Yesterday I went to New Haven. It was my first time really seeing New Haven. The only other time I had been in the city proper was to wait for a train. Going into the city I didn’t have any definite plans, which is not the autistic way of doing things. I went alone, and I was wanting to have a day that was just relaxing and not rushed. Before I got there I was feeling a little anxious—maybe that comes from not having plans?

I took the train there. New Haven has two train stations: State Street Station and Union Station. State Street is a little unmanned stop. Union Station is their bigger train station. On the ticket I was listed for getting off at State Street. The conductor told me that’s where I would want to get off if I’m going to Yale, which was my sort-of plan. So note that: If you take the train to New Haven and want to see Yale, get off at State Street! You can walk from there.

One factor of the day meant adaptive travel for me: the weather. It was very cold out, and I had not prepared for it. It was in the low 30s, lower than I expected. There was plenty of wind which increased the wind chill. It would have been nice to see things like parks, but the cold meant I was bound for indoor activities. Good that not having plans meant I didn’t need to cancel anything, and just tell myself I can come back to New Haven in a warmer month.

I arrived during the 8am hour, at a time when most of the main museums and attractions would be closed. Of course all I really wanted was somewhere to be inside. As I was walking down the street toward what would be Yale, I came across Elm City Market. It’s like one of those combined grocery stores with a café. Thinking “they probably have heat and food,” I went inside and got myself some breakfast: a granola yogurt parfait and an apple cream cheese Danish. I probably sat in there for an hour just on my phone. As I inched closer to 10am, I looked up things to do. I found out about Yale’s Center for British Art that opened at 10am and decided I would go there next.

Once I got to the museum I learned that it was free, which did not disappoint me. I then explored the museum. As you might have guessed, all the artwork was by British artists. They have a mix of contemporary and classical art and sculptures. I go to art museums pretty much anywhere I can find them. I love art and I don’t necessarily remember all the pieces I look at, but I love having the experience at least.

In this museum I took time to look at the descriptions next to each of the works. I don’t always do that, instead I usually think about my own interpretation of the work. The descriptions the museum provided were really good and I got an insight into the artist’s mind and the background of what inspired their art. It was actually really nice to take in the art slowly, instead of zooming through it to get to my next visit on time. I would highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting New Haven!

When I was ready to leave the next item on my list was lunch. I used Google Maps to search for restaurants close to me. I chose the Cask Republic, your typical “American with new twists” place. To my surprise there was hardly anyone in there when I arrived or the entire time I was there—on a Sunday afternoon! Maybe the cold kept people from venturing out. This place has an extensive beer and drinks menu, if that’s your thing. As for me, I just got their burger and fries, as I like to try that everywhere. It was pretty good. The portion size of fries was generous. They had some very good ice cream on order.

My next stop was the Yale Art Gallery, conveniently directly across the street from the British Art Museum and also free! This museum has more diversity of exhibits: ancient American art, African art, Indo-Pacific art, European religious icons, contemporary art, and American decorative art. I was very pleased at the variety of cultural art in this museum! This is no doubt a top-quality art museum, and I would highly recommend it as well.

I saw close to the art gallery was the Yale School of Architecture, which has its own architectural exhibits. They were advertising an exhibit in Japanese houses. Intrigued, I also went there. They had two exhibits going on: the other was in “sacred spaces”, i.e. religious houses of worship. What luck! I checked it out, but I didn’t really understand the architectural models they were presenting. They had Buddhist and Hindu structures, a mosque, a synagogue, and an Orthodox church. They even had sound samples where you could listen to traditional religious singing/chanting. The Japanese houses exhibit was super cool. They showcased some of the traditional architecture from around the islands, and then they had photos and videos of some newer, funky house designs. It featured pictures of people living and playing in the houses, and they seemed to love it.

When I was ready to leave, I had a bit of time to kill before my train would leave. I walked back in the direction of the train station. I kept my eyes open for any places where I could get a nibble. I saw a Five Guys where I could get a milkshake, and I did. The staff in the Five Guys were great and enthusiastic, so shout out to them. Then I was on my way to get back to Hartford.

Some of the things I liked/learned on this little day trip included:

The slow and leisurely pace was nice and refreshing. I took my time, discovered new things, and didn’t feel the need to rush or be disappointed with missing something. I could just take it all in and experience something new. It’s so tempting to want to go into everything with a plan, but you don’t always need to, even if you’re autistic! There will always be something to do.

Let the unexpected shape your plans. I wasn’t prepared for the cold, and that was okay—I simply chose activities that didn’t depend on the weather, which you can also do it if it rains. If it helps, have in the back of your mind that things like the weather can change your plans and it doesn’t need to ruin your trip! Just find different things to do. And remember, nothing is going away, you can always come back and do different things or try again!

Taking the train around Connecticut is so quick and easy. The train was actually super comfortable, relaxing and cheap. Getting around, it felt like no time at all. Now I’m looking to discover all the other places I can go on the train and get in more day trips to love.

Remember what travel is about: fun, discovery and exploration! Anxiety very easily follows with travel, whether you prepare or not. One of the things I’ve learned with travel is so many things will be unexpected, but that’s part of the lessons of growth, adaptation and flexibility. Life can never be fully predictable, and traveling is one way to practice that. In that process, you learn how much you’re able to take. On this visit to New Haven, I saw how much fun I could have when I lived in the moment and didn’t think about what I was doing next. Be open to new things, and simply enjoy the adventure of being in a new city, seeing new places, and challenging yourself.