New Haven

Wow...never have I felt more like I was back in college than when we visited New Haven, Connecticut. Lots of young upstarts were everywhere discussing their majors, their scholarships and politics. I'm only 31 so maybe I shouldn't be using the word "upstarts" just yet. The energy of the city was one of people looking forward to changing the world. That's better.

Granted, we didn't wander too far outside the city center, and maybe it was just the looming buildings of Yale or the excited atmosphere of kids going home for the summer. But New Haven felt like a studious little party town. There was a great book store, a little theater, an art museum, a symphony hall, a bunch of clubs, an incredible pastry shop and a lot of traffic. We got to walk around the Yale campus and later we saw our first lighthouse up close, which is a pretty big deal for us land-locked Coloradans. We aren't used to the privilege of seeing the end of the continent. It was breathtaking.

Claire's Cornercopia • Vegetarian • 1000 Chapel Street • Map

How lucky for Yale that there is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant right across the street from campus. Claire's style slants towards casual, hippie culture with lots of window seats, people studying, and a community feel. The food is really good. However, a lot of dishes are pre-made and re-heated when you order them. I think it's because they offer so many choices. The menu is about four chalkboards long, not counting the desserts. I had a mexican lasagna, which was great comfort food but was cold in the middle. Not that I had enough room to even GET to the middle. The portion size was huge so I was satisfied. They have a lot of stuff that would be good for picnics too, so I would definitely recommend it if you are visiting the area.