Griswald

It's true that Benefit street doesnt really have a full service neighborhood associated with it, but the great thing about Providence is that almost everything is accessible by foot. On one end of Benefit, you have University Heights which has some of the retail staples (no pun intended), and on the other end you have Wickenden St. Thayer is close to the east, and downtown close to the west. And as far as the "only really fully realized neighborhoods" on the East side, I would have to include Wickenden/Fox Point, which is where I live. I have a ton of great restaurants within a 3 minute walk, and it definitely feels like a neighborhood. Plus I can walk downtown easily (walked to RiRa last weekend in about 10-15 min).

Any luck on your trip to Providence?

Ham-tech, also known as Hamilton College. It's just west of the Middle of Nowhere. I've never really spent time in Albany, I've visited friends in Troy though...but I understand why you want to move back.

Not to cut in on this conversation, but I just wanted to introduce myself to the Providence forums. I've been reading them for a month or two, and I'm pretty psyched to find a place where people have all of these same interests as me. I think the city should hire a bunch of us for an urban design & planning committee.... Anyway I grew up in Providence, moved back last year after 5 years of college in upstate NY, bartending on Cape Cod in the summer, and living in Stowe VT after school....and now I'm hoping to apply to grad school. By then they should have a spot for me in urban planning & design in Providence Alright, back to work....