Tuesday, September 30, 2008

The Good [Neighborhood] Stuff: The Grand Entryway

I love my neighborhood. I live in a humble 2-bedroom apartment, but just down the road, there are blocks and blocks of beautiful old mansions. I dreamily stroll down these streets, imagining my life in these incredible homes. I happen to know that every grad student and grad student spouse has his/her favorite mansion on St. Ronan Street. I often find myself examining my favorite houses, looking up and down, trying to memorize the details that I will incorporate in my own mansion (ha ha). I love being broke, because I can dream up some pretty fancy houses without having to pay for them.

I thought I'd bring the camera on my walk today and record some of my favorite entryways. [*note* don't expect Architectural Digest quality here. I was trying to be incognito somewhat while snapping photos, because wouldn't you think it was weird if you saw some lady taking pictures of entryways with a little boy in a stroller? probably.] Crossing the threshold of any home is significant and I admire all beautiful and varied entryways in this town. So, what makes for a cool entryway?

Tradition.....tradition!



These entryways have the same vibe as the rest of Yale campus.

Non-tradition, too! I love people whose personalities cannot be contained within the walls of their house and overflow outside. The people in these homes seem like good folks to invite to a party. (click on the first one for the full effect)



Big, beautiful porches




Beautiful Doors




COLOR









And that classic colonial style that still remains in this very, very old town:




4 comments:

Robyn said...

If we could sell our house (yep, the cream stucco one that is an exact copy of the other 5000 in our hood) I may just up and move to New Haven. You have some pretty good motivation to go out on walks! LOVED the pictures!

Deanna said...

Ah, I miss walking by those houses all the time! Love them. One of our favorite doors in that area was the one we called the "Hobbit House" with the rounded door. I miss all the color and style of those fabulous mansions!

Jill said...

Pretty doors. What a great way to spice up a walk! I recognize a few of those entryways. The house with the "no vacancy" sign is one of my favorites. It's kind of a quirky house with strange colors, but something about it makes it seem warm and homey. Like the people that live there are nice. Makes me think twice about moving into the mcmansion stucco house... I like old. Character baby. And the mansion status isn't too bad either. (Although if I'm rich enough to live in a mansion, I better be rich enough to have a cleaning lady. Or else it's not happening.)

Kristy said...

I love these doors. This post does make my eyes get a little weepy, though. Isn't it wonderful that even though med school had its ups and downs I don't remember the downs?!? All I remember is that we were in a place we loved, with people we loved. Somehow, looking at those doors sends me on a walk down memory lane that reminds me of how my life was shaped in that lovely place.