[northcarolina4826]

Hello,
I'm taking a great job in New London this summer. As a single 26M, I like the area but am concerned about the lack of a dating scene and young professionals in New London and surrounding areas.

I'm looking at renting in PVD or NH. The only way I would consider commuting from New Haven or Providence is by train. I enjoy city life and have the ability to get a majority of my transit costs covered (~$400 for monthly amtrak ticket) from Providence.

I've looked at New Haven, but with almost all SLE trains stopping in Old Saybrook, this means I need a ride (bus/car) to New London and frankly that's a big negative for me and adds a good chunk of time to the commute.

I would be commuting 4-5 days a week, so not everyday, but a majority. My question is, is this feasible or am I crazy? Am I wrong about the dating scene in the New London area?

Is Westerly a viable alternative, even in the winter?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Steve

[NewJeffCT]

Congratulations on the job. I'm married with kids and in my mid 40s, so I'm not a big help.

New London has Connecticut College and the US Coast Guard Academy - if they have a website/forum, you might want to check there about the singles scene for younger people.

The Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos do have a pretty busy scene and host a lot of concerts, shows, performances there. But, those aren't exclusively for young people.

[JayCT]

Commuting from New Haven or Providence to New London is not a good idea, particularly without a car. The only trains that go to New London are Amtrak trains and that will be very expensive. The couple of Shoreline East trains that go from New Haven to New London are not convenient for commuting regular hours. I think you either need to just accept the fact that you need to live in the New London area or just not accept the job. The New London area is nice and there are a lot of things for young singles including two large casinos for nightlife. IMHO you should just accept the job and move there. Good luck, Jay

[Stylo]

I'm with Jay. You'll need to make it work without living in NH or Providence, or use a car.

What you could do is live closer to either city. Westerly in Rhode Island, or Stonington/Groton could place you closer to Providence. Anywhere from Madison to East Lyme would put you a little closer to New Haven. Westerly dies down A LOT in the winter.

Middletown or New Haven to New London isn't TERRIBLE by car, 40-45 minutes. Providence is more of a haul.

You will need to commute by car in any case.

[nep321]

That would be an atrocious commute, either way. The singles scene is very thinned out in the New London area, yes, but I think it would be better to be close to work and instead just drive out to New Haven or Providence on the weekends if you want nightlife. But bear in mind that New London is sketchy in most areas, if you plan to live directly in the city. Crime is high and huge swathes of the city are ghetto. You should be able to find plenty of safe rentals in Groton, however.

[Stylo]

I don't know if I would call New Haven to New London "atrocious". 45 minutes, and very little traffic. Not great, but many people do worse. But it's only possible by car.

[panasyncp17]

Bank St. in New London is a fine place to go out during the summer. Plenty of young singles, problem is that also comes with plenty of dude bros competing who can be the loudest BRO at the bar.

[willow wind]

New Haven to New London is not really a feasible commute. The great problem is that you have to cross the CT River between Old Saybrook & Old Lyme. Any accident ( often), summer traffic, road construction ( often) will back that roadway up for miles. Since you have to get over the bridge you're just stuck captive audience. Once over the bridge & into Old Lyme, there is about a six mile stretch with no exits. Again, if caught there, you're just stuck in traffic.

Better to live in the New London area and commute weekends for entertainment. As another poster noted, there is a small bar, growing and increasingly popular restaurant scene in New London around the Bank St. & State St. area.

Another good choice is the Broad St. area where Pawcatuck, CT and Westerly, RI meet. Another, small bar/ pub / restaurant scene, mostly in the Westerly portion. Pawcatuck is part of the town of Stonington. It's rather nice there.

Some of the local wineries in Stonington are gathering scenes on Friday afternoons and weekends. The casinos are not just for gambling. They are resorts with lots of dining, music and entertainment venues.
While not as expansive as New Haven or Providence, there are things for young people to do in the area.. You just have to live there for a while and find them. If you're also into outdoor activities, there are plenty of things to do.

[northcarolina4826]

I'm still trying to decide, but thinking of living closer, maybe Westerly. Haven't ruled out the commute yet. Thanks for all the replies!

[Stylo]

I'd consider Branford too. Decent number of bars, nice downtown, great coast. Minutes to NHV. Traffic to New London is a heck of a lot easier than what we deal with in the SW corner of the state. Plus, summer traffic would be reverse of your commute.