Providence, RI

Styrofoam piece by Bruce Pearson

A lovely coastal town replete with history and all of its commodified fruits—quaint antique shops, higher learning and expensive ice cream—Providence does have some grit and intrigue. Like very attractively dressed beacons, the art students lead the way to the coolest spots in the city. To get there, take Amtrak’s Acela from Penn Station to Providence.

SHOP
While waiting for a table to open up at Julian’s, swing by Rocket to Mars (144 Broadway, 401-274-0905), an excellent vintage shop. Scoop up colorful plates from the ’50s, hilarious cast-off black-and-white photos and trim pencil skirts (they stock men’s clothing, too) all at non–New York prices. Clustered around White Electric is Ada Books (330 Dean St; 401-432-6222, ada-books.com), a dreamy used-book shop, and Figments (717 Westminster St; 401-588-5180, figmentsdesign.com), an incredibly cool design/gift shop that seems transported from Brooklyn. Have ears? Put them to good use at independent music store Armageddon Shop (436 Broadway; 401-521-6667, armageddonshop.com).

DRINK
For an in-between hours drink, nothing beats Lili Marlene’s (422 Atwells Ave, 401-751-4996). Crabby waitresses, giant burgundy leather booths and the nearly disquieting darkness make it the perfect place to avoid the turnover from afternoon to evening.

SEE
Edgar Allan Poe courted Sarah Whitman in the stacks of the Providence Athenaeum (251 Benefit St; 401-421-6970, providenceathenaeum.org). If you love books or history, it’s worth popping in. Across the street is the RISD museum (224 Benefit St; 401-454-6500, risd.edu/museum), which houses a surprisingly large permanent collection and frequently has imaginative exhibits—a collection of modern pieces created from Styrofoam is on view until July 20. Enjoy an indie flick from a comfy couch at the Cable Car (204 S Main St; 401-272-3970, cablecarcinema.com). If you’re feeling more social, hit up one of the many cool art spaces where galleries give way to late night parties—try New Urban Arts (743 Westminster St; 401-751-4556, newurbanarts.org) or AS220 (115 Empire St; 401-831-9327, as220.org). If you’re as lucky as I was, you’ll run into an RISD street fair, offering free ice cream, not-terrible college bands and more hipster art kids than the Sartorialist could shake his lens at.

EAT
Nothing starts up before 11am on the weekends, so if you do oversleep don’t feel bad. Just head west to Julian’s (318 Broadway; 401-861-1770, juliansprovidence.com) for brunch, but be prepared to wait. Like a far superior Yaffa Café, Julian’s serves delicious heaping vegan (and non) plates and cheap-ass drinks—who can resist a $3.50 mimosa?—that you can enjoy into the wee hours. One street over, White Electric Coffee’s (711 Westminster St; 401-453-3007, whiteelectriccoffee.com) band flyers and repurposed TV set in the bathroom are cool, but the coffee and giant sandwiches ($5.95 for a cheddar and pesto sanwich) are the real draw. Atwells Avenue, in Federal Hill, is known for its great Italian restaurants, but to avoid cheese ball formalities and cloth napkins, go to nearby Bob & Timmy’s (32 Spruce St; 401-453-2221, bobandtimmys.com). The neon beer signs brilliantly disguise the fact that they make excellent wood-grilled pizza (try the four-cheese pie with vodka sauce, $12).

STAY
While the area you’ll want to spend the most time in is on the west side of town, Providence is tiny—and serviced by a natural-gas-fueled trolley—so expect to walk a lot and don’t base your hotel on location. Though many people recommend the Hotel Providence (311 Westminster St; 401-861-8000, hotelprovidence.com), I chose to stay at the Old Court B&B (rooms start at $175 on weekends. 144 Benefit St; 401-751-2002, oldcourt.com). Its 1863 Italianate style is thankfully unfussy, and it’s a mere five-minute walk from the train station. Try to get up in time for the breakfast (included)—it’s worth it.

IF YOU MUST:
Thayer Street, located between Brown University and RISD, is a must-go for tourists and is therefore crowded with families decked out in identical shorts and stores hawking college pride sweatshirts. Make these places your priority.

Foreign Affair Warehouse (219 Thayer St, 401-274-1484) is currently the place for all of your vintage suede hot pants needs. Repeat visits will increase your chances of scoring big. Fro-yo junkies won’t be able to resist Juniper (299 Thayer St, 401-421-4851). Blue State Coffee (300 Thayer St, 401-383-8393) donates a portion of its proceeds to liberal causes and can smell a Republican from a mile away.

THE TAB
One night, two people

Train $292 (round-trip; prices vary)
Hotel 175
Meals 120
Total $587

Travel time 3 hrs 30 mins (one-way)