New Haven is a pretty small town so even if you’re in East Rock, you aren’t too far from much! East Rock is a super nice area, but if you’re wanting to be able to walk to the hospital, I would check out places near Edgewood and anywhere between Dwight/Park St. I ended up finding a 1 bed/1 bath for $1250. I’m able to walk to Smilow, and while you definitely want to keep your wits about you, I’ve never felt particularly unsafe. There are tons of food options in New Haven—I would go to The Pantry for breakfast and Prime 16 for a good burger! This will be my first winter in NE, so I can’t really speak to that, but so far the weather hasn’t been bad!