EPTGuide Topics
1. Transportation and Parking
2. Places to Shop
3. Places to Eat
4. Bars and Nightlife
5. Event Schedule
6. Meet & Greet / Player Signings
7. Additional Info
Transportation and Parking:
If you read nothing else, read this: Providence parking laws are *very* strict. Plan to park your car in a lot rather than on the Street - if you park in a space that says 2 hour parking, plan to get a ticket if you're there for 2:15.
Providence does not have a subway, but we do have a fairly interconnected Bus system that will allow you to get around the main areas of the city (or visit popular nearby destinations, such as Newport) if you're visiting and didn't rent a car. The bus system is called RIPTA and has its main hub at Kennedy Plaza - a 5 minute walk to the Convention Center. There are buses to and from the airport - fares are very cheap and the ride is not much longer than a cab (easy way to save $20, especially on your arrival). Buses have a schedule that can be found using Google Maps or Google Navigation, just ask it how to get from Point A to Point B and it will give you convenient routes.
The Providence Train Station (PVD) is located next to the mall outside of the Cheesecake factory. While it is possible to take the Amtrak from other cities (e.g., NYC, Boston, Washington DC), trains to and from Boston are $7 on the Commuter Rail (using Amtrak, trains to Boston cost ~$30-$40 each way). The train to Boston is about an hour or so long. If you're planning on flying in and out of Boston's logan airport (rather than TF Green), plan on adding an hour or two to your transportation time, because the Commuter Rail does not stop at Logan - you will need to take another train to get to South Station (Commuter Rail Departure Point).
If you are planning to take the Commuter Rail, there's a schedule posted here (make sure you check the Saturday and Sunday schedules, which differ from the Weekday schedules):
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=PROVSTOU&direction=I&timing=W&RedisplayTime=Redisplay Time
The last train is at around 10PM each day. Your only worry should be that, if you miss your train, you are SOL. There's no other convenient transport back to Boston that late.
Taxis are metered, but there are not a ton of cabs driving around town like NYC, so it will not be as easy to get a ride (although, in some areas of town such as downtown and Thayer st there are enough cabs on the weekends that you can usually get a ride).
Downtown is safe (this is not legal advice). I can't vouch for past 1-2AM and there are obviously places you will not want to go walking around at 4 in the morning (just like any city), but you shouldn't be afraid walking around near the Mall and downtown. Do not go walking around bad areas of Branch Ave in North Providence (far from most of you), under random overpasses near the hospital (far from you), or into any place on Federal Hill that looks like an obvious mob hangout.
Places to Shop:
The Providence Place Mall, located adjacent to the Convention Center, is a huge 4-story Mall with a number of restaurants and shops. (Note: Unfortunately for Competitors that might have forgot some gear, there is no electronics/computer store in the mall - your best bet is probably the Best Buy in Seekonk [~10-15m by car]).
Places to Eat:
The Providence Place Mall has a food court and several upscale casual restaurants (Cheesecake Factory, American Joe's Grill etc).
Providence is home to one of the most famous and well known Little Italy's in the country: Federal Hill. The Hill is literally two-three blocks from the Convention Center on Atwells Avenue. You can pick almost any restaurant on the street and be satisfied. Prices will not be cheap, but not be outrageously expensive either (typically $15-25 pp). Personal favorites are Pane e Vino and Andinos, others will swear by Sienna and Al Forno (more pricey). You can also check out Bob & Timmy's Grilled Pizza (famous place that makes it into top 10 pizza in America list pretty consistently, very different but very good).
For my money, the best restaurant in the city is Andreas on Thayer St, a greek restaurant near the Brown University campus. Entrees range from very reasonable ($7-10) to moderately priced ($15-20). They are able to accomodate large groups (they have a back room with big tables). Lamb Souvlaki is fantastic and they have many good vegetarian options (salads, etc).
Also on Thayer St. is East Side Pockets (good wraps), a few good burrito places, sushi, etc. Two places bear mention here: Nice Slice and Antonios Pizza. Some people swear by one or the other, but they are open late nights (for a snack after MLG). Nice Slice also has very good vegan and vegetarian pizzas, although they don't deliver. Thayer is located ~5-10m from the Convention Center by car.
For Korean food: Mama Kim's Korean BBQ (which gets RAVE reviews) may bring their food truck down to the Convention Center. To increase chances of this happening, tweet @MamaKimsKbbq that you want to try some tasty Korean food. =)
For Korean Shopping: I have been told by a Chinese postdoc in our lab that the Chinese-American Mini-Market (located at 834 Park Ave in Cranston RI) sells a variety of Korean food that Korean competitors might want. I'm not Korean and I've never wanted to get random Korean snack food, so I can't tell you if this is a good place or not. But, it's like 5-10 minutes drive from the Convention Center, so it might be a cool place for an MLG employee or fan to stop off at and pick up some treats for Korean Players. =) I know one complaint of Korean Players in the past has been the distaste for American Fast Food.
Some additional information from teylewr:
For awesome burritos during the day or night, you can try Cilantros on weybosset... my favorite burrito of all time they also have a drink menu and are right next to a nice small bar Aruba Steves which isn't too bad in small groups, not loud if you just wanna chill and have a drink and chat about the games/starcraft.
If you're looking for BBQ and are up for a bit of a longer walk or small drive check out Ricks Roadhouse, they have great atmosphere good beer selection, tons of good food, cornhole and a hot wing challenge that you can get your picture on the wall.
For a piece of history there is Haven brothers food truck right near kennedy plaza with lots of delicious greasy food at night.
Bars and Nightlife
I am probably not the best person to write this section because most of my nights are now spent with the wife and dog (I know, I am lame). Most of my favorite places to go are up on Thayer St., near Pawtucket, or would require a car from downtown.
If I had to choose a bar and had a car, I'd go to either the Ivy Tavern (Great Food, Good Drinks) or Doherty's East Ave Irish Pub (amazing 100+ beer selection), but neither are "nightlife" places. Spats on Thayer St. is also good for a drink.
Some additional information from teylewr:
There are a lot of bars within walking distance of the convention center.
Some recommendations for food and drink since really you should try and avoid the mall, as thats just generic every mall food and providence has some good places, use yelp if necessary!
Luxe burger bar-has build your own burger, really good burgers also pretty well priced beers, probably the best place close by, though it is pretty small so large numbers of people can be iffy especially in november without outside seating
Ri-ra is a decent pub right nearby, though they usually have covers to pay for live bands, really loud not really good if you want to hang out and talk, but good for live music.
Trinity brewhouse - my personal favorite bar around here, they also have good food/nachos, and likely the best place to grab a beer with your friends after, good music, good atmosphere and good local brews though if you want only brand name beers and dont like trying new things this isnt for you, but damn they have good beer!
Walking into downtown about half a mile there are lots of other bars murphys, blakes, tazza, mcfadens( which can accommodate a lot of people although they turn most of their tables into a dance floor, but they have 2 bars and a lot of space) I cant speak too much about the others as I've only really stumbled upon them in pub crawls etc.
Some recommendations for food and drink since really you should try and avoid the mall, as thats just generic every mall food and providence has some good places, use yelp if necessary!
Luxe burger bar-has build your own burger, really good burgers also pretty well priced beers, probably the best place close by, though it is pretty small so large numbers of people can be iffy especially in november without outside seating
Ri-ra is a decent pub right nearby, though they usually have covers to pay for live bands, really loud not really good if you want to hang out and talk, but good for live music.
Trinity brewhouse - my personal favorite bar around here, they also have good food/nachos, and likely the best place to grab a beer with your friends after, good music, good atmosphere and good local brews though if you want only brand name beers and dont like trying new things this isnt for you, but damn they have good beer!
Walking into downtown about half a mile there are lots of other bars murphys, blakes, tazza, mcfadens( which can accommodate a lot of people although they turn most of their tables into a dance floor, but they have 2 bars and a lot of space) I cant speak too much about the others as I've only really stumbled upon them in pub crawls etc.
Event Schedule
As obtained from: http://pro.majorleaguegaming.com/competitions/25#event_54_event_schedule
StarCraft 2 - Event Schedule
Friday
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Early Check-In
10:30 AM - 4:00 PM Problem Check-In / Registration
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM Check-In / Warm-Up
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM Welcome
5:30 PM - 9:30 PM Open Winners Round 1
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM Global Invitational Semifinals & Finals
8:30 PM - 11:30 PM Open Winners Round 2
10:30 PM - 12:30 AM Open Winners Round 3
12:30 AM - 1:30 AM Open Winners Round 4
Saturday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Losers Round 1
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Open Winners Round 5
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Open Winners Round 5 / Losers Round 2
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Open Winners Round 6 / Losers Round 2
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Winners Round 1
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Open Losers Round 3
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Winners Round 2
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Open Losers Round 4
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Open Losers Round 5
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Winners Round 3
I'm glad to hear that Bob and Timmy's is still in business though. Amazingly good artisan pizza.
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Open Losers Round 6
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Open Losers Round 7
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Open Losers Round 8
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Winners Round 4
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Championship Losers Round 1
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM Championship Losers Round 2
Sunday
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM Warm-Up
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Championship Losers Round 3
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Championship Losers Round 4
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals A / Losers Round 5
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Championship Winners Semifinals B / Losers Round 6
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Championship Losers Round 7
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Championship Losers Round 8
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Championship Losers Round 9
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Championship Winners Finals
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Championship Losers Finals
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Championship Finals
Meet & Greet / Player Signings:
TLO: Providence Place Mall (adjacent to Convention Center) from 6:30 to 8:30 on Thursday
http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/meet-tlo-and-tsquared-in-providence
QIM - MVP (!!!!), NESTEA (!!!!), LOSIRA (!!!!), Inka, Destiny, Agh, Darkcell: Atwells Hilton (21 Atwells Ave) from 1:00PM to 3:00PM on Friday
http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=286319
TYLER: Stride Booth @ MLG from 2:30 to 3:00 on Friday
Additional Info
If people have additional questions and post them below, I'll keep updating this in advance of MLG Providence. Or, if people have other good info, I'll update the post with that as well.
