New Haven, Connecticut: Elis and a Whole Lot More

New Haven, Connecticut is not just Yalesocieties, such as the "Skull and Bones". These are
University.  Stop at the Museum of the Newgood old boys’ networks, very exclusive and
Haven Colony Settlement. This museum gives ainsular.
historical look at the city of New Haven. The cityA tour of campus is highly recommended. It
was originally laid out as nine squares, the centerleaves twice daily from 149 Elm Street and lasts
one being the green. The squares were thenover an hour in length. The tour guides shows
divided into parcels and given or sold to thedifferent parts of the campus, going into one of
settlers. Some of its well known citizens were Elithe colleges, to which entrance is available by only
Whitney (cotton gin), Charles Goodyear (rubber),a single gate. Yale is full of many stories and
and Noah Webster (dictionary). Many othertraditions, which the guide shares on the tour. Not
inventions were founded here: the corkscrew, fishto be missed is the Sterling Library, a cathedral
hooks, steamboat, lollipop, etc. One of the roomslike structure. Yale, being nonsectarian, did not
is devoted to Joseph Cinque, the leader of thewant a chapel. The architect, however, wanted to
Amistad Mutiny. The history of their ordeals is toldbuild a church like building. So he built a cathedral
in paintings, documents and other displays.to knowledge. Gothic in style, the card catalogues
The second Amistad trial took pace in the Stateresemble pews, the check out desk a high altar,
House, which was joyfully torn down after theand many windows give the effect of being in a
new one was built in Hartford in the 1870s. Thecathedral. Behind the desk is a large mural
old jail, where the Africans were kept during theirdepicting different areas of knowledge. The
trials is also gone. What remains however is thepainter, being a Communist, put himself into the
green, where they had their daily exercise, doingpainting holding a hammer and sickle.
cartwheels and back flips and generally having aThe tours ends in the courtyard between
good time. They were well loved by theWoolsey Hall and Beinecke Library. The former is
community, who helped keep their stay aswhere the Yale Symphony plays and is a
comfortable as possible, given the circumstances.memorial to the dead of World War I. The Viet
On the green today are three churches and theNam Memorial in Washington DC is modeled after
graves of thousands of early settlers. The citizensthe rotunda of this hall, which has the names of
thought that their green, the public park, wasthe fallen from WWI. Beinecke Library is the
beginning to look like a cemetery. So they movedrepository of rare books and manuscripts for the
the headstones to Grove Cemetery. But theuniversity. This includes a copy of the Guttenberg
bodies remain interred on the green.Bible, which is on display. Another museum not to
Today the focal point of New Haven is Yalebe missed on campus is the collection of British
University. Named after Elihu Yale, the UniversityArt, one of the largest outside of England.
consists of twelve self contained colleges, whereIf you are not too tired of walking, a stroll down
the undergrads eat, sleep, recreate, and bondHillhouse Street, a half block from Woolsey Hall is
together. Something like Hogworts in the Harryquite an experience. On both sides of the street
Potter books the 5,000 plus students stay in theirstand stately Victorian mansions, which now
college for their length of their undergraduate stayhouse offices for the different departments of
at Yale. The Greek System of fraternities existsthe university. American Elms, felled by Dutch elm
on campus, but plays a minor role in student life.disease, once canopied this street. Today other
One other aspect of student life is the secrettrees have been planted to restore its look.