New Haven, Connecticut

I stayed at the Omni New Haven at Yale, a nice hotel with a vintage vibe. The staff was friendly and attentive. It’s near the Union Station train station, making it a convenient option for Amtrak. New Haven is a diverse city, so I never felt out of place, but there is something unsettling about a town where the most famous university costs $72K per year to attend but about a quarter of the people in the area live below the federal poverty line. The city is quiet during the day and lively at night. Occasionally, so lively that the noise from car horns was audible from my 7th floor hotel room. I had good apizza (thin crust pizza to those of us not from the area) at Frank Pepe’s. No wait, prompt service, good food. I attended an event at the College Street Music Hall. It’s a small venue. Security was efficient, the staff was friendly. There’s a bar with lots of drink options (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). My cocktail was a bit on the watery side but wasn’t terrible.