Describing a place is a daunting task because people are used to seeing colorful descriptions from our best authors. It can praise a place you like or even a place you want to share because it is not so appreciated enough, or at least not appreciated enough. I want to speak about New Haven Union Station. Of course, every day, thousands of people use this railway station to go to work, to discover different places or even to take a coffee, but they usually do not pay attention to it, because it is only a transit area – what architects now call a “transport hub”. Sometimes, railway stations are some beautiful spots because of their architecture, but people are used to missing such stunning places. Like Grand Central Station in NYC, New Haven’s railway station is obviously one of these. 

The first time I went to this railway station to go to New York, I stayed there for a few minutes just looking at the beaux-arts Union Station. I was surprised to see so lovely a place. It was both very impressive by its size and it was also welcoming, thanks to the large windows which enable the visitors to have their first impressions of the inside. The building was at the same time very proportional and asymmetrical because of the structure and the windows which were all differently sized. Indeed, when I caught sight of the building, it seemed to be a big rectangle surrounded by thousands of windows. But when I peered into it a little more closely, everything became crystal clear. Every stone was in its perfect place. Each stone from this huge stonewall represented a lick of paint in this beautiful impressionist painting. When I gathered all the details, I realised that it looks like a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

As a matter of fact, when I entered the building the very first time, I was dazzled by the light coming through all the openings. Besides that, the artificial lights within were inside were illuminating this beautiful ceiling that is decorated with golden roses and ornaments, which were reflected in the round lanterns. The white wall of ashlar was also a light source. The old clock that hung right in the middle was stuck at 9 o’clock sharp; then, I spent some time looking at the miniature trains from all the different times of the history of America in a small glass box. The American flag was waving in the wind coming from the main door which was always open because of the seesaw motion. During one instant, it seemed that time had come to a halt and everything seemed to be timeless. I was back in the 1920s just after the inauguration of New Haven’s Union Station. It was like an old black-and-white American movie. I was deeply captivated by the whole place so I scanned all the details in order to learn more about this truly amazing historic place. I noticed that New Haven’s railway station is not only an area where all the railroads meet but also a real melting pot. Indeed, at least during the waiting time, different types of people are mixed and they all have something in common: they are waiting for departure. Some people are reading the newspaper, others are drinking a cup of coffee or even sleeping on the bench but they are all waiting for their trains. 

  While I was walking to get my train, I moved through the long tunnel that is made of aluminium with floors of red blocks. This tunnel is particularly memorable because initially, it really is an eye-sore. But when I walked into it, I had the impression of moving to another time dimension on my way  into a space shuttle.   

All in all, it is usually more interesting to look at the place you are in instead of looking at your cellphone. Even if it is the umpteenth time you go there, there is always something to learn: most people do not pay attention to the place they live in or travel through on a daily basis, but such places as New Haven’s Union Station are really worthwhile lingering in because they are architectural masterpiece and they do have a soul.