<p>Hi there: S and I are flying into Hartford (Bradley), renting a car, and then visiting Yale, Wes, Vassar and Amherst. We land (hopefully!) around 1 pm and have an interview at Wes at 3. The next day we will fit in tours and info. sessions at both schools, shuttling between them. Trying to fit in an interview at Yale but not sure if possible. Google says its about 35 minutes from Bradley airport to Wes and 40 min between Wes and Yale. Not knowing local traffic, I would like your opinions on these drive times. Are we crazy or is this doable? I was thinking of staying in a hotel between the two? Any info most appreciated. Thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>The drive times are basically accurate, except that you'd be getting out of your Wes interview in time for rush-hour Hartford-New Haven traffic. Personally, I'd stay in New Haven overnight (more hotels to choose from) and get as much done in New Haven the next morning as I could. That way, you might be able to make a quick trip to Amherst since it's only about an hour and half further north of Wesleyan.</p>
<p>Thank you for your help. Speaking of hotels in NH, would you have a recommendation? The Omni and the C'yard are a bit pricey for us but many cheaper ones close to campus get lousy reviews. I was leaning toward a place in Milford, 7 miles from NH. any thoughts? thanks again.</p>
<p>Definitely doable IMHO, unless you are traveling during rush hour in which case you'd want to avoid the I-91 / I-95 merge (in New Haven). The other roads flow nicely.</p>
<p>As for a hotel between Wes and Yale, um, there aren't many. Hotels dot com lists three in Wallingford. They're all nice, and priced accordingly. Cheaper alternatives are available to the north and west of your route. If you stay east of New Haven along the shore, you may get stuck on the dreaded Q bridge entering New Haven. (Part of the the I-91 / I-95 merge noted above.) Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>thank so much - even with all the planning (six colleges in five days) we are very excited!</p>
<p>We did the same visits this summer. Stayed in a very reasonably priced Hampton Inn in Meriden, right off I-91, easy to find coming from Bradley, a 15 minute straight shot on route 16 east to Wesleyan, and a 25-minute straight shot south to New Haven on I-91 (exit at Trumbull St./exit 3 to avoid I-91/I-95 merge). Hotel was in decent shape and had a nice enough breakfast included. I don't mean to plug the brand; my guess is others in the area would give comparable value. Much cheaper than New Haven, and very convenient to both schools.</p>
<p>We just did Yale to Wes in about 30 minutes last week, just after lunch time.</p>
<p>Your biggest problem will be finding parking near the Admissions Office at Yale. Only on-street, no public parking. Bring a bunch of quarters to feed the meters. I suspect this is a major source of revenue for the city of New Haven.</p>
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a 15 minute straight shot on route 16 east to Wesleyan
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Minor correction -- you mean Rt. 66 east.</p>
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Bring a bunch of quarters to feed the meters. I suspect this is a major source of revenue for the city of New Haven.
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LOL! Brings back memories of when I was in B-School at Yale. Everyone would park in the metered spots right near the school, but it wasn't enough to keep feeding the meters -- you actually had to move your car. "Meterpeople" would come and chalk the tires, and then return in 2 hours (or whatever the posted time limit was) to ticket any cars still there. It was pretty comical to be in the middle of a class, and all of a sudden someone would look out the window and see a meterperson. He/she would call out an alert and about 1/4 of the class would jump up and bolt outside to move cars.</p>
<p>I live and work in the New Haven area and would agree that 40 minutes is adequate time to travel the distance between Wesleyan and Yale, using I-91, barring an unforeseen traffic situation or travelling during New Haven rush hours. You do want to factor time in for finding parking in New Haven. There are public parking garages within a couple blocks of the Admissions Office on Hillhouse Avenue. Yale lists them on their website:</p>
<p>Directions</a> | Visit Yale | Office of Undergraduate Admissions</p>
<p>I am not familiar with the size of all of them but do know that the one on Grove St between Whitney Ave and Orange St is sizeable. (I have used it when I have had to serve jury duty at the Superior Courthouse a block away). It's not a bad walk to Hillhouse Avenue from there and there are lots of restaurants/coffee shops in that immediate area if you are so inclined.</p>
<p>DS is a junior at Wesleyan and whenever we visit we stay in Cromwell -- there's a Marriot, etc. etc. These hotels are a 10 minute drive from Wes. There is an ok diner near the hotels -- think it's the Cromwell Diner. In Middletown, there's O'Rourkes Diner which is a landmark; on weekends it's very crowded but don't know for sure about weekdays.</p>
<p>I second O'Rourke's, if you can squeeze in a walk downtown before shooting up to Amherst. Its right off Washington Street (aka, Rte. 66) on Main.</p>
<p>Stay your first night right in downtown Middletown at The</a> Inn at Middletown. Eat dinner at [url=<a href="http://amiciitaliangrill.com/%5DAmici's%5B/url">http://amiciitaliangrill.com/]Amici's[/url</a>]. Eat breakfast the next morning at O'Rourkes before touring Wesleyan.</p>
<p>Head for New Haven mid-day to avoid the most traffic on I-91. After touring Yale and eating world-famous pizza, head back to Cromwell for the night. Lots of hotels at exit 21: Crowne Plaza, Courtyard by Marriot, Holiday Inn. Head north the next day.</p>
<p>Thanks so much to all of you - not only for driving advice but food options. Love to visit those local favorites - and fill up the ravenous teenager!</p>