Just walking around has been a favorite pastime of city dwellers and tourists ever since cities were invented. How many long walks it takes to see all that’s worth seeing is a good measure of how great a city is. The greatest are inexhaustible. Among smaller cities known for an attractive downtown to walk around in are but a few where not-so-famous neighborhoods contain more worth seeing than a drive-by can reveal.
Providence boasts of being “walkable,” yet dull, stressful, or dangerous scenes are far too abundant. To enjoy long walks here you must avoid the bad parts — which can be frustrating when all you need is a direct route to a particular destination. But the outlook is much improved if your goal is leisurely exploration. Get to know the city as a set of islands of walkability. Inside each pale, tinted section of the chart, any two points may be connected via a decent-to-excellent walk. Within each island, occasional annoyances like visual blight or loud traffic are hard to completely avoid, but nicer conditions are never more than a minute or two away — unless you must cross a Formidable Barrier. Visiting the next island over entails commitment.
Why is this called a chart, instead of a map? On a map, blank means empty or inaccessible. What’s printed — roads and trails — are where you may or must go. What’s printed on charts, however, are what you stay away from: obstructions, shallows and rocks. On a chart, blank space is where you are free to sail in any direction you please.
For an hours-long walk delivering a change of neighborhood scene, one strategy is to get the gnarly part over with first: Make the crossing into another island. Then, at every junction walk in whichever direction looks most inviting and do likewise at the next junction. Don’t worry about where you are or when to turn for home. No need to endure a second tedious crossing. When you almost get tired, get out the phone (which I hope you have not looked at yet) and open the Transit app. Plan the last leg of your hike to where and when a bus can take you home. Pro tip: Hike to where a one-seat ride brings you close enough to home.
If all your Providence exploring is downtown or College Hill, you never see the city most residents know and love. Unless we work downtown, most of us go there only for events. Our favorite strolls, dining, and hang outs are right in our neighborhoods. If you have time to explore more than just the must-sees on every listicle, don’t miss out. Hidden gems shine brightest when you find them all by yourself on an urban hike!