alexa montesa
Why did you go there? First time?
I was there to visit Yale. I sat in on a class and talked with design students there.
I had been to New Haven before to see an exhibit of Ming Cho Lee’s set design models and sketches.
This visit gave me a better sense of the city.
Where did you fall asleep?
A Days-Inn down the highway.
A song you heard.
Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci
What is the most predominant color?
Grey
A mode of transportation.
a train
Who did you talk to?
Many students, an old teacher, my mother, a few uber drivers.
What did you learn?
I really want to go back to school.
![]()
An expectation or concern you had.
I was concerned that I wouldn’t like the students in the set design class.
I expected the setup of the class rooms, and studios to be different, I thought they would be newer and bigger.
Instead it was older and cramped, with creaky old floorboards and stairs.
First scent you noticed.
Maybe the smell of the metro north train?
How much is a cigarette? A drink?
A bad glass of wine at a restaurant was $10.
A bus ticket?
An Uber ride from Yale to the train station was about $6.
How high were you? How low?
Pretty high.
People watch. Share the story of a stranger.
Saturday morning I went to a Starbucks at 10 to get a coffee.
There were three students there studying together.
They all had their headphones on.
I thought about how studious and driven you have to be to succeed at Yale as an undergrad.
Recommended reading
The Empty Space
![]()
I was there to visit Yale. I sat in on a class and talked with design students there.
I had been to New Haven before to see an exhibit of Ming Cho Lee’s set design models and sketches.
This visit gave me a better sense of the city.
Where did you fall asleep?
A Days-Inn down the highway.
A song you heard.
Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci
What is the most predominant color?
Grey
A mode of transportation.
a train
Who did you talk to?
Many students, an old teacher, my mother, a few uber drivers.
What did you learn?
I really want to go back to school.
An expectation or concern you had.
I was concerned that I wouldn’t like the students in the set design class.
I expected the setup of the class rooms, and studios to be different, I thought they would be newer and bigger.
Instead it was older and cramped, with creaky old floorboards and stairs.
First scent you noticed.
Maybe the smell of the metro north train?
How much is a cigarette? A drink?
A bad glass of wine at a restaurant was $10.
A bus ticket?
An Uber ride from Yale to the train station was about $6.
How high were you? How low?
Pretty high.
People watch. Share the story of a stranger.
Saturday morning I went to a Starbucks at 10 to get a coffee.
There were three students there studying together.
They all had their headphones on.
I thought about how studious and driven you have to be to succeed at Yale as an undergrad.
Recommended reading
The Empty Space