Providence RI via SWA

[cshollingsworth]

Hi Everybody...

My husband and I just got our plans finalized for our trip to Providence, RI in July. We are flying there on Southwest and I am just curious to know if anyone has flown into that particular airport, and if so, what is it like, etc.?

Thanks for any input...:)

[scottr0829]

Hi Courtney,

Hi have been there a couple times and just flew in/out of there this past October. I like the airport - easy in and easy out. While I was there, they were undergoing construction in the SWA check-in area and it was kind of a mess, so I am not sure what the status of that is still, but overall, it is just like any smaller airport. The ride in is usually easy in terms of it is flat around PVD. Depending on the route, your approach may take you over Providence, and if it is a Saturday night, you may even get to see Water Fire (http://www.waterfire.org/) from above (or if you are on the ground during Saturday night, I strongly recommend going to see it, ultra-cool :thumbsup:).

Overall, I like it. Just like Bradley in Hartford, it is a nice, small size airport that is (as I said) easy in and out, quick turnarounds, and easy to navigate. Just to make sure you know though - as with many airports - it is not actually IN Providence, it is in Westerly.

[cshollingsworth]

728 4:55pm 8:15pm N/S

This is our flight time. Do you think we will get to see the Water Fire? That sounds like fun. We are flying in on a Saturday too, and I noticed on the calendar online that is when they are doing the show. Hope it is dark enough to see it!

[spiffyone]

I live near PVD and it is my airport.
There are 2 approaches - one flies northeast diagonally across the state of RI and straight down the runway. You can see the ocean out the right side of the plane.
The other one you flare out and fly east of the airport, circle over downtown and approach the runway from the northeast, facing southwest. When you do that one, you can see downtown, waterfire, and from the left side of the plane as you're landing, the Newport Bridge.
I actually like the first one better but the second one is more scenic.
What are you doing in PVD? I can give many tourist tips. Do you know where you're staying?
One caveat- when you're leaving PVD, leave plenty of time for theTSA line - EVERYONE gets funneled into the same line (unlike other airports I have been to which have multiple different lines) and it can get kind of congested.
Interestingly, the PVD airport is not really in providence- it's in Warwick, about 10 miles away.

[scottr0829]

Interestingly, the PVD airport is not really in providence- it's in Warwick, about 10 miles away.
DOH! I got my 'W' RI cities mixed up, I said Westerly - which of course is in the SW corner of the state. Thanks for the correction! :)

What other restaurants do you recommend in Providence? I generally try to get to Water Fire once a year and love Fire and Ice, but am wondering what other ones are good also? Also, I can never go wrong in Federal Hill! :thumbsup:

[cshollingsworth]

I live near PVD and it is my airport.
There are 2 approaches - one flies northeast diagonally across the state of RI and straight down the runway. You can see the ocean out the right side of the plane.
The other one you flare out and fly east of the airport, circle over downtown and approach the runway from the northeast, facing southwest. When you do that one, you can see downtown, waterfire, and from the left side of the plane as you're landing, the Newport Bridge.
I actually like the first one better but the second one is more scenic.
What are you doing in PVD? I can give many tourist tips. Do you know where you're staying?
One caveat- when you're leaving PVD, leave plenty of time for theTSA line - EVERYONE gets funneled into the same line (unlike other airports I have been to which have multiple different lines) and it can get kind of congested.
Interestingly, the PVD airport is not really in providence- it's in Warwick, about 10 miles away.

We are staying at the Westin which I'm told is near a really big mall. :cool: Don has a telephone conference there and so we're heading up there for that and some sight-seeing as well. We are booked on one tour already through Don's phone association, the NTCA. They offer a tour of Newport. It last from 9:30 until 4 p.m. and they take us through some historical areas and we end up on some boat at the end of the day for a cruise around the harbour. I don't have all the details on the tour as of yet, but the other tours I've been on with the telephone gang have all been a lot of fun.

I'd like to know of any top spots you reccomend though, like awesome places to eat, nightlife, etc. I'm a big pre-planner and like to know of some local spots to hit while in a new city. I like stuff off the beaten path so to speak. :tongue:

[scottr0829]

The Providence Place Mall (http://www.providenceplace.com) is HUGE - 3+ floors of food, shopping and entertainment. Personally, I am not much of a shopper, but even I am impressed with this place. You don't find many malls bigger than this (at least around New England). It is an old factory that they converted into the mall.

Fire and Ice (an excellent restaurant) is right at the mall (on the oustide) and Water Fire is a short walk - although if you are landing on that Saturday, you probably won't have a chance to see it unless you rush around.

[spiffyone]

Providence Place Mall actually used to be a government office building (my dad's building, in fact; I remember going to visit him there) and a huge parking lot. The old factory is next to it, and has been converted into loft apartments and condos that cost over $200,000. Wierd. It used to be kind of a seedy street.
The Westin is very nice and there's a skybridge that goes over to the mall.
If you can, it is fun to go for an afternoon walk around the Brown campus and Benefit street. (I may be biased since I spent, oh, 10 years of my life there). It's a very pretty area and usually quiet in the summer. It's less than a mile from the Westin but involves a serious hike up a very steep hill so I would take a cab. If you tell the cabbie man to drop you at the Admissions Office (corner of Prospect and Angell Streets), the office has a mailbox thing outside their front door with little campus maps. (I only mention it because it's the easiest place to get a map). You can have lunch on Thayer St, which used to be this granola street with a million secondhand stores, and now has been co-opted by the Gap and Urban Outfitters. Benefit street (which is one block down the hill from the admissions office) is a historic street that used to be in horrible shape in the 50's and was restored. Lots of plaque houses and cobblestone streets. Oh yeah, wear sneakers for this - cobblestones are hard to walk on.
I haven't been in downtown Prov in a while and don't usually go to expensive restaurants...Venda Ravioli on Federal Hill is worth a visit - it's a store that sells homemade pasta and prepared foods.
The best restaurant list (I think) is in Rhode Island Magazine (which is not known for especially hard-hitting news, so most people buy it for the restaurant list). If they don't give you one at the Westin, I'm sure you could buy it in the gift shop or in the mall.
When you go to Newport, you may want to try to stay for dinner (Newport is impossible to visit on summer weekends but really not bad on week nights). My favorite places to eat there are: if you like seafood, a place called Scales and Shells on Thames St is very good. There's also a funky little place called Salvation Cafe that was good a couple of years ago. There's a fancier Italian place across the bridge in Jamestown (would only work if you had a car) called Trattoria Simpatico.
When you go on the cruise, and they point out the shore of Narragansett across the way, you can wave (it's on the other side of Jamestown). That's where my house is, in a little area that has some high cliffs above the ocean. If it's a weekend, we'll be there lying on the deck.
It can get chilly even in July (especially on a boat) so I would bring one thing that's warm - like a fleece - just in case.
Let me know if you have any questions about specific areas of Providence or ways to get around. The downtown area is small and not that exciting, but the mall area/state house area, small and scenic, and Federal Hill, small and scenic, are both within walking distance of the hotel.
Note: the Hill is very safe on the main street, but I would be careful if you walk back to the hotel from there after dark. It's a pretty main thoroughfare and I have done it many times, but it's also where I would hang out if I wanted to pick someone's pocket.
PS - Don't make any derogatory Italian comments while you're on the Hill. The Mob guys don't think that's funny....

:thumbsup:

[LeslieDEN]

Hey, I just flew out of PVD today! So I felt compelled to reply even though I don't have anything to add. :)

I got a good look at SWA check-in because it's right next to UAL check-in, and I guess whatever construction was going on is over because SWA check-in wasn't a mess at all. Looked very ... well ... spiffy.

Speaking of where the Providence airport actually is ... there was a funny sign in the airport that said something like, "Despite what you've been told, you are in Warwick." :lol:

Nice airport, but kind of old-looking. Easy to navigate. Signs said renovations are coming so I guess they're planning to spif it up soon.

Editing to add: Oh! I just remembered -- After check-in they had me lug my checked bag over to an X-ray machine and X-rayed it in front of me. I guess that's a random thing? Anyway, it didn't take much time, it was just something I don't remember experiencing at any other airport.

[spiffyone]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that. See, I think of the CT scanner as 'standard,' and am surprised that it is missing at every other airport I've ever been to.
It is an extra step - adds about 10 min onto your check in time, as they make you stand by while they scan your bag (presumably so you can be there to give excuses about the weaponry inside, or whatever).
I think at other airports, they do that step behind the scenes. I kind of like how it is done in PVD, because you know when you leave that area that your bag has "cleared" security and will go on the plane with you.
You know, that airport already had 2 renovations since I was little, so I think of it as very spiffy compared to how it WAS...but yes, there is room for improvement.
You can always stop and buy a lobster on your way out of town :rotflmao:

[spiffytoo]

Yes, the gift shop will pack a live lobster for you to take on the plane with you. I'm not sure what happens if you pick a flight that sits on the ground for 8 hours. :shakehead

[Lynda]

Courtney,

I just read your posts on this thread and thought about the posts you made not so very long ago!!! Look how far you came!!! You should be proud, such a different flavour to your writings.:) :)

[cshollingsworth]

Yes, it's true...a lot has changed since I first started to confront my fear. It's been a long time since the days of the bus and me walking off an airplane. I've come a long way, but it's been tough!