Thinking about moving to Providence?

[Frankie811]

I'm in an internal medicine subspecialty fellowship

Well, given your selected profession, combined with your insatiable palate, one can only hope that your not a cannibal. (sorry, bad humor)

[Lone Ranger]

Doctor Lecter, I presume?

[DrStink]

Congrats! What field did she match in? I'm in an internal medicine subspecialty fellowship, and would be happy to answer any questions about the hospital...

I tried to do this via PM, but the forum software said I didn't have permission to do so.

Anyway, she matched in Internal Medicine/PC. In an odd twist of fate, my sister and her husband are also moving to Providence so he can start a fellowship.

So yes, we'd love to pick your brain. Email to my username at gmail.com should work and we can go from there. Thanks!

[Cotuit]

I tried to do this via PM, but the forum software said I didn't have permission to do so.

Members need to have 10 or more posts to use the PM and/or email systems. This prevents people from signing up and using our email and PM systems to spam other users.

[DrStink]

Members need to have 10 or more posts to use the PM and/or email systems. This prevents people from signing up and using our email and PM systems to spam other users.

Ah. Thought that might be the case. Not a bad policy. But thanks for the head's up.

You can check my 1100+ posting history at tdiclub or I can just wait patiently and try to contribute here and there where I can.

Edited March 20, 2006 by DrStink

[Dozer]

Well, it's official. Ready or not, we're coming to the Providence.

Now I just hope it's half as cool as you people make it sound.

If you need a mortgage, I'm your man...

[MikeR]

Well, it's official. Ready or not, we're coming to the Providence.

Now I just hope it's half as cool as you people make it sound.

It's cool. You'll never forget your first Waterfire experience, and dining galore. Don't forget to check out the RISD museum. If you like theatre - try the Trinity Rep 6-pack subscription and see any 6 plays of your choice. My wife and I were subscribers until we headed to the 'burbs to have kids...

[basachs]

So having moved to Providence and god forbid need a hospital, which one is the one to go to? Which ones would you not go to?

[Recchia]

Miriam for all heart related issues.

[Garris]

So having moved to Providence and god forbid need a hospital, which one is the one to go to? Which ones would you not go to?

I'm actually a physician working in some of the Providence hospitals. The good news is that there is no bad Providence hospital, and what you're going in for might dictate which is the best hospital for you.

Rhode Island Hospital is the largest hospital in the area, at 750 beds, and is the main "teaching" hospital in the Brown/Lifespan network. That said, Miriam Hospital, which is the smaller teaching hospital in the Brown /Lifespan system, has the far better reputation and is felt to have the best nursing, ancillary services, system, etc (the MD's at both hospitals are excellent). I made sure the primary care doctor I choose for myself admitted to Miriam.

I'm far less familiar with Roger Williams, Fatima, and Memorial but, again, none of them are bad.

Hope this helps!

- Garris

[DrStink]

So today, my wife gets this email from the real estate agent she's contacted:

I would suggest that the Armory and Federal Hill are not great places for you to go, especially with a child - those areas are still a little bit sketchy. (That is why they are less expensive.) East Side is great but perhaps too high in price. But there is also the Edgewood section of Cranston, the Oakhill section of Pawtucket, and the Elmhurst section of Providence to consider.

What I can't tell is:

a) whether she's right in suggesting that Federal Hill and the Armory are still a little rough, considering our new child (<6m)

b) whether she's wrong and doesn't understand that we're actually looking for a more urban experience

c) whether she doesn't know that part of town, and is more comfortable steering us toward properties in other parts of town she knows better.

Based on stuff I've read here, and stuff I've noticed with the mapper at provplan, it seems like Federal Hill is really patchy with good blocks and bad blocks. Given that, I'm not willing to write it off just yet.

Any input?

[damus]

So today, my wife gets this email from the real estate agent she's contacted:

What I can't tell is:

a) whether she's right in suggesting that Federal Hill and the Armory are still a little rough, considering our new child (<6m)

b) whether she's wrong and doesn't understand that we're actually looking for a more urban experience

c) whether she doesn't know that part of town, and is more comfortable steering us toward properties in other parts of town she knows better.

Based on stuff I've read here, and stuff I've noticed with the mapper at provplan, it seems like Federal Hill is really patchy with good blocks and bad blocks. Given that, I'm not willing to write it off just yet.

Any input?

a) can't speak for armory, but Fed. Hill is a great place for young professionals and college students, but not for kids. There isn't much to do outdoors and most houses don't have yards, those that do don't have much. There's a park on Atwells, but it's poorly kept, small, and full of litter. The streets are pretty dirty. The community pool is just that, a community pool. While I've never been in it, I can tell you it's not the most sanitary environment. There is a good amount of crime, mostly petty, but there was a drug-related murder a few doors down the street from me not long after i moved in. Speaking of drugs, my neighbor across the street was a drug dealer and didn't do much to make it a secret to the rest of us. All in all, it's great place to live considering the proximity to Atwells and Downtown, and a lot of the old multi-family units have been renovated over the past few years. I wouldn't recommend raising a child there, though. There are many more knowledgable people on here than me, but those are my two cents on federal hill.

Edited March 25, 2006 by damus

[Frankie811]

Rhode Island Hospital is the largest hospital in the area, at 750 beds, and is the main "teaching" hospital in the Brown/Lifespan network. That said, Miriam Hospital, which is the smaller teaching hospital in the Brown /Lifespan system, has the far better reputation and is felt to have the best nursing, ancillary services, system, etc (the MD's at both hospitals are excellent).

I would definately choose Miriam over RI Hospital Roger Williams is good in the areas of cancer and dermatology.

[priscilla]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone and thanks for all of your "insider" thoughts --

I'm moving to Providence in the next few months to start up my residency at Brown, and am really excited about living here.

And a special "shout out" to Garris -- I saw your posts on the Yale Bookstore and that you were in Trumbull. I'm a Jonathan Edwards '98 girl myself.

I'm still apartment hunting, but I can't wait to settle in and to do some exploring.

[jencoleslaw]

I know this is getting a hair OT, but does anyone know who handles trees planted in the sidewalks? I was under the impression that it was the city's responsibility but I may be wrong. We have a dying tree in front of our house that is becoming a safety hazzard as limbs are starting to fall off of it. I have left 3 or 4 messages for the city Arborist office but no calls back. I wasnt sure whether I wasnt getting call backs because it is actually my responsibility or....

i get the trees IN the sidewalk. once they are there, they are forestry's responsibility, unfortunately as i am not municipally empowered to do anything other than that. calling forestry is your only answer. if you PM me i'll give you the secret phone extension.

[DrStink]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone and thanks for all of your "insider" thoughts --

I'm moving to Providence in the next few months to start up my residency at Brown, and am really excited about living here.

And a special "shout out" to Garris -- I saw your posts on the Yale Bookstore and that you were in Trumbull. I'm a Jonathan Edwards '98 girl myself.

I'm still apartment hunting, but I can't wait to settle in and to do some exploring.

Priscilla. Any chance you wanna rent from me and MrsStink? We promise not to be too uppity when the Big Red destroy the Eli's. (Like today in men's lax. 16-6. ouch.) Of course, I gotta admit I do have a softspot for East Rock pizza and Archie Moore's wings....

ObProvContent: Any more feedback on living in Federal Hill or the Armory with a new baby?

Edited March 26, 2006 by DrStink

[priscilla]

Any chance you wanna rent from me and MrsStink?

Depends on how you and the missus earned the name "Stink"!

[jencoleslaw]

i have a bunch of friends over here in Armory/Federal hill with newish babies. I suspect it is not really a place for bigger kids, like pre-teens and teens, because there just isn't anything to do, but most of the mommies (and daddies!) i know know each other--kind of like when you know all the dogs and dog people. I suppose it all depends on whether you make friends easily or not...There certainly are more little pocket parks and bigger parks and 7 star bakeries and the like (which must have a magnet for strollers) over on the east side and if you can afford to live there, i certainly say do it, but if i you can't, i think Armory is very family friendly and Federal Hill is coming along as well.

Disclaimer: i do not have kids, only dogs and cats.

[Cotuit]

liamlunchtray lives in the Armory and has kid(s). Perhaps he'll comment.

[MapmanNo1]

Priscilla. Any chance you wanna rent from me and MrsStink? We promise not to be too uppity when the Big Red destroy the Eli's. (Like today in men's lax. 16-6. ouch.)

LET'S GO RED!

[DrStink]

i have a bunch of friends over here in Armory/Federal hill with newish babies...most of the mommies (and daddies!) i know know each other... I suppose it all depends on whether you make friends easily or not...There certainly are more little pocket parks and bigger parks ... over on the east side...if i you can't, i think Armory is very family friendly and Federal Hill is coming along as well.

Well, our favorite brunch spot in New Haven (Bella Rosa in Westville) doesn't allow strollers, so we've gotten used to just lugging the car seat.

If your friends would be willing to talk with us about pros and cons, we'd love to have their input! Email or telephone would be fabulous, or we can certainly meet for coffee with enough advance notice. We'll be in Providence this Thursday during the day to start scouting places.

Thanks to everyone for their insight.

Stink

[Garris]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone and thanks for all of your "insider" thoughts --

I'm moving to Providence in the next few months to start up my residency at Brown, and am really excited about living here.

And a special "shout out" to Garris -- I saw your posts on the Yale Bookstore and that you were in Trumbull. I'm a Jonathan Edwards '98 girl myself.

I'm still apartment hunting, but I can't wait to settle in and to do some exploring.

Welcome to Brown and the Lifespan Medical family!

Also, it's nice to see another Bulldog here! (I forget which residential college's slogan was "JE Sucks!"? ). I just adored Yale during my time there, and Trumbull especially. It's a much overused phrase, but "the best 4 years of my life" isn't an exaggeration at all... The Yale Club here, if you're into such things, is actually quite active. Sure they do the stuffy golf outings and Wiffenpoof concerts that are expected I guess, but they also do quite cool events like a recent talk they had at the Hope Club featuring Jack Gold of the Providence Preservation society talking about Providence waterfront development and performances from local Providence music groups. Their local alumni interviewing corps is also quite active (I've done alumni interviewing for about 6 years now). Their website is http://yaleclubri.org/.

What's your residency in? I'm in an internal medicine subspecialty fellowship and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the hospitals or the medical climate here (my e-mail is [email protected]).

Anything you need help with regarding your move here, from food to apartments to transit, can be answered by the many great folks here on the forum. UP-Providence is a fantastic community resource.

Again, welcome!

- Garris

[Velo Fellow]

I was really glad to find this topic on the board. I currently live in London and just accepted a job starting in October (2006) in Boston. My wife and I have lived there before, and don't want to do that again, so we're considering Providence.

I've been corresponding with various real estate people and they're (predictably) positive about everything, so I'm hoping to get some honest answers here!

We're considering Providence for the same reason most folks do, I suppose - easy commute to work in Boston, lower cost of living & housing, lots of history, nice architecture, good restaurants, active urban renewal, good parks, etc. We also want a city that's manageable enough to walk or cycle to most places (the cycle paths are a big draw for us).

For centrality and proximity to the train, we're thinking of the East Side. But our concerns are crime and schools. (We have a daughter who will be almost three then and another baby due in June.) I've seen conflicting reports on both of these topics. Are the public schools really as bad as everyone says? And would I be safe cycling or walking home from the train station at 10pm?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

[email protected]

[basachs]

I'm actually a physician working in some of the Providence hospitals. The good news is that there is no bad Providence hospital, and what you're going in for might dictate which is the best hospital for you.

Rhode Island Hospital is the largest hospital in the area, at 750 beds, and is the main "teaching" hospital in the Brown/Lifespan network. That said, Miriam Hospital, which is the smaller teaching hospital in the Brown /Lifespan system, has the far better reputation and is felt to have the best nursing, ancillary services, system, etc (the MD's at both hospitals are excellent). I made sure the primary care doctor I choose for myself admitted to Miriam.

I'm far less familiar with Roger Williams, Fatima, and Memorial but, again, none of them are bad.

Hope this helps!

- Garris

Thanks Garris, this helps a lot. Thankfully, i dont need one but something to keep in the back of my mind if the need ever arises.

[basachs]

So today, my wife gets this email from the real estate agent she's contacted:

What I can't tell is:

a) whether she's right in suggesting that Federal Hill and the Armory are still a little rough, considering our new child (<6m)

b) whether she's wrong and doesn't understand that we're actually looking for a more urban experience

c) whether she doesn't know that part of town, and is more comfortable steering us toward properties in other parts of town she knows better.

Based on stuff I've read here, and stuff I've noticed with the mapper at provplan, it seems like Federal Hill is really patchy with good blocks and bad blocks. Given that, I'm not willing to write it off just yet.

Any input?

I live in the Armory but I do not have children. Only dogs. However, three of my neighbors have children less than 6 months. Went to Julian's last night for the WBNA party/fundraiser/get together thing and the place was lousy with babies. At least 20 young couples with babies.

The Armory has rough patches (what neighborhood doesn't??), but it gets better all the time. The armory park is a great place, nice playground for kids, lots of dogs etc. Broadway and Westminster, the two main thoroughfares in the district are improving continually as well. Also walking distance to Atwells and all the shops they have to offer. I'd say if you are looking for a more urban feel, and more house for the money, the Armory district is a great choice.

If you are interested in the armory, I'd suggest Armory Properties for realty. They know the area, their office is right on westminster, andthey are passionate about the area. Disclaimer: Bought my house through them after trying a few other agencies who tried to steer me away from the armory as well.

Edited March 27, 2006 by basachs