<p>Hi everyone-- Providence is our closest Amtrak city and I anticipate using the train a lot this year for college visits. BUT-- I live in fear of arriving and finding the parking full. Is there a simple answer for this problem? I think there must be but I’ve never found it. </p>
<p>Also I wonder about taking the train from Kingston (URI)-- but I have no idea what the parking is like there. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated, thank you!</p>
<p>Since the only parking I am aware of around the Providence train station is metered, I assume that people looking for a reliable source of longer-term parking use the garage at the mall. While this is a somewhat expensive option, it is convenient and pretty much always available.</p>
<p>map thank you! Isn’t the train station awfully far from the mall though?</p>
<p>Oh-- I see they’re right beside each other. Thank you!</p>
<p>Funny, I picked up my son at the Kingston station tonight. If possible, I would use this station - less traffic and better parking. I’m about equidistant between the two stations and I always try to use the Kingston station. The ride there is lovely, and there is very little traffic in that direction. The parking lot is right in front of the station and it is free. It is very quiet and safe and I would not hesitate to leave my car there overnight.</p>
<p>The mall parking lot in Providence is a bit of a walk - it is not next to the train station, and there is a daily fee. I would allow at 15-20 minutes to walk from an upper floor of the parking garage to the station. If you return late at night, the mall parking garage is a bit sketchy. There is another outdoor lot nearby in the Citizen’s Plaza building, but again it is less secure and a daily fee is required. </p>
<p>Another point, for students headed north from NYC or other points south, the Kingston station means 20 minutes less time on the train.</p>
<p>If you are going to NYC, Megabus or Bolt Bus may be better, cheaper options.</p>
<p>JHS-- D and I share an awful tendency toward motion sickness. We can literally get a bus to NYC at the bottom of our driveway-- but the last time we did that we were just miserable. I really envy people who can use the Megabus or Bolt.</p>
<p>Gourmetmom-- I do think Kingston is the right answer, thank you!</p>
<p>The Prov Place Mall parking seems to run $25/day. You might want to check. But it’s hardly a long walk, maybe two blocks (at its closest.) Better option is to check parking at Avalon at Center Place, the apt building right across the plaza- last I heard about $12/day. (Note that the station has entrances on both sides.)</p>
<p>At $25/day, it may just be cheaper to call a cab.</p>
<p>If there is not much of a difference in distance, she should consider the Kingston station. The lot is directly adjacent to the station, and it is free. Also, the station is a wonderful slice of Americana - built in 1875 and on the National Register of Historic Places.</p>
<p>And there is really no difference in distance-- we can come down through Newport, which is such a beautiful drive it’s worth the extra few minutes.</p>