New Haven, New Horizons

Take-off times for the trains.

Experiencing the window seat on the train ride.

Our cohort got up earlier than usual this morning and was promptly on its way to its next destination in New Haven, Connecticut. Today, we would be touring our last Ivy League: Yale University.

Upon arrival, the cohort headed for the university’s visitor center. As soon as we got there, we started snapping pictures because of the gorgeous scenery all around us. From the gothic-style buildings to even the interior decoration. One thing I immediately noticed was a stuffed bulldog at the center. When then met our tour guide, Sarah -- a student who had just finished her Freshman year at Yale. Sarah was from North Carolina, and was studying Environmental Engineering while pursuing her pre-med.

As soon as our tour started, Sarah began filling us in on the basics of Yale’s academics, including credit requirements, majoring and minoring (Yale has no minors), and much more. As we moved onto seeing the residential halls and statues, Sarah began telling us the stories behind the architecture of some of the buildings. The most memorable thing Sarah told us about was the main architect of Yale’s residential buildings, who also happened to be quite insane. Apparently, James Gamble Rogers, who had build many of Yale's structures, was obsessed with an old-fashioned style of architecture, and would go to extreme lengths at trying to make his new building look as run down as possible, such as pouring acid down the walls and setting the rooftops on fire for a "vintage" look. Besides these kinds of historical anecdotes, Sarah also told us about residential life, Freshman culture, and more regarding what makes Yale so unique. Probably my favorite thing about the Yale was the gorgeous architecture, along with the stories behind them.

The cohort snaps a picture with Sarah!

Sarah left us off at the bookstore as she departed. After roaming around and looking at merchandise, the cohort was ready to move onto to the next part of its itinerary: meeting Linda, a stage worker and coordinator at the Yale University Theater. We were also able to meet her adorable little daughter, Bella. By chatting with Linda, we found out that she had gone to UC Berkeley, which is incredibly close to us! She had majored in theater. Gaby and her had a good time chatting, since Gaby was so interested in pursuing a performing arts career in the future.

Being unfamiliar with the area, we asked Linda where we should go to eat, and she suggested Yorkside Pizza, a restaurant just up the street a few blocks away. Everyone agreed that it sounded like a good idea and off we were to have lunch at New Haven. Everyone ordered their preferred meals and ate to their heart’s content. I loved the pizza there, as well as the garlic bread with basil, cheese, and tomato. Since we still had a lot of time to spare afterwards before our train would be boarding, we decided to visit the Yale Museum, which offered free admission.

The museum was very fun! It was grandiose, and held many artifacts and art pieces from different periods and cultures. Our timing was impeccable as well; just as we decided to leave, we found out they were about to close for the day!

After the museum, we concluded our visit to New Haven with some ice cream at Ashley's Ice Cream Cafe. They had unique flavors and toppings I had never seen before. I ended up getting a Raspberry Chip ice cream, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  

We took the train ride back to Boston to head back for the hotel. Now, we have to finish packing our luggage since today was our last full day traveling. By this time