Thursday, December 13, 2012

NEW HAVEN

(includes Hamden and North & West Haven)

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
Fuel – 516 Chapel Street; 203-773-5005; www.facebook.com/pages/Fuel-Coffee-Shop/485141580410; for espresso.
Lucibellos Italian Pastry Shop – 935 Grand Avenue; 203-562-4083; lucibellospastry.com; marzipan-flavored, pine nut-topped pignoli, clam-shaped sfogliatelle, and crispy cannoli.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
Anchor Restaurant – 272 College Street; 203-865-1512; www.anchornewhaven.com; lighthouse-shaped lamps, blue vinyl booths, neon-lit Rock-Ola jukebox.
Café Nine – 250 State Street; 203-789-8281; cafenine.com; dubbed “musicians’ livingroom,” for its intimate scale.
Cask Republic – 179 Crown Street; 475-238-8335; thecaskrepublic.com; ales, lagers, porters, and stouts.
Dive Bar & Restaurant – 24 Ocean Avenue (West Haven); 203-933-3483; divebarandrestaurant.com.
116 Crown – 116 Crown Street; 203-777-3116; 116crown.com; how-to cocktail classes.
Owl Shop – 268 College Street; 203-624-3250; owlshopcigars.com; if only for atmosphere; cigar shop that serves drinks (bourbon).
Rudy’s – 1227 Chapel Street; 203-865-1242; www.rudysnewhaven.com; make sure to get hand-cut fries.



BEACHES
Bradley Point Beach – Captain Thomas Boulevard (West Haven); www.lisrc.uconn.edu/coastalaccess/site.asp?siteid=390; near July 5, 1779 British invasion site; sandy, small beach and developed walkway parallel to Long Island Sound; park benches onsite provide vantage points for visitors to enjoy extensive Long Island Sound views.



HOTELS
Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale – 155 Temple Street; 203-772-6664; omnihotels.com; Long Island Sound and/or Yale campus views.
Study at Yale – 1157 Chapel Street; 203-503-3900; studyhotels.com; lobby filled with bookshelves, leather chairs, and modern art.



RESTAURANTS
Anchor Restaurant – 272 College Street; 203-865-1512; www.anchornewhaven.com.
Bella’s Cafe – 896 Whalley Avenue (Westville); 203-387-7107; bellascafect.com; perfect for Saturday-Sunday brunch, in particular.
Caseus Fromagerie Bistro – 93 Whitney Avenue; 203-624-3373; caseusnewhaven.com; try arctic char with cucumber-feta relish; try PFT Sandwich (prosciutto, fig jam, and Taleggio cheese).
Dive Bar & Restaurant – 24 Ocean Avenue (West Haven); 203-933-3483; divebarandrestaurant.com.
Liuzzi Gourmet Market – 322 State Street (North Haven); 203-248-4356; liuzzicheese.com; lunch; excellent sandwiches.
Louis’ Lunch – 261-263 Crown Street; 203-562-5507; hamburgers.
116 Crown – 116 Crown Street; 203-777-3116; 116crown.com; how-to cocktail classes.
Miya’s Sushi – 68 Howe Street; 203-777-9760; miyassushi.com; sustainable sushi; try Charlie Chan’s Ching Chong Roll (whole wheat tempura broccoli, garlic, and black beans) and/or Japafrican Queen (eggplant, goat cheese, apricots, avocado, pickled radish, chives, and berbere spice mix, rolled in Ethiopian injera bread).
Union League Café – 1032 Chapel Street; 203-562-4299; unionleaguecafe.com; inscription above fireplace marks 1789 George Washington visit; Beaux-Art grandeur; rich food.
Zuppardi’s Apizza – 179 Union Avenue (West Haven); 203-934-1949; zuppardisapizza.com; nearly 80 years-old; on residential street, behind green & white awning; order Fresh Clam Apizza.



SERVICES
116 Crown – 116 Crown Street; 203-777-3116; 116crown.com; how-to cocktail classes; reserve 2 weeks in advance.
Yale University Visitor Center – 149 Elm Street; 203-432-2300; yale.edu/visitor; guided tours.



SHOPPING
Fashionista Vintage & Variety – 93 Whitney Avenue; 203-777-4434; fashionista-vintage-variety.com; both men’s and women’s wear.
Liuzzi Gourmet Market – 322 State Street (North Haven); 203-248-4356; liuzzicheese.com; imported foods.



SIGHTS & SITES
East Rock Park – Cold Spring & Orange Streets (Hamden); 203-946-6086; cityofnewhaven.com/Parks/ParksInformation/eastrockpark.asp; 426 acres; 350' basalt cliff offers tremendous views, especially at sunset, over Elm City and Long Island Sound.
Edgewood Park – Edgewood Avenue; 203-787-1055; cityofnewhaven.com/Parks/ParksInformation/edgewoodpark.asp; Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. designed; bird-watching, cross-country, jogging, relaxing by pond, skateboarding, and/or walking.
Long Wharf Theater – 222 Sargent Drive; 203-787-4282; longwharf.org; founded in 1965; has drawn Hollywood powerhouses like Al Pacino and Kevin Spacey.
Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary – Beach Street (West Haven); lisrc.uconn.edu/coastalaccess/site.asp?siteid=383; great place for bird watching; 3.5 miles public beach or waterfront park; 1.7 mile walkway providing continuous waterfront urban “greenway”; Long Island Sound views throughout most of walkway (open 24 hours); red-billed oystercatchers and green-winged monk parakeets.
Peabody Museum of Natural History – 170 Whitney Avenue; 203-432-5050; peabody.yale.edu; taxidermy; among world’s largest, largest, most prolific, and oldest university natural history museums.
Wooster Square – between Academy, Chapel & Greene Streets and Wooster Place; 203-946-8027; cityofnewhaven.com/Parks/index.asp; site of St. Michael’s Catholic Church (1855); awash in cherry trees.
Yale University Architecture Walk – 149 Elm Street (Yale University Visitor Center); 203-432-2300 (same); yale.edu/architectureofyale/archtour_map.pdf; from 1752 Connecticut Hall to 1958 Eero Saarinen ice skating rink; guided or self-guided.
Yale Center for British Art – 1080 Chapel Street; 203-432-2800; britishart.yale.edu; Louis Kahn’s last building, completed in 1977 (after his death); masterpieces by J.M.W. Turner, George Stubbs, Joshua Reynolds, and Thomas Gainsborough.
Yale University Art Gallery – 1111 Chapel Street; 203-432-0600; artgallery.yale.edu; Louis Kahn’s 1st major building (1953); modern and Dada masterpieces (Marcel Duchamp, Roy Lichtenstein, and Man Ray); also see Eduard Vuillard’s The Thread.