<p>I think we are going to go straight to Providence from Boston and "day trip" into Boston from Providence, go see Yale by car (then back to Providence) and then check our daughter's large bags and hit NYC Friday and Saturday with return to Providence early Sunday Morning. Hubby, younger daughter and I will stay in original Providence Hotel Sunday Night. This way we can get items for older daughter if she needs them during her move in. So no trip to Princeton on this trip (I posted that in the other thread) We would like a nice place in Providence in walking distance to Brown.</p>
<p>This is a lot more running around than you will think- Amtrak from Providence to Boston is easy and not stressful. Amtrak on a Friday to NY from Providence will either be a piece of cake or a disaster; then you need to repeat it on Sunday morning. And driving it on a summer Friday is worse... you may not realize it but 95 (the highway you'll need to take) hugs the CT shoreline for most of the drive to NY... so you have beach traffic virtually the entire way.</p>
<p>If it were me I'd do Providence, Boston, side trip to Yale, and then pick a less-reachy school along the way (CT College? Wesleyan?) to stop at. A Broadway show is lots of fun but not worth sitting in traffic for an extra few hours on Friday to get to. There is fantastic theater in New Haven (Shubert, Yale's own theaters) which would be a lots less stress on everyone. Check out theater options there before you commit to getting to NY on Friday.</p>
<p>Isn't there a commuter type train that goes from Boston to Providence (and back) that is A LOT less expensive than Amtrak?</p>
<p>There is a huge mall in the center of Providence (right off of the highway). I think there is at least one hotel within walking distance, if not connected, to that mall. I'd stay there.</p>
<p>Maybe not a bad idea to drive to Yale, and then on to someplace like Stamford CT where you can take Metro North into NYC and back on the same day. There are a few hotels in downtown Stamford that are close (but not attached, probably very short cab) to the train station. There is train station garage parking also.</p>
<p>Amtrak goes between Boston and Providence and takes about 40mins and costs ~$30/ticket. The commuter rail takes 1 hr 20 mins and costs $7.75/ticket, which you can pay onboard(costs the same and as an added bonus sometimes they don't check and you get a free ride, woohoo).</p>
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a nice place in Providence in walking distance to Brown
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<p>Brown is on the East Side of Providence, which isn't walking distance to the above-mentioned hotels in the downtown area. Pros and cons, obviously.</p>
<p>You can certainly arrange a taxi, to make the 5-10 minute drive from Providence downtown to the East Side nieghborhood of Brown University. </p>
<p>If you scour for a hotel, inn or Bed 'n' Breakfast on PRovidence's East Side, be careful not to be confused with "East Providence." East Providence is a whole 'nother location, east of Prvoidence's "East Side!"</p>
<p>More convenient trains to NYC from Stamford? That was really my only reason -- that and I don't know New Haven very well. The pros to New Haven would include easy access via 91 to Wesleyan and Trinity in case the OP wanted to add some college visits. I'd also second adding a quick visit to Connecticut College as it's right off 95 and an easy drive through if not tour.</p>
<p>Stamford is one of stations in New Haven (Metro North) Line. The trains leave there every 20~30min on weekday and every hour on weekend. 15min walk to the New Haven station from Yale campus. Yale kids use this to attend classes(or parties) at NYC.</p>
<p>A friend of my D at Brown told me that she always use a bus to visit Boston. I think she said the bus stop is near by its campus.</p>
<p>shopping, if you're open to B&Bs this one is really nice and accessible to everything related to Brown. My husband is generally B&B adverse but even he found this one charming. In my opinion, downtown Providence is a good area to give a miss.</p>
<p>I think the Westin is the one connected to the mall (Providence Place.) There also a Marriott Courtyard and a regular Marriott which I'd consider to be walking distance (and I'm pretty old and out of shape.) Marriott also runs a shuttle to their hotels from the airport (there's actually a third Marriott by the capitol building.) I know there's a bus and train to Boston from Providence, and the both leave from the same place (Kennedy Plaza, maybe?) Traffic from Providence to New Haven is always a pain but the train from New Haven to Grand Central is a piece of cake (cabs are cheap in New Haven also.) But if you're talking about going to Providence this coming weekend, bear in mind that it's commencement weekend at Brown and it might be in New Haven as well (at least it was this weekend last year.) Hope this helps!</p>
<p>There is also a brand new Hampton Inn in downtown Providence that includes a complimentary hot breakfast. It is on Weybosset Street - convenient to the East Side and Brown, the train station, and the rest of the downtown area. It is in a converted monastery - LOL!</p>
<p>It's walkable from those hotels to Brown. We walk past them when we go to the mall, and we go to the mall on foot. It's about a 10-20min walk though(depending on walking pace...going uphill/downhill)...it's a few dollars worth of a cab fare or you can take the bus if you hate the hill...</p>
<p>The train station is not exactly at Kennedy Plaza, though it is definitely close-by. Both are pretty close to the mall. </p>
<p>Oh, is this dated Commencement Weekend? I hear you have to book those a year in advance.</p>
<p>Have stayed in several hotels in Providence as D goes to school there. Our favorite is the Renaissance... it's a Marriott located across from the State House. It is near the train station and Providence Place Mall. It is a lovely hotel with a very attentive staff. Be aware if you are driving that hotels in Providence, like NYC and Boston, charge about $25 per night for valet parking. We paid $129 per night a few weeks ago at the Renaissance, but with tax and parking the total was about $170.</p>
<p>The Annie Brownell House is a very nice bed and breakfast. As it is actually at the edge of Brown's campus, it is somewhat closer than any of the other suggestions made thus far.</p>
<p>I actually recommend that you NOT use the Annie Brownell House. I'm part of a club that used to use Annie Brownell for special guests we invited once a year. However, from the reports of the last set we invited, something has drastically changed recently, and the quality is poor.</p>
