Then it was on through the affluent New York and Connecticut suburbs close to the city (New Rochelle, Stamford and so forth), the belt of somewhat tired industrial cities in central Connecticut (Bridgeport, New Haven and others), and some scenic stretches in eastern Connecticut with harbors full of sailboats and weekend homes on the water,
After arriving in Providence, I toured the State Capitol. It's nice, built in 1904, with a very ornately painted interior under the dome and an interesting chandelier. It has some similarities to Wisconsin's and California's Capitols, because it's situated within a large park, but it's some distance from the center of Providence and doesn't show many signs of activity except during the day when there's legislative activity.
Then it was on to a walking tour of Providence: Benefit Street, with attractive Colonial houses; the Providence Athenaeum, an 1838 library and reading room with books and artifacts; Brown University, with a somewhat mixed collection of brick and stone buildings around a historic quad; and the downtown, with some interesting newer and older buildings.
Finally, I watched WaterFire, an event at dusk in a cove between downtown and the Capitol where boats with torch-bearers are used to light a circle of floating braziers, creating a ring of fire, accompanied by music. It's quite a scene and draws a large crowd. To add to the excitement, while waiting for the event to begin I came across a reception for a National Association of State Treasurers conference and chatted with several of the attendees about various money management and public policy issues such as the administration of state unclaimed property programs.
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| Rhode Island State Capitol |
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| Providence Athenaeum |
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| Brown University: Prospect Gates and University Hall |
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| The East Side has many houses from the 1800s |
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