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waninggib t1_j61dyp0 wrote

I love Providence. I’m a transplant from MA and prefer life here. I don’t think this sub represents the city very well at all, to be honest. The people I meet throughout the city are very friendly and welcoming, and this sub is definitely not that.

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A_Man_Who_Writes t1_j61ppko wrote

I feel that way about virtually all location subreddits. They’re mostly collections of the most bitter and overly-analytic people in an area.

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smokejaguar t1_j61vrzv wrote

It wasn't always this way. A decade ago both this and the state sub were much smaller, but, oddly enough, more reflective of the residents of RI, albeit skewing younger, college educated, and middle class.

I used to put together meetups on a regular basis, sometimes with up to 50 participants, and attendees had a great time. I'm not sure I could pull that off now.

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waninggib t1_j61w2cd wrote

I was posting here then under a different name. Left Reddit for a while and came back for a bit when COVID first hit and again recently. It had become alarmingly toxic around the COVID time, but seems to have settled down some now. Definitely not the same though.

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smokejaguar t1_j61y254 wrote

COVID really kicked the hostility into high gear. I've been a mod on the sister sub for nearly a decade, and prior to COVID, moderator actions could often be counted in the low double digits for an entire year. Needless to say, that is no longer the case.

I'm currently overseas, but I've had the thought of putting together another meet up upon my return. One of the reasons I did so in the first place (other than wanting an excuse to drink beer with new and interesting strangers) was to remind the community that there is a physical person behind each username. Of the dozens of gatherings I organized, I can't recall a single serious argument/fight, despite the fact that there were people of all race/class/sex/political affiliation attending. Disagreements, sure, but civil ones.

People think twice about saying nasty things when they recognize the humanity of the person behind the screen.

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Trinimaninmass t1_j61siiy wrote

I’ll be closing on a home in RI on Tuesday! I’m excited to be there. I’ll also be a transplant from worcester and so excited to have things within a 15 min drive max

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waninggib t1_j61u8ht wrote

I moved here from right outside of Worcester, so I get that feeling a lot! I actually recently went carless this past summer (much to the demise of my MA family who cannot fathom this at all) and feel so much better not being car dependent like I was while in MA. I can walk to most places that I need to go from where I live currently and it’s the best feeling.

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RandomChurn t1_j683n90 wrote

Another transplant who grew up in MA 👋 .. I love RI and Providence!

I think the more someone has lived in other parts of the US and in other countries, the better they appreciate what RI offers, and in such a compact area.

As for driving, I gave up my car and driving entirely, years back. I'm in Fox Point and can walk everywhere I need to go: markets, doctors, dentists, bank, my old workplace (been wfh for over a decade), parks, rivers, the bay.

I find it really pretty darn idyllic 🤷‍♀️

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radioflea t1_j625pbs wrote

Are you meeting other transplants though? I think the pandemic made the worst parts of Rhode Island even worse.

I can’t speak for other Rhode Islanders but between the pandemic and our most recent election it feel like the state just took a giant step backwards.

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