(5.6) Get to know some of Providence’s hidden treasures this weekend during Jane’s Walk. Thirteen citizen-led neighborhood tours are planned in Providence during the Jane’s Walk Global Weekend Festival from May 4th-6th. (Facebook event page.)
Inspired by urban activist Jane Jacobs, Jane’s Walk encourages people to get out and explore their neighborhoods. Unlike typical guided tours, these free walks are led by volunteer citizen guides who share knowledge of their own communities while inspiring participants to think, talk, and connect.
Friday, May 4:
•1pm, Rhode Island and the International Slave Trade (led by Elon Cook): intersection of Brown and Power Streets.
•3:15pm, The Urbanization of Elmhurst & Mt. Pleasant (led by Mark Carty): main staircase at LaSalle Academy
•5pm, Where I-195 Used to Be (led by Ian Baldwin): JWU Student Services Center, 274 Pine Street
Saturday, May 5:
• 10am, Fields Point: A History of Fill, Industry, Recreation, and Infrastructure (led by Manuel Cordero): Save the Bay Center, 100 Save the Bay Drive.
• 10am, A Walking Conversation on the Past and Future of Benefit Street (led by Tim More), Corner of Jenckes and Benefit Streets.
• 10:30am, Trinity Square, Providence (led by Doug Victor): Southside Cultural Center parking lot.
• Noon, Pond Street: A Walk Through a Lost Neighborhood (led by Taylor M. Polites and Christina Bevilacqua): Corner of Empire and Weybosset streets in front of Beneficent Congregational Church.
• 1pm, Experiencing Broad Street (led by Jim Barnes) Parkview Cafe, 1228 Broad Street.
• 2pm, Creative Capital: Stories from the North Burial Ground (led by Dr. Erik Christiansen and Dr. Fran Leazes): North Burial Ground, pedestrian gate at N. Main St. and Rochambeau Avenue.
• 3pm, Discovering Roger Williams Park (led by Christopher Ackley): Monument to Roger Williams (at the Park’s Elmwood Avenue entrance, past the Casino).
• 4pm, Providence’s Waterfront: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (led by David Brussat): Crawford Street Bridge, near Hemenway’s.
Sunday, May 6:
• 11am, Summit Neighborhood: A Closer Look (led by Mike Fink and Ed Neubauer): The Parlour, 1119 N. Main Street.
• 3pm, Hidden in Plain Sight: Public Art on & off Wickenden (led by C.J. Opperthauser): South Main & Wickenden Streets.
Participants should wear comfortable shoes, find their leaders at their designated meeting spots, and be ready for lively discussions while on the move. Advance registration is not required. For more info and updates go the Doors Open RI.