First of all, happy Halloweekend! There’s so much going on around campus – plays, concerts, scary movies in courtyards, the famous Silliman College “Halloweenie” roast – that the choices are almost overwhelming. I look forward to Halloween at Yale every year, and 2021 has been no exception. But Halloween is only one night*, and fall in New Haven is almost three glorious months! Here are some photos that I hope will capture the beauty of September, October, and November on campus.
This first picture is of the Silliman courtyard at night. One of my favorite things about the colder weather is that all of Yale’s buildings look so inviting. Don’t you just want to crawl inside those glowing windows and warm your hands on a bowl of fresh clam chowder? Well, in Silliman, you can! Our dining hall is toasty and our clam chowder is unparallelled! What a time to be ALIVE!!
Next up, we have the LEAVES. I love this particularly stunning tree on Cross Campus. I took this picture today while running late for a meeting, so you know it’s not doctored or even posed. Also, isn’t the architecture so pretty against the fall colors? In this photo, the tall building is student housing in Berkeley College, and the small building marks the entrance to Bass Library, which is underground. There’s something very romantic about studying on an October day, even if your “studies” mainly consist of looking out the window.
Ok, I’ll be honest: this is not a picture of Yale, New Haven, or even Connecticut. A friend of mine took this photo last week, when we were spending our fall break in Maine. The reason I included it is that fall break is a very important part of autumn at Yale. Not all schools have a fall break, but Yale gives students three days off (plus the weekend) around midterm season. It’s very common to hear Yalies saying, upon their return to campus, “I meant to do work over break, but I didn’t.” Good! This year, the Yale College Council (student government) actually advocated for professors not to assign work due immediately after the break. The YCC was successful, and the Dean of Yale College, Marvin Chun, recommended that all faculty hold off on their deadlines. I had a couple assignments extended, possibly because of this recommendation. Thank you, YCC!
And finally, we have the Holy Grail of all seasonal beverages, the Apple Pie Chai at Claire’s Corner Copia. The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte wishes it were this good. Get it with oat milk and experience the nectar of the gods. I will probably drink one tomorrow.
*Halloween is technically one night, but Yale celebrates “Halloweek,” with about 5-7 days of spooky-themed activities every year.
