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RandomChurn t1_j23i3i4 wrote

Just to play devil's advocate here:

I moved to RI as a single woman with a dog. Knowing what I now know about RI, I would recommend Riverside over Portsmouth.

Now, I don't know much about Portsmouth because like most people here, I've mostly only driven through it. It doesn't have any "destination" activities, places or restaurants worth seeking out. It's basically a dull, barren suburb with nothing to do.

Yes, you can go to Newport. But half the year that's crawling with tourists and partiers. Hell to park or navigate through its traffic during the season. Having grown up in a similar place, that gets annoying. And is not particularly safe for a woman on her own.

Let's consider Riverside. It's a cozy quiet neighborhood next to all that Providence and its East Side have to offer. Bike path, parks, amazing restaurants by the dozens, and esp relevant to you, OP, who will need to find things to do alone 50% of your time, the Greater Providence area offers much more than the bedroom-community of Portsmouth where I cannot imagine it's easy to make friends.

Libraries, glassblowing and other arts classes, university-hosted events, music, museums, outdoor cafes -- in a totally different atmosphere than Newport that's either pretty dead off season or insane with partying tourists in-season.

Also, way better for doing things with a dog. Just compare the number of parks big and small. There are lots of charming little neighborhoods on the East Side to explore with a dog (as I do every day; I live in Fox Point). If you will have a car you can bring doggo over to Fox Point / East Side, park and just amble through College Hill neighborhoods, down to either river or the bay. In Riverside itself you have the bike path for walking too. It's a spectacular asset for a woman walking a dog.

In season in Providence there are outdoor markets with artisans and farmers. Lots of specialty markets big and small. If you are interested at all in food, OP, there's no comparison.

Just in terms of being a stranger knowing no one who will be alone 50% of the time, Greater Providence will be a lot less lonely than being marooned in Portsmouth.

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overthehillhat t1_j23injb wrote

marooned in Portsmouth

This is exactly the reality = =

(lived in RI all my life)

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Leather-Monk-6587 t1_j23s99w wrote

Yo, RandomChurn, that was very thoughtful of you to be so thorough. You are also right on point.

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sailri t1_j23kd5s wrote

To say that you can’t drive in Newport for half the year while loving up the proximity to Providence, for someone living in Fox Point, misses something quite obvious.

Traffic on 195 twice daily exists. Traffic one mile away at 95 exists. Riverside has great access when traffic isn’t an issue though. But backups at the end of the parkway are daily.

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nbreadcrumb t1_j243e2v wrote

Honestly, after all the places I’ve lived, traffic in Providence is not bad at all.

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WarExciting t1_j23rctf wrote

True. 195 and 95 are so fickle. One day you might coast through with time to spare. All it takes is one asshole is the S curves and you’re stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam. Or heavy rain; why would anyone build a highway that wouldn’t drain!!

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ComfortFrenchFry t1_j24juj7 wrote

In the OCEAN STATE 🤣😂

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bbpr120 t1_j28zsok wrote

when was the last time you saw the Atlantic Ocean flooding RT 95??? Never, that's when.

Too bad it was "ocean proof" or "rain proof" and RI had to go with the ocean proofing option. In retrospect, not such a bright idea... But it fits coming from the state of Warmer/Cooler and "Vote Buddy- A man of Conviction".

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_j23l6qv wrote

There are workarounds to the parkway just like there are workarounds to 195.

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Even-Vegetable-1700 t1_j23veym wrote

Having lived in RI for 60 years and 15 of those years in Riverside, I agree with this assessment. And there is a nice little dog park at Haines Park. Best wishes wherever you end up. DM me if you would like to discuss it in more detail.

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omjy18 t1_j240kfv wrote

Grew up In portsmouth and you're completely right haha

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somegridplayer t1_j23nqu9 wrote

>Yes, you can go to Newport. But half the year that's crawling with tourists and partiers. Hell to park or navigate through its traffic during the season.

Uh, when? Holidays? That's anywhere. Normal summer weekends? I suppose if you get stuck in the 138 beach traffic at noon. And parking has never been an issue in Newport during the summer. There's ALWAYS parking on either end. Hell, there's parking front and center during the boat show.

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rustybullrake t1_j24at1a wrote

>parking has never been an issue in Newport during the summer

lol what

Edit: since you're doubling down, here's the results of a quick Google:

>In summer, especially weekends, Newport tends to be congested with traffic and on-street parking is difficult to find.

CityofNewport.com

>We know that parking in Newport during the busy summer season can be a challenge.

The Mooring

>Parking here in the summer is a classic case of supply and demand: not enough spots with a high demand of drivers looking to park.

Newport Daily News

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LibraryScneef t1_j24qn95 wrote

Do you ever go yourself? You can find parking in spring street most days of the week

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rustybullrake t1_j250zge wrote

I know a guy and park in a private lot off Bellevue which circumvents the issue.

I just can't believe that anyone would try to wholly deny that parking is difficult during peak tourist season in a colonial era city built around horse and pedestrian traffic, and try to play it off as a personal problem. Get real!

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