<p>how active is the social life at wesleyan? is it mostly on-campus stuff? how accessable are major east coast cities for day/weekend trips?</p>
<p>The Wesleyan/Middletown relationship is a unique one among LACs. As a small city, Middletown lacks an ultra-active nightlife of its own; there are bars and a an all-night diner; there's also a cineplex within easy walking distance of campus. But, no one would confuse Main Street, Middletown with New York City, or even downtown Providence. </p>
<p>But, as a "big small town", the housing is plentiful and the neighborhoods are compact and relatively secure. This makes them ideal for student ghetto-ization. A typical Wesleyan weekend consists of a pot-luck dinner with some friends, a film, a play or a concert (sometimes all three) followed by house parties that dart about town like small brush fires. </p>
<p>Wesleyan has tried to stay ahead of the trend by buying up property around campus (a key ingredient in keeping the downtown core of Middletown from going the way of so many "Rustbelt" mill towns) and experimenting with various modes of independent living. The latest is the "Senior House" which is basically a small dorm that is built to look like an ordinary bungalow on the outside, but able to withstand the wear and tear of a dozen students cooking and maintaining a household on the inside. There are two of them so far and, if successful, they may comprise the leading edge of a small "neighborhood" of their own, away from the complaints of sleepy Middletown residents.</p>
<p>Day trips to New York and Boston are certainly "doable"; there's an Amtrak station in nearby Meriden. New Haven and Providence are 45 minutes away. But, I've met only one person who claims to have hung out in New Haven on a regular basis. My own experience was that once the novelty of road tripping was over, I had little incentive to repeat it; there is a definite Wesleyan bubble.</p>
<p>My friends are I actually go to New Haven fairly often. Usually it's to make a pilgrimage to Mamoun's Falafel, in honor of the Middletown branch of the same restaurant that closed in our sophomore year (it was nearby, delicious, and incredibly cheap).</p>
<p>"student ghetto-ization."= haha good phrase there : )
mmmm falafel...soo good...actually, that's the one thing i've heard middletown has a lot of, for a small town--good restaurants. is this true?</p>
<p>We have the best ethnic restaurants of all time... and a lot of them give special discounts for Wes students. (Thai Gardens = free iced tea and a 15% discount on already very decently cheap and student-friendly prices. Taj of India gives you a card after your first time that enables you to buy one entree, get one free.)</p>
<p>In terms of social life, there's everything. Parties? There's dance parties and there's drinking parties and whatever you want. Theatre, concerts, movie, all that good stuff? Usually in the early evening (finished by 10) and then you can do other stuff. Lots of movie watching and just hanging out. Tonight some friends and I spun around and danced on the giant ice block that is Andrus Field in the middle of campus. Then I stopped by a drinking party with a black light in a friend's room, didn't really drink, and now am going to watch a massive Queer as Folk marathon until about 5 am.</p>
<p>sounds amazing!</p>
<p>and last night i went over to a friend's room to toast the end of the semester with some red wine, and then proceeded to eat chicken fingers and a brownie sundae at late-night summerfields, while playing spanish monopoly.</p>
<p>other nights, i just watch movies, or download episodes of tv shows from the network.</p>
<p>sometimes i go out to the frats.</p>
<p>last tuesday was the hanukkah party at the bayit, which included strip dreidel. that was also the evening of the naked party at earth house.</p>
<p>and to generalize, i have found wesleyan students in general to be VERY social people. maybe that's because i haven't met the hermits who stay in their rooms all the time... but regardless, i don't think that anyone could be disappointed with the social scene here. literally, your evening-activity options are endless.</p>