It’s a crazy time to go to Yale. Without parties, performances, or in-person classes, we Yale Students have a lot more time on our hands—also, why isn’t the expression “in our hands”? That’d make way more sense. Anywho! I’ve noticed that we Yalies have spent a lot of this time (on/in our hands) outside.This semester alone, I’ve seen more games of spike ball, more picnics on Cross Campus, and more outdoor movie screenings, than the past three years combined.
Like I said, lots of spikeball. (Also, check out my totally real, 100%-not-staged spikeball stance on the far left!)
I can’t tell you how many afternoons I’ve spent reading in the Ezra Stiles Courtyard. It’s been lovely. But after three months of enjoying the Yale and New Haven community, my suitemates told me that they were ready to see a bit more.
A bit more? I wondered. With Yale’s Covid travel restrictions, students are not allowed to leave the state. We’re stuck in Connecticut. The Constitution State. What more is there to possibly see?!
Well, “A lot more,” according to my pod-mate Emily, a Connecticuter (Hmm that sounds off. Is it Connecticutonian? Connecticool Cat?). To cure our developing stir-craziness and to show this Californian the wonders of Connecticut, we decided to go on a little road trip.
That’s right: Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!
We drove up to Northern Connecticut to a place called the Quiet Corner, a name which I could not truly understand until going. I can now confirm: The corner is, in fact, quiet.
But it’s not just quiet. It’s also beautiful and peaceful and charming and exciting—the perfect weekend getaway for a group of cooped-up college students. Here’s a timeline of our journey:
2020 Fall Colors Tour / Fall Foliage Tour / Fall Friends Tour / Road Trip, Baby!
- 7:30 AM: Rise and Shine—a bit too early for comfort, but we were excited, nonetheless.
- 8:00 AM: Prepare for departure.
- 8:31 AM: Running a bitttt late, whoops! Still need to prepare for departure.
- 8:40 AM: Might as well snag a breakfast sandwich from G-HEAV for the road before we actually prepare for departure.
- 8:52 AM: Okay, for real this time, we have to actually prepare for departure!
- 8:53 AM: Departed; let the Road Trip commence!
- 9:00 AM: Let’s get the tunes pumping, huh? We opted for a little High School alternative-rock/pop-throwback action. We’re talkin’ Neon Trees, Paramore, the Black Keys, and more.
- 9:09 AM: Car Games! My car (Kobe, Greta, and I) played a really fun guessing game called Contact. Kobe ended up stumping us with the secret phrase, Willy Wonka.)
- 9:36 AM: Ooooooh, the colors are getting a lot brighter and more fall-y!
- 9:40 AM: No colors like this in my home state! Connecticut: 1. Cali: 0.
- 9:43 AM: The oranges! The reds! We gotta be inside of a Fall postcard at this point.
- 9:50 AM: Is that a dairy farm? We ended up stopping at this charming little farm. Within seconds we were greeted by a herd of really friendly cows lowing at us. One licked my hand!
For an awesome bonus, close-up cow pic, read to the bottom!
- 10:20 AM: Random side-of-the-road Antique Store? Um, yes PLEASE! This place was soooooo charming. They had all kinds of decorations and knickknacks from the early twentieth century. I had never seen so many old-glass-milk-bottles-turned classy decorations in one place, but, hey, that’s the Quiet Corner for you.
- 10:34 AM: It’s truly exponential how much prettier the scenery gets the further north we go.
- 12:03 PM: Our final destination was a really peaceful hike to a stunning overlook. It was so fun to just hang out of there with my suite (Nate, Kobe, Grace, Emily, Greta, and Katherine). Connecticut’s a pretty great state after all.
- 12:36 PM: Kobe took out his drone and took some awesome shots of us and the scenery. Take a look!
- 1:00 PM: Time to head back to Yale!
With trips like this, I know that my friends and I have really made the most of this year. I now realize how lucky I am to live in Connecticut—specifically, to live in Connecticut with some wonderful, spontaneous people who plan awesome trips like this one. This year has certainly been strange, but it’s also afforded me the opportunity to find creative (and safe) ways to have fun outside in this beautiful state.
Cue “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson.
On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music [memories] with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again…
Moo!
