From the dorms, south a few blocks is Wickenden Street, which has restaurants, cafes and antique stores. (Read an article about “Providence's Greenwich Village”, or watch a video.) Going north on Thayer Street (immediately past Waterman) gets you to a more eclectic collection of restaurants, an excellent bookstore and a superb independent movie theater. Also, from Thayer, you can take a trolley to the downtown area (which has a nice mall) and to Federal Hill, Providence's traditional Italian neighborhood (with, guess what, more restaurants and stores).