<p><– I wouldn’t say that Middletown is any more run down than the bad parts of New Haven (Yale). </p>
<p>In general, I agree with smartalic that what you saw was not the norm (at least for the parts of the Middletown that Wes students are likely to go to just for fun), and is not something I’d expect from New Yorkers. But hey, if it made your son uncomfortable, that’s understandable. (I personally was more put off by some of the perfectly manicured, super-quaint college towns I visited–different strokes 
). </p>
<p>Anyway, your/your son’s reaction/experience, though a bit out of the norm is still less surprising to me than the OP’s reaction.</p>