Distance: 70 miles

Sights:
Yale

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Arriving at 7:45pm, my flight had landed 25 minutes ahead of schedule.  I retrieved my gate-checked bag from the cart on the tarmac, entered Tweed terminal, and asked to use the phone.  I call CT Transit to have the next G bus stop at the airport as the driver on Tuesday had suggested I should.  Answered on ring one, a recording greeted my call.  The voice on the line stated the office hours of 6:30am through 6:30pm, so I rolled my eyes and hung up the phone to go outside and up to the street.

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My alarm sounded at 5:10am and I got up to start my day.  I made oatmeal for breakfast, took a shower while it cooled, and finished getting dressed and ready after I ate.  Watching TV to pass the remaining time, I heard my roommate lurking around upstairs.  Wanting not to discuss my plans with her, I went to my room to grab my luggage while she was in the shower and left the apartment early at 6:44am to wait for the B1.

A minute later, I heard the distinctive sound of a bus at the stop up the street, so I hurried down my driveway and crossed the street to catch it.  Along the ride, a colorful older woman bellowed in conversation with a fellow passenger about her plans for the weekend and I watched through the windows to see the town along a route I had not yet traveled.  In downtown New Haven, I walked a block from Church Street to the Chapel and Orange stop and transferred to the 7:20am G2.

I requested a stop at Tweed when upon boarding and arrived by quarter to eight.  Tweed New Haven is a clean and quiet, if comically small regional airport with one airline, which flies to a single destination.  While checking in, I asked my pleasant ticketing agent why all flights go only to Philadelphia.  She told me they used to fly to DC as well, but eliminated those that route after 9-11 for security reasons.  I failed to see the logic in her answer, but left it alone and collected my ticket.

With ample time remaining before my 9:10am departure, I went for a walk outside.  Dragging my roller bag behind, I went back up to Burr Street, which crosses the hill in front of the airport.  From the sidewalk along the short chain link fence, I looked out over the airfield and snapped a couple of pictures.  It was a hot, sunny morning, so I returned to the air-conditioned comfort of the terminal to avoid sweating in my business attire.

Beyond the metal detector and single x-ray machine of the lone security isle, I sat by the two side-by-side gates, to await my boarding call.  The “gates” were simply a pair of glass doors that open directly to the tarmac.  My left eyebrow rose involuntarily at 8:53 when I heard the announcement that “Gold Members” may board.  There were only 19 people in the boarding area and the plane was a little de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Turboprop; it was silly to imagine there could be different classes of seats.

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Lee and Emily came in to Connecticut on the Metro North train from Grand Central Station in NY.   My girlfriend  Dawn and I met them at the New Haven train station, a little after noon. We loaded their bags in the back of the truck, and headed out.  They had traveled 2 hours by train, and we had 2 and a half more on the road, so we decided to get lunch first.   Emily, from Philadelphia, had never had the chance to try New Haven Pizza before, so we decided to bring her to Pepe's Pizza on Wooster Street.   Wooster street is the home to both Pepe's and Sally's Pizzarias, which are reputed to be among the best pizza's in the World.  I haven't been to the whole world yet, but Pepe's is still at the top of my list!  ( Frank Sinatra, whenever he was in New York, would send his driver all the way to New Haven to get a couple of pizza pies from Pepe's...almost 5 hours round trip--and New York has some pretty good pizza! )   As usual, there was a line going out the door, and we had to wait about a half hour before we got a seat.  It was well worth it!  We got a giant pie for the four of us, but it didn't last long.  No leftovers today!  Beer, friends and pizza, on a sunny Friday afternoon in New Haven...sure beats work!   After lunch was history, we punched the address of our hotel into the Garmin Streetpilot Navigation System, and we were on our way!

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What can I say about New Haven Pizza, It is among the best in the world! Unlike Sally's, Pepe's is open for lunch and the line is usually out the door! Sometimes up to a half hour to get a seat, but well worth the wait! There is a list of toppings on the wall, pick what you want and wait for perfection! This has been a New Haven institution for many, many years, and I hope they never go away. Authentic Wooster St pizza sets the standard that all others are judged by. (For those who think NY Pizza is the best, keep in mind that whenever Frank Sinatra was in NY City, he would send his driver to Pepe's for a couple of pies..5 hour drive round trip!) Check it out for yourself, you won't be disappointed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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The next stop on my travels has been New Haven, the home of Yale University. I'm not sure why I was so keen on visiting, but two of my must-see destinations were Harvard & Yale - mission accomplished. I stayed at Hotel Duncan, which was cheap but really quite nice. And I took a campus tour this morning, which was really good.

The Yale campus is just gorgeous, with so many fascinating buildings. After the tour I kept wandering to look at more buildings & hang out & pretend I was a student - it made me want to go back to studying (if only I had $45,000 a year...) Then I visited the Yale University Art Gallery, before heading on a bus to New York City...

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