I went up to Providence a second time this past weekend, part two in our attempt to find somewhere to live while I am in school. It was an equally frustrating and exhausting trip, but this time I think we found it! Its a small, two bedroom townhouse on the East Side, about two blocks east of Wayland Square. Not that that means anything to most people, but its a little over a mile's walk from campus, and on bus and trolley lines should I need to get there faster. Wayland Square is an area with shops and restaurants and, most importantly, Starbucks. Its also three blocks from Whole Foods, which means I might actually be able to walk to buy groceries! Besides our must-have items, the place also has windows on three sides and a working fireplace - features I hadn't even bothered to put on my wish list but will thoroughly enjoy.

In between tours I did find time to take one of those amphibious vehicle tours that start by driving around the city and then drive right into the harbor and show you the sights from the water. This was so much fun! I've seen these types of tours in several cities and always wanted to try them, and the weather in Providence was so perfect that I signed up for one Sunday morning before I left. I posted a bunch of pictures in my flickr account. Here are a few I thought were interesting:

Cheap flights home were all sold out, so I ended up taking the Amtrak Acela train back to my car at BWI. It didn't cost too much to upgrade, so I got a first class ticket! This was great fun - my ticket included complimentary dinner and beverages for the trip, so I could order anything I wanted off of the menu and a waiter brought it to my seat. Barely crowded to begin with, the train all but cleared out after we left New York and I had a nice relaxing ride home. Given the hassle of driving through New York, we might look at train travel as a way to get to see friends and family along the east coast.