City as Text

City As TExt

City as Text™ refers to structured explorations of environments and ecosystems. Designed as on-going laboratories through which small, self-guided teams investigate contested areas and issues in urban environments or competing forces in natural ones, these exercises foster critical inquiry and integrative learning across disciplines. Please note that these are NOT guided tours. Students will be given instructions, maps, and reflection questions to consider when exploring different areas of Harrisburg. Please note that some of these destinations involve entrance fees, depending on what you choose to do in each strand. You will also need to purchase your lunch on all excursions, unless otherwise indicated.

Please read the CAT strand descriptions below and decide which one(s) you plan to attend prior to the conference. Feel free to combine elements of multiple CAT strands to personalize your experience! Please again note that some destinations have entrance fees, which are the responsibility of attendees.

You should arrive at the CAT Orientation Session promptly at 8:30 AM on Friday, wearing comfortable walking shoes, dressed appropriately for the weather. Please return to the hotel by 3:00 PM to prepare for the 3:30 PM 4 PM Performing Arts & Film Showcase.

Suggestion

Bring documentation of student or senior citizen status for discounts (where applicable). Also, please note that some of the Yale sites require booking a visit in advance so attendees should check visitor guidelines for sites before coming to the conference.

For general information about New Haven see the

City of New Haven website

Community Service Strand

This year, NRHC has arranged two community service events. Participation is limited, so be sure to sign up early, and then please be sure to follow through.

Community Service Opportunity 1

Sanctuary Kitchen

At Sanctuary Kitchen, we believe that sharing a meal is a strong and meaningful gesture of welcome and acceptance, creating an intimate space in which simple and genuine cultural exchanges can occur. An immigrant-led social enterprise, Sanctuary Kitchen provides professional development, employment, and connection for new residents of Greater New Haven. By enjoying our food, customers are directly supporting culinary workforce training, intercultural understanding, and above-market wages for our chefs and trainees.

Food brings people to the table, enriches lives, and fosters mutual understanding across diverse cultures in the most delicious way possible. Every recipe we prepare is deeply personal, coming from one of the chefs that works alongside us. Choose from Afghan, Sudanese, Nigerian, Tanzanian, Senegalese, Iraqi and Syrian cuisines! Sanctuary Kitchen is the only place in New Haven where this diverse array of cuisines is available.

How to Sign Up:

Students interested in working in the kitchen alongside the chefs are asked to register for either the 10-1 shift (end with FREE LUNCH noon-1pm) OR the 1-4pm shift (begin with FREE LUNCH 1-2pm) volunteer experience. Students will need to wear closed-toed shoes, have a way to put up their hair, and sleeves that have the ability to roll up. Hairnets and gloves will be provided by Sanctuary Kitchen. Places are limited, so sign up early. If you find that the form is closed, this means we've reached capacity - but check back, or enquire when you arrive and check in to see if spots have opened up. Each session has space for 7 volunteers.

Please meet in the lobby by 10:40am/12:40pm and look for a helpful volunteer who will walk (0.8 mile walk) students over to Sanctuary Kitchen.During the free lunch, student volunteers will learn more about Sanctuary Kitchen and will have ample time to chat with our chefs!

Click the link below for walking directions to Sanctuary Kitchen

Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale to Sanctuary Kitchen by Cityseed - Google Maps

Community Service Opportunity 2

Trash to Fashion Service Activity

Upcycle. Create. Refashion our environment.

Trash to Fashion is a community-led organization that produces zero-waste events and teaches people how to turn trash into fashion to reduce pollution and create a healthier environment for all.

Trash to Fashion is a community-led event, created by New Haven social “artrepreneur” Rebekah Fraser and run by her and a wonderful team of creative people from the arts, environment and nonprofit scene.

Trash to Fashion connects people to:

The what, how, & why with online info available 24/7 for free (Trash to Fashion | Rebekah Fraser | Substack), featuring resources for healthier textile purchases and creative ways to keep items out of landfills.
Joyful community events that get people of all ages learning together, practicing together, and celebrating together.
Zero-waste events, because we practice what we preach and have fun doing it!

Come join the movement!

Students interested in learning about and partaking in Trash to Fashion should meet in the Grand Ballroom at the Omni from 10-noon. In this session, students will learn about the local organization and the larger movement and also partake in hands on experiences that move the mission forward. In the afternoon (after lunch 1-4 in the room TBD) students are asked to return for a student-based focus group. Trash to Fashion wants feedback and wants your perspective! Come be a part of Trash to Fashion’s future!

Destinations Within Walking Distance of Conference Center Hotel

Yale University

Walking the entire 260-acre campus in downtown New Haven would take a while, but below you'll find a list of sights you might put on your itinerary. Map some of these sights into your itinerary! Note that some of these sites limit access, so you should check their websites for requirements like advance reservations.

Location: New Haven, CT 06520

Website: https://www.yale.edu/

14 minute walk from the Omni Hotel

<--- The mansions on Hillhouse Avenue, labeled one of the prettiest streets in America! A 14-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

Harkness Tower, ------------------------------------------------>

a 217-foot structure towering over High Street in the Memorial Quadrangle. A 9-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

<-------Sterling Memorial Library, the largest of the libraries at Yale. The cloisters, arches, and 60-foot ceiling provide the drama of a European cathedral. A 9-Minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

Old Campus, -------------------------------->

a 4-acre courtyard that includes the oldest academic building on campus, Connecticut Hall. A 6-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

<----------------John Pierpont House, the oldest private home in New Haven, just across from the New Haven Green. A 6-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

Yale Center for British Art and Yale University Art Gallery. --------->

A 7-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

<-----------------Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

An 11-minute walk from Omni Hotel.

Yale Collection of Musical Instruments. ---------->

A 12-minute walk from the Omni Hotel.

<---------------Cushing/Whitney Memorial Library.

An 11-minute walk from Omni Hotel.

Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium. -------------->

A 30-minute walk or 10-minute drive from Omni Hotel.

A long walk or short drive away from the hotel

East_Rock_from_SSS_Hall,_October_17,_2008.jpg

East Rock Park

The 425 acre East Rock Park, centered on the 365-foot, one and a half mile East Rock, offers sweeping views of the city and Long Island Sound.

photo by SAge Ross, Wikimedia Commons

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument honors those who gave their lives in America’s wars atop East Rock Park, and is visible from much of New Haven. It was built in 1887, so it only commemorates battles before that date. But this Civil War Soldiers Monument is one of the most impressive military monuments in the country.

Website: https://www.newhavenct.gov/home/components/facilitydirectory/facilitydirectory/10/664

Address: 41 Cold Spring St, New Haven, CT, 06511

Recommended drive or Uber (60 min walk)

Wooster Square & Little Italy

Wooster Square is the center of Little Italy, where you’ll find some of the most romantic restaurants in Connecticut.

It’s where the apizza style made its debut on this side of the Atlantic. The two oldest pizzerias are close to each other:

Pepe’s, here since 1925, and Sally’s, established in 1938.

Website: https://walknewhaven.org/wooster-square-history

Walkable distance but may require drive or Uber

New Haven Museum

Curious to learn more about the history of New Haven itself? Then head to the New Haven Museum while you’re in town.

Four permanent exhibits and changing exhibitions display the vast collections of the New Haven Museum. All are devoted to New Haven’s history as a center for shipbuilding, trade, and invention.

Location: 114 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06510

Entrance Fee: $5 (Adults), $3 (Students)

Website: https://www.newhavenmuseum.org/

Within Walking Distance of the Omni Hotel

Long Wharf Park and Food Truck Paradise

Long wharf is the waterfront district of New Haven. It is used for both commercial, industrial and recreationally activities. Its biggest draw for the general public is Food Truck Paradise which is a strip of mobile restaurants offering a variety of cuisines from around the world.

Location: 351 Long Wharf Dr, New Haven, CT 06511

Website: https://whitakercenter.org/ https://www.streetfoodnhv.com/

Recommend Drive/uber from the Omni Hotel

Yale Peabody Museum

The Yale Peabody Museum, an administrative unit of Yale University that reports through the University’s Provost, operates under the authority of the Yale Corporation, which appoints the Director and members of the Museum’s Board of Curators of full-time Yale faculty on the nomination of the President.

The Museum integrates the academic expertise of its faculty curators with a professional full-time staff. The Director, aided by senior staff, is responsible for management.

A formal collaboration with the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies and the School of the Environment recognizes the Yale Peabody Museum as a resource and catalyst for interdisciplinary research on Earth’s history and the environment, a partnership that seeks to strengthen intellectual ties for environmental research at Yale.