CT is small and pretty densely populated, particularly on the shoreline, so you won't find gigantic natural areas but there are lots of parks. A number of them sit atop ridges and for a week or so in Autumn, the views are breathtaking. There is, of course, an ocean nearby.

The wealth disparity here is very high. Because of Yale, we have lots of college kids who have lots of money so much of the culture here is geared towards people who are grad-student age. Two incoming grad students moved into my neighborhood in stretch limos, not U-Haul vans, this year. New Haven is the only city in CT that provides (long list of services) to people who are homeless, addicted, etc. so the suburbs divert those populations and the problems here.

Yale has two world-class art museums and there are others in nearby cities. Van Gogh's Night Cafe is here. Meryl Streep and Jodi Foster went to Yale Drama school. August Wilson debuts all his plays here. "If it plays in New Haven..." was a phrase used way back when Broadway musicals were a bigger deal than they are now, because shows would play here, the NY critics would come up and if they liked them, they went on to Broadway. If not, they died here. That 'proving ground' aspect remains are there is a lot of experimental art and music here.

On study found that New Haven is the city that most accurately reflects the ethnic demographics of the country as a whole. It is, as it has been since it was founded, a sanctuary city. It is both a very integrated and a very segregated city because immigrants tended to form communities, so we have a Chinatown, a Little Italy, Little Warsaw, etc. but the city is so small that they're a couple of blocks away from one another. The "All are Welcome" signs are legitimate, not just a marketing ploy. Some of the oldest 'gay bars' in the country are here. New Haven is so liberal that Greens have held more seats on the Board of Alders (our city council) than Republicans over the last couple of decades.

Because we are immigrant-friendly and Yale has many international students, the variety, quality and authenticity of ethnic food here is like that of much larger cities. We are known for pizza because the southern Italian immigrants brought the rules of how pizza must be made with them from Naples and never changed. The hamburger was invented here and that restaurant still exists. The third-oldest vegetarian restaurant in the country is here.

The traffic laws that you are used to do not apply here. Be careful.