Remembrance of places past
As previously mentioned, I was in New Haven the last few days. But I found it very difficult to map it to my memories of being there doing research some 15 years ago, although it can't have changed that much in general layout.
Last time I was staying in a rather grim guest room at the Divinity School, which had been recommended me to me by a friend then teaching at Yale. No kitchen, not even a kettle, and twenty minutes walk from anywhere where one might get a cup of coffee. And well away from downtown, at a period when everyone I met seemed to be issuing awful warnings about street crime in New Haven.
So I spent most of my time nose down in the archives and in this grim room (maybe not as bad as the seminary hostel I mentioned recently, but getting there).
However, on the bus this afternoon we passed through Northampton, where I spent a week during the same trip working in the Sophia Smith Collection, and it was vividly familiar - I even recognised the bus station. I was going ooh and aah and there is the post office where I posted copies of my photocopies and backup disks of my notes, bless.
Not only was I there much longer, I spent much more time wandering about and sampling the plethora of restaurants and delving into the bookshops etc.
So I guess that imprinted it much more clearly in memory.
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