[richrf]

Hi all,

In another thread a forum member recommended New Haven as an alternative to Write Plains and Stamford for us

We are retired. I grew up in Brooklyn but spent the last 40 years in Chicago. We decided to move back to the East coast to be near family that lives in Brooklyn and Queens. Rental and condo inventory in White Plains and Stamford is right and rentals for a 2br with 1100 sqft run around $2500. Similar condos around $450,000 when available. We are considering New Haven as short term or long term alternative.

We would like to have coffee shops open to 7pm for reading and meeting people, a good library system, a good bookstore, and activities for active 60 year olds (I over table tennis and dancing, my wife enjoys arts activities and yoga/meditation).

We've never been to New Haven and would greatly appreciate your thoughts on what we night expect if we live there. Thanks much!

[JayCT]

Check out downtown New Haven or the East Rock section. Both are very nice with good amenities nearby. It might be a good option but it would be a haul to Brooklyn or Queens. Jay

[richrf]

Thanks Jay.

Yes, these were two areas that I am looking at. Any recommendations for rentals would be appreciated.

Yes the drive to Queens would be rough, but finding a place in Stamford or White Plains may be tougher, so we are considering all options. Thanks again!

[SeaDoo342]

Problem with New Haven is while the nice neighborhoods are decent, they are in VERY close proximity to the sketchy ones. My fiancee lived in New Haven for years (in East Rock) and even there, she wouldn't go out at night alone. It is not dangerous but I don't know if I would consider it safe… keep that in mind, just my opinion…

[Stylo]

I've worked in New Haven for almost 2 years now and it's certainly a city on the rise. Lots of investments and construction happening with more on the way. There is a feeling of progress, and even crime has gone down quite a bit.

The fact that it covers less than 20 square miles is one factor that leads to it being put on lists with cities that are, in reality, much worse but cover much larger areas.

East Rock is a fantastic area. I work near there and have never felt unsafe. Several coworkers live there too, and without incident. That said, crime can happen anywhere and it's true the bad areas are not far. Areas to avoid are The Hill, Dixwell, Newhallville, and Fair Haven.

There are parts of downtown that are getting new construction that you could consider. One is College & Crown, there's also a big apartment complex going up at Howe and Chapel. Those are very safe areas that are highly trafficked. Winchester Lofts is a nice new loft apartment that's in an area that is improving, but near some nasty areas. That said, a coworker lives in that area on a street with a bad past reputation and he is doing just fine. That area seems to be improving overall.

There's also a new complex being built at the top of State Street where the old Star Supply building was, a bunch of new apartments coming to Wooster Square, as well as The Union - an upscale apartment complex on the green.

If you live anywhere on Whitney or Orange, it's very safe and desirable. Chapel is also very nice, pretty much from College Street to Howe Street is a very upscale area.

As far as coffee shops, there's over 30 indie coffee shops in the city. Some are exceptional, like Blue State, Koffee, and Coffee Pedaler. There's also some really nice wine bars (Cave A Vin and August), book stores (Book Trader, Atticus), museums (Yale Art Gallery, British Art, Artspace, various galleries), music venues (College Street Music Hall, Shubert, Toad's Place, 9th Note Jazz Club, Firehouse 12, Cafe Nine, Stella Blues, Woolsey Hall). There's also an exceptional and diverse dining scene. Library wise, you have a great public library, in addition to many of Yale's libraries open to the public.

As far as your interests, there are loads of yoga and arts outlets. Audubon Street has several arts outlets, including Creative Arts Workshop. There's tons of classes. There's even a wine bar where you can paint: http://www.artplusstudio.com/

I am not sure about table tennis.

Overall, if culture, coffee, and things like libraries are a priority, it's definitely a more robust city than White Plains and Stamford due to the 6+ colleges in close proximity.

This should help give you a taste of what's going on: Daily Nutmeg | Food. Arts. People. Events. New Haven.Daily Nutmeg

Hope that helps.

[jp03]

Originally Posted by richrf

Hi all,

In another thread a forum member recommended New Haven as an alternative to Write Plains and Stamford for us

We are retired. I grew up in Brooklyn but spent the last 40 years in Chicago. We decided to move back to the East coast to be near family that lives in Brooklyn and Queens. Rental and condo inventory in White Plains and Stamford is right and rentals for a 2br with 1100 sqft run around $2500. Similar condos around $450,000 when available. We are considering New Haven as short term or long term alternative.

We would like to have coffee shops open to 7pm for reading and meeting people, a good library system, a good bookstore, and activities for active 60 year olds (I over table tennis and dancing, my wife enjoys arts activities and yoga/meditation).

We've never been to New Haven and would greatly appreciate your thoughts on what we night expect if we live there. Thanks much!

Does it have to be a big city?

[Stylo]

Also, figure the drive to Brooklyn/Queens is about doubled. I go often from New Haven, both at afternoon rush hour and weekends. It's not that bad, but it's going to be around 90 min.

[richrf]

Hi all,

Thank you very much for the extremely informative responses. We'll definitely visit New Haven during our next visit. Thank you again!

[Stylo]

Connecticut Table Tennis Association - Where CT. Plays 'RealTableTennis' (tm)

It looks like they play in Bethany, which is a short drive from New Haven.

[richrf]

Thanks again Stylo for all of your assistance!