Fox Point

Understand

Close in proximity to Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design, visitors to these schools – as well as business travelers – often choose to stay in Fox Point, rather than pay the exorbitant price of a downtown Providence hotel room. Business travelers who prefer not to be stuck in their hotel rooms for the duration of their trips give Wickenden Street high marks on Yelp.com.

Traditionally a Portuguese neighborhood, Fox Point has held onto its roots; although Wickenden Street offers a hodge-podge of various ethnicities and cultural traditions. Expect to be greeted in Portuguese if you go to a Portuguese business. Even if you're a regular, and they know you don't speak the language, the neighborhood is trying hard to hold onto its linguistic distinction.

Wickenden Street is a nice break from the hustle of Providence. Wickenden Street in general can be described as eclectic, featuring twists on original and classic foods and coffee. Although there are a few original and small shops on the street, Wickenden is mostly renowned for a few relaxing hot spots. The artwork gracing the telephone poles is the first sign that Wickenden Street is big on personality. This stretch of Providence is a funky mix of galleries, antique shops, junk shops, restaurants and cafes. Also a formerly working-class Portuguese neighborhood that's been steadily gentrified, Wickenden Street has antiques stores, galleries, and trendy cafés. Professors, artists, and students are among the newer residents here. Many of the houses along Wickenden, Transit, Gano, and nearby streets are still painted the pastel colors of Portuguese homes.

Get in

By car

Wickenden Street is directly off of Exit 2 on I-195 East or West. If you are parking on Wickenden, park along the street. If you continue along and take a right at the Z Bar, your first major intersection, then you will see a large parking lot in front of you that is usually for free during the afternoon and at night. The only time that they charge is if there is a special event featured on the street. Bring your walking shoes.

By transit

By public transportation, you can board a replica trolley car at either end of Wickenden Street's hills. These trolleys route through the entire city of Providence before reaching the depot of Kennedy Plaza in downtown Providence, which also offers transport to Wickenden Street for the price of $2.00/ride. An all-day pass costs $6.00.

Get around

Wickenden Street runs approximately two miles up and down the hills that mark Providence's East Side. It begins at the intersection of Gano Street (approximately 1/4 of a mile from the Radisson Hotel on the waterfront at India Point Park), and ends at the traffic light where Benefit Street intersects Point Street. From either starting point, you can move on up the hill that is Wickenden Street (Yes, it really is uphill, both ways, joined by the flat that is George M.Cohan Square, named after the father of the American Musical Comedy, who also happens to be a native son of Wickenden Street).