Back at the 7-Eleven in Providence, as we exited the cluttered store with large Slurpees – frozen slushies, great for brain freeze, and on this occasion not our usual choice of frozen Coca-Cola as the machine was “not ready” – there was an individual on the sidewalk who appeared to be fitting or having a reaction to drugs.

She was in fact stuffing dollars down her knickers!

Big Gulp Coca-Cola: "NOT READY"!

We kept walking, vowing never to put dollar bills into our mouth – no matter how full our hands might be!

Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument, Providence, Rhode Island

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

We later read that Kennedy Plaza “continues to be the epicentre of city crime” and that 11 assaults took place there in the first 3 weeks of July! It is a public square in Downtown Providence, featuring a transportation hub, but the most striking thing we noticed was the granite and bronze Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument in the center. Dating from 1871 and at a height of 42 feet, it commemorates Rhode Island’s 1,727 veterans who fell during the Civil War. We weren’t there long enough to be bothered by anyone.

Kennedy Plaza, Providence, Rhode Island.

As regular readers of the P&K USA travel blog will know, we like to collect souvenir magnets of states, cities and visitor attractions, however 6 days into our ‘Navigating New England’ trip, we were not having much luck! We’d had no joy with magnets in Vermont, so sign of any in Connecticut and we were worried that Rhode Island would be the same.

The Woonasquatucket River.

As we were about to cross the Woonasquatucket River (what a name!), we spotted a CVS Pharmacy. Alas, no souvenir magnets for our refrigerator there, but we did pick up some stars and stripes dish towels for $6.99 (far too nice to use) and while there, were amused when a fellow shopper overheard us and thought we were Australian or Irish!

The gargantuan Providence Place Mall.

The Providence Place Mall is a gargantuan shopping mall, close to the Rhode Island State House. After a brief visit to check out the Lego Store, fishing for the new JAWS Lego set to no avail, we looked for somewhere to get some food “on the go” hoping to save some time. The mall was soulless, not particularly busy and badly signposted as many of the sub-floors were confusing to navigate. We were pleased to get out of it.

Johnny Rockets diner.

We didn’t find any outlets offering quick snacks that we could take with us, and in the food court there was a limited choice of eateries. We elected to eat ‘in’ at a small Johnny Rockets diner, and while the burgers were tasty, we suffered from indigestion afterwards (see review HERE), presumably from the oil on the fries and tots.

Rhode Island State House.

Time was ticking and upon realising that the Rhode Island State House had a closing time of 16:30, accelerated our walk to the stunning building, keen to visit the Charter Museum – but as the hands of time moved on, and Google Maps wasn’t particularly helpful, where was the Charter Museum and did we find it in time? Read our account HERE to find out.

Rhode Island State House.

Upon exiting the State House, we spotted the nearby Providence Amtrak Station and thought to try there for the elusive magnets. Finally – some success, but at a costly price. There was an Oak Wells store inside the station and three magnets came in at $26.97 + tax. I mean, who pays that?! Us fools, but they do say that magnets can trigger better memories of your vacations than photographs!

Scene of the Hardscrabble Riot, Providence, Rhode Island

The site of the Hardscrabble Riot, 1824.

Alongside the Amtrak station we found an open space with a plaque from the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society and part of the Rhode Island Afro-American Heritage Trail, marking the site of The Hardscrabble Riot, a bloody race riot in October 1824 where 20 homes of black residents were shockingly razed to the ground. Back in the 19^th century, this area had been industrial, described by historians as “a poor enclave”... “with brothels” and “dens of vice”, but was now a green space with incredible views of the cityscape and Woonasquatucket River. It seemed no coincidence that the closest bridge had been dedicated as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge in 1990, four years after it had been built.

At was at this point of our walk that the food from Johnny Rockets decided to stage its own protest march – indigestion - so a second visit to the CVS Pharmacy was called for. We left with a small packet of maximum strength acid controller tablets, costing $6.00, to try and ease our unsettled stomachs.

The sun setting over Providence, Rhode Island

The sun starting to set over Providence.

The pills must have done the trick, as 3 hours later, after a rest in our ‘haunted’ suite at the Graduate Providence Hotel and just as the sun was starting to set, we were out again but this time we didn’t have far to walk: for we sought out Murphy’s Pub just around the corner (see review HERE), where we put our feet up with a few pints and a tasty portion of Irish Poutine reflecting on the lovely day we had had in Providence!