September 25, 2013 - Providence, RI

RISD and some historic buildings

Our destination today was the Roger Williams Visitor Center in Providence, where we began our volkswalk. We walked through a park, past the oldest Baptist chuch in America (1648), and past the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

A beautiful roof line

We went back and fourth across the Providence River four times over different bridges.  

After walking through the Providence Place Mall we arrived at the State Capitol. It was a typical state capitol building with a rotunda and lots of marble and statues inside.

Rhode Island State Capitol

Inside the Capitol

The Library inside the Capitol

All in all, Providence was pleasant, but not particularly remarkable. It had a lot more buildings from the colonial period and a lot fewer modern buildings than I expected.  I did not come away with a feel for what this city is about. The walk directions and map were very confusing, and crossing the streets was sometimes tricky.

Leaving the city was difficult and we got lost in a maze of freeways. After looping around three or four times, we found our way out of the maze and got on the road to Hartford, CT, where we are spending the night.



Walk Route: B-
Walk Directions: C-

September 24, 2013 - Freeport, ME

Upon reaching Freeport, Maine, Kate and I embarked upon a volkswalk that took us down Main Street to the L.L.Bean "Campus." It is a lovely, well-planned campus (and is a destination for tour buses). It was fun to shop there in person. I especially liked the Home Store. I didn't buy anything because I really don't have any room in my luggage for anything else. But I was tempted.

Freeport is a very picturesque town. Even the CVS and the Hampton Inn blended in to the classic New England setting. Obviously, they take their zoning very seriously here. We bypassed a crowded lobster place at lunch time and ended up at a Chinese buffet. It was ok, but my clothing absorbed the smell of the restaurant and I did not enjoy that.  

Walking around Freeport, you would think that they invented moose here, even though we didn't see any live moose. This is of course, ridiculous. Everybody knows, or should know, that moose were invented in Alaska. However, I think they may have invented Sorels in Freeport and there were some gret Sorel photo ops there. I wanted to buy a super-cute Sorel keychain, but I din't want to spend $8 for it. My daughter, who went to college in Maine, says they are not Sorels, they are "Bean Boots."

There are a number of other outlet stores on this route and a few mildly historic buildings. It's just what you would expect to see in New England, and fall is a terrific time to visit.

Walk Route: B
Walk Instructions: C