New Haven Magazine _ November_2014

GEN X MAKE NEW HAVEN WEIRDER PAGE 30

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Music Haven student Z’Kiiya Crawford.

Photo by Kathleen Cei.

cat

ONE2ONE HAIL TO THE (NHPD) CHIEF PAGE 10

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AT MUSIC HAVEN, URBAN YOUNGSTERS LEARN TO PLAY ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS — AND EXPERIENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE TRANSCENDENT WONDER OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

World on a

String

ay Y d ry DA e ev R’S n he THE W O

M IS

INDEPENDENT LIVING

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INTEL loved) Italian-made flip board that now resides at the Danbury Railway Museum. That board was replaced due to high maintenance costs. The new eight-by-17-foot digital boards cost a combined $500,000.

The lesson? Keep complaining and you just might get your way.

WE’RE STILL DANGEROUS

BIBL IOFIL ES

Despite the size of the boards, they don’t list arrivals; those are displayed on smaller monitors throughout the station.

WORDS o f MOUTH

LETTER S

SMOKING OR NON?

FÊTES LET THERE BE LIGHTS NEW HAVEN — The Fantasy of Lights will set the night aglow for the 20th year this month.

The annual holiday light display, organized by Easter Seals Goodwill Industries, features more than 60 displays (totaling more than 100,000 lights) that visitors can marvel at while driving through the mile-long Lighthouse Point Park loop.

the Marlin Co. and Paradise Landscaping.

The Fantasy of Lights runs from November 21 to January 6, 2015. Admission is $10 per car ($25 per mini-bus and $50 per full-size bus), and runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily (until 10 p.m. weekends). Those sharing to social media are encouraged to use the #fantasyoflights hashtag.

The city’s Recreation Department is considering a ban on smoking at Little League fields and possibly parks, beaches and other areas, after hearing some complaints over the years about adults smoking at baseball games.

Online data portal Neighborhood Scout has compiled a list of the “100 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.” Connecticut cities have been no strangers to lists like these before, and in this case New Haven was the highest (or, depending on your perspective, lowest) on the list, coming in at No. 26, with a violent crime rate of 14.45 per 1,000 residents. New London showed up next on the list at No. 35, followed

by Hartford at 36, and Bridgeport at 51, with 12.05 crimes per 1,000 people.

The site used FBI crime statistics for the rankings, using the number of reported violent crimes (including murder, forcible rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault) per 1,000 people, and the population of each city.

BODY & SOUL

NEW HAVEN — Commuters at Union Station in New Haven can now step boldly into the present.

Two brand new computerized schedule boards now sit in the main hall of Union Station to display upcoming Metro-North and Amtrak train departures, replacing the original (and much-

The department claims the option is for people’s health as well as for purposes of curbing litter. Public input and further public hearings are slated for the fall.

ON SCREEN

Continued on page 6

| Vol. 7, No.8 | November 2014

Publisher: Mitchell Young Editor Michael C. Bingham Contributing Writers Brooks Appelbaum, Nancy Burton, Duo Dickinson, Jessica Giannone, Eliza Hallabeck, Lynn Fredricksen, Mimi Freiman, Liese Klein, John Mordecai, Melissa Nicefaro, Susan E. Cornell, Priscilla Searles, Makayla Silva, Cindy Simoneau, Karen Singer, Tom Violante Photographers Steve Blazo, John Mordecai, Lesley Roy, Chris Volpe GRAPHICS MANAGER Mathew Ford

4 N OVEMBER 2014

Now, Milford seems to be adding insult to injury by proposing to ban even outdoor smoking.

OUTDOORS

NEW LED BOARDS AT UNION STATION

OF NO TES

New Haven

MILFORD — Smokers have had it rough in recent years. In days of yore you could smoke anywhere, then there were just bars and designated smoking areas in restaurants before indoor smoking was outlawed altogether.

IN STYL E

AT H O M E

The event takes place with the help of over 700 volunteers and is sponsored by more than 60 local businesses including energy sponsorship by Citizens Bank, Mercedes-Benz of North Haven and UIL Holdings Corp.

Each light display is sponsored, with some longtime supporters including Foxon Park Beverages, Yale-New Haven Hospital,

Well at least we’re not in the top five again.

Advertising Manager Mary W. Beard Senior Publisher’s Representative Roberta Harris Publisher’s Representative Gina Gazvoda Robin Ungaro Gordon Weingarth New Haven is published 8 times annually by Second Wind Media Ltd., which also publishes Business New Haven, with offices at 20 Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT 06513. 203-781-3480 (voice), 203-781-3482 (fax). Subscriptions $24.95/year, $39.95/two years. Send name,

address & zip code with payment. Second Wind Media Ltd. d/b/a New Haven shall not be held liable for failure to publish an advertisement or for typographical errors or errors in publication.

For more information e-mail: NewHaven@Conntact.com.

Please send CALENDAR information to CALENDAR@conntact.com no later than six weeks preceding calendar month of event.

Please include date, time, location, event description, cost and contact information.

Photographs must be at least 300 dpi resolution and are published at discretion of NEW HAVEN magazine.

Second-year Music Haven student Z’Kiiya Crawford, age 9, a resident of the Dixwell neighborhood. PHOTOGRAPH: Kathleen Cei. COVER DESIGN: Mixie von Bormann.

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

We’re Not Surprised, Are You? BEST

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The cities included have populations of 25,000 or more people.

Rounding the bottom of the list at 100 is Knoxville, Tenn., while the top three most dangerous cities on the list were East St. Louis, Ill., Flint, Mich. and Camden, N.J., respectively.

fire. The village was several times purchased and used as a tourist attraction and at one point a failed resort destination, but has been completely abandoned and unused for 20 years.

It still features several homes and an old general store (some other structures, including a chapel, were purchased and brought to the property by a previous owner).

It remains to be seen what will become of the town in the hands of its new owner, and we haven’t heard any comments from the supposed otherworldly inhabitants, either.

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The 62-acre former mill town located in the East Haddam village of Moodus was established in the late 1800s, mostly to house workers at several twine mills, which in subsequent years were destroyed by

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New Haveners hardly need a guide to find good pizza, but for those who still don’t know about the glory of apizza, New York City blog Gothamist published a guide to make it easy for you.

The “Guide to the Best Pizza in New Haven” proudly proclaims our pies the best in the nation while offering condolences to New York, and pictorially lists local institutions including Bar, Da Legna, Frank Pepe’s, Modern Apizza, Sally’s and Tony & Lucille’s, the latter of which was lauded in particular for its calzones.

NEWBIE WANTS TO KNOW….

2014

New Haven Has a Coast Guard Station? Who Knew?

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Floral

Jewelry

6 N OVEMBER 2014

EAST HADDAM — One lucky winner’s wish to own their own town came true in October, when the abandoned — and purportedly haunted — village of Johnsonville went up for auction with a starting bid of $800,000, eventually selling for $1.9 million to an undisclosed private party.

GOTHAMIST GUIDE TO BEST APIZZA

ew Haven’s outpost of the U.S. Coast Guard is located just off Woodward Avenue on the East Shore. Its operational area covers nearly two-thirds of the northern shoreline of Long Island Sound, from Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport to Clinton Harbor, and on Long Island’s northern shore from Mattituck Inlet to Mt. Sinai Harbor. On average the station performs between 150 and 200 search-and-rescue operations and conducts up to 300 boat boardings each year. The station works in concert with local law enforcement as well as with U.S. Customs and the state’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP), giving the station upwards of 500 service members, 200 reservists and 1,200 auxiliary personnel at its disposal. The station holds open-house days in May each year.

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3

Seminal New Haveners

W

ith the Thanksgiving holiday nigh, this is the season in which we recall the roots of European colonization of North America viewed through the lens of the New England experience.

After arriving in Boston following a long and arduous journey across the North Atlantic, colonists seeking religious freedom from the Church of England received reports of land by the Quinnipiac River that was regarded as attractive because of its location between Boston and New York City — and also because of its lucrative fur trade.

New Haven was incorporated in 1638, later merging with Milford and Guilford to form the New Haven Colony in 1643. This remained a separate legal entity from the rest of the Connecticut Colony until 1665. Here are a few notable early players in New Haven’s history.

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John Davenport — New Haven Colony’s co-founder was a wealthy English Puritan minister who, disillusioned with the Church of England, emigrated first to the Netherlands and then to the Massachusetts Bay Colony before moving south to the New Haven Colony. Head of the first church here, Davenport arranged to hide “regicide” judges Edward Whalley and William Goffe (who signed the death warrant for King Charles I during the English Civil War, and following the Restoration fled to North America where they hid from forces of the Crown by hiding, among other places, in a cave in West Rock). In the late 1660s, Davenport even opposed New Haven Colony’s incorporation into the Connecticut Colony. In 1668 he moved to Boston, assuming the role of pastor at the First Church of Boston. Yale’s Davenport College is named after this seminal figure.

Theophilus Eaton — New Haven’s other co-founder sojourned to New England with Davenport, his boyhood friend. As New Haven Colony’s first governor, Eaton created the colony’s first legal code, which later became known as the Blue Laws of Connecticut. His second wife was the widow Anne Yale, whose son David’s son was Elihu Yale, the namesake of Yale College following its 1701 founding. Upon his death, Eaton was buried under the New Haven Green, but his remains were later moved to the Grove Street Cemetery, where they remain.

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New Haven’s third governor, William Leete fled England in 1639, also for the cause of religious freedom. He held several positions in nearby Guilford, including those of town clerk, justice of the peace and town magistrate. He eventually became the only man to serve as governor of both the New Haven and Connecticut colonies, serving in New Haven from 1661-64 and for Connecticut from 1676 until his death in 1683. He also was responsible for helping to hide regicide judges Goffe and Whalley from Crown authorities operating from Guilford.

Guess what, guess what?

We just got 7 national rankings!

Amazing advancements are taking place in pediatric medicine. And if U.S. News & World Report is any indication, many of those advancements are happening here. For the seventh straight year, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital is ranked among the best in the country in multiple specialties. Seven to be exact. We take tremendous pride in that recognition and in our dedicated doctors, nurses and staff who are experienced in caring for the unique needs of children. Most important is the gratification we feel knowing that the future holds such promise for the health and well-being of our children. Visit ynhch.org.

Bridgeport

Greenwich

New Haven

Norwalk

Trumbull

The Beat Goes On. Again.

Photos: STEVE BLAZO

Top cop Dean Esserman returns to New Haven — and with him the bold experiment known as ‘community policing’

I’m sure you were a good kid?

[in New England].

BIBL I O FIL ES

New Haven Police Chief Dean M. Esserman, 57, is a graduate of Dartmouth and New York University School of Law. The New York native is also a former assistant district attorney for Brooklyn, N.Y. He was originally recruited in New Haven by two-term Mayor John Daniels (1990-93) and Police Chief Nick Pastore (199197) in their then mostly-untried strategy of socalled community policing, which focuses on building ties and working with members of the community. Esserman was first recruited in a year that saw 34 murders in the Elm City. After stints back in New York, the private sector, and as Chief of Police in Stamford and Providence, R.I., then-Mayor John DeStefano recruited Esserman to return to New Haven in 2011. He became the fourth chief in three and a half years, after murders again reached 34 in a single year 2011.

New Haven magazine publisher Mitchell Young interviewed Esserman for One to One.

LE TT ER S

I was mugged pretty badly when I was 12. A kid put his cigarette out on my hand and took my bicycle. I started judo classes that [next] Saturday and got my black belt when I was graduating high school.

You have a brother or sister?

A younger sister. She boasts that her brother didn’t get into Yale.

W O R D S of M O U T H

Then you went on to college.

Shouldn’t you be boasting that you went to Dartmouth instead?

The story is actually connected to this place [New Haven through my history professor [Greg Prince], who was my mentor and advisor at Dartmouth. I was the first kid in my clan to leave New York City and I was a little bit lost up here

Professor Prince got me an internship at the New York Transit Police, setting up a medical rescue unit. That’s where I got the bug, realizing that police are a lot more than law enforcement and that they are a force for social justice and could

FÊTES

I NSTY L E

ATHOME

O U TD O O R S

O F NOTES

BO D Y & SO U L

John Daniels and Nick Pastore were pretty much on their own without much support when they introduced the idea of community policing to New Haven and its police department, weren’t they?

Mayor Daniels and Chief Pastore are my heroes.

When you went to college did you have career plans?

Yes, to be a doctor like my father. My father came from enormous poverty. My grandfather pushed a cart on the streets of Brooklyn to sell apples. My family immigrated to Brooklyn [from Latvia]; my parents were the first to take the giant diaspora to Manhattan.

O NS C R EEN

To the Lower East Side?

No, the Upper East Side. My father didn’t believe doctors should make money, and didn’t believe in owning, so we never owned a house, and he didn’t believe in charging patients who couldn’t afford. All of us were trained to answer the phone and everyone knew my father would make house calls after dinner. My whole vision of community policing comes from his vision of medicine.

So you went Dartmouth thinking you were going to be a physician. Where did you go ‘wrong’?

I went to a high school in New York called Fieldstone, which was run by the Ethical Culture Society. And you had to work in the community to graduate, in the days it was actually community service. I worked on an ambulance in New York, and the police department took [ambulance service] over. It was the first time I had ever met a cop in a good situation.

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make a difference in the community with much more than just handcuffs.

also investigating. Pretty quickly I learned the cops were being falsely accused and I ended up defending them.

Are you a Yankees fan or a Mets fan?

I would think the prosecutors didn’t want to hear that. What was the blowback?

So, how did you get to New Haven?

What was the tie to New Haven?

Greg called me at home on February 17, 1991 to tell me his nephew [Yale student Christian Prince; see below] was just murdered on Hillhouse Avenue. Within months I was the assistant chief in New Haven.

So we’re jumping a head a little bit?

I took a year off before law school and went to the transit police. We did some crazy projects. It was the 1970s and we weren’t hiring cops, while New York was turning very Hispanic. I wrote and we received a grant to send New York cops up to Dartmouth to learn Spanish. [Following graduation] I applied for the district attorney’s office. This guy ahead of me two years was Dannel Malloy from Connecticut. I ended up in narcotics and organized crime and on loan to the U.S. attorney’s office. There were allegations that the plainclothes decoy cops were setting people up in the transit police, which was a separate police force, [to be arrested]. Transit had 4,000 or 5,000 cops, and I was asked to come in as a general counsel to investigate the [alleged] wrongdoing. The U.S. attorney’s office was

I lost a few friends in the prosecutor’s office.

Bill Bratton [then police chief of Boston, now of New York City] was recruited to head the [New York] Transit Police. He took the Transit Police from obscurity and the Avis Rental car syndrome [‘We’re No. 2 — We Try Harder] and they became the stars of New York City. That’s where the broken windows and the graffiti stuff were all tested. Bratton and Police Commissioner Lee Brown were close friends and neither had come from New York, so I was the go-between.

Was Bratton a Boston Red Sox Fan? Unfortunately, yes.

How did Giuliani stand that?

No comment.

I wore a Yankees No. 7 Mickey Mantle [jersey] my whole life including on my judo uniform at Dartmouth.

Lee Brown and Bratton took me out to dinner at the top of the World Trade Center. We sat at a corner table, northern seat, and they said to look north. [They said,] ‘If you really want to join our racket we’re recommending you to New Haven, Conn.’ Mayor Daniels and Chief Pastore had come down to speak with [thenNew York] Mayor [David] Dinkins. We met in this office [at 1 Union Ave. in New Haven], which I still consider [Pastore’s] — I am just visiting it. He had eliminated all the assistant chiefs and created one position to run everything.

Earlier in that year was when Christian Prince, a third-generation Yale student and my beloved professor’s nephew, was murdered. Here is the New Haven Register from 1991: 34 murders. There he is.

He was a very fine-looking young man.

New Haven swore that would never happen again.

Twenty years later to the month, Mayor John

’There are citizens in this city who are uncomfortable with the New Haven Police Department but they are not uncomfortable with their New Haven police officer on their beat.’

12 N OVEMBER 2014

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

DeStefano recruited me because there were 34 murders again in 2011. My incentive to come here [the first time] was that I was completely taken by Chief Pastore. I was made the assistant chief, and didn’t have a day off for three years. That’s why I don’t have any sympathy for my assistant chiefs now because there are four of them.

But you still were never a cop on the beat?

The way the state of Connecticut welcomed me was, they said, ‘He has the status of an assistant chief, but he has to go to the Police Academy.’

The city felt that was ridiculous, because the police commissioner of New York is a civilian and, ‘We’re going to fight this in court.’ I asked them not to. I went to the academy and I worked.

But then you left New Haven.

At the end of 1993, I was asked by MTA Transit if I would I be interested in coming home to be chief. So I went home to New York at MTA Metro-North. I was one of the youngest chiefs in the country at 34, and my Connecticut certification [from the police academy] was recognized. In 1993 was the first attack on the Word Trade [Center] towers and I got very involved in anti-terrorism because Grand Central Terminal is a [potential] target. We were doing community policing in the rail system. We

started building districts around the system. One day I was cutting the ribbon on a new district in Stamford. Mayor [now governor] Malloy was there, and within a few months he recruited me to bring community policing to Stamford.

Stamford is one of the few places in Fairfield County that a has a lot of housing projects and a lot poverty. I realized what I missed was community and neighborhoods. We were there for four years, we had three children and I ran out of money. We went back to New York and I joined an investigator firm, private sector.

They had been asked to oversee the clean up

At the time Chief Pastore and his views on policing were controversial. Rank-and-file cops were not among his supporters, and then they had to deal with a direct boss who wasn’t even a cop. How did that go over?

They thought it was crazy. I didn’t exactly come out of central casting [for a police chief]. I think what happened without even realizing it was I got the grudging respect of the rank-and-file because I went to the academy and didn’t fight it. There are two types of chiefs: chiefs who like their cops, and chiefs who are distant. I ended up liking the cops. I saw the good in them. I was recruited with very clear marching orders: no more than 34 murders and take the [communitypolicing] vision of Mayor Daniels and Chief Pastore and make it a reality.

I can understand how police administration could affect how the police interact with the community. It’s harder to see how that would affect whether a city has 20 or 34 murders in a given year because there are so many other forces at play.

Thank goodness you’re wrong. I have been a police chief for 23 years now in four cities.

We created the districts and decentralized the department. Years later we did the same thing in Stamford and later in Providence. In [New York] above ground they’re called precincts. Transit called them districts, so out of allegiance to the Transit Police, I called them districts.

Did precinct seem too militaristic or something?

A little, but it was mostly out of allegiance to Transit. When I got here there were no districts, no substations, there was nothing. My job was to bring the violence down, and we did. I was here for three years, I got married and our baby daughter was born at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

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of the [September 11, 2001] World Trade Center attack. There was an enormous concern about organized crime being involved. We were hired to be the monitor. I tried it but I didn’t like it.

Wasn’t the root cause that many offenders who had been incarcerated returned to the city?

No, there is more than one answer.

So you ended up in Providence?

I met with mayor-elect David Cicilline in 2003 at the request of a friend to talk about community policing. [Cicilline replaced longtime Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci, who was charged with a felony and eventually served four years in federal prison]. I was offered the job as chief. It was an unusual situation. The president and vice president of the [police] union went to see Eric Holder, who was then assistant attorney general under Janet Reno, and asked for a federal monitor. Police chiefs often think they’re rock stars, but we’re only as good as the mayor.

I spent eight years in Providence but left soon after Cicilline left the mayor’s office [in 2011] to run and win as a congressman. It was a tough job, and corruption ran deep.

The politicians betrayed [the police officers]. They were forced to pay for their promotions and there were many officers who wouldn’t do that and they didn’t get ahead.

New Haven Mayor John DeStefano eventually called in 2011?

I didn’t return the call; I thought it was a prank. I didn’t think it was how you got [recruiting] calls. Then Cicilline called me and said he had spoken to DeStefano and he would be calling.

New Haven had moved away from community policing by then.

I said I had to ask four assistant chiefs to leave as I did in Providence.

What many people don’t know is the person who wrote the position paper for Mayor John Daniels when he campaigned for community policing was [then-alderwoman now Mayor] Toni Harp. Both the Board of Alders and the mayor [DeStefano] said the same thing: bring the violence down in the city.

There were 133 shootings and 34 murders on top of that [in 2011].

14 N OVEMBER 2014

You lived in Providence, Stamford, New York and New Haven. Let’s leave New York out of it: Which is the best place to live of the other three?

Here, but I never thought we would come back. I told Mayor DeStefano I couldn’t afford the job. But two hours later this same cell phone, which I will never throw out, rang.

Let’s just put on the record that it is an ancient Blackberry.

Anyway it was [then-Yale president] Rick Levin. I had been his neighbor when we lived on Everett Street [in 1991] and I did the Unabomber case, which was the week before he took office. He said, ‘New Haven needs you back and so does Yale. You can teach here part-time.’ I remember saying two things. One: ‘This better be you,’ and two: ‘I can now tell my little sister I got to Yale.’

So now DeStefano and the aldermen were converts to community policing, but what about the cops themselves?

We went on retreat to Yale’s West Campus and I said to them, ‘I don’t have to be good; I just have to stay.’

They had so many stepfathers [four chiefs in fewer than four years].

No one knew which direction to go anymore, and many of the senior officers [had been] my rookies when we created community policing.

Same face, different body.

I’m not sure what community policing really is.

Community policing was not born fully formed; it was born from frustration by a group of police chiefs around the country [as well as] some journalists, politicians and professors. They all started realizing the unanticipated consequences of policing catching up to the fever of the postmodern technology world. The contract with America that our parents didn’t have was 911. There was no 911 in the 1950s; it was birthed in the ‘60s and the ‘70s. It became your role to call and our job to come. The unanticipated consequence was that cops became strangers in the community, and then all cops were interchangeable.

You call, we come, we take a report, we fight crime. We didn’t do such a good job. There is a realization now that relationships matter and that legitimacy doesn’t come from the badge or a symbol of authority.

It turns out you have to know the person in the uniform and the person in the uniform needs to know the person on the block.

Does that really happen?

It does here! In 1991 we issued beepers to our cops. We said [to citizens], ‘Beep your cop,’ and we brought back walking beats. They had been abandoned in the ‘80s.

And later they were abandoned again.

Yes, and they are re-returning. We are the only city left in America that when you graduate the New Haven Police Academy, everyone walks a beat for a year. A permanent beat in a neighborhood.

Is that why New Haven doesn’t have enough officers — they don’t want to walk a beat?

No, that’s because we had feast/ famine hiring. But yes, a lot of cops don’t want to walk a beat. It’s easier to be a cop in a smaller town, and by the way you get paid more. For the past two years every recruit gets a walking beat assignment with a partner for a year. Every three or four weeks I bring them in to talk to me personally. The story is always the same. The first day they’re walking down the street; everyone is eyeballing each other; nobody’s talking. A week or two later there are a couple of hellos. Three or four weeks later they can’t go down the block without 20 conversations. Two months later no one stops ringing their cell phones — on duty or off duty. People are calling their cop

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like people used to call my father; they didn’t call the American Medical Association, they didn’t call Bellevue Hospital. You don’t have to love the New Haven Police Department or the police chief; you just have to have a relationship of trust and respect with your cop in the neighborhood.

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How well is your department doing?

We had 133 shootings in 2011, and we’re down to 47 [year to date] for 2014. This was a very divided department, it was many different principalities and princes. [Members of the community] are not calling Officer 123 on the beat but Officer Esserman. That is a fundamental shift.

In some communities the schism between blacks and the police seems to be pretty wide. What do you see as the cause?

The black experience. My son is AfricanAmerican and my wife is Latino. I was a hippie and you could say I was profiled, as I had many experiences with the police. I found there were two types of officers: either very professional or pretty angry about something.

Why are there a lot of angry police? Is this PTSD or something?

I think it is true that the job can make you angry because it can make you cynical.

Do I think they start angry? No. It’s when expectation collides with reality. You sign up for the job for truth and justice.

Maybe some just want to be in charge?

We’ve seen the video a hundred times of the cop who smashed the car window on a seat-belt stop.

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Sophocles had a line in Antigone that ‘Power reveals the man.’ [Officers are] not ready for people to push back. As you become an older police officer you realize people follow kindness more than they follow fear. The best cops I know have learned that over the years. What we’re trying to do here is teach that lesson earlier.

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New York City affects New Haven. Trevor Martin affects New Haven. There is no

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At choose-and-cut farms, it’s the experience,’ says Kathy Kogut. ‘The tree is secondary. People go to spend time with their family, they tailgate and take photos. It is the experience of walking on the farm and harvesting it yourself.’

O Christmas Tree Connecticut’s holiday tree farmers increasingly find themselves in the ‘agri-tainment’ business

By MAKAYLA SILVA

And for many, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Balsam fir or white spruce. It’s about the experience.

allen leaves crunch with each footstep. Peals of laughter sound from children as they zigzag through the forest like a maze. And the intoxicating aroma of balsam fir infuses the air with nostalgia.

F

The National Christmas Tree Association, the national trade association representing more than 700 active member tree farms, performs an annual consumer tracking poll to evaluate current industry statistics.

The dip in temperatures leaves cheeks red and noses cold.

The 2013 poll results show that consumers in the U.S. purchased 33.02 million farm-grown Christmas trees, spending just over $1 billion annually on fresh, farm-grown Christmas trees.

But no one seems to mind.

The season has begun.

Heading out into the woods to select and harvest the perfect tree is a cherished tradition for many families.

16 N OVEMBER 2014

In Connecticut, more than 300 farms with an aggregate 50,000 acres of trees gear up each year for the busy six-week season.

With two locations and 20,000 Christmas trees, Broken Arrow Nursery has been selling trees for more than three decades in the Mount Carmel section of Hamden.

Owner Richard (Dick) Jaynes planted his first Christmas trees on his father’s apple orchard in 1947 from seeds won as a prize from the state for his 4-H poultry project.

“My dad had a small apple orchard and started planting trees around the outside edge of it, in what we called wasteland,” he recalls. “And it was my project and I’ve been growing trees ever since.”

Jaynes, who earned a Ph.D. in botany from Yale and worked for the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven for 25 years, says growing NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

Christmas trees is a legitimate and beneficial use of the land because much of it is not prime farmland because it’s rocky and thin-soiled.

In addition, he says, growing trees means fewer houses and less development.

The now-thriving Christmas tree farm on about 25 acres in northern Mount Carmel was initially run as a tagging operation where customers would pick their trees weeks or even months before Christmas. But today Broken Arrow’s sales are primarily choose-andcut.

Jaynes estimates that last year he sold roughly 2,000 Christmas trees during peak season, which he says starts on Thanksgiving weekend.

“One of the things that has changed over the years, people have started coming early and earlier,” he notes. “When I was a kid, we lived in New Jersey, and my folks put the tree up when I went to bed on Christmas Eve, and we kept it up for a week and took it down.”

Today, he says, many customers come out that last week of November and keep their tree up until after the New Year.

“You used to figure the second week of December it would start getting very busy, but now, we have to be ready for Thanksgiving weekend,” Jaynes says.

“There’s always a little anguish before we open before that first weekend: ‘Do we have the stands?

Do we have the wreaths?’ But once we are open and the customers come in, it’s very busy from 8 a.m. until dark. And frankly, I’m glad it gets dark around 5 p.m. because we’re pretty tired by then.”

Broken Arrow sells both pre-cut trees as well as choose-and-cut trees at the nursery.

❧ Kathy Kogut and her husband Bill, owners of Kogut’s Hemlock Hill Tree Farm, began a nursery business in the late 1960s in Somers.

While the Koguts will no longer be offering cut-yourown trees as their lease on Hemlock Hill expired last season, Kathy Kogut says the novelty of choosing and cutting down a tree with loved ones has become a timeless tradition.

“At choose-and-cut farms, it’s the experience,” she says. “The tree is secondary. People go to spend time with their family, they tailgate and take photos. It is the experience of walking on the farm and harvesting it yourself. They make a big to-do out of it.”

Clinic 1234

And farms are happy to encourage that, she adds.

“Farms now today have something that people are more interested in than the actual tree. They may offer wagons rides, Santa Claus, they have photo ops, it’s ‘agri-tainment,’” she says.

Still, she says, some folks are not prepared to cut down their own tree, so Kogut’s has always offered pre-cut trees.

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“Grandmothers and grandfathers come but they have gotten to the point where they aren’t going to saw down their own tree but still want to put a tree up for their grandchildren,” she says.

This year the Koguts will offer pre-cut trees from their wholesale lot in Enfield out of the parking lot of their Billings Road location in Somers.

Burton Jaynes, Dick’s son and Broken Arrow’s business manager, says only about ten percent of sales are from pre-cut trees.

He says purchasing a freshly grown tree right from the farm — pre-cut or choose-and-cut — undoubtedly has its appeal.

“You can feel good that it was grown locally and you support the local economy. In addition, it’s a great family outing — walking out in the country, looking for the perfect tree, and then bringing it home and decorating it,” Burton Jaynes says.

Because many families now plan their tree outing for Thanksgiving weekend, Dick Jaynes says many farms today are growing species they hadn’t grown before with better needle retention.

“There was a time that white spruce was the most popular tree in Connecticut,” he explains. “But we grow more Balsam firs and Douglas firs. All growers are trying to do a lot better in growing a well-shaped tree, a tree without defects.

But, he says, for families, it’s often more about the experience than the actual tree.

“For many people with kids, that’s part of the thrill,” he says. “We hand you a hand saw and you head out to find a tree, cut it down and put on top of the car.”

Still, Dick Jaynes believes the state could use a few more growers to help meet the demand for Christmas trees.

“In our 25 acres of trees, we still can’t keep up with the market, so we bring in some trees from New Hampshire,” he notes.

Kathy Kogut says there are 5,000 acres of Christmas tree farms in the state, and it is still difficult to meet the demand.

She says there are about our or five large production farms, including Jones Tree Farm in Shelton, Maple Row in Easton and Hemlock Hill Farm in Enfield.

Many of the most successful tree farms have diversified into seasonal accessories to grow their revenue streams.

But many smaller farms, she says, can sell only 200 to 300 trees per year, and often purchase pre-cut trees from some of the larger Connecticut farms.

❧ The Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association, formed in 1960 by a dozen of foresters, like Phillip Jones of Shelton’s Jones Family Farms, is an organization designed to help local growers make a living from Christmas trees.

The goal of the organizers was to function as a network for growers across the state, to meet and discuss problems, disease threats, growing techniques, handling, harvesting — the soup-to-nuts of the industry.

Further, the group wanted to help farmers across the state turn their crop into a lucrative business and actually make

18 N OVEMBER 2014

growing Christmas trees a viable livelihood.

Today Kathy Kogut is the group’s executive director.

She says that while the state’s growers have come a long way since the 1960s, the industry can still be tough for many.

“You can’t make a living just growing Christmas trees, because it’s too long of a crop [to grow]. It will actually be ten years before you reap a profit” on an individual tree, Kogut says.

Many farms, she explains, now offer corn mazes or pumpkins or even make their own wine as a way to diversify their offerings and supplement Christmas tree sales.

“There is no one farm in Connecticut that only sells Christmas trees as a livelihood,” Kogut says.

Farmers face many hurdles beyond their short selling season that can bring financial hardship, Kogut says.

“With the very rainy season we had last spring, growers face a root rot from trees sitting in water,” she notes. “People were losing hundreds of trees, not realizing they had sat in water. It was a very tough winter and a very wet spring, not your ideal growing seasons.

Further, transplanted trees often don’t survive transplantation, further complicating the grower’s season.

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

“The mortality rate of a transplant is pretty high to begin with — 20 percent in good transitions, people were finding 50 percent this year,” Kogut says. “One out of every three trees is sellable, harvestable.”

Kogut says many people see a farm during their busy season, filled with families and long lines. But, she says, the farm needs to survive off the six weeks’ revenues over 12 long months.

“During the rest of the year you are spending money fertilizing trees, putting herbicides down, mulching, trimming, paying workers,” she explains. “It comes from the Christmas season.”

The off season, Kogut says, may have little in common with those sometimes-frantic six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they are busy in other ways.

“As soon as the ground thaws in the spring we start fertilizing and putting herbicides down,” she explains. “We have to keep the rows mowed and mulched to keep moisture under the tree, and you have to scout for pests like spider mites. People think you plant a tree and walk away from it, but really you touch that tree about 50 times before you harvest it, So if someone has 5,000 trees on their land, it’s a lot of time.” As in a quarter-million touches.

Sacred Heart Academy S T R O N G VA L U ES . S T RO N G A C A D EM I C S . S T RO N G L EA DE R S HIP

Likewise, Broken Arrow’s Burton Jaynes says his industry is unquestionably challenging, but also rewarding.

“If you like being outside a lot and you enjoy spending time with customers during the holiday season and you feel good about being in the green industry where you grow something that brings joy to thousands of households in Connecticut, and some outside of Connecticut, then this is a good business that doesn’t feel tough,” he asserts.

❧ Sacred Heart Academy…Where a Curious Mind Thrives Tom Pinchbeck, owner of Pinchbeck’s Tree Farm in Guilford, is the fourth-generation owner of a 35-acre property growing varieties of fir and spruce trees.

He says his father started planting trees in the 1960s and began offering choose-and-cut trees in the 1990s.

Pinchbeck says his farm plants about 5,000 trees annually but, he says, doesn’t come close to harvesting that many.

“There’s a lot of loss in this business,” he explains.

Pinchbeck’s sold about 400 trees in the 2013 season.

“There are very few farms in Connecticut who make a living purely off Christmas trees,” he says. “Our greenhouse is our main business and the Christmas trees are a supplement.”

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dance, and work with professional technicians on sound, staging, and lights. Our cutting edge research in state-of-the-art molecular science, chemistry, physics, and biology laboratories has been nationally recognized.

Our faculty members, more than 80% of whom hold one or more masters or doctoral degrees, introduce innovative, collaborative means of learning while students work in groups discussing ideas and developing solutions to problems.

Through block scheduling and extensive class time students achieve, and they succeed. We offer 104 courses of which 15 are advanced placement for college credit, with a 9:1 student to teacher ratio, and an average class size of 19 students. Sacred Heart is a place where young women find their strength and learn to lead while discovering their academic abilities and interests.

Beyond our strong academic preparation for college, our students recognize the importance of values through a vital moral formation.

They learn to respect the goodness and difference in others and share their talents through community service and participation in service clubs and organizations. 100% of our graduates attend four-year colleges, and emerge dedicated to lifelong learning and to sharing the values learned at Sacred Heart in communities throughout the world. They are articulate communicators and critical thinkers, committed to service. Sacred Heart Academy is a place where students grow in love of God, in appreciation of arts, and in sense of integrity, as they build confidence and excel.

Through participation in 13 varsity sports and 40 clubs, students further explore and develop their interests and appreciate the importance of caring for others. At the legendary Shubert Theatre in New Haven, students act, sing,

Sacred Heart Academy welcomes students from 55 towns in Connecticut, and transportation and financial aid are available. To learn more and apply online, please visit our website at www.sacredhearthamden.org.

Impelled by Christ’s Love As you plan and prepare for your future, we encourage you to visit Sacred Heart and to spend a day with us. When you meet our caring and inspiring teachers and creative students, you will feel you belong here.

To learn more please visit www.sacredhearthamden.org.

The Sacred Heart Academy Entrance Exam will take place on Saturday, November 8 from 8 a.m. until noon on our campus for all students applying for grades 9 and 10. To register for the exam, candidates for admission must submit the Application for Admission online at www.sacredhearthamden.org with the $60.00 fee by November 3, 2014.

Still, Pinchbeck says it’s a fun industry to be a part of.

“We have seen families grow up over the years,” he says. “It’s a good business to be in. Everyone is happy and in good spirits.”

For further information or to arrange an interview or “shadow day,” please contact Elaine Lamboley, Director of Admission, (203) 288-2309, x307.

new haven

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Theare Strings the 20 N OVEMBER 2014

Thing

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

MUSIC HAVEN BRINGS CLASSICAL MUSIC INSTRUCTION TO CITY KIDS WHO LIKELY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF MOZART HEARD OF MOZART

By MICHAEL C. BINGHAM

‘T

ransforming lives through music” is the mission of Music Haven, an Elm City-based nonprofit that offers music education and performance opportunities to empower young people and their families.

Inspired by Community MusicWorks in Providence, R.I., and Bill Strickland’s Manchester Guild in Pittsburgh, Yale School of Music graduate Tina Lee Hadari founded Music Haven in 2006.

Convinced that a professional string quartet could contribute to social change in New Haven’s urban communities, she created the opportunity for a string quartet to teach and perform in four of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods.

“I’m a musician who for a long time was seeking opportunities to make an impact beyond performing, beyond the traditional sharing music with an audience,” says Hadari, a petite violinist with two young children who next June will step down as Music Haven’s founding (and only) executive artistic director.

Hadari caught the proselytizing bug when she spent three years between college at the New England Conservatory and Tufts and grad school at the Yale School of Music teaching stringed instruments to young people in East Harlem as part of a non-profit called Opus 118. “It was there that

I really fell in love with urban music education,” she explains.

So she has transferred that passion to New Haven, where Music Haven this year provides classical music education to more than 80 young people between the ages of six and 18, mainly from Newhallville, Dixwell, Dwight, the Hill and West Rock neighborhoods.

For many of these young people it’s a life-changing experience — intellectually, culturally and personally. After all, music is science, music is mathematics, music is an intellectual bridge to some of the most profound expressions of the Western artistic canon.

Housed in a former Whalley Avenue garage roughly equidistant from Popeye’s and Burger King, Music Haven offers instruction in orchestral string instruments — violin, viola, cello and double bass — primarily (though not exclusively) to students in New Haven public schools, some of whom may never have heard a live performance by a symphony orchestra in their brief lifetimes.

Music Haven’s resident performing ensemble is the Haven String Quartet — violinists Yaira Matyakubova and Gregory Tompkins, violist Colin Benn and cellist Philip Boulanger. All four work with Music Haven’s 80-plus students, including private lessons and conducting student ensembles.

The HSQ is no stranger to nontraditional performance venues, including hospitals, shelters and correctional facilities. In June, as part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, the instrumentalists boarded the flatbed “String Quartet Truck” for performances of popular music by bands like Coldplay and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” at improbable venues including the parking lot of the C-Town Supermarket on Grand Avenue in Fair Haven.

Music Haven students enjoy at least two private lessons weekly (for novices, one private lesson and a group class). As they grow older and become more proficient, they come to Whalley Avenue as

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often as four days a week for private lessons as well as chamber-group and orchestral rehearsals, Boulanger explains.

children to practice for an hour a day, Chinese parents find the third hour of daily practice is where the rubber really meets the road.

In her (tongue-in-cheek, she swears) 2012 manifesto Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which extols the virtues of super-strict Chinese-style parenting, Yale Law School professor Amy Chua includes music instruction among the non-negotiables of child rearing (along with no sleepovers — lest their offspring discover how easy their American peers have it — and accepting no grade lower than an A — which pretty much includes all the other grades).

Piano, because — hey, ten fingers, 88 keys? Do the math. Violin, because — well, where to begin?

So, mothers like Chua demand that their little ones take music lessons — with a caveat. The only instruments allowed are piano and violin — arguably the two most difficult instruments to master (sorry, oboists, but the rest of us think you’re not brilliant, just insane). Both are devilishly difficult. Chua notes that, unlike American parents who beg and bribe their

Okay, the left hand. Unlike, say, a guitar, a violin has no frets to show the student where one halfstep ends and the next begins. (Violinists laugh at guitar players.) And the higher up the neck, the closer together are the half-steps. Playing notes in tune is all ear and rote repetition.

That’s just the left hand. In the right hand is this bow thing. If it’s not drawn across the string (or strings) at precisely the right angle with precisely the proper pressure, it produces a sound — maybe “screech” or “groan” would be a more accurate description — that makes fingernails on a blackboard sound like the sweetest Mozart sonata by comparison.

It’s not unfair to observe that it probably takes a violin student of average talent more than a year

to play a single note in tune with a clear tone.

(Which is why there is a special place in Heaven reserved for the parents of beginning string students.)

In public-school music programs, there is a distinct socioeconomic division between (richer) districts that offer string instruction, and (poorer) one that do not. E.g., in Amity public schools, students can learn to play strings. In Stratford, it’s wind instruments only. One has an orchestra, the other a concert band.

Part of the explanation is expense. Violins, cellos, etc. are expensive and fragile. Trumpets and bassoons may be expensive (good ones, anyway), but if you drop them, they probably still will produce a sound. Dropping a violin produces toothpicks.

Which is why Music Haven instructors spend the entire first semester lecturing novice string students in the care and feeding of their KATHLEEN CEI PHOTOS

Music Haven’s resident performing ensemble is the Haven String Quartet, who perform music ranging from Mozart to Jimi Hendrix in venues as varied as a prison or flatbed truck.

22 N OVEMBER 2014

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

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Eleven-year-old Isabel Melchinger has been playing the cello for more than half of her young life — although she admits that sometimes her parents have to make her practice.

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instruments — before they even allow the little ones to take their fiddles home for practice. As a result, the retention rate on the instruments — which costs Music Haven an average of $200 wholesale for a new violin — is surprisingly high. “They learn to treat [the instruments] like a baby or a small animal,” Boulanger explains.

“The program has expanded year over year,” Boulanger adds. “This year [the student body] is a little over 80. It’s really neat to see how these students have grown together over the years and in their [performance ensembles]. To me, playing chamber music with your friends is what it’s all about.”

Isabel Melchinger of New Haven

is a highly accomplished 11-year-old (“I’m almost 12!”) cellist who has been studying at Music Haven for six years — more than half of her young life. Because she has yet to hit her (possibly final) growth spurt, the John C. Daniels School student still plays a three-quarter-sized cello.

Music runs in her family: Her mother is a violinist, and her older sister Hannah, a student at the Hopkins School, both plays violin and sings in the prestigious Choir of Men & Girls at Trinity Church on the Green.

Her father, Ian Melchinger, explains how her succession of teachers inspired Isabel to want to “play up” with older and more experienced players. On this day she NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

Ten-year-old violinist Reign Bowman, who lives in the Hill neighborhood.

is performing with her string quintet (actually a quartet with an extra cello — there’s always room for cello), the Phat Orangez (sic), performing two movements of a Mozart string quartet (K. 157) for patrons at bustling Claire’s Corner Copia at Chapel and College streets.

Her father explains that Isabel’s cello teacher, Boulanger, “insists that she practices an hour a day” (a duration that some Asian parents would sneer at). “That’s not always possible,” the elder Melchinger allows, “but she must at least touch the cello and work through her scales, fundamentals, touch the pieces she’s going to play.” He adds, “Of course she wants to start with the fun stuff.” Who wouldn’t?

Isabel is an impressive young instrumentalist — focused, musical, confident, with a keen ear for the other players around her.

“My family is super-musical,” Isabel allows.

How did she elect to study the cello? “My sister plays violin,” she explains, so of course she didn’t want to be a copy-cat. Of the steep learning curve for string instruments, she acknowledges, “There were some moments when I was like — ‘Oh, my gosh, I hate this.’

Of her daily practice sessions she evinces the unfiltered honesty of youth: “Sometimes [my parents] have to make me [practice], but other times I’ll do it on my own.”

Her favorite work that she has played? The first of the J.S. Bach unaccompanied cello suites, this one in C Major. If you Google or YouTube it, you will be amazed at what an 11-year-old can do. v

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Founder and Executive Artistic Director (and violinist) Tina Lee Hadari founded Music Haven in2006 to bring the gift of classical music to urban young people.

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by Jo S L A VISU

One Gen X New Havener argues why we’re too tame for our own good.

N

ew Haven, why are you so content being lame?

People in places like Austin, Tex. and Portland (either) so enjoy living in quirky unique places that they’ll happily wear T-shirts demanding “Keep Portland Weird.”

While those slogans were intended to support local businesses (hear hear!), they were undeniably adopted by such cities in a genuine embrace of the oddball, and not coincidentally such communities (Asheville, N.C. also comes to mind) have become highly attractive to young creative types.

Can’t New Haven get at least a little weird?

Let’s face it: New Haven is the only city in 28 N OVEMBER 2014

Connecticut worth living in, especially if you’re under 40 (sorry, Hartford — you have no shot). No other city in this largely suburban state matches New Haven’s abundant arts and music, cultural, educational, architectural, entertainment and gastronomic treasures. So I guess it is about time that, despite some negative national press, people are starting to take some pride in the city again (perhaps you’ve noticed the #GSCIA [Greatest Small City In America] hashtag on social media?).

Make no mistake: The Elm City is a much livelier place to be now than even five years ago, perhaps because of that pride. There are more events, more to do, more places to eat and drink, bands I like actually stop here more often (thereby saving me countless trips to NYC), and the increasingly eclectic

population of young folks seems to be going out more. The streets are even conspicuously more alive in the traditionally “dead” summers now.

But as a young person, living here has been frustrating over the years. To the point where even those of us who love it still have gripes and the sense that living here is to cope with dashed expectations and unfulfilled potential. Anyone else have the experience of hanging out in New York and telling people you’re from New Haven — only to elicit a grimace and a confused “Why?” I may not be an expert on what makes a city tick, but I’ve lived here long enough to know that something just ain’t coming together. Hell, most of the New Haven’s successes over the past few

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

Getting a taste of New Haven’s potential to be a haven of cool, from left: at the Ideat Village festival closing party, 2011; checking out exhibits at the Goffe Street Armory for City Wide Open Studios, 2014; Night Rainbow | Global Rainbow New Haven, 2013; exploring the Alexander Liberman on High sculpture behind the Giaimo Federal Building downtown.

years can probably be attributed to Yale (for better or for worse) rather than the city itself. But I can’t complain: without Yale we’d just be Bridgeport. And it’s confusing, because there are plenty of small regional scenes that flourish in the complete absence of nearby metropolises. Geographically, New Haven finds itself in the best/worst spot. Directly between Boston and New York, it can potentially harness the momentum of both, but it’s also small enough as to be ignored by its much larger brethren.

These things take time, though, and I could just be impatient. But time is of the essence. New Haven has thousands of apartments currently under construction. No doubt this is a gentrifying effort — there are few things as cringe-inducing as the term “luxury apartments.” But who’s coming here? It’s a chicken-and-egg thing: We need talented young people to lend energy and creativity, but I can’t imagine there are close to enough jobs for them (that’s a whole other story).

There are a ton of talented young people 75 miles away who are slowly (or not so slowly) being priced out of Brooklyn. New Haven should be eager to attract and receive ‘em.

With creative people come creative new ideas. New Haven seems to have the infrastructure to nurture innovation — but it lacks the hipness. Based on City Hall marketing and PR, this is a city seemingly run more for well-off baby boomers than anyone else.

Take a look at our arts festivals, as true a measure for a city’s vision as anything. We have the awesome CityWide Open Studios, and with its focus on edgy local artists and unconventional exhibition spaces, it’s one of the only city-sanctioned arts events well worthwhile (a visit to the show at the transformed Goffe Street Armory this year was an inspiring reminder that cool things can happen here) — a showcase for art and ideas that rarely get a chance to breathe here.

It would make a huge difference just to get more local art into the streets for the public. But at least for now, downtown New Haven is too buttoneddown to embrace anything too daring. We have Yale parents to impress, after all.

You’d think there’d be some link at least with the

Yale School of Art to allow promising student artists to get their work in the public arena. Associate dean Sam Messer explained to me that this is a lot easier said than done due to bureaucracy, insurance and the fact the students ultimately aren’t around enough to really get that ball rolling.

In fact, wouldn’t a magical light display at the southern terminus of Temple Street transform that “dead zone” adjacent the Temple Street garage?

Make it a place people want to visit and post to their Instagram accounts. Maybe you’d retain some businesses there with the enhanced foot traffic.

Oh, then there’s the much-ballyhooed International Festival of Arts & Ideas, which in 2015 celebrates its 20th birthday. It’s a well-intentioned multimedia event that brings a palpable and exciting buzz to the city every June. And that’s great. But I can’t tell you the last time I or anyone I know got truly excited about a single featured event. And with most of the ticketed events starting at $35, it’s pretty clear who the target audience is — and it’s not starving artists.

Unlike New Haven, L.A.M.P. was welcomed “with open arms” by New London. That’s not exactly a surprise, as that city each September turns over part of its downtown to the I Am Festival, which features dozens of (mostly) local and regional bands performing on two outdoor stages near the waterfront. There are young people out and about, having a good time, taking in the city, hearing some live music. Organizer Rich Martin says working with city government to make it happen has been mostly smooth sailing. Can you imagine if New Haven embraced its local artists and performers (a significant segment of its young-people population) to make or let something like that happen?

A friend of mine who works for an arts non-profit in town thinks a lot of the money that goes to big-ticket events could be better spent locally.

“Their intentions are fine, but they are generally out of touch with what is actually happening artwise in the city. Most of these people have no clue what average young New Haveners actually do and they have no clue what anyone under 40 finds fun or interesting,” the friend says. “No thumb on the pulse. They claim to know the scene — but if you look around at a concert or opening you will rarely see these people.”

It was also telling that the city’s Department of Culture & Tourism this year elected not to financially support the annual L.A.M.P. Festival (which coincides with the opening of CityWide Open Studios) for what would have been its fourth year transforming the streets, spaces and places of the Ninth Square into a gallery of light-based art, projections and music.

The notion that City Hall couldn’t apprehend the appeal of decorating downtown buildings and public spaces with intriguing and inspiring light art speaks loudly. L.A.M.P. organizers referred to their event as “New Haven’s Waterfire,” a reference to the magical downtown Providence, R.I. festival of light, music and art that takes in about 40,000 people each night. So much for promoting the revitalization of the Ninth Square. Imagine if it were citywide.

Imagine it!

v New Haven does host some outdoor concerts on the New Haven Green, and while it’s perfectly okay to satisfy broad groups of people, this year we got roots music, jazz and an American Idol winner from ten years ago. While I’m not a fan of Salt-N-Pepa, that’s at least the right idea. But I sure wouldn’t mind seeing something edgier, though. Even shellfish festivals in Milford and Norwalk have booked the likes of Cheap Trick and Joan Jett over the years.

Surely we can be as cool as…Milford, right?

Some local folks did fight the good fight by holding the Ideat Village Festival as the decidedly D.I.Y. punk alternative to Arts & Ideas for ten years, with all free events including art shows, performances, concerts and more, sometimes in improvised spaces (the bigger festival certainly didn’t have a circus act performing with fire while set to live psychedelic rock in Pitkin Plaza, as far as I can tell), all taking place at the same time as Arts & Ideas. But tears of diminishing dollars and recurring friction with City Hall finally did in the event in 2012.

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A spectator investigates and participates in a projection exhibit at the 2013 L.A.M.P. Festival in the Ninth Square.

One of the founders, Nancy Shea, said the mission was to focus on local artists and be all-inclusive, which made holding the festival in public places important — even if it required some bureaucratic wrangling.

“You can’t have a community event that’s allinclusive but charge exorbitant fees to get in,” Shea says. “The guys at the top are not the ones on the beat every day talking to people in town getting feedback about what’s cool in New Haven. There are a lot of people who love New Haven and want to do stuff, but you can’t orchestrate it as part of a grant stipulation.”

I used to hope that we could gain a little of the quirk that made Providence — like New Haven a small Ivy League city – a hipper place than New Haven.

They’ve still got things like Waterfire and AS220, the community arts organization that hosts local artists, bands and performers and makes itself an exciting hub. Artspace could be that for us, but it’s not nearly as engaging as I think it could be. A few of my in-the-

30 N OVEMBER 2014

know friends also imply that Artspace will still give more time to a well-connected outsider than a group of locals.

apizza read simply: “Great pizza. Crap city.” While others bemoan, “There isn’t a lot else to do in New Haven.”

Ideat Village operated on a minuscule annual budget of less than $4,000, all of which was fundraised. Any shortages came out-of-pocket for Shea and local artist and co-founder Bill Saunders. Shea doesn’t bemoan a lack of financial support for Ideat Village from the city, but says a little pat on the back or acknowledgment can go a long way with any selffunded effort.

I’m not dumb enough to think that City Hall will solve this hipness problem or that it should be responsible for entertaining us and making things cooler. That’s up to us. But, as Shea says, it could “not stand in the way and trust everything’s going to work.”

“There’s a sense [the city] really wants to do something hip and cool, but they don’t know how to go about it,” she says. “Don’t stand in the way and have a little faith … put your stamp on it! Their resource is public outreach, and they can do that for little to no money or trouble.”

So New Haven has itself an image problem. Being the best city in Connecticut doesn’t mean much when most people think Connecticut sucks. A recent comment on a Gothamist article about New Haven

But keep in mind this is a city that distanced itself from the #GSCIA hashtag – a pride movement that grew organically out of actual love for the city and not after some marketing campaign. Come on, guys, can’t you build on that!? Who cares if we’re not the greatest small city on paper; fake it till you make it!

Anyway, I say this because I fall squarely into the demographic that the city wants to attract and keep.

But if you don’t give us a reason to want to stay (beyond the job situation), or if we don’t feel like we can do what we want here, we’ll leave, as many have already.

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Noise band Neptune playing a free Wednesday night show at BAR.

Maybe there’s nothing that can be done and I’m just shouting into a void. Maybe New Haven doesn’t want to change. Maybe it doesn’t want to look like anything other than Yale. And maybe Yale happily would rather not look like New Haven.

As for New Haven’s supposed image problem, the folks at Market New Haven are tasked with turning that around and making sure everyone knows what a great place this is (no small feat considering the Elm City’s crime rate seems to be written about as much as our pizza these days).

The group’s chief marketing officer, Anne Worcester, says there has lately been not only a greater influx of visitors and increased media attention, but the reactions are more and more positive. They must be, considering there are at least 1,000 new apartments currently being built throughout downtown.

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“There is a new vitality here that is clearly evident in the many exciting developments happening throughout the city,” Worcester says. There are also plans in the works for more concerts and music and improved mass transits connections with the rest of the Northeast.

“We are continuing to work to get as many people as we can here to experience our city for themselves,” she adds. “We feel we are on our way to taking that next step as one of America’s hottest cities and we know from [cities like] Brooklyn and Austin, they didn’t happen overnight.”

I’d hope to be here when this place finally does blossom. I agree with Worcester that it absolutely is getting better all the time, and despite all my moaning, I still like it here and my friends still like it here, and there are people on the ground level doing great things, or at least trying. But some fresh ideas and a willingness from high-up to let some of those ideas flourish would certainly make it easier, and ultimately better for all of us.

It’s going to take a lot more than pizza.

So go ahead, embrace it. Whoever you are, do your part to Make New Haven WEIRD! v

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A Real Mother A newly minted mom reflects of the joys and tribulations of firsttime parenthood

By CARA ROSNER

W

hen I was asked to write my thoughts on being a new mother for this edition of New Haven Magazine, I briefly hesitated. “Who wants to read my views on motherhood?,” I wondered to myself. “There are women out there who have been moms a lot longer and have more valuable insights.”

But although my membership in the Mom Club is relatively new, I realized I have learned a lot in just the six short months since my son Ethan changed my life forever. There are some lessons I’ve learned through “on-thejob training,” including a few I wish someone had let me in on sooner: • Advice you get when you are pregnant, while well-intentioned, is not always particularly useful. In the months before I gave birth the most common piece of advice I heard over and over was, “Get your sleep now — while you still can!”

It’s something every expectant mom (and dad) hears and it never really made sense to me. After all, it’s not like I can bank sleep, storing it away to use the energy I’ve saved at some point in the future. And as any woman who has endured pregnancy knows, sleeping comfortably with a huge belly, sore back and hourly bathroom breaks is pretty much impossible.

Looking back, I wish people had

32 N OVEMBER 2014

instead given me a heads-up about what I’d really miss once the baby came. I wish they told me to savor the simple pleasures, like leisurely browsing in a favorite store, meeting friends for dinner on a whim, blaring the radio in my car or watching a guilty-pleasure TV show (or any TV show) in one sitting. Before parenthood I had no idea these things were luxuries. Now I know.

• I’ll never be able to do it all, and that’s okay. Parenting magazines, books and ubiquitous “mommy blogs” can be great sources of information and inspiration. They also can induce major anxiety. They put a lot of pressure on mothers by painting a picture of parenthood that no normal person could hope to achieve.

They’d have all of us new mothers believe that there are women out there who manage to do everything — Super Moms who breastfeed effortlessly, drop the baby weight instantly, make all their own baby food and never let their infant see the glow of a TV/ iPhone/computer screen for even a minute. They do all this, so it appears, while always leaving the house looking pristine and still finding the time to take on every do-it-yourself project on Pinterest.

Is it all true? Do these people really exist? Well, six months in, I’m admitting defeat. I’ve succeeded at NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

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The Rosners — Cara, Ethan and Jeremy. ‘A baby will change your life more than you think,’ observes the new mother.

some of the above, but realize I’ll never be a perfect mom. And I’ve learned that it’s okay.

outdated advice we get from our families, to what our babies tried as their first solid foods.

Since I began talking to friends who are mothers, I’ve been relieved to find that others have similar weaknesses. It’s been liberating to know other parents share the same dirty secrets. They too will let their child watch 15 to 20 minutes of Sesame Street or Curious George if it means they can take a shower or eat breakfast while the little one is happily occupied.

They’ll skip baby’s bath time if they are just too tired after a long day. They buy their nursery décor instead of making it all by hand. It’s comforting to know I’m not alone, and it doesn’t make us bad parents.

The group has been a great sounding board for me, and I’ve become friends with several of the members outside the group. I’m lucky and grateful to have an amazing support system consisting of my husband Jeremy and our family and friends. But the parents in this group provide a dimension of support the others simply can’t.

Which brings me to my next lesson learned…

• Other new parents are a new mom’s best resources.

I have been lucky to connect with a great group of new parents through a group I joined at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven in Woodbridge. A group of us, new parents (mostly mothers) of various religions and backgrounds, gather once a week with our little ones in an informal setting.

It’s great for the kids to interact and play with each other but the real value of the group to me is what I’ve been able to glean from the other parents. We share stories and compare notes about almost everything — from the difficulties of postpartum recovery, to 34 N OVEMBER 2014

I encourage any new mother (or father) to join a group like this if they can find one. I only wish there were more that met on the weekends. Like the vast majority of parent-and-child activities, such groups seem to meet during weekdays, making it pretty much impossible for a working mom to take part, which I think is unfortunate.

Oh, yes, and one other thing: • A baby will change your life more than you think.

I was, of course, prepared for motherhood to profoundly change me. I knew it would totally turn all of my life’s former priorities on their heads and bring a new kind of love into my world. I was ready for small changes, like the initial sleep deprivation and non-existent social life, and the more significant ones like the sudden and irresistible instinct to protect my son at any cost.

I wasn’t, however, prepared for the realization that I wanted to become a work-at-home mom. That one, for me, seemingly came out of nowhere. My plan all through pregnancy and much of my maternity leave was to return to my full-time job — which I truly enjoyed — when my son turned four months old.

But Ethan, it seems, had other plans and a firm grasp on my heart, and I found myself leaving my job and steady paycheck to become a freelance journalist working out of our house. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I truly treasure every day I’m able to do it. But it was by no means an easy choice to make and it was one I never saw coming.

I’m so grateful to my supportive husband and family for making it possible.

As much as I have learned in my early months as a parent, I am most excited for the lessons to come.

It’s awesome to know that every year will bring new opportunities for my husband and me to learn and grow along with our son. It’s like we get a “do-over” at childhood, this time seeing it through his eyes instead of our own. And that definitely makes all the missed nights out with friends, TV shows piling up on our DVR, and other minor inconveniences well worthwhile

v.

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HAMDEN-Pristine 1-owner col. Gorgeous foyer w/granite wall, gourmet kit. w/FP, sun rm., priv. yard. Beautiful MBR suite w/WI closet, vault. ceils., remod. bath. Part. fin. LL. So much more! $484,900. Dave x196

HAMDEN-Bright 3 BR, 2.5 bath col. w/EIK, 1st flr. FR w/FP. Bonus rm. on 2nd flr. could be 4th BR. HW flrs., irrig. sys., sec. sys., whole house generator! Priv. setting. $374,000. Roberta x136/ Marcia x192

HAMDEN-A dramatic glass & wood 5 BR, 3 bath home on 12 acres designed by Vincent Amore.

Remod. kit. w/sit area. LR w/FP opens to deck in the treetops. MBR sit area & study. Two car gar. $475,000. John x124

NO. HAVEN-Distinctive, quality cape w/EIK, LR w/FP, DR. First flr. MBR + 2 lg. 2nd flr. BRs. First flr. den & sunroom. Corner lot. Mins. to Merritt & I-91. $349,000. John x124/ Susan S. x126/ Marilyn x142

NO. HAVEN-Magnificent 1930’s brick & clapboard slate roof estate w/European feel on 14 acres. Gracious 28’ foyer. LR, DR, lib., MBR & kit. all have FPs. 1st flr. guest suite, lib. w/ barrel ceil. & French dr. to porch. $1,295,000.

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NEW HAVEN-Pristine 3 BR, 2.5 bath Wooster Square col. merges the past w/present day amenities. Exquisite gardens & patio. Newer 1,000 s/f shed in back yard could be used as a studio! $435,000. Judy x147/Sarah x122

BRANFORD-Enjoy exceptional sunsets from this direct waterfront property! Renovate the existing 4 BR, 2.5 bath house on .22 acre or build your dream home. A Pawson Park treasure! $395,000. Stephen x123

HAMDEN-Mint 4 BR, 3 bath stucco col. on landscaped lot. First flr. offers walnut paneled FR/lib. w/bookshelves, heated sunrm. overlooking bluestone patio & yard, kit. w/bkfst. rm. C/A, 2 car OS gar. $598,000. John x124

NEW HAVEN-East Rock! Elegant 5 BR, 3.5 bath slate roof col. Beautiful foyer w/arches, moldings & leaded glass. Huge LR, remod. gourmet kit. w/pantry. Newer FR addition w/lots of glass OL priv. gardens. $796,000. John x124

HAMDEN-Circa 1769. The Justus Humiston house in the heart of Spring Glen beautifully set on .62 acre w/brick terrace, lg. outbldg., 4 FPs. Kit. w/pantry, library, lg. FR, 5 BRs, 3 baths. $489,000. John x124

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Completely reno. 2/3 BR, 2 bath home! LR w/ FP, DR, cust. EIK w/granite & SS. Spacious rear yard OL marsh. Enjoy beaches, playgrounds, much more. Owner-agent. $599,900. Susan T. x198

HAMDEN-Dramatic, like new, light-filled 4 BR contemp. cape on 2.45 acres boasts gourmet kit. opening to great rm. w/FP & DR. First flr. MBR suite. Bonus rm. w/custom BIs. Fin. above grade LL w/half bath. $750,000. John x124

NO. HAVEN-Expansive cape w/open flr. plan. Kit. w/isle, LR w/FP & BIs, DR, FR w/FP. Two BRs on 1st flr., lg. MBR suite & 4th BR on 2nd flr. Slider to wooded yard. Newer roof. $425,000. Susan C. x143/Dave x196

NO. HAVEN-Stunning 5 BR custom brick col. on cul de sac. Granite entry leads to DR & LR. Custom kit. w/bkfst. bar & granite counters. FR w/porcelain flrs. & FP. Glass sunrm., landscaped grounds w/irrig. WU attic. $799,000. Susan S. x126

BRANFORD-Direct waterfront! Breathtaking views of Branford River & Harbor from this 3 BR, 2 full bath home on .77 acre w/300’ of water rights. Priced well below appraised value. $775,000. Susan T. x198/MaryEllen x188

MADISON-Circa 1920 6 BR, 3.5 bath col. on 3.17 acres. Being sold w/adjoin. 1.04 acre lot. Sunrm. off LR. Master suite w/adjoin. solarium. IG pool & pool house. Walk to town or to beach! $850,000. Judy x147

GUILFORD-Custom 4/5 BR col. on 2+ acres at end of cul de sac boasts 9’ ceils. & the finest finishes. Beautiful kit., FR w/FP & BIs, heated sunrm., LR, DR, library w/ bookshelves. WO LL, patio, 3 car gar. $979,000. Susan S. x126

HAMDEN-Meticulous 3 BR, 3 full & 2 half bath col. w/custom in-law apt. Gourmet kit., LR/ library, MBR w/clawfoot tub & WI shower. LL w/media/game/gym areas & full bath.

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The Warmth of Things

A 1920s Westville home becomes a shrine to family, friends — and even dogs

36 N OVEMBER 2014

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G Gary remodeled the kitchen, but kept the footprint of the space while also adding a powder room and mudroom.

ary J. Acabbo has been living in his dream house, a small colonial located at 114 Westwood Road in New Haven’s Westville neighborhood, since 2003. A smallbusiness owner (he is the Gary of Tony & Gary’s hair salon in West Haven), his schedule does not allow for much time away, so he was eager to find a retreat where he could relax and spend time with his dogs.

When his Realtor showed him 114 Westwood Road and asked Acabbo what he thought of the house, he said, “I’d buy it today but…” The “but” was that his house in West Haven wasn’t even on the market yet. The Realtor asked to see Acabbo’s house.

He sold it in one hour.

If there is such a thing as falling in love at first sight with a house, then that is what Acabbo experienced. Built in 1925, the house had “good bones,” and required little renovation before Acabbo moved in with his dogs, Daniel and Jake.

As I approach the house, with its stone steps, elegant columns, and eggplant-colored door, I notice that the dogs, who are looking out the living room window, aren’t the only canines on watch. Perched on the front steps alongside blue stone planters filled with mums, a nod to the changing season, are two stone dogs, each holding a “wicker” basket full of greenery in its mouth.

A native of Connecticut, Acabbo grew up near Route 34 and Forest Road in West Haven at the Westville town line. He has always loved Westville, and enjoys living in a neighborhood that is a diverse and, more importantly, dogfriendly. The neighbors look out for one another and engage in positive ways, such as the local block watch and management team. “Halloween is a big deal here,” he tells me, describing the sidewalks crowded with trick-or-treaters and their parents going door-to-door.

Acabbo strived to keep intact as much of the original house as possible, and integrated any enhancements into the existing structure. The bank of windows added in the den and media room off of the formal living room is new, but appears always to have been there, facing the backyard and garden. In renovating the kitchen, adding a mud room and powder room on the first floor, and redoing the upstairs bathroom, Acabbo worked with designers and builders to stay true to the original features and footprint of the house.

When told that he could expand the bathroom and get a larger bathtub by removing a built-in linen closet with drawers and knocking down a wall, Gary opted to keep the charm (and storage space) the cabinet provides.

We ascend the stairway, the walls leading to the second floor covered in cream wallpaper scattered with pink and yellow flowers, butterflies in flight, and elegant peacocks. Acabbo explains that he’d seen the wallpaper in a furniture catalogue, and was so taken by it that he tore the photo out of 38 N OVEMBER 2014

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Maraldene, built by and for the famed, industrialist, and developer A.C. Gilbert, is perfectly situated on 4.4 acres of meticulously maintained park-like grounds. Constructed of stone & stucco with a heavy slate roof, this 20 room residence extends over 6,700 square feet. The ground floor includes a grand entrance, solarium, living room, dining room, breakfast room, and four car garage.

An impressive rear property includes gardens, tennis court, and in-ground heated pool. Master suite features his and her bathrooms and dressing room and three additional en suite bedrooms are available. A walk-up attic includes cedar closet and finished living space. The lower level is a billiard room. Offered at $1,800,000 MARLBOROUGH ROAD, NORTH HAVEN Whitney Ridge section on Marlborough side featuring beautiful esplanade, this home offers many upgrades. Generously proportioned rooms, first floor family room and large formal LR with FPL and built-ins. Open, remodeled kitchen, granite counter tops, working island, & built-in desk leads to dining area as well as family room overlooking professionally landscaped yard and beautiful paver patio. First floor also features laundry room, den that can be used as 5’th BR, and 1.1baths. Four bedrooms on second floor, new master bath with glass enclosed shower, 3 additional BR’s served by new, full bath. Large level and partially fenced backyard. Offered at $569,000.

AUTUMN RIDGE, HAMDEN Outstanding Colonial has an open floor plan and resort-like private back yard. Located in the Paradise Preserve, this impressive home features FDR, FLR, office/den, theater, MBR with his & hers full baths. FR with FPL, gleaming HW floors, laundry room, eat-in kitchen with granite counter tops and island, leading to family room w/vaulted ceiling & FPL. Gracious foyer with sweeping staircase. Heated inground pool w/new liner and 1.5 yr. old heater, hot tub, water features, built-in trampoline, deck, and elevated tree house for all ages. Elaborate in-home theatre w/Bose system. Offered at $719,000.

RIDGE ROAD, NORTH HAVEN Spectacular brick & stucco Tudor-style home with tiled roof, originally constructed by A.C. Gilbert for his brother, sits majestically on a 1.5 acre lot. Formal living room features cathedral ceilings, a handsome stone carved fireplace, and French doors leading onto a partially covered 50’ terrace which boasts dramatic views of property and incredible sunsets. Formal dining room, 4 bedrooms including master bedroom suite, and a full & partially finished lower level. Offered at $720,000.

RIMMON ROAD, WOODBRIDGE This beautiful cape boasts hardwood floors, a finished lower level, lovely front porch and plush, landscaped grounds. Enjoy open floor plan and many upgrades. Priced to sell, this gem will not last. Offered at $350,000.

WARNER ROAD, NORTH HAVEN New construction home on gorgeous level lot. Surrounded by a mountain privacy. Set back off road. Open foyer and open floor plan. Cathedral ceiling in master bedroom suite. 95% efficacy Propane heat. Still time to add new homeowners touch. Offered at $379,000.

PEZ COURT, NORTH HAVEN Very Unique home offers open floor plan for entertaining. Loc. at end of cul-de-sac on an acre+, Private, yet convenient, location. Heated 3 car garage, 4 fpls.

Indoor pool with sauna/steam rm.

Price reflects some upgrades needed, but well maintained home!. Offered at $610,000.

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The master bedroom is a sanctuary for Gary as well as his dogs, who like to perch on the window seat for long naps.

Over

50% Sold!

40 N OVEMBER 2014

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

SEABURY-HILL REALTORS Serving the real estate needs of Greater New Haven, Yale & Shoreline since 1926

seaburyhill.com • 203.562.1220 • seaburyhillrentals.com

Cathy Hill Conlin Jack Hill 203.675.3942 203.843.1561

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31 MOULTON ST, NH- Lovely 4 BR Whitneyville home. Large LR w/HW flrs & FP. Formal DR w/slider to wood deck. Updated kit w/ renovated 1/2 bath. MBR suite on 3RD flr. Large additional BRs. Finished basement. Huge yard w/2 lots combined. 3 car garage. $279,000.

Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942

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1018 YALE AVENUE, WALLINGFORD Charming 3 BR, 2.5 BTH stone house w/ recent 2’nd flr addition, remodeled bathrooms, newer windows and roof. Beautiful woodwork throughout. Corner lot w/just over half an acre.

Large, new patio for entertaining. $265.000.

Call Sarah Beth Luce-Del Prete 203-8872295.

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266 C COSEY BEACH AVE, EAST HAVENDirect waterfront 1922, 4 BR, 2 BTH Col w/ panoramic views of LI Sound + sandy beach. $450K in recent improvements. Complies w/ current bldg codes for elevation & storm proof windows, making it virtually hurricane proof! $699,000 Call Cathy Conlin 203-843-1561

345 SUMMIT STREET , NH - Charming cedar shake farmhouse located in historic Quinnipiac River district. Large formal LR w/stone FP w/ spectacular light. 1st floor master BR w/ full bath. Large lot w/great gardening space. $274,900. Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942.

6 BROWN STREET, WOOSTER SQ AREA, NH - Large brick 2 family off Wooster St. Sep utilities.

8 Car gar. HW flrs. Newer roof.

Great light. 6 BRs / 3 Bths. $450,000.

Call Cheryl Szczarba at 203-996-8328.

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175 STONY CREEK RD, BRANFORD - Sunny 3 BR, 2 BTH contemporary home w/updated gourmet kit w/SS appls & skylights. Formal LR & DR. HW flrs. Panoramic views of salt marsh and LI Sound. Detached 2 car garage. $439,900.Call Cathy Conlin 203-843-1561.

56 NORTH LAKE DRIVE, HAMDEN - 2 BR corner townhs w/priv entrance in secluded woodsy setting overlooking Lake Whitney. HW flrs, LR/ DR w/incredible lake views. Bsmt w/fin rm + Utility Rm w/newer mech. Scenic Assoc pool. $159,000. Call Barbara Hill 203-675-3216

271 FAIRMONT AVENUE, NH - Large 4BR home with bonus 3rd floor w/ additional 2 BRs. Nice updates. Large LR w/Den and brick FP .

HW floors. Formal DR. Eat in kit. Large deck.

Just steps from Q River. $179,900. Motivated Seller. Call Cheryl Szczarba 203-996-8328. ice!

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44 HARD STREET , #3, NH - Steps from Westville Center. 2 BR, 2 BTH condo. Private balcony, laundry, 2 off-street parking spaces, newer furnace and appliances. 1,100 sq ft of space, open LR/DR. Motivated seller. $99,900 Call Cheryl Szczarba at 203-996-8328.

850 ORANGE STREET#1, NH- Immaculate 2 BR/2 BTH condo in the heart of East Rock. Lots of upgrades, gourmet kitchen, modern baths, gas FP, gar. parking, storage, custom closets, laundry, and so much more! $385,000.

Call Cheryl Szczarba 203-996-8328.

15 PAWSON RD, BRANFORD - Linden Shores. 5 BRS, 2 Bath wood shingle 1920’s Cape w/access to 3 priv. beaches. Charming LR w/stone FP. Screen in porch leads to deck, hot tub & yd. $565,000.

Call Cheryl Szczarba 203-996-8328

159 MILL ROCK ROAD, HAMDEN - Huge 2882 sq. ft. 5 BR, 4.5 Bth. New kitchen. Large master BR suite with remodeled tile bath. 2nd floor has 2 master BRs with full Bths. Slate patio. Attached garage. On NH/Hamden line. $309,000. Call Jack Hill at 203-675-3942.

24 NASH STREET, NH- Spacious 2 family townhouse 1 block from the vibrant State Street restaurant district. South-facing end unit w/ fenced-in backyard. Owners unit is a 2 level, 2 BR apt w/ 1.5 baths. 1 BR apt has a deck off the unit. Brand new roof. $258,000. Call David Rossi 203-314-7905.

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54 COACHLAMP LANE, GUILFORD - Well cared for raised ranch at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac on 1.7 acres in Guilford. 4 BR, 2.5 Bth w/ large formal LR & DR, both w/HW flrs & nice natural light. Kitchen has brand new flooring & cabinetry. Sliders in DR lead out to spacious deck, in-ground pool and landscaped yard. $369,000. Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942

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6 HAMRE LANE, BRANFORD - Sunny & affordable 1 BR ranch style end unit condo.

Freshly painted & brand new carpeting. Updated galley kitchen & remodeled bath. Patio w/views of salt marsh. $83,900.

Call Cathy Conlin 203-843-1561

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30 PECK LANE, HAMDEN- 4 BR, 4.5 BTH home on 1.01 acres in Hamden. Custom built in 2004. Formal LR & DR, family room w/FP, large master BR suite. Perfect layout for modern day family. Stone patio leads out to huge, private back yard. $599,000. Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942

Cheryl Szczarba Jennifer M. D’Amato 203.605.7865 203.996.8328

486 HOWARD AVE, NH - Investors take notice! Legal 2 family home w/3 apts w/long term tenants. 1st and 2nd units each have 3 BRs & 1BTH. 3rd unit has 2 BRs & 1 BTH. The home has three newer gas furnaces and 4 off-street parking spaces. $169,000.

Call Jack Hill at 203-675-3942

100 YORK ST, “UNIVERSITY TOWERS”, NH 1 BR Co-ops (#5-J, 5-R 8-J, 9-M, 11-H, 5-M) w/ balconies,24 Hr. Sec., pool, on-site mgmt. Convenient to arts, dining, hospitals, and more! No pets.

No investors. Private financing avail. $45,000$63,900. Call Chery Szczarba 203-996-8328.

608 CENTRAL AVE, NH - Westville Bungalow w/ natural wdwork, HW flrs, leaded glass French drs & LR w/FP, Kit w/new SS appls. Remod Bth. MBR w/walk in closet. Lrg level lot. New roof, windows & gas furnace. Walk to village & mins to downtown & Yale. $189,000. Jack Hill 203-675-3942

1785 MIDDLETOWN AVE (AKA SOL’S PATH) NORTH BRANFORD - 3 BR 2.1 BTH on private 1.75 acres. Wonderful updates and additions.

Mature gardens and a large patio. 2 Fpl. Wet bar. Great home office. Close to everything. $425,000. Call Cheryl Szczarba 203-996-8328

89-91 AVON ST, NH - Well cared for East Rock 2-Family. Perfect for owner occupant.

Huge 2nd & 3rd flr, 2400 SF owner’s unit w/4 BRs & 2 Bths. 1st Flr apt is renov w/2 BRs & 2 Bths. Screen in porch. Level backyd. 2 Car garage. $649,000. Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942.

63 FOUNTAIN ST., BRYETH HILL, NH - Spacious 2 BR Condo in heart of Westville! Great light, beautiful HW floors, living room with cathedral ceiling. Sunny remod. eat-in kitchen, MBR suite, detach. gar., steps to village & mins. to downtown & Yale. $149,900.

Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942.

832 QUINNIPIAC AVE, NH - Direct riverfront, completely renov 2868 sq. ft. Colonial in Historic River District. Sweeping views of Q River.

Gourmet Kit w/new SS appls, custom cabinets & FP. LR w/FP, MBR suite. Det gar. Mins to Yale & downtown. $375,000.

Call Jack Hill 203-675-3942

95 AUDUBON ST #300, NH - 2 BR/2.1 BTH townhouse-style condo in the heart of the arts district. Updated kitchen. 24hr security. Laundry. Parking. Close to campus and downtown. $380,000 (avail for rent $2,550/month lightly furnished.) Call Cheryl Szczarba 203-996-8328.

9 DEMETER DR, EAST HAVEN - Beautiful 3 BR, 2 Bth Cape w/refin HW flrs. 1st Flr MBR suite w/sliders to deck & lrg level yard.

Partially fin LL. Spacious LR w/FP,. Eat-in Kit. Formal DR. Great family home. On quiet street. $269,000 Call Jenn D’Amato 203-605-7865

sell sell sell buy We are expanding our office buy and looking for newly buy RENTALS and experienced agents! · seaburyhillrentals.com rent seaburyhill.com seaburyhill.com licensed · seaburyhillrentals.com rent seaburyhill.com · seaburyhillrentals.com An independent, family owned and operated real estate company serving therent RESIDENTIAL SALES

RESIDENTIAL SALES• Rentals Residential Sales • Investment Properties • Buyer Representation RESIDENTIAL SALES INVESTMENT PROPERTIES INVESTMENT PROPERTIES INVESTMENT PROPERTIES BUYER REPRESENTATION BUYER REPRESENTATION BUYER REPRESENTATION RENTALS RENTALS

An independent, family owned and operated real estate company serving the needs of Greater New Haven, Yale & The Shoreline since 1926 1926 needs of Greater New Haven, Yale & The Shoreline since An independent, family owned and operated real estate company serving thenew haven 41 203.562.1220

203.562.1220 233 Wooster Street New Haven, CT 06511

233 Wooster Street New Haven, CT 06511

needs of Greater New Haven, Yale & The Shoreline since 1926

A leopard stole belonging to Gary’s late aunt rests on a chair near a marble table adorned with photos of beloved friends, family, and pets.

Performing Art

Kitchens By Gedney, Inc. Fine Cabinetry for the Home 85 Willow Street, New Haven, CT 06511 203.799.6400 | audioetc.com

42 N OVEMBER 2014

www.gedneykitchens.com

Madison • 203.245.2172 •

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1064 Main Street Branford, CT 06405 203- 481-4571 coldwellbankermoves.com D I A N E B E RG A N T I N O

N O RT H F O R D

708 Totoket Road, Northford Immaculate colonial with over 3200 square feet, great floor plan, a kitchen with island opens to a family room with fireplace, formal living and dining rooms, 4 bedrooms, master bedroom with master bath, huge bonus room, tastefully decorated, professionally landscaped.

Wallingford electric. $439,000. Call Diane Bergantino 203-671-6307.

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40 Rentel Road, Hamden Great colonial with an inviting open porch, eat in kitchen, large dining room, beautiful family room with fireplace and built ins. Huge master bedroom with master bath and walk-in closet. 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths complete this house. Fenced in yard conveniently located. $399,900 Call Diane Bergantino 203-671-6307.

58 Youngs Apple Orchard, Northford If you like privacy but like being in a neighborhood this one’s for you.

Large cape with custom kitchen with cherry hand crafted cabinets, eat in kitchen, formal living room with fireplace, family room with wood stove, heated sunroom, great deck overlooking water company property. Three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 4 car garage, Wallingford electric! $369,900. Call Diane Bergantino 203-671-6307.

GUILFORD

BRANFORD

272 Nichols Ave., Stratford $279,900

Great opportunity to buy an older home in a very desirable area of Stratford.

4 Bedrooms and 1 and a half baths on a corner lot.

Enclosed porch. One car detached garage. Must be seen to be appreciated.

Between I95 and Rt. 15.

Call Phil Brown 203-298-8017

60 Christopher Lane, Guilford $585,000.

Fabulous 4-5 bedroom home on cul de sac, stylishly renovated & perfect for entertaining. Spacious, open floor plan, living room w/dramatic fireplace & cathedral ceiling, cook’s kitchen w/dining alcove, dining room, den, laundry room. Master suite, 3 full baths. Expansive deck, lush, private yard, adjacent to parkland.

Call Marleen Cenotti, 203-215-1526.

C A RO L R . R E I L LY

HAMDEN

Award Winning Top Producing Agent.

Exceeds clients’ expectations time & again.

Exceptional service from the first meeting to after the closing! www.sally-tucker.com Sally Tucker 203-671-6191

N E W H AV E N

Cathy Mancini, Realtor

Morris Cove - In the heart of the “Cove” Spacious, raised ranch offering 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, Living room with fireplace. Large deck overlooking fenced, terraced yard. Finished lower level with lots of natural light, full bath and slider to front yard, could be in-law or office. Economical gas heat. Walk to Sea Wall. Easy access to downtown New Haven, RR Station, Yale, I 91/95. Well priced at only $169,900 Call Cathy Mancini 203-996-4025

L AU R E N F R E E D M A N

25 Beechwood Road, Branford $474,999 Stunning 4 bedroom home with walk up attic with two more bedrooms . Gourmet kitchen , wrap around porch , stony creek granite fireplace , office , family room , so much to offer !

203-889-8336 Top Producer lauren.freedman@cbmoves.com

CHESHIRE

9 Stonegate Circle Cheshire $541,900 Exquisite, Elegant, Pristine 2748 Squ . ft. home w- impeccable decor-dramatic 2 story foyer, LR w/FP, soaring ceilngs, hd wd thruout, DREAM kitchen w/ butlers pantry, granite countrs & isl, Form DR w/ trey ceilng, TWO MB Suites, FR, Office 10K generator, patio, deck!Perfect for buyers with discriminating taste. Desirable 55+ community.

S A N DY C I A B U R RO

E AST RO C K

571 Orange Street, New Haven Rental $2,000/month

SERVING ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS!

(203)996-4025 cmancini7@comcast.net www.CathyMancini.com

S A L LY T U C K E R Sally Tucker

8 Ingram Street, Hamden, $225,900 Spring Glen area of Hamden: New Price! A 3 bedroom Colonial on a corner lot, fenced yard, two car garage, Sun Room, Family room, Gas fireplace, wood floors and 1.1 baths just waiting for your personal touch!

Also has an unfinished walk-up attic which would allow expansion.

Fabulous location, walk to bus stop, restaurants and stores. Convenient to Yale, Quinnipiac and Southern CT Carol R. Reilly State University.Carol R. Reilly 203-887-7589 creillyrealtor@comcast.net 203-887-7589.

C AT H Y M A N C I N I

50 Little Bay Lane, Branford $699,000 Direct Waterfront home in Short Beach. Beautifully renovated in 2005 with gorgeous views of LIS. 3 beds and 2 and a half baths.

MBR has walkin closet, bath and balcony. Formal dining room, living room w/fplc, den and enclosed sleeping porch. Private yard with gardens. Lovely to see. Call Chris Collins (203) 988-0512

D I C K & JAY N E Jayne Nunziante & Dick Lorenzo have been serving the Shoreline since 2000, offering extensive knowledge of today’s Real Estate Industry.

Working closely with you to understand your needs to help you find the perfect Home. Discover the Difference!

Call, Dick & Jayne, Jayne Nunziante 203-530-5880

This pristine 1300 sq ft. 1st floor apt in East Rock offers 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a large eat-in kitchen, dining room, living room, den and foyer. New washer & dryer on site, updated bathroom & new windows. Beautiful hardwood floors & crown molding throughout. Walk or shuttle to Yale, walk to park & restaurants.!

Call Sandy Ciaburro 203915-1152

JENNY MANSHIP Jenny Manship, Realtor Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 1064 Main Street , Branford, CT 06405 Cell: (203) 996-3978 Office: (203) 481-4571 x322 www.jennymanship.com jenny.manship@cbmoves.com

Dedicated to Results, Going Beyond the Sale

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rugs and mementos to add warmth to this home.

Although there is a certain veneer of formality that he enjoys about his home (he likes to put a tablecloth on the dinner table every night) Acabbo’s dogs, an Irish setter/ golden retriever mix and a golden retriever, respectively, greet me as we enter the backyard, reminding me that this is also a fun home.

Gary planted every tree and flower in the yard, stringing the largest of the trees with lights for the winter holidays. His goals in creating the garden were to add color to the space, to carve out an area for outdoor entertaining, and to give his beloved pets an open playground

the catalogue and went in search of something similar. The salesperson at the wallpaper store recognized the design and found an exact match.

The colors and elaborate print work beautifully with the curved dark wood of the banister and the vintage built-in cabinet adjacent to the master bath.

into two smaller rooms with closets.

Rather than tear out the Carolina pine, favored by American colonists for nearly every type of construction up until 1900, when it was timbered to extinction, Acabbo refinished them, adding visual interest to an already dramatic space.

The master bedroom is his refuge, and like so much of the house, is filled with items that remind him of family members and loved ones. He tells the story of the leopard stole draped over a chair in the bedroom.

The piece belonged to his late aunt, a determined young woman who successfully campaigned to have her parents (Acabbo’s grandparents) purchase a full-length leopard coat for her in the 1930s. On the occasion of her second marriage, she had the coat cut down to a stole to wear on her wedding day. Acabbo laughs as he relates the story, recalling his “dramatic” aunt fondly.

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The pattern of the floorboards in the master bedroom reveals that the room had once been broken up 44 N OVEMBER 2014

Acabbo’s personal style favors a mix of antiques from the 1920s through the late 1940s. The display cabinet in the formal dining room features Fenton opalescent Vaseline hobnail glassware and serving pieces. The living room and the upstairs guest room are home to Gary’s cookie-jar collection, with pieces dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, featuring characters from children’s stories including Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs and Humpty Dumpty.

Many of the jars are signed and numbered, including a jazz singer and piano player set he tells me is also owned by actor Billy Dee Williams. Acabbo acknowledges

says he didn’t intend to become an avid collector of cookie jars. But after purchasing his first piece at an antiques show, “Someone bought me a book on collecting. I was amazed by all the different jars and started collecting. “ He recently sold off a number of pieces because they were starting to take too much space in the small house.

One-fourteen Westwood Road is a little bit reminiscent of the photos one sees of old Hollywood stars at home — the space is lived-in but elegant. Acabbo demurs and says that some people might find his style gaudy; that there are too many things, and much of the décor is over-the-top. He expresses tremendous respect and admiration for those who can take an old house and completely redo it in a modern style and live minimally. But he also knows that he himself could not live that way. The chaise lounge in the front room, the chandelier in bathroom, the identical vintage glass acorn light fixtures in the master bedroom mix with printed pillows,

There is a small room on the second floor, a sort of alcove that overlooks the front of the home. It is there that one finds the door that leads to the attic. Perhaps it was a sewing room or a reading nook for the previous owner. Acabbo has transformed it into a shrine, a mini-museum created in tribute to his late parents. There is a framed photograph of his father as a young serviceman in uniform, and one of his mother as a bride. A large wedding portrait hangs on a far wall, and his mother’s wedding gown, beautifully preserved and displayed on a dressmaker’s form, adorns the room’s corner. It is an ivory satin gown with a dropped waist, high collar, tiny buttons down the bodice, and a long train lovingly gathered at the base of the dress form. “I was lucky to have great parents,” he proclaims.

Walking through the house, listening to Gary Acabbo tell the stories behind each piece and what they mean to him, his affection and respect for his family and loved ones is evident. His home, and the items that fill it, are dear to him. They provide comfort, fond memories, and warm reminders of those who were closest to him. “I like the things, the warmth of things,” he explains. But doesn’t really need to.

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Wooster Square New Haven, CT 06511

& Realtors, LLC

www.grlandrealtors.com

East Haven- 3 year young Colonial in the center of town, 3 bedrooms, 1.1 baths, central air, hardwood floors, first floor laundry, tile kitchen with SS appliances, slider to deck, stamped concrete, walk in closets, hot water on demand, fence, approvals for a 20x20 garage. Priced to sell!, 199,900. Gena x 203

Branford - Picture perfect 3 bedroom Ranch home sits proudly on hill in private setting. Home completely remodeled and updated, living room with fire place, formal dining room, new appliances, new windows, newly refinished hardwood floors, new fixtures and accessories, enclosed rear porch overlooking new deck and yard with fire place, abuts open space. Peaceful off the road location. Garage. Priced to sell! 319,900. Gena x 203

East Haven - 1835 Greek revival home completely rebuilt in 2010, all systems, wiring, windows, insulation, roof, from top to bottom. 3 beds, 1.1 baths, over 2600 sq ft, garage/barn with loft, columned court yard accessible from kitchen, 16x37 family space and den with in law potential, home office with private entry, truly one of a kind! Priced to sell. 429,900. Jeff x210

New Haven - Morris Cove, completely remodeled expanded Cape with 3 upper bedrooms, 2 new full baths, new windows, new kitchen, newly refinished hardwood floors, new tile, new gas furnace, new central air, fire place, formal living and dining rooms, corner lot, new cement driveway and patio, fenced in yard. Turn key. 199,900. Gena x 203

Hamden - Estate

Hamden- 1926 George H. Grey home, later to be Paier school of Art, a stone Tudor with magnificent roof lines has been restored and updated with high end luxury amenities is a mini estate with in ground pool at the end of a cul-de-sac with in the Yale Prospect Hill area. Over 9,000 sq ft with 7 bedrooms and 10 baths, exposed beam ceiling conservatory, library and so much more.... 1,999,000. Gena x 203

New Haven- Westville, Stately Tudor Duplex just painted, on almost half acre across from Yale Bowl, Owners unit has new master bath, lovely details include fire place, leaded glass windows, dining room with built ins, hardwood floors, natural woodwork, slate roof, updated electrical and furnaces. 449,900. Jeff x 210

North Haven - 1800 sq ft Colonial with 4 bedrooms, nice floor plan, large rooms, eat in kitchen, 2 fire places, hardwood floors, 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, big level yard, 2 car detached garage, close to Quinnipiac and Rt 15. 273,156. Gena x 203

New Haven- Interesting multi on Jocelyn Square, both units have fire places, wood floors, separate utilities, attic partially finished with studio and sky lights, pretty entry foyer with period wood banister, and stained glass window, across from park. 180,000.

Jeff x 210

203 781-0000 Gena Lockery

Branford - 3633 sq ft Custom built Colonial 5 years young on private drive, grand home with coffered ceilings, detailed hardwood floors, geo thermal heating and cooling,fire place, master suite, propane gas, grand foyer, great room,sliders to decks, walk out lower level, 3 car garage and more. 669,900. Gena x 203

New Haven- Rare 2 family Colonial on Wooster Square, Fantastic views of park, Interior completely gutted and remodeled, open floor plan, wide plank floors, French country kitchen with exposed beams, first floor unit 1 bedroom with full bath, 2nd fl unit 2 beds with full bath and laundry, 3rd floor with full bath, fantastic yard with grape arbor and so much more... Priced to sell. 589,900. Gena x 203

West Haven - Walk to beach from 1300 sq ft Bungalow with 3 beds, 1 bath, cute and charming home with level yard, white fence and open porch, hardwood through out, 4 year old roof, no flood insurance needed, price reduced. 142,900. Karen x 207

New Haven - Well kept Colonial in historic Fair Haven Heights, 3 bedrooms, 1.1 baths, freshly painted, 3 year old roof and gutters, new furnace and hot water heater, private driveway and yard. A must see.

132,500. Diana x 208

Hamden - Estate

Hamden - Stately re mastered 2005 Georgian Colonial, slate roof, high end moldings, 4 bedrooms, 4 fireplaces, 6 bathrooms, fantastic kitchen with sub zero and wolf appliances, extra large in law, gas heat, central air and garage sits proudly at the end of cul de sac, walk to Albertus Magnus and Yale shuttle, on Hamden / New Haven line in Prospect Hill.1,7000,000. Gena x 203

Hamden - A true gem! Amazing 3 bedroom 1.1 bath Split Level home with updates galore! Brand new stunning custom kitchen with granite and SS appliances, beautiful French doors, fire place, new roof windows and siding. Amazing large deck with in ground pool, perfect for entertaining 278,000.

Katherine x 219

New Haven - Charming 1920’s with GaryBungalow Acabbo innatural front of woodwork, living roo and formalhis dining room, kitchen Westville home.New Haven - Turnbridge Crossing, Cozy and peacful one with dining area, 1st floor bedroom/study, 2nd floor bedroom Ranch style condo just steps from Quinnipiac master with bath and skylight, sunny yard with shed, River, 3 rooms, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, central air,2 parking quiet cul de sac minutes to downtown, Yale, train and spaces, views of river. 84,500. Diana x 208 hospitals. 100,000. Jeff x210

Hamden- Dazzling 3800 plus sq ft Colonial in distinguished neighborhood, 5 bedrooms, formal living room and dining room,family room with fire place, upper level laundry, master suite with office, 2 walk in closets, cathedral ceiling and spectacular bath. 3 car garage located on three quarters of an acre at the end of the cul de sac. 385,000. Katherine x 219

Branford - Beautiful wooded lot on 1.40 acres, approved building lot for single family home, 3 bedroom septic at the end of cul de sac, last lot in development. 140,000.

Maria x 214

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WO RDS of MOUTH FÊTES

Quinnipiac University celebrated the opening of its new state-of-the-art School of Law Center October 1 on the school’s North Haven Campus.

At the opening reception (l-r) Quinnipiac Law professors Toni Robinson and Marilyn Ford, Quinnipiac President John L. Lahey and State Rep. Dave Yaccarino (R87) of North Haven. Not pictured: Guido Calabresi, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and former Yale Law School dean, was the guest speaker.

I N ST YLE OU T DO O RS B O DY & SO UL ON SCRE E N

On October 15 Area Cooperative Educational Services hosted its 15th annual Employer Recognition Dinner to thank companies that help to train their students. Among the celebrants (l-r): Brian Hughes of Innerworkings; Deborah Sorg and Susan Gardiner, both of L’Oreal USA; and Jack Calligan of Innerworkings.

Also at the ACES dinner is ACES Executive Director Thomas Danehy with Elizabeth Hurlihy of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.

VNA Health Systems Board Chair Robert H. Motley presenting the group’s Corporate Partnership Award to Walgreens Infusion Services at the VNA of South Central Connecticut’s 110th anniversary bash October 27 at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven. Accepting the honor General Manager Susan T. Brannelly.

46 N OVEMBER 2014

ACES Craig W. Edmondson (left) with event master of ceremonies Ray Andrewsen of radio station WQUN.

VNA of South Central CT President and CEO John R. Quinn (right) presenting the Community Partnership Award to Valley United Way President and Chief Operating Officer Jack Walsh.

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F ĂŠT E S jewelry designers hold pop-up shops across Connecticut and most of their items are just as competitive, if not less expensive, than the massproduced jewelry and accessories you will find at large stores.

IN ST Y L E

We spoke with some very talented designers to see how they come up with their unique designs as well as what inspires them. No surprise — the art and aesthetics in New Haven were at or near the top of their lists.

Coral Rays necklace from Halcyon Artistry

OUTD O OR S

Chelsea A. Lazicki, owner and designer for Bozzy Smiles, travels up and down the East Coast at music and art festivals as well as having an Etsy shop that accounts for the bulk of the business. Locally, she spends a lot of time in the New Haven area since local residents and students alike appreciate her artistic designs.

B ODY & S OUL ONSC R E E N

Most of the materials used in Bozzy Smiles creations come from natural sources. The crystals Lazicki uses in her jewelry designs are locally mined from throughout the East Coast, making for incredibly distinctive designs. The most fascinating part of each piece is the story behind each of the items.

Lazicki says she gets her ideas by separating herself from everyday suburban life and spends as much free time as possible relaxing in nature, including camping sojourns deep into the woods or hiking remote trails across the Northeast.

The nature-inspired artwork is then translated into her artwork such as the watercolor and acrylic paintings, along with hemp and wire jewelry.

These pieces make for colorful, boho-style accessories that men and women wear proudly; knowing their piece of jewelry has a story to tell beyond its intrinsic aesthetic value.

Made in Connecticut Art meets fashion for makers of custom-crafted accessories

By JAMIE TAYLOR

E

ven as a fashion-obsessed female, I find myself too often seeking out the same department-store accessories day in and day out. Mass-produced bracelets, plastic necklaces and a million duplicates are placed in department stores and although beautiful, there is rarely anything unique about these pieces.

48 N OVEMBER 2014

After a little research in my quest to find handmade accessories, I found that there are a ton of hidden gems (pun-intended) right here in Connecticut. I spoke with a few local designers who handcraft beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces that you will never see in a large department store. Each of the designers I interviewed expressed

different inspirations, styles and passions that go into their designs.

From hemp jewelry to vintage, upcycled pieces, I knew I was in for an aesthetic treat.

From recycled material, old newspapers and local craft shops, the creative wells of many of these designers are bottomless. Many

I was eager to learn more about local designers and was excited to meet the dynamic Connecticut designer duo of Nancy Karim and Nicole Cyr, principals of Halcyon Artistry.

Halcyon designs housewares and intricate jewelry with mostly recyclable material, depending on availability. These green designs are definitely statement pieces with pops of color, textured materials and bold statements.

Cyr majored in metalsmithing and jewelry in college and got an early start at designing and producing NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

elaborate pieces in mixed media.

She then went on to graduate school for art therapy. But to let off some creative steam, Cyr continued to design pieces and put her passion into jewelry and houseware designs.

Cyr met Karim in graduate school, and discovered that the latter shared the same passion for unusual art forms and limitless creativity, especially when it came to jewelry design. The two designers combined their artistic inspirations and launched Halcyon Artistry (the pair’s motto: “Handcrafted Tranquility”).

Aside from traditional jewelry suppliers, Halcyon Artistry used upcycled materials culled from tag sales, consignment shops and flea markets. Usually, the material they find — whether it be lace, a newspaper clipping or a unique feather — inspires the design. The passion and hunt for the right pieces really comes to life in each of the works. I asked what inspired them individually as designers.

“For me personally, I like to find inspiration in the things around us in our everyday drive or walk down the city street,” explains Karim.

“I love to look to nature for color schemes, well done street/subway art, and flip through magazines to find that one cool section of imagery that speaks to me and use it to create something unexpected.

I love having the customer guess what the image or material is. It makes for fun conversation pieces.”

“I’m always trying to create an “ah ha!” moment, either in the process or in the final product,” adds Cyr. “I love being surprised with a happy accident, such as the ghostimage effect in the dictionary page pendants. Something like that will fuel several spinoff ideas.”

I spent a lot of time looking and asking about each one of Karim’s and Cyr’s pieces and they even “styled” me with some of their unique statement jewelry. Wearing such bold, one-of-a-kind pieces definitely brought out a more creative style. Knowing that some of the pieces were vintage and upcycled really makes a statement and has a story beyond being something mass-produced in a factory.

Another feature that I loved about Halcyon’s pieces is that they do custom personalization. The designers can take any photograph or keepsake and make into a beautiful custom necklace or design that makes a perfect, one-of-a-kind gift for someone special.

What one wears is not always about aesthetics. The pieces that are so distinctive and obviously custommade are what many would call “conversation pieces.” Accessories that make a statement rarely go unnoticed. Envious admirers might say, “Wow — where did you get that?” This may start a fun conversation about how the materials and designer are all local and most people appreciate the work that goes into design and supporting local small businesses.

According to Forbes, more than 50 percent of the working population (120 million Americans) work in a small business, so there is no doubt that supporting local designers helps our local economy. Shopping local and supporting our local artists and designers, specifically in the New Haven area, will encourage and create more opportunity for such talented people in our area.

Here’s to personal style.

To having a say and being one of one. To clothes that fit you like they were made for you, because they were.

Revolutionizing the Way Men Shop for Clothing

Website: StevenJacobs.JHilburn.com | Facebook: JHilburnCT CONTACT STEVEN JACOBS AT STEVEN.JACOBS@JHILBURNPARTNER.COM OR eMail: Steven.Jacobs@JHilburnPartner.com | Phone: 203.376.0200 AT 203-376-0200 TO SCHEDULE YOUR PERSONAL CONSULTATION.

Chelsea Lazicki left me with an Albert Einstein quote at the end of our time together, which made sense for all the designers I had the pleasure of getting to know: “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”

Wire jewelry from Bozzy Smiles.

new haven

49

CALENDAR BELLES LETTRES The Mystery Book Club meets the first Wednesday to discuss a pre-selected book. Books are available for check out prior to the meeting. 3-4 p.m. November 5 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. Free. 203-483-6653, blackstone.lioninc.org/ booktalk.htm.

New members are welcomed to the Blackstone Library Second Tuesday Book Club. The group meets on the second Tuesday to discuss a pre-selected book. Books available for loan in advance of discussion. 6:45-8 p.m. November 11 at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. Free. 203-488-1441, ext. 318, blackstone.lioninc.org/booktalk.htm.

Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute and the Arnold Bernhard Library at Quinnipiac University present The Lady Sligo Letters: Westport House and Ireland’s Great Hunger. Hester Catherine Browne (1800-78), a/k/a Lady Sligo, was part of the AngloIrish elite that had governed Ireland for centuries. Despite her wealth and social position, she repeatedly demonstrated her concern for the poor who lived on her estate in County Mayo.

Lady Sligo lived from 1800-78. Her collection includes more than 200 letters covering the period of the Great Hunger and adds an important new dimension to scholarly understanding of the tragedy. Through April 30, 2015 at Arnold Bernhard Library, Quinnipiac University, 275 Mt. Carmel Ave., Hamden. Open 9 a.m.5 p.m. daily, noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-582-8633, quinnipiac.edu.

Release your inner poet. Time Out for Poetry meets third Thursdays and welcomes those who wish to share an original short poem, recite a stanza or simply to listen. Ogden Nash, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Dr. Seuss and even the Burma Shave signs live again. 12:30-2 p.m. November 20 at Scranton Library, 801 Boston Post Rd., Madison. Free. 203-245-7365.

The Poetry Institute of New Haven hosts Poetry Open Mics each third Thursday. Come hear an eclectic mix of poetic voices.

7 p.m. November 20 at Young Men’s Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., New Haven. Free. thepoetryinstitute.com.

CINEMA The New Haven Free Public Library hosts a screening and discussion of the East German film Die Schauspielerin (1988, 86 min., English subtitles). Maria (Corinna Harfouch), a rising theater star in Nazi Germany, is in love with Mark (André Hennicke), a Jewish actor. She accepts her dream job at a theater in Munich, but Mark is banned from performing — except at the Jewish Kulturbund Theatre in Berlin. Maria discovers she is unable to live without Mark, but the Nazi Nuremberg Laws strictly forbid their relationship. Q&A with director Siegfried Kuhn. 2 p.m. November 1 at NHFPL, 133 Elm St., New Haven. Free. Reservations. 203-946-8130, nhfpl.org.

One of the greatest screen musicals of all time is Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (1942, 100 min., USA). At an open-holidays-only inn in fictitious Milville, Connecticut, a crooner (Bing Crosby) and a hoofer (Fred Astaire) vie for the affections of a beautiful ingénue (Marjorie Reynolds). 5 p.m. November 13 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free. Registration.

203-468-3890, hagamanlibrary.info.

Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum star in Vincente Minnelli’s firm noir Undercurrent (1946, 116 min., USA). Hepburn’s character tries to find the truth between her husband’s estrangement (or perhaps murder) of his brother.

2, 4:30 & 7 p.m. November 18 at Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $8. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

COMEDY Every Wednesday evening Joker’s Wild opens its stage to anyone who wants to try standup comedy — from brand-new comics to amateurs to seasoned pros. As Forrest Gump might say, each Open-Mic Night is kind of like a box of chocolates. 9

50 N OVEMBER 2014

The vendors at City Seed Farmers Markets will be braving the cold through December to bring you their seasonal offerings. p.m. Wednesdays at Joker’s Wild, 232 Wooster St., New Haven. $5.

203-773-0733, jokerswildclub.com.

Don’t miss the next comedian to emerge from Philadelphia’s comedy scene: Coleman Green. Follow the funnyman’s edgy comedic adventures as he unveils his life, loves, family and the world in a style that has audiences all over “cracking the hell up.” 8 p.m. November 14, 8 & 10:30 p.m. November 15 at Joker’s Wild, 232 Wooster St., New Haven. $15. 203-773-0733, jokerswildclub.com.

Hannibal Buress is a comedian, actor, writer, musician, magician and poker dealer from Chicago. He’s appeared on television a lot. He’s the co-host of The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim. He’s a cast member on Broad City on Comedy Central. And oh yes, he’s very funny. 8 p.m. November 21 at Lyman Center for Performing Arts, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $15 ($5 faculty/staff, students free). 2930392-6154, southernct.edu/lyman.

Kevin Flynn is a five-tool comedian. A former professional soccer player, his stand-up career took off after he won the Boston Comedy Riot in 1998. Since then, he’s appeared in films with Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey and has done extensive television and radio work, most recently for Sirius XM covering the World Cup. 8 p.m. November 28 at Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $25. 877-5031286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

CULINARY Consiglio’s Cooking Class Club. Chef Maureen Nuzzo explains and demonstrates how to prepare mouth-watering southern Italian dishes that have been passed down from generation to generation. November’s menu: prosciutto, pear and gorgonzola crostini; risotto-stuffed escarole; bacon-wrapped porchetta with garlic mashed potato; apple crisp with vanilla gelato. 6:30 p.m. November 6, 13, 20 at Consiglio’s Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven. $65. Reservations. 203-865-4489, consiglios.com.

City Farmers Markets New Haven. Eat local! Enjoy seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs from local farms including seafood, meat, milk, cheese, handcrafted bread and baked goods, honey, more. WOOSTER SQUARE 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturdays through December 20 at Russo Park, corner Chapel St. and DePalma Ct. EDGEWOOD PARK 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays through December 21 at Whalley and West Rock Aves. 203-7733736, cityseed.org.

DANCE Wesleyan’s Dance Department presents its Fall Senior Thesis Dance Concert. A collection of new works presented by senior

choreographers as part of their culminating project for the dance major. 8 p.m. November 1 at Patricelli ’92 Theater, 213 High St., Middletown. $5 (students $4). 860-685-3355, wesleyan. edu/cfa.

West African Dance Concert. Choreographer and Wesleyan artist-in-residence Iddi Saaka is joined by students and guest artists for an invigorating performance showcasing the vibrancy of West African cultures through their music and dance forms.

8 p.m. November 21 at Crowell Concert Hall, 50 Wyllys Ave., Middletown. $8-$6. 860-685-3355, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

FAMILY EVENTS With more than two miles of twisting and winding pathways carved within four acres of towering cornstalks, 100 decision points and just one way out, getting lost in Lyman Orchards’ 15th annual Corn Maze is not only great fun — it’s also for a great cause: A portion of the proceeds benefits the American Cancer Society. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through November 2 at Lyman Orchards, 7 Lyman Rd., Middlefield. $9 ($5 children ages 4-12).

860-349-1793, lymanorchards.com.

Each Tuesday the Yale Astronomy Department hosts a Planetarium Show. Weather permitting there is also public viewing of planets, nebulae, star clusters and whatever happens to be interesting in the sky. Viewable celestial objects change seasonally. 7 & 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Leitner Family Observatory, 355 Prospect St., New Haven. Free. cobb@astro.yale. edu, astro.yale.edu.

Philatelists unite! Young people ages eight to 15 are invited to join the Hagaman Library’s monthly (first Saturdays) Stamp Club. In addition to learning about stamps, attendees learn a lot of history and many other fascinating things from club leader and World War II veteran Judge Anthony DeMayo. 10 a.m. November 1 at Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main St., East Haven. Free. Registration. 203-468-3890, hagamanlibrary. info.

Creating Readers Saturdays at 2 Program. A fun, interactive program that engages young readers by bringing books to life using theater, dance and music. Each family that attends receives a copy of that week’s book to take home. 2 p.m.

Saturdays at Connecticut Children’s Museum, 22 Wall St., New Haven. $5. 203-562-5437, childrensbuilding.org.

HOLIDAY BAZAARS The 22nd annual Trinity Church Holiday Bazaar features homemade crafts, silent auction, tag sale, raffles, food court, surprise packages and more — a must for the serious holiday shopper. Proceeds benefit the restoration of the church’s magnificent stained-glass windows, a New Haven treasure.

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Noon-8 p.m. November 20, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. November 21-22, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. November 23 at Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven. Free. 203-624-3101.

Tuesday Night Canal Rides. Medium-paced rides up the Farmington Canal into New Haven. May split into two groups based on riders’ speed but no one will be left behind to ride alone. Lights are a must. 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Café Romeo, 534 Orange St., New Haven. Free. william.v.kurtz@gmail.com.

MIND, BODY & SOUL

Elm City Cycling monthly meeting occurs on the second Monday. ECC is a non-profit organization of cycling advocates who meet to discuss biking issues in New Haven. Dedicated to making New Haven friendlier and more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. 7 p.m. November 10 at City Hall Meeting Rm. 2, 165 Church St., New Haven. Free. elmcitycycling.org.

The Ives library hosts weekly Library Yoga classes suitable for all levels. Walk-ins welcome. Bring a yoga mat. 1-2 p.m.

Wednesdays at New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St., New Haven. $5. 203-946-8835.

Led by Nelie Doak, Yoga promotes a deep sense of physical, mental and emotional well-being. Classes are designed to help cultivate breath and body awareness, improve flexibility, strengthen and tone muscles, detoxify the body and soothe the spirit. All levels welcome. Bring a yoga mat. 5-6:30 p.m. Fridays at Blackstone Library, 758 Main St., Branford. $10. 203-488-1441, ext. 313, yogidoakie@earthlink.net or events@blackstone. lioninc.org, blackstone.lioninc.org.

NATURAL HISTORY Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants. Ants.

The word is small — and so are they — but their world is enormous. With complex and wildly diverse lifestyles, ants are everywhere, living lives mostly hidden from plain sight.

Featuring the photography of ant expert Mark Moffett, this exhibition highlights the fascinating lives of ants — communicating, dealing with disease and agriculture — and chronicles the work of entomologists in the field today.

Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Through January 4 at Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, noon-5 p.m. Sun. $9 ($8 seniors, $5 children). 203-4325050, peabody.yale.edu.

SPORTS/RECREATION Spectator Sports In odd-numbered years the Yale Bulldogs conclude their gridiron season at home against those dastardly boys from Cambridge, Mass. But in even-numbered years (2014, for example), the home season ends against the Princeton Tigers.

Road Races/Triathlons It’s the 22nd annual Platt Tech 5K Race & Fun Walk, notable for its scenic (and flat) course. 10 a.m. (fun walk 9:15) November 2 at Platt Tech, 600 Orange Ave., Milford. $25. hitekracing.com.

The Hagaman Library’s Stamp Club meets the first Saturday of the month.

‘Twas ever thus. Noon November 15 at Class of 1954 Field, Walter Camp Field, Derby Ave., West Haven. $25-$15. 203-432-1400, yalebulldogs.com.

Cycling Elm City Cycling organizes Lulu’s Ride, weekly two- to four-hour rides for all levels (17-19 mph average). Cyclists leave at 10 a.m. from Lulu’s European Café as a single group; no one is dropped. 10 a.m. Sundays at Lulu’s European Café, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-773-9288, elmcitycycling.org.

The Little Lulu (LL) is an alternative to the long-standing Sunday morning training ride. The route is usually 20-30 miles in length and the ride is no-drop, meaning that the group waits at hilltops and turns so that no rider is left behind. The LL is an opportunity for cyclists to get accustomed to riding in groups.

Riders should come prepared with materials (tubes, tools, pumps and/or CO2 inflators) to repair flats. 10 a.m. Sundays at Lulu’s European Café, 49 Cottage St., New Haven. Free. 203-7739288, paulproulx@sbcglobal.net, elmcitycycling.org.

The five-mile Wallingford Turkey Trot benefits a very good cause — the Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club. 1 p.m. November 23 at Stevens Elementary School, 18 Kondracki La., Wallingford. $20 advance, $25 race day. bgcawallingford.org.

Work off that turkey and stuffing in advance by getting up early for the Stratford Masonic Bodies’ 13th annual Turkey Day Trot, a USATF-certified 5K that’s flat and fast. 8:15 a.m. November 27 in Stratford Center. $20 advance ($30 after 11/16). 203-377-6056.

Get off the road before off-road is frozen ‘til spring for the 19th annual Cow Chip Cross Country Run, an “approximately” threemile course (at the whim of the race director) through the fields and trails of the Trumbull High School campus. 9:15 a.m. (9 a.m. kids’ fun run) November 29 at Trumbull H.S. Agricultural & Tech Center, 536 Daniels Farm Rd., Trumbull. $22 advance (online only), $27 race day. clubct.org.

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PHOTOGRAPH: Joan Marcus.

ONSTAGE Tony Award-winner Tonya Pinkins (center) with director Lileana Blain-Cruz (left) in rehearsal for the Yale Rep’s production of ‘War.’

Opening The Hotel Nepenthe. Everyone’s heard of the Hotel Nepenthe.

It’s the place with the fabulous leopard-print bathrobes, and where that man killed that woman. And no, they haven’t found her baby yet. John Kuntz’s comedy circles around this enigmatic hotel, where strangers tangle themselves in somebody else’s mysteries and wind up covered in whipped cream. Rachel Carpman directs. November 6-8 at Yale Cabaret, 217 Park St., New Haven. $25. 203-432-1566, yalecabaret.org.

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Always…Patsy Cline. Based on the true story of Patsy’s friendship with her most devoted fan, Louise Seger, this musical chronicles the friendship which began when the two met at the Esquire Ballroom just outside Houston. Over a pot of strong coffee, this unlikely pair of women became best friends and kept in touch until Patsy’s untimely death.

Featuring hits such as “Anytime,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “She’s Got You” and “Crazy.” November 6-30 at Seven Angels Theatre, 1 Plank Rd., Waterbury. $52-$38. 203-757-4676, sevenangelstheatre.org.

In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood — a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, and pressures, where the

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MuZeum, a Bollywood masala ride through India. This American premier from the streets of India illuminates the oppression of India’s women today, tracking a line from the country’s rich and colorful mythology to the glamorous dancers of that country’s film industry. Ankur Sharma directs. November 13-15 at Yale Cabaret, 217 Park St., New Haven. $25. 203-432-1566, yalecabaret.org.

Arms and the Man, a comedy by George Bernard Shaw. Set during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885, the plot centers on the aristocratic, starry-eyed, pampered young woman, Raina Petkoff, who must choose between two men vying for her

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biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind. 8 p.m. November 12-16 at CFA Theater, Wesleyan University, 271 Washington St., Middletown. $15 (seniors $12). 860-685-3355, wesleyan.edu/cfa. com.

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A whimsical retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The tale of the little girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a nonsensical world has been an enduring classic for more than a century. 7:30 p.m. November 14-16 at Paul Mellon Arts Center, 333 Christian St., Wallingford. $15 (12 & under $10).

203-697-2000, choate.edu.

Tensions escalate between Tate and Joanne at the hospital bedside of their comatose mother. As they attack each other’s smallest words and biggest choices, they are ambushed by two strangers who make a shocking claim about their grandfather’s World War II tour of duty. War is a wildly provocative, bracingly funny and all-too-human portrait of a family navigating the land mines of the past as they try to broker peace with each other — and themselves — in the present. Written by Branden JacombsJenkins. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs. November 21-December 13 at Yale Repertory Theatre, University Theatre, 222 York St., New Haven. $84. 203-432-1234, yalerep.org.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a comedy by Steve Martin.

What happens when Picasso and Einstein walk into a bar?

Intellectual fireworks, verbal gymnastics, amorous intentions and the arrival of a mysterious man in blue suede shoes.

On an October evening in 1904, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso end up at the same small Parisisan bar — the Lapin Agile. Joined by an eccentric cast of characters, the two young geniuses spar over art and science, their respective libidos, where inspiration comes from, and the promise and dreams of the 20th century. November 26-December 21 at Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven. $79.50-$29.50. 203-7874282, longwharf.org.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told. Instead of performing Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story

Continuing Based on a true story, Mrs. Independent takes audiences on a thought-provoking journey of exploring questions like: Can a woman still love her husband if she is the primary breadwinner? Will the roles reverse with her wearing the pants while he ultimately works to honor her every demand?

But, what if he is a good man who’s faithful and does actually contribute to the household? Is it possible that true love, affection and godly integrity can be restored to the marriage? 8

Legend and lore collide under the big top in the new musical The Circus in Winter. Love, lust, betrayal and tragedy unfold in a series of interwoven stories that reveal the private lives of a death-defying acrobat, sideshow African queen, lonely circus owner, disheveled clowns and more. Featuring a folk/ rock score. 2 & 7:30 p.m. Wed., 7:30 p.m. Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 3 & 8 p.m. Sat., 2 & 6:30 p.m. Sun. through November 16 at the Norma Terris Theatre, 33 N. Main St., Chester. $45. 860-8738668, goodspeed.org.

Say Goodnight, Gracie. The Tony-Award winning Broadway play of the life, laughter and love of George Burns and Gracie Allen. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Wed. & Sun. through November 16 at Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main St., Ivoryton. $42 ($37 seniors, $20 students, $15 12 & under). 860-7677318, ivorytonplayhouse.com.

Based on one of the greatest Hollywood musicals ever, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn is set at a Connecticut farmhouse transformed into a jubilant nightspot — but only on holidays.

From Valentine’s Day to the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving to Christmas, featuring hit songs by Irving Berlin such as “Happy Holiday,” “Easter Parade” and “Be Careful, It’s My Heart.”

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Singing in the Rain. Based on the classic motion picture, this stage musical is performed by the students of Sacred Heart Academy. 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. November 14-15 at Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. $25-$10. 203-562-5666, shubert.com.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens’ story of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge—who discovers the true meaning of Christmas with the help of Tiny Tim and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future — captures all the warmth, goodwill and musical memories of the holiday season.

7:30 p.m. November 28, 2 & 7:30 p.m. November 29, 2 p.m.

November 30 at Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. $48-$15. 203-562-5666, shubert.com.

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Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody! A musical based on the bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey books 8 p.m. November 13 at John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts, 501 Crescent St., New Haven. $35. 203-392-6154, tickets.southernct.edu.

ever told — including Christmas traditions from around the world, seasonal icons from ancient times to tropical popculture, and every Christmas carol ever sung. 8 p.m. Fri.- Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. November 28-December 14 at Phoenix Stage Co., 686 Rubber Ave., Naugatuck. $22 ($18 seniors). 203-632-8546, phoenixstagecompany.com.

Integrated Aesthetics

affections: the dashingly handsome cavalry officer, Major Sergius Saranoff, and the pragmatic, un-romantic Swiss mercenary, Captain Bluntschli. Bob Bresnick directs. 7:30 p.m.

November 13-15, 2 p.m. November 16 at Clarice L. Buckman Theater, Quinnipiac University, Mount Carmel Campus, 275 Mount Carmel Ave., Hamden. $15 (seniors $10). 203-582-8200, Quinnipiac.edu/CAS.

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new haven

53

MUSIC

Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $23-$13. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

Back to the Future: German & Italian Music from the 17th Century. Music of Boedecker, Buchner, Froberger, Castello, Fontana, Rossi and more performed by John Holloway, violin, Jane Gower, dulcian and Lars Urich Mortensen, harpsichord. 3 p.m. November 16 at the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, 15 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

Classical Guest conductor Peter Oundjian leads the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale in a program of music from the first half of the 20th century. GERSHWIN An American in Paris; HINDEMITH Symphonic Metamorphosis; ELGAR Introduction and Allegro; BARBER Symphony No. 1. 7:30 p.m. November 7 at Woolsey Hall, 400 College St., New Haven. $15 ($13 faculty/staff, $10 students). 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

As part of the Yale School of Music’s Faculty Artist Series, violinist Wendy Sharp performs in recital. 4 p.m. November 9 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

Soprano Janna Baty performs music of Villa-Lobos, Ravel, Schienberg and more as part of the Yale School of Music’s Faculty Artist Series. 7:30 p.m. November 11 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

Pianist Boris Berman performs as part of Yale Horowitz Piano Series. BEETHOVEN Variations in F Major, Op. 34, Variations in E-flat Major, Op. 35 (“Eroica”); STRAVINSKY Serenade in A; PROKOFIEV Sonatas No. 5 & No. 7. 7:30 p.m. November 12 at

Yale’s Oneppo Chamber Music Series presents the Jupiter String Quartet. SCHUBERT Quartet in A minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D. 804 “Rosamunde”; BEETHOVEN Quartet in F. Major, Op. 135; BARTOK Quartet No. 6. 7:30 p.m. November 18 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. $36-$26. 203-432-4158, music. yale.edu.

The Yale School of Music’s Faculty Artist Series commemorates Alfred Schnittke’s 80th Anniversary. Duos for strings and piano by the influential Soviet composer (1934-1998), including Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 1, Suite in the Old Style and Sonata for Cello & Piano No. 1. 7:30 p.m. November 19 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

Under the baton of Music Director William Boughton, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra presents Puccini, Virtue & Redemption, a program of two triumphant anthems that explore themes of morality through music. THEOFANIDIS Virtue; PUCCINI Suor Angelica. With Yale Opera and soprano Tony Arnold. 7:30 p.m. November 20 at St. Mary’s Church, 5 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven. $74-$15 ($10 students). 203-865-0831, newhavensymphony.org.

yale institute of sacred music presents

New Music New Haven offers a program of music by Yale School of Music faculty composers Martin Bresnick and Aaron Jay Kernis, as well as graduate students in the SOM’s composition program. Program includes Bresnick’s “Prayers Remain Forever,” performed by Lisa Moore, piano, and cellist Ashley Bathgate. 7:30 p.m. November 20 at Sprague Hall, 470 College St., New Haven. Free. 203-432-4158, music.yale.edu.

It’s the unofficial official musical kickoff to New Haven’s holiday season: Orchestra New England’s 35th annual Colonial Concert. Wigs, waistcoats and candlelight bring you back to a 1782 concert in Olde New-haven. Music of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and others. This is the flagship concert of New England’s most versatile chamber orchestra, led by redoubtable Music Director (and ONE founder) James Sinclair.

8 p.m. November 29 at United Church on the Green, 270 Temple St., New Haven. $35-$20 ($75 includes pre-concert dinner at Graduate Club, 155 Elm St.)

Popular Jamaican reggae fusion singer Shaggy is best known for his 1995 hit “Boombastic,” which he wrote while in the Marine Corps during the first Gulf War. 9 p.m. November 7 at Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven. $25. 203-624-8623, toadsplace. com.

The three-piece Rave On plays the hits of Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and other classics of early rock ‘n’ roll. 8 p.m. November 8 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $28. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

Pierce Pettis specializes in rootsy Americana. His folk and country songs have won him numerous accolades and awards, including an ASCAP Country Music Award in 1999 for a song performed by none other than Garth Brooks. 7 p.m. November 9 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $25. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

Guitarist Richie Kotzen is a rock veteran, having recorded his first solo album by age 19, and joining hair metal bigwigs Poison at 21, and Mr. Big some years later. His solo material fuses rock, blues, jazz and soul – you know, the usual rockertries-to-find-himself combination. 8 p.m. November 9 at Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven. $45-$25. 203-624-8623, toadsplace.com.

Long-running Toronto rock band Sloan has released 11 studio albums and countless other releases with a style that that uses the big melodies and hooks of rock and pop with a healthy dose of introspection for good measure. 9 p.m. November 10 at the Ballroom at Outer Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. $15.

203-288-6400, theouterspace.net.

Yale Camerata

Yale Schola Cantorum

saturday, december 6 7:30 pm

friday, december 12 5 pm

Dona nobis pacem

Splendor and Introspection

Marguerite L. Brooks, conductor

Music of J.S. Bach, Vaughan Williams, Kyr, and Marshall Battell Chapel 400 College St., New Haven

54 N OVEMBER 2014

Simon Carrington, guest conductor

Music of Charpentier

Christ Church Episcopal 84 Broadway at Elm, New Haven

Is there a song you’ve always wanted to hear The Ataris play?

Well now’s your chance. Each ticket purchased online for the alt-rockers’ “You Call the Shots” tour gave fans the opportunity to request the songs the band performs each night. 7:30 p.m.

November 11 at the Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. $15. 203288-6400, thespacect.com.

Norwegian all-girl rock band Cocktail Slippers have performed on stages and at festivals all over the world and had their music featured, appropriately in the Netflix series Lillyhammer.

9 p.m. November 11 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $10.

203-789-8281, cafenine.com.

Melodious pop-rockers the American Authors headline the second annual Honda Civic Tour, which stops at Toads Place this month. The tour also features brethren 3BallMty, Grouplove and Portugal, The Man. 7:30 p.m. November 11 at Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven. $20. 203-624-8623, toadsplace.com.

Self-proclaimed “greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world” Supersuckers certainly try to back up that claim with trashy rock that incorporates country, honky-tonk and rockabilly punk.

9 p.m. November 12 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $15.

203-789-8281, cafenine.com.

Neo-soul indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums has made a name for itself as one of the hardest working bands in music and creates a big sound despite a deliberate attempt

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

Christine Lavin and Don White have a combined 40 years of entertaining in a style that comes across more like a comedic performance than a folk-music gig. The two stop at the Kate this month to each perform solo before performing a third set together. 8 p.m. November 21 at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $28. 877-503-1286, katharinehepburntheater.org.

The Grateful Dead live on, thanks to longstanding tribute act Dark Star Orchestra, whose performances mimic exact set lists and sounds from the Dead’s 30-year concert history for an authentic experience, even if not entirely improvised. 8 p.m. November 22 at the Dome at Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. $35. 203-265-1501, oakdale. com.

The New Haven Improvisers Collective is jazz-based group led by drums and the unusual and rarely-seen Chapman Stick, a ten-string guitar-like instrument played by tapping fingers against the fretboard. The group is rounded out by guitars, brass, noise and electronic elements for its newest “Electronhic” work. 8:30 p.m. November 22 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven. $15.

203-785-0468. firehouse12.com.

Guest conductor Peter Oundjian leads the Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale in a program of music by Gershwin, Hindemith, Elgar and Barber November 7 at Woolsey.

diminish the role of the almighty guitar. 8 p.m.

November 14 at the Dome at Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. $35. 203-2651501, oakdale.com.

The Myra Melford and Ben Goldberg Duo is the latest project from pianist, composer and Guggenheim fellow Melford and clarinetist Goldberg. The duo’s first album was based on the poetic writings of Allen Grossman. 8:30 and 10 p.m. November 14 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven. $20 (early show), $15 (late show) 203-785-0468. firehouse12.com.

J. Robbins is known to the alternative rock crowd as former leader of the acclaimed Jawbox and Burning Airlines. He’s stopping at the Nine for an acoustic set, where he’ll be joined by Jonah Matranga of emo legends Far, and Stephen Brodsky of hardcore greats Cave In. 9 p.m. November 14 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $10. 203-789-8281, cafenine. com.

The Steve Miller Band is one of those classic rock groups whose songs have reached that level of ubiquity where it’s hard not to know them, even if you can’t name the band. The group is still at it, and stops in Waterbury on its latest tour. 8 p.m. November 15 at Palace Theatre, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. $125-$55.

203-346-2000, palacetheatrect.com.

At 87 years of age and with more than 200 albums to his credit, Ralph Stanley is celebrated as one of the most recognized voices in American roots music, having won multiple Grammys, a National Medal of Arts and two honorary doctorates (including from Yale). The man even thought about retiring, yet continues on tour with his Clinch Mountain Boys, making an intimate stop in Hamden. 7:30 p.m. November 15 at Unitarian Society Hall, 700 Hartford Tpke., Hamden. $65$40. guitartownct.com.

Pains of Being Pure at Heart make dreamy pop music with a musical palette of lush distorted guitars and breezy vocals, harkening back to the shoegaze sound of the early mid-‘90s. The group makes a return stop to Connecticut for an all-ages show in support of their new album Days of Abandon. 9 p.m.

November 18 at the Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. $15 ($13 advance). 203-288-6400, thespacect.com.

A string of epic life failures and missteps have colored the rockabilly/country/blues music of singer-songwriter Caroline Rose, but then again, what makes better fuel for the songwriter fire than angst? 9 p.m. November 19 at Bar, 254 Crown St., New Haven. Free. 203495-8924. barnightclub.com.

Multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla draws upon her varied life experience to shape her music — her Haitian roots, living in New Orleans and classical music training — which has included a spot on a Grammy-nominated album by string band Carolina Chocolate Drops. Her solo performances focus on her voice and cello arrangements. 7:30 p.m.

November 28 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $13. 203-789-8281, cafenine.com.

The music of Led Zeppelin might as well be the definition of classic rock, but that’s not to say it isn’t widely adaptable. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra negates the need for even a single guitar, as it presents the band’s music in fully orchestrated form. 7:30 p.m.

November 29 at Oakdale Theatre, 95 South Turnpike Rd., Wallingford. $80-$45. 203-265-1501, oakdale.com.

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic has been a near constant present on the live circuit since the late ‘60s, as known for its funk-rock as it is for Clinton’s wild, dreadlocked hair. 9 p.m. November 29 at Toad’s Place, 300 York St., New Haven. $30 ($25 advance). 203-624-8623, toadsplace.com.

Familial duo the Gibson Brothers have received numerous accolades and awards from the bluegrass community, including International Bluegrass Music Awards for Entertainers of the Year two years in a row.

The guitar-and-banjo duo will be augmented with a bassist when it makes a stop in Hamden. 8 p.m. December 5 at the Ballroom at Outer Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. $25-$35. 203-288-6400, theouterspace.net.

Singer, writer and performer Lydia Lunch was birthed from the nihilistic “no wave” scene in late-1970s New York that was characterized by abrasive, confrontational music and art. Lunch stops at the Nine for her word-based “Dust and Shadows” performance. 9 p.m. December 6 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $15.

203-789-8281, cafenine.com.

A Season of Tradition and Innovation

Visual artist and noise musician Jon Erikson works with found sounds, loops and cut-ups with video projections for an audio-visual experience of extremes. He’s taken his improvised performances across the U.S. and Europe. 8:30 p.m. November 19 at Café Nine, 250 State St., New Haven. $5. 203-789-8281, cafenine.com.

Nashville singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield is known for delicate, heartbroken acoustic ballads, but is using her third album as a chance to turn up and let fly the heavy guitar riffs and crashing drums. 9 p.m.

November 20 at the Ballroom at Outer Space, 295 Treadwell St., Hamden. $12. 203-288-6400, theouterspace.net.

Andrea Parkins plays the accordion with a futuristic bent, implementing effects and samples into her work to present an interesting sonic treatment to a familiar instrument. Her trio includes drums and trumpet. 8:30 and 10 p.m. November 21 at Firehouse 12, 45 Crown St., New Haven. $20 (early show), $15 (late show) 203-785-0468. firehouse12.com.

Puccini, Virtue & Redemption Thursday, November 20, 2014 St. Mary’s Church • New Haven Experience Puccini’s one act opera Suor Angelica in St. Mary’s Church with Yale Opera and soprano Tony Arnold, plus the CT premiere of Theofanidis’ Virtue Sponsored by

NewHavenSymphony.org 203.865.0831 x20 new haven Nov 2014 NHM ad.indd 1

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10/9/2014 10:40:24 AM

ART Openings Food Carts features paintings by Chris Ferguson. November 1-November 30 at Da Silva Gallery, 987-899 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Free. 203-387-2539, dasilvagallery.com.

The Creative Arts Workshop hosts its 46th annual Celebration of American Crafts. More than 300 artists from across America are featured, work includes glass, ceramics, jewelry, wearable and decorative fiber. November 1-December 24 at CAW, 80 Audubon St., New Haven. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.noon Sat. Free. 203-562-4927, creativeartworkshop.org.

Works by Bimschwel Cunningham. November 1-December 20 at the Funky Monkey Café & Gallery, 130 Elm St., Watch Factory Shoppes, Cheshire. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon, 10 a.m.8 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203-439-9161, thefunkymonkeycafe.com.

Mixed Media and Monoprints. Works by Alice Nolan Merlone & Karen Wheeler. November 2- November 26 at Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library, Keyes Gallery, 146 Thimble Island Rd., Stony Creek. Open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.- Thurs., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. 203-488-8702.

Out on 9, a group exhibition that speaks to the experience of individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ community and the narratives of being an LGBTQ person in the 21st century. Showcases works by national artists whose themes focus on these experiences. November 7-December 2 at Reynolds Fine Art, 96 Orange St., New Haven. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.Thurs., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Free. 203-498-2200, reynoldsfineart.com.

Contemporary Figurative Show. November 7-30 (opening reception 5-8 p.m. November 7) at Susan Powell Fine Art, 679 Boston Post Rd., Madison. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat., noon-3 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-318-0616, susanpowellfineart.com.

The annual Deck the Walls show features works by artists newly elected to the Lyme Art Association. November 14-January 3 at Lyme Art Association, 90 Lyme St., Lyme. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tues.-Fri., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 860-434-7802, lymeartassociation. org.

Laid Ledge features new work by painter Elizabeth Gilfilen. Also, new works by Jeremy Chandler. November 21-December 20 at Fred Giampietro Gallery, 315 Peck St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. Free. 203-777-7760, giampietrogallery. com.

59th Annual Exhibit and Sale. November 28-December 14 at Wesleyan Potters, 350 S. Main St., Middletown. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. Free 860347-5925, wesleyanpotters.com.

Continuing ‘Be Me I’ll Be You’ features works by Becca Lowry, Oriane Stender and Sol LeWitt. Through November 15 at Fred Giampietro Gallery, 315 Peck St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. Free. 203-777-7760, giampietrogallery. com.

Two Directions features works by pen-and-ink artist Edith Borax-Morrison and painter John Harris. Through November 16 at Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Ave., New Haven. Free.

56 N OVEMBER 2014

Out on 9, a group exhibition that speaks to the experience of individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ community at Reynolds Fine Art.

Open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 203-3899555, kehlerliddell.com.

features objects from across the empire, including works from

World of Dreams: New Landscape Paintings by Tula Telfair.

Includes new large-scale landscape paintings. Through December 5 at Ezra & Cecile Zilkha Gallery, 283 Washington Ave., Middletown. Open noon-5 p.m. daily except Mon. Free. 860-6853355, wesleyan.edu/cfa.

Recent Works. Through December 7 at Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center, 144 W. Main St., Waterbury. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. $5 ($4 seniors, children under 16 free).

203-753-0381, mattatuckmuseum.org.

Picture Talking: James Northcote and the Fables presents a set of fables written and illustrated by James Northcote (17461831). Through December 14 at Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 877-274-8278, britishart.yale.edu.

Figures of Empire: Slavery & Portraiture in 18th-Century Atlantic Britain. Exhibition explores the complex relationship between slavery and portraiture in 18th-century British art, as represented in the collections of the Center and neighboring Yale institutions. Through December 14 at Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. 877-274-8278, britishart.yale.edu.

Marked by Line. Installation and new work by local sculptor Shelby Head. Through December 19 at Paul Mellon Arts Center, 332 Christian St., Wallingford. Open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Free.

203-697-2398, choate.edu/boxoffice.

Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire examines the interaction between local traditions and Roman imperial culture through artifacts of daily life, politics, technology, and religion. The juxtaposition of mosaics, ceramics, sculpture, glass, textiles, coins, and jewelry presents a rich image of life in the Roman provinces. The exhibition

Pen-and-ink artist Edith Borax-Morrison’s “pen weave” drawings depict the twisting and weaving of colorful strings and ropes, overlapping in bold, abstract form. At Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven.

NEWHAVENMAGAZINE.COM

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Studio of Francis Harwood, Bust of a Man. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection Yale University’s excavations at Gerasa and Dura-Europos, many of which have rarely or never before been on view.

Through January 4 at Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon. (until 8 p.m.

Thurs.) 1-6 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu.

Vida y Drama de Mexico: Prints from the Monroe E. Price and Aimee Brown Price Collection presents a selection of approximately 50 Mexican prints and posters. Most of the works in the exhibition were made at the Taller de Gráfica Popular (People’s Graphic Workshop), a collective printmaking workshop in Mexico City founded in 1937 by Leopoldo Méndez, Luis Arenal, and Pablo O’Higgins. The collective’s aim was to create art to improve the lives of peasants and laborers and to support social justice — goals not fully realized by the Mexican Revolution (1910–20). To reach the broadest possible audience, the Taller artists created works that could be widely distributed and that employed a clear, representational style and inexpensive techniques, like lithography and linocut. The subjects of these powerful prints and posters include anti-war messages; support for workers and their unions; protests of government-sanctioned violence against demonstrators; political heroes and villains; U.S.-Mexican relations; and indigenous Indians. Through February 1 at Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon. (until 8 p.m. Thurs.) 1-6 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-4320600, artgallery.yale.edu.

East of the Wallace Line: Monumental Art from Indonesia and New Guinea explores the cultural characteristics of eastern Indonesia and coastal western New Guinea. Taking as its jumping-off point the “Wallace Line,” an ecological demarcation first recognized by British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace that runs through Indonesia between Bali and Lombok and west of Sulawesi, the exhibition presents intricately decorated, large-scale sculptures and textiles, as well as more intimate personal and domestic objects. Through February 1 at Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Mon. (until 8 p.m. Thurs.) 1-6 p.m. Sun. Free. 203-432-0600, artgallery.yale.edu.

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new haven

57

BI BL I O FI L E S WO RDS of MO U TH

L E T TE R S

NEWFÊ EATS: TES Connecticut’s only Belgian style brewery and ale house

Fornarelli’s I N S T YL E Ristorante O U T DO O R S

AT H O ME

By Liese Klein

OF NOTES

talian eateries are sprinkled like parmesan cheese across greater New Haven, but few offer the combination of elegance, warmth and deft cuisine of the new Fornarelli’s Ristorante in downtown’s Ninth Square.

Join us for a tour, or just relax and enjoy a beer in our bar.

Open to the public Thursday & Friday 4-8pm and Saturday & Sunday 1-5pm 250 Bradley Street, East Haven • (203) 909-6204 www.overshores.com

I

BO DY & S O U L

Open in an elegant but awkward space that’s seen a bit of turnover in recent years, the restaurant is the passion of John Fornarelli, part of a family that owns the Russian Lady bars in Hartford and New Haven.

The owner visited our table multiple times on a visit in the eatery’s first week and his welcoming presence and attention to detail made an impression.

O N S CRE E N

What was less welcome was the chatter from the kitchen, clearly audible at a table across the room. The acoustics of the space and the proximity of the dining area to the bar can make for a distracting evening. On the plus side, the mellow lighting scheme, gleaming glassware and touches MARK FORMANEK PHOTOS

Lobster • Steamers • Steak

Since 1968 Lenny’s has been the favorite watering hole for locals, visitors and yachters since 1968, and we’re recommended for food and atmosphere by Zagat’s,Connecticut Magazine and all the major national travel guides. Our menu features lobsters,steamed, broiled and stuffed; clams and oysters on the half-shell and fried; killer steaks.

Also, burgers,dogs,chowder, Uncle Lloyd’s ribs and a surprising wine list!

205 So. Montowese St. (Rte146) Branford • 203-488-1500 LennysNow.com • OPEN 7 DAYS

Restaurateur John Fornarelli’s eponymous new Ninth Square restaurant manages to stand out from a crowded Elm City field of Italian eateries.

like the family photos along walls create an intimate yet upscale atmosphere. A few glasses of the excellent Pinot Noir and we felt right at home. Top-notch Italian bread with a peppery olive oil for dipping help stave off hunger pangs.

The menu opens with an impressive and tempting list of antipasti and cheeses, ranging from rarities like Italian Pecorino Crotonese to Bloomsday a range of cow’s-milk cheeses from Cato Corner Farm in Colchester. Our eyes were drawn to the appetizer menu, featuring quirky offerings like grilled calamari and Salsiccia di Bari, a sausage on a skewer.

The calamari was a refreshing change from the usual pile of fried rings, the squid’s meaty texture and subtle flavor enhanced by grilling with a touch of lemon and olive oil. We fought over the tentacles and the somewhat paltry serving of seafood. Marinated and fried artichoke hearts were well executed but needed a sauce of some kind to enliven their flavor.

The house salad earned raves for its generously dressed and crunchy fresh ingredients.

Our entrees continued the winning streak, especially the impressive chicken saltimbocca, rich with complex flavors and textures. The chicken came swathed in prosciutto and mozzarella and topped with a marsala sauce that perfectly complemented the bird. Salty, savory and meaty notes combined and were set

APPETIZERS • SALADS • FAJITAS QUESADILLAS • FINE TEQUILA • FRESH MARGARITAS Overlooking Sleeping Giant

off to perfection by buttery slabs of polenta and broccoli rabe with real bite. Take that, farm-totable purists.

Lobster ravioli arrived draped in an assertive tomato vodka sauce that almost obscured the flavor of the crustacean. Thankfully, the chef’s generous hand with portions of lobster meat allowed the briny flavor to make a stand and my dining companion loved the interplay of herbspangled sauce and fresh pasta.

To finish, a sizable slab of raspberry chocolate cake arrived bedecked with whipped cream, old school in the best way. Delicate layers of fresh sponge cake alternated with cream and chocolate ganache for a light yet satisfying finish to our meal.

Diners seeking Italian have another quality choice downtown with the arrival of Fornarelli’s.

Just wear roomy pants and watch your parking meter.

Fornarelli’s Ristorante, 99 Orange St., New Haven (203-745-5677).

Come for the Sunset ...Stay for Dinner

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203-787-3466 • www.sageamerican.com 100 South Water Street • New Haven new haven

59

MARK FORMANEK PHOTOS

JUST A TASTE:

Pitaziki Mediterranean Grill

By Liese Klein

“H

ave it your way” could be the new tagline for ethnic fast food in downtown New Haven, and what we’re having tastes pretty darn good. The latest debut in this dining trend is Pitaziki on Temple Street, which deconstructs Middle Eastern food on the model of national chain Chipotle’s deconstruction of Mexican cuisine.

Like its cousin Tikkaway a few blocks away, Pitaziki offers diners an array of choices in a clean, bright setting more like a frozen yogurt shop than an ethnic eatery. Lime green accents and blond wood freshen up the narrow storefront and a youthful and friendly staff are on hand to guide newcomers.

This is the drill: Pick a protein, sides and toppings and then a sauce to drizzle on top. Platforms for your choices include a pita sandwich, wrap, rice or salad.

The chicken kabob salad ($7.95) boasted chunks of tender, well-spiced meat over fresh romaine drizzled in tahini sesame sauce. Better still were the sides of fresh-tasting cabbage slaw and silky eggplant nestled in with the lettuce. Chunky turnip pickles added an earthy hit of saltiness and a cucumber and tomato salsa lightened up the plate.

In all, a satisfying yet healthy meal that rivals Tikkaway as virtuous fast food.

Steak shawarma in a wrap ($6.95) featured the disconcertingly squishy meat typical of the spit-roasted delicacy. A hit of hot sauce enlivens the sandwich, along with nuggets of smoky roasted cauliflower.

Pitaziki’s Gasser Badawi and Munaza Ali

Paul DeFransesco, Owner/Operator Since 2000

On Beautiful Long Island Sound

Best family value on the shore Clams • Oysters Seafood Platters Lobster Rolls Burgers • Salads

38 Ocean Ave, West Haven 203-932-0440 60 N OVEMBER 2014

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Pizzas can also serve as a canvas for creativity at Pitaziki, with an array of toppings and combos including a “Vegan’s Heaven” pie ($9.95) with veggies and no cheese.

Pitaziki falls short in the beverage category, with only sugary bottled drinks for sale.

I missed the mint tea or Turkish coffee found at more traditional Middle Eastern restaurants, along with the honeyed desserts. Luckily, the top-notch veteran Istanbul Café is only a few blocks away to satisfy cravings for a more expansive Mediterranean menu.

Newcomers like Pitaziki and Tikkaway offer the flavors of ethnic cuisine stripped of cultural context: Electronic pop instead of sitars, oversized photos of food rather than images of Mecca or Indian temples.

Hopefully New Haven can keep both fastcasual and immersive ethnic dining alive.

For now, we can enjoy the fresh flavors and customized creations on offer at Pitaziki with the comfort of knowing a somewhat realer thing is available just around the corner.

Pitaziki Mediterranean Grill, 170 Temple St, New Haven (203-773-5000).

Eli’s For Your Holiday Parties!

Make It Easy, Make It Eli’s!

Eli’s can bring it to you through our full service off-premises catering or our corporate/ express catering. All those great dishes you see at any Eli’s, plus much more, can be prepared for you and brought right to your door. Your event is never too small or too big for us. Eli’s can help with anything from a casual dinner to a formal Wedding. You pick the location and food then, let us “Bring It To You”.

Hamden’s Neighborhood Restaurant Now Accepting Reservations for Thanksgiving Day or Pre-Order your Thanksgiving Dinner To Go!

DON’T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY Serving Lunch, Dinner & Sunday Brunch • Private Room for 100+ People with Private Bar • Wine Room Available for Smaller Events • Have Your Next Party or Function at Park Central Tavern

2402 Whitney Ave., Hamden • (203) 287-2837 • ElisCatering.com

Serving Dinner Tuesday through Sunday Lunch Wednesday through Saturday and Sunday Brunch

203.287.8887 • 1640 Whitney Avenue, Hamden • www.parkcentraltavern.com new haven

61

BIBLIO F I L E S WOR DS o f M O U T H FÊ T E S IN ST YLE OUT DO O RS

Marsh Madness

BODY & S O U L

Beating the blues by going greenhouse

By SUSAN E. CORNELL

ON SC RE E N

A

re the winter blues starting to set in — yet it’s only November? Do you miss gardening on those hot and humid summer days (the ones we grumbled about way back in August)? And are you just about ready to book a trip to a tropical land — one with banana, papaya, orange and mango trees and plants — or a hot and dry climate where cactuses thrive?

Open year-round, the eight-acre Marsh Botanical Garden may be just the ticket to beating those winter doldrums. The botanical garden, arboretum and greenhouses are located on the north end of the Yale University campus. It’s partly for research and instruction for Yale students, partly for community outreach (the rest of us), and also for greenspace stewardship.

Despite the first name, this is not a marsh but rather named for paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh (Yale College Class of 1860) who in 1899 bequeathed the grounds, greenhouses and his home and plant collections to the university.

(Incidentally Marsh’s uncle, George Peabody, founded Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural 62 N OVEMBER 2014

History — and also provided financial support for his nephew’s Yale education.)

Landscape architect Beatrix Farrand designed the botanical garden during the 1920s and ‘30s as part of her relationship with Yale. In its heyday (the 1930s and early ‘40s), the garden, modeled after the oldest existing formal garden in Padua, Italy, drew thousands of visitors each year. From the 1940s until the ‘90s, however, the gardens fell into neglect. Undertaken in the ‘90s, restoration has been continuing since then. For the past decade, the focus has been on restoring the property to full flower. The property, including the Marsh House building, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

The indoor/greenhouse spaces include “Carnivorous Plants,” “The Desert House” and “Tropical Collection.” The Carnivorous collection displays plants that trap nutrients in flies and other insects and represents geographies from North America to Borneo and Sumatra.

The Desert House focuses on super-hot climates and plants that have evolved to live in harsh conditions. But unlike an actual desert, you’ll find benches and Wi-Fi so it’s a great place to hang out and enjoy the trip. The Tropical Collection

is all about plants with culinary appeal — bananas, lemons, orange, cinnamon and vanilla, for examples. There are also plants that have industrial and other uses.

You’ll find four greenhouses within what’s called Greenhouse No. 1. These greenhouses contain research plants, the Carnivorous Plant Collection, the Desert Collection and some tropical plant collections. Near the greenhouses is a Contemplation Garden with koi pond. There’s a diagram of the greenhouses when you sign in.

Greenhouses No. 2 and No. 3 are the oldest greenhouses. Here you’ll find bromeliads, orchids, water plants, edible plants, carnivorous plants and more. These greenhouses are maintained for display and for the use of undergrad classes.

Marsh Botanical Garden is open to the public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with some weekend hours (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays during the academic year, except December) as advertised.

Wonderful volunteer docents lead tours at 10 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays (Sunday tours 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m.)

This is the best way to experience MBG but call ahead to ensure availability. Admission is free, although donations are accepted.

By entering the address (265 Mansfield St., New Haven), all GPS systems will bring you to MBG. A sign marks the first opening in the fence and a small parking lot. There is also parking on Mansfield Street. To learn more and to check on tour availability, phone 203-432-6320.

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