Walk Providence up College Hill
Providence is small, hilly and old, with colonial streets climbing above a downtown where the rivers were uncovered again. FOG hides the map until you walk it, and the whole centre fits in a weekend of walking.
Hill and river
College Hill rises steeply east of downtown, home to Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Benefit Street runs along its slope, lined with colonial and Federal houses, and is often called a mile of history. Prospect Terrace Park, near the top, looks out over the city.
Downtown lies in the valley where the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck rivers meet. They were once paved over and are now open again, lined with a Riverwalk where WaterFire lights braziers on the water on summer evenings.
A loop of the centre
Start at the State House, walk down to Waterplace Park and follow the Riverwalk through downtown. Climb College Hill by any of the steep streets, walk Benefit Street end to end, and come down through Fox Point to India Point Park on the bay.
West of downtown, Federal Hill is the Italian neighbourhood, with Atwells Avenue under its arch and DePasquale Square at its heart. Blackstone Boulevard, on the East Side, has a long tree lined path for walking loops.
Coverage
Providence is compact, so the centre fills fast and the percentage of the city moves more than in most American cities. The hills slow you down, but they also pack a lot of streets into a small area.
Winters are cold and snowy, summers warm. Autumn on College Hill is the best season.
The character who walks with you
FOG puts a small explorer called Wander on your position. Pick one of five paths (two are free, three come with FOG Unlimited) and every two levels on a path hands you a new piece of gear, earned only by the ground you cover. Twenty five pieces in all, and none of them can be bought.
Under the character it is a plain, permanent record: every street you walk in Providence is cleared and stays clear, the app works in the background, and the map is stored only on your phone with no account and no cloud. You can export it as GPX at any time.
Questions people actually ask
What is WaterFire?
An art installation of bonfires on the downtown rivers, lit on selected evenings in the warmer months.
Is Providence hilly?
College Hill and Federal Hill are steep; downtown in the valley is flat.
Does it work with the app closed?
Yes. With background exploring on, FOG keeps clearing fog while the app is closed and the screen is off.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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