Oxford is not a college town \u201d\u201d it is the college town. Its namesake university\u2019s 38 colleges are so steeped in scholarly history they make Harvard and Yale seem like baby-faced freshmen. To wit: Oxford\u2019s New College was last considered \u201cnew\u201d\u009d in the 14th century. (Even the obsolete term \u201cNew World\u201d\u009d is newer.) Students here get into the act, many dressing in tweed coats, sometimes even with elbow patches, and ordering pints of cask ale at pubs that have been in business for nearly four-fifths of a millennium. But Oxford has a modern side, too: night spots blare house and electronic music; restaurants serve modern takes on local food and exotic ethnic cuisine; and comfortable boutique hotels and bed-and- breakfasts beat medieval lodging houses for comfort any day. (Just don\u2019t ask for a place to hitch your horse.)<\/p>\n