"Life off the Hill:" Kids in New Haven, Part 1

Today's post comes courtesy of Terri Bays, a second-year M.Div. student and mother of two. In her former life, Terri was a professor of Medieval Literature at Notre Dame, where she also coordinated Open Courseware efforts (which she still does in her spare time). Terri is seeking ordination in the Episcopal Church and is a postulant in the Diocese of Northern Indiana. Since Alex and I are ill-equipped to discuss the ins-and-outs of things kids like to do in New Haven, Terri has provided some excellent suggestions (and has offered to provide more at a later date).

Okay, so you’ve arrived in New Haven, you’ve got about 1/3 of your boxes unpacked, and already your kids are complaining that they’re bored out of their minds, and why did you drag them all the way to this place from wherever it was you dragged them from anyway, and they miss all their friends. . . You’ve gotten all sorts of notices about plays and concerts and galleries, but what’s there to do around here for the 12 and under crowd?

Plenty, that’s what. But let’s start with the essentials. In order to get your kids to even discuss the question of what they want to do, you need some ice cream. Fortunately, New Haven has lots of options, like the old fashioned scoops at Clark’s Pizza at 68 Whitney. The décor isn’t much, but just down the block is Phelps’ Triangle, a teensy little park where my eldest daughter ate her very first ice cream cone. If Super Premium ice cream is more your style, head over to Ashley’s at 280 York Street, or if you prefer gelato, there’s Nica’s Market at 603 Orange Street. My kids (5 and 13) vouch for all of these, so the choice among them really depends on your mood.

Okay, so now that your kids are speaking to you again, you can make some decisions. Is everybody stir-crazy? Take them to East Rock Park at 41 Cold Spring, which has everything from playgrounds to hiking trails to playing fields. If a stroll through a converted estate grounds is more to your liking (think dog-walking, kite-flying and frisbee throwing), try Edgerton Park at 75 Cliff Street. Edgerton Park is also where the police department stables its horses, so if you’re lucky, you might get to see New Haven’s finest on the hoof.

Too hot for the park? How about some dinosaurs? The Peabody Museum of Natural History* is just the right size to do in a day. Look for the Triceritops on the front lawn! If you want something a bit more up-to-date, there’s the Whitney Museum and Workshop on up the road at 915 Whitney in Hamden (at the north end of East Rock Park). In case you’re wondering, it is named for that Whitney, Eli, inventor of the cotton gin and lots of other things. The museum focuses on experiential learning, so expect lots of hands-on stuff.

If you have time to venture a bit out of town, the Shore Line Trolley Museum is just over the Q-bridge at 17 River Street in East Haven. You can ride a trolley out to the trolley barns where they have restored nearly 100 trolley cars from around the world. It’s also worth checking out the Connecticut State Parks, since the state is covered with little parks featuring waterfalls, castles, beaches, hiking, covered bridges and more!

View Kids' Stuff in New Haven in a larger map

*I, Josh, highly endorse Terri's suggestion of the Peabody Museum. Their dinosaur exhibit is impressive, and kids love the place (I also love the place, because, really, all that's needed to make me happy still is dinosaurs). Admission is always free with a Yale ID (as is admission to any of Yale's museums) and the Peabody waives admission fees every Thursday.

“Life of the Hill:” The McDougal Center

Alex is on vacation this week, which means that I’m working from home. That said, I’m watching TV as I write this post, and since it’s primary season in Connecticut, I’m seeing some pretty entertaining attack ads. I’ve also been drinking coffee since I got up this morning, so this post is either going to be incomprehensible or the most brilliant thing you’ve ever read. You have been warned.

As I’ve said repeatedly throughout my series of posts this summer, YDS is a great place. If you’ll permit me a sports analogy (and even if you won’t, I’m going to make it anyway, since the Texas Rangers currently have the biggest division lead in major league baseball): YDS is your clubhouse. It’s a place where you can relax and be equipped for your life at (and beyond) Yale. However, if you want to play baseball (or enjoy your time at Yale), you’re going to have to venture beyond YDS. Yes, stepping up to the plate (which is somehow a metaphor for being involved at Yale beyond YDS, don’t ask me how, I’m going with the coffee right now) can be scary, but who knows, you could end up leading major league baseball in hits, just like Josh Hamilton (which, in Yale terms, probably means you’re managing GPSCY, as a recent YDS alumni succeeded in doing [again, I’m riding high on caffeine and the fact that the Rangers have a shot at the playoffs this season]).

Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to compare various resources at Yale to the bases, so I’m going to have to drop my mixed metaphor (much to your relief, I’m sure). However, one of the resources that you should be aware of is the McDougal Center. The McDougal Center is run out of the Hall of Graduate Studies by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, but it exists to serve the entire graduate and professional community at Yale.

In its most basic form, the McDougal Center is a common room located just off the HGS dining hall. Here, you can take advantage of internet access, a large selection of periodicals, board games, and a piano that is kept in better tune than the one in the YDS Commuter Lounge. There’s also the Blue Dog Café, which describes itself as a “gourmet coffee bar.” (However, unlike our own Holy Grounds, you can’t purchase things with an IOU at the Blue Dog).

The McDougal center also runs a computer lab, a children’s play area, health supplies and information (which I have learned means condoms, not band-aids, fyi; you generally have to carry your own band-aids around Yale), and music practice rooms.

Beyond these physical resources, the McDougal center organizes events for the G&P community. These range from family-friendly outings (a Fall staple is apple-picking) to bar crawls (the first of which will be held Saturday, August 24). McDougal also sponsors the “First Friday at Five” happy hour each month, charity casino nights, an annual winter ball, speed-dating, discounted tickets to concert’s at Toad’s Place, and pre-game events for The (Harvard-Yale) Game (which is in Cambridge this year, so these may be limited to a bus service). The McDougal Center also works with the Chaplain’s Office to organize service projects through the Yale Day of Service series.

“Life off the Hill:” A Southerners’ Guide to Surviving a New England Winter

I’ve gotten several e-mails asking about weather-related concerns, mostly dealing with what clothes one needs to survive winter in New Haven. Apparently, y’all assume that since I’m from Texas, I, rather than Alex, will be able to understand your concerns and fears better, since Nebraska becomes a frigid wasteland with much more regularity than Texas. Of course, what you haven’t considered is that my relative inexperience with actual winter weather might have caused me to overreact and spend last winter wearing thirteen layers of clothing and huddled around a space heater.

Lucky for you, it didn’t.

However, that brings up a good point. I’ve just returned from vacationing back in the southwest (Texas and Oklahoma [which is actually much nicer than my hatred of all things OU has lead me to believe], specifically), and little in the southwest prepares you for a winter in New England. In fact, it’s hard to find a good winter coat down here. In Texas (or at least parts of it), we’ll get a cold snap for a few days, but it always warms up by the third day or so. Roads might ice over once or twice a year, but snow that sticks around more than a few hours is practically unheard of. What this means that that those of you who are currently living in a warm climate aren’t going to be able to buy clothing and outerwear that’s actually appropriate for New England until you get here.

Yes, even Lubbock, Texas, a warm city that’s surrounded by flat farmland for hundreds of miles in every direction has a ski shop, so wherever you live, you can buy clothing that’s advertised to be good in a cold climate. Still, you should bear in mind that there are no ski slopes in New Haven, and that you want very different things from a ski jacket and a coat to wear while you’re walking to class.

So how does one buy a New England-appropriate coat? Well, first off, you should wait until September or early October. During those months, many department stores will have pre-winter sales, which means that you can get a nice winter coat for up to 50% off. My winter coat came from Macy’s, and by applying for a store credit card (which has an usurious interest rate and has never been used again), I was able to gain another 10% off the purchase, getting a $250+ coat for a little over $100.

Second, try and take a Connecticut native with you when you go shopping. Despite what you may have heard, Yankees are friendly in their own, special way, and it should be easy to find someone from the Div School willing to help you out. My first instinct was to buy the heaviest coat I could find. When I’d made my campus visit, I’d asked around about the weather, and I was told that it “only” got down to seven degrees the previous winter. People meant that to be reassuring, but there’s still no “only” about seven degrees for me. However, my friend Sharon (who is from Connecticut) pointed out that I would be wearing other layers and that the temperature wouldn’t hover in the single digits for the entire winter. With her help, I ended up selecting a reasonably thick coat which had a lining which could be removed, depending on the temperature.

Remember, you aren’t moving to the arctic; you don’t need a parka.

Beyond a coat, you’re going to need winter footwear. The winter in New Haven tends to be wet and rainy, rather than outright snowy, so you’ll need shoes which will keep your feet dry. Galoshes of various types are popular. Puffy snow boots are probably overkill (although I always wanted a pair as a child). In a move which proves that moving to Connecticut has made me more Texan, I ordered a pair of cowboy boots, which I now swear by as the best possible winter footwear. It’s true; if the uppers are weather-treated leather and the soles are rubber, you’re not going to find shoes that keep your feet dryer while offering good traction. Still, I recognize some of you don’t want to look like you’re heading to a square dance or ho-down. These or these might be more your style.

Some people swear by long underwear, and I certainly received several pairs from well-meaning family members. However, I only wore the bottoms once, and I’m very much a wimp about the cold. You’ll probably be able to pass.

The real trick is to remember that winter will one day be over. It can be cold and wet, but it will eventually turn to spring. Armed with an umbrella, a wool coat, and good shoes, you’ll be fine.

"Life off the Hill:" The Health Plan and You

I’m going to preface this post with a disclaimer: I’m not expert on the Yale Health Plan (YHP). In fact, when I was in your shoes, I knew that I was waiving the plan for my first year, so I didn’t educate myself about it at all. For the record, that’s not a good idea, because unless your spouse or partner has awesome insurance, you’re probably going to end up like me and switch onto the Yale plan with no idea what it’s like. So, consider this my gift to you: the YHP translated into simple English (since I need to read the stuff anyway).

So, when I first went on the Health Plan Website, I found this amazing sounding-plan. However, that plan was for employees, so I won’t taunt you with it. Since we’re not employees (although now I really want to be), you and I will be signing up for this plan, which is still pretty good. The YHP is available in two different areas of coverage, Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage and Prescription Plus Coverage, which must be purchased separately. An entire year of single-person coverage on both plans costs $1836.

At first, I thought this was ridiculous. The only job I’ve ever had that offered health care was at a hospital, so I got good health insurance cheaply (since everything was done in-house). I also got vision and dental (which isn’t included in the YHP, more on that later) for a ridiculously low price. However, my old health insurance had much higher co-pays than the YHP. YHP’s co-pays are ridiculously low—there’s no co-pay for a hospital visit (whereas my old plan featured a $400 co-pay for the first day and a $200 co-pay for the next four, which, given how expensive the equipments in those rooms are, isn’t bad), and the prescription plan only has a $100 deductible (I had a higher deductible for ambulance coverage on my old plan). So, in perspective, while I paid less for my old insurance than I will for the YHP, I paid more if I had to use it. So, for example, the concussion* that resulted in an ambulance ride and five hours in the hospital, which cost me over $300 (no including a $25 co-pay to have my primary care physician remove the surgical staples), would have been free on the YHP (since it would have been urgent care, which is fully covered).

So, here’s the break down of benefits:

Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage provides

• full outpatient coverage, full inpatient coverage
• thirty days of rehabilitation
• sixty days of psychiatric or substance abuse treatment
• full in- and out-of-network emergency coverage
• $5000 of dental surgery following “traumatic accidental injury” (which, for the record, does not include chewing injuries, although I can’t imagine what you’d have to chew to result in a dental trauma [nor do I want to])
• 90% coverage (up to $5000) of medical equipment rentals
• $5000 of infertility services (this is lifetime benefit, not a yearly benefit)
• full organ transplant coverage
• and coverage for podiatric, prosthetic, and speech therapy services in some circumstances.

Prescription Plus Coverage provides “excess coverage.” That means that it can be used to cover expenses not covered in the Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage, but will not be applied until any other discounts/reimbursements have been deducted. It provides 80% reimbursement (up to $15,000 per member per year) after a $100 deductible for the following services:

• inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse services beyond those covered in the Hospitalization/Specialty coverage
• pharmacy items (including diabetic supplies)
• and vaccinations.

However, even if you choose not to purchase either of the YHP’s plans, you’ll still receive full primary care coverage through the YHP, which includes routine check-ups, laboratory services, and standard preventive care.

Beginning this fall, Yale is offering vision and dental plans to graduate and professional students (that’s you). The plans were recently finalized, and I can’t find any Yale websites that have the information yet. As such, I’m going to attempt to link to two attachments (Dental and Vision that were sent out to current graduate and professional students last week.

If this all seems confusing and overwhelming, don’t worry; we’ll have someone speaking to you about your healthcare options during BTFO. Just don’t get a concussion before you get up here; it’s really embarrassing and it kills an afternoon. Plus, it will be a much cheaper experience once you’re on the YHP.

*The concussion is a funny story, actually. While I was in the ambulance, the paramedics were trying to determine if I was oriented to person, time, and place (I wasn’t). I couldn’t answer any of their questions, but each time I failed to answer, I told them that I wasn’t really stupid because I was going to Yale in a month. I don’t think they believed me.

"Life off the Hill:" Flying

I’ve received several e-mails about area airports recently, so I figured that would make a great topic for this week’s blog post. After all, as you may have realized, YDS’ academic calendar is full of weeks off (which we like to call “reading periods,” even though very few of us do any reading until the last day off), which gives you plenty of opportunities to visit home, visit friends, or vacation in the south of France (for the record, I’m a great travel buddy if you settle on that last option).

Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is the closest choice, and it’s served by local public transportation. However, only US Airways flies to and from Tweed, so you can’t use it if you’re shopping around for cheap fares.

Personally, I’m a loyal Southwest Airlines customer, so the majority of my trips to the airport involve going to Bradley International Airport, which is located in a suburb of Hartford. (Southwest also services La Guardia, for the record). Bradley is located about an hour’s drive from New Haven, and you can get a ride there from Connecticut Limo [http://www.ctlimo.com/], which offers a Yale discount. (The downside of Connecticut Limo is that they only pick-up and drop-off at Phelps Gate, so you’re going to have to find your way to and from downtown New Haven.) Bradley is serviced by most major airlines.

Farther afield, you can get to both LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport via public transportation. However, carrying suitcases on subways and busses can be a hassle; luckily, Connecticut Limo will also take you to both airports.

Some people choose to fly out of airports in Boston or New Jersey, but travel to and from can become problematic or expensive. You’d likely be depending on the generosity of your fellow YDS students (who are a generous bunch), but it might be worth it for a good deal on your airfare.

"Life off the Hill:" Yale Locations You Need to Know

While YDS is a wonderful place, every once in a while you’ll need to venture down the hill to mingle with other Yale students. While it can be frightening at times to leave our “holy hill,” many essential Yale services are located downtown. Here are just a few to keep on your radar.

The Payne-Whitney Gym (70 Tower Parkway) offers free admission to all Yale students with ID. Remember the freshman fifteen? Well, now that you’re starting grad school, you’ve got more reading, more stress, and less free time, so your weight gain could be exponentially more. Plus, working out increases endorphin production, which means that you’ll feel happier.

The Yale Health Plan (17 Hillhouse Ave) provides free primary-care coverage to all Yale Students. For those of you enrolling in Yale’s health insurance program, the pharmacy here will provide your medicine co-pay free. Additionally, all Yale students receive twelve free counseling sessions an academic year through the Health Plan’s mental health services.

246 Church St (Yale likes really creative building names) houses the Student Employment Office. If you’re planning on being employed by Yale, you’ll be stopping by here to fill out forms and get on payroll.

Sterling Memorial Library (120 High St) is Yale’s central library, and the second largest library in the world. While you can have any books you need delivered to the circulation desk at the Divinity School Library, you should go see Sterling. It’s pretty.

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (121 Wall St), houses, you guessed it, most of Yale’s rare book and manuscript collection. Items in the Beinecke aren’t in general circulation, so you’ll have to visit this architecturally-significant building yourself.

Finally, the majority of your course packets will be available at Tyco Printing and Copying (262 Elm St), a local Kinkos-alternative. For the record, whenever you buy a course packet from Tyco, you get a 20% off coupon for any other printing needs you may have.

"Life off the Hill:" The Ultimate* Guide to Eating out in New Haven

It’s summer, and after perfecting your mastery of the regular very λύω, you just don’t have the energy to make dinner from scratch. Or, you’ve just moved to New Haven, have family in town who just might pay for dinner, and really, who cooks after moving all their worldly belongings across state lines anyway? Or, it’s the middle of the semester, you just aced that OT midterm, and you want to go out to celebrate. Well, when you find yourself at one of these points in your life, this guide will help you figure out which New Haven restaurant you want to patronize.

*While I’m calling this the “ultimate” guide to New Haven restaurants, it’s not quite that, really. There are a ton or restaurants in New Haven, and any ultimate guide should be much more comprehensive than this one. Plus, I’m ignoring many of the restaurants that are simply out of the average graduate student’s budget. However, you’re still getting a myriad of options. Bon appétit.

Pizza

I’ve always believed in starting with your strengths, and New Haven is famous for its pizza (both Sally’s and Pepe’s made it into GQ magazine as one of the “Top 25 Pizzas in America” last year), which it claims to have invented (along with written language, irrigation, democracy, the Magna Carta, and the frisbee). New Haven is lousy with pizza parlors, some of which are really, well… lousy. However, here are, in my attention, the top four. I’m not even going to attempt to rank them, since whatever I pick will be wrong, given the hotly contested nature of pizza devotion in New Haven, which has its own Wikipedia page. No, I’m not joking. The only downside is that none of these places deliver.

Sally’s Apizza (237 Wooster St), like its counterpart, Pepe’s, often has patrons standing outside for hours waiting for a table. However, it’s definitely worth the wait. Sally’s ranked sixth on the GQ list, and I second GQ’s recommendation: get a white pie with potato. It’s amazing.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (257 Wooster St), affectionately known as Pepe’s, is the original New Haven pizza parlor (at least according to Wikipedia). It, like Sally’s, is a New Haven landmark, and you should eat here at least once, even if it does mean standing in line for pizza. It ranked twelfth on the GQ list, and once again, GQ picked out the best pie on the menu: the original tomato pie. Pepe’s may have the best crust in New Haven, for the record.

Bar (254 Crown St) is nestled downtown among New Haven’s bars and nightclubs. If you’re planning on eating, rather than drinking, you’ll be headed to the Bru Room, which features the massive vats in which they brew their own (excellent) beer. Again, expect lines, but it’s worth the wait. Try a salad, since it’s excellent, and it just might help offset the massive coronary that’s going to result from what may be my new favorite pizza: mashed potato with bacon. Your heart may hate you, but your taste buds will thank you.

Modern Apizza (874 State St) is, hands down, the best pizza in East Rock. It’s located within walking distance from the Div School and is larger than Pepe’s or Sally’s, which results in much shorter lines. Their “bomb” pizzas (Italian and veggie, respectively) are great, but the real show-stopper is the clams casino. I know sea food on pizza sounds weird, but we are right on the Long Island Sound, after all.

Hamburgers

Again, New Haven claims to have invented the hamburger. According to Wikipedia, the Library of Congress substantiates this claim, which I dispute, since everyone knows that the hamburger was invented in Athens, TX (again, source Wikipedia). Still, origins aside, here are the burgers worth checking out:

Louis’ Lunch (263 Crown St) claims to have invented the hamburger and is a New Haven landmark. While you’re at Yale, you need to eat at Louis’, just so you can say that you’ve done it. While the hamburger itself is excellent, the folks at Louis’ are to hamburgers what Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” was to soup: they know the way to serve a hamburger, and there’s no arguing with them if you want an authentic Louis’ burger. Unless you agree with them, you’ll probably want other options.

Educated Burger (53 Broadway) is my favorite burger in town. As good as the burgers are, the fries are even better. It’s got a bit of a 1950s diner flair, and the “educated” bit comes in in the décor: which aside from pictures of Yale sports teams features scores of books arranged on shelves near the ceiling. Prices are reasonable, but they don’t take debit cards (they do have an ATM, however).

Prime 16 (172 Temple St) is a bit more upscale than the other options and, in its role as a tap house, has twenty beers on tap. The burgers are pricier than Louis’ or Educated Burger, but they feature 100% organic beef and a wider range of fixings, which includes avocadoes and blue cheese. Plus, if you can put off lunch until 2pm, you can get a $5 burger Tuesday-Friday.

Italian

Caffe Bravo (794 Orange St) is an East Rock staple. It’s a little on the pricy side, but the food is good. The only downside is a lack of weekend hours.

Tony and Lucille’s Little Italy (150 Wooster St) is located near Sally’s and Pepe’s and is a great second choice for when their lines are too long. It’s also a great first choice if you’re looking for a more romantic atmosphere. The prices are a bit on the high side, but the portions are huge.

Consiglio’s (165 Wooster St) is a great sit-down Italian option. The service can be slow, however, so it isn’t always the best choice for lunch.

Sushi

Miya’s Sushi (68 Howe St) is hands-down my favorite restaurant in New Haven. Bun Lai, the owner and chef, is a genius. The first time I went to Miya’s, which features fusion sushi, I wasn’t sure about eating rolls which paired tuna with mascarpone cheese, orange marmalade, and pistachios, but now I swear by the “Italian Stallion roll,” which is exactly what sushi should taste like. Miya’s is one of those places where you can get out spending less than $12 per person or more than $100; it all depends on what you’re ordering. From the dirt cheap to the ridiculously expensive, I’ve yet to find something I dislike. Do yourself a favor and order the curry okra rolls. The service can be agonizingly slow, since the place is almost always packed, but the staff is great about providing free appetizers or bowls of miso soup to make up for it. Oh, and Miya’s just happens to be on the cutting-edge of sustainable seafood.

Sushi on Chapel (1022) is located around the corner from Miya’s and offers more traditional sushi options. Try the Dragon roll.

Sushi Palace (1473 Dixwell Ave, Hamden) features all-you-can-eat sushi. I’m going to be honest, I’ve never eaten here, because I find the idea of all-you-can-eat sushi suspect. However, the place comes highly recommended by other Div students, and we are right on the Sound, which means that the fish is going to be fresh.

Indian

Thali Too (65 Broadway) features an inexpensive vegetarian menu. I don’t especially like Indian food, but I like Thali Too. This is the best bet for affordable Indian food in New Haven. Its sister restaurant, Thali (4 Orange St), is similarly excellent, but very, very expensive.

Thai

Thai Taste (1151 Chapel St) is arguably the best Thai in downtown New Haven. It has an extensive and affordable menu. Their curries are amazing.

Rice Pot (1027 State St) is conveniently located in East Rock. It’s got a similar menu to Thai Taste, but the service can be a bit spotty.

Mediterranean

Mamoun’s Falafel Restaurant (85 Howe St) has a small, but excellent menu, excellent prices, and great service. It also features parking in the back. Portions can be a little small, but the prices are great. The biggest downside is that there’s a $20 minimum on debit/credit card purchases (although there is an ATM, with a high surcharge, right outside). After one visit here, I haven’t bothered finding another Mediterranean restaurant in New Haven. Come for the shawarma, stay for the baklava.

Mexican

Mezcal (14 Mechanic) is my favorite Mexican food restaurant in New Haven (and, being from Texas, I have high standards). Their mole is to die for. The menu is a bit pricy, but the trick is to go at lunch; the lunch enchilada plate comes with two enchiladas, a side of flank steak, rice, and beans for $8.99. Still, just like in Mexico, the service is often inexplicably slow. It’s a great choice if you’ve got over an hour for lunch, but not so much otherwise.

El Amigo Felix (8 Whalley Avenue) is an excellent alternative to Mezcal. It’s certainly cheaper. Located downtown near the Yale campus, it’s a great option if you’re planning on spending the rest of the evening studying at Sterling.

Bars

Gryphon’s Pub at GPSCY (204 York St), or just GPSCY for short, is the graduate and professional bar at Yale. It’s hard to beat GPSCY’s prices, especially on Wednesdays, when drinks are two for one (Wednesday happens to be the unofficial Div School night). There is a small cover, or you can purchase a membership for the entire year (which pays for itself in three visits or so). There’s no food, but you can bring your own in.

Anna Liffey’s (17 Whitney Ave) is a traditional Irish pub. They have a weekly trivia night and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

Archie Moore’s Bar and Restaurant (188 Willow) is a Div School hangout. It’s conveniently located in East Rock, and it claims to have the best buffalo wings in Connecticut (which are pretty good). Wings are half off during their 5-7 happy hour, for the record.

"Life off the Hill": Grocery Shopping

By popular demand, this week’s “Life off the Hill” covers all the joys of grocery shopping in New Haven. It’s something that we all do, and it can be trickier than one might think.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the only supermarket in New Haven recently closed. Shaw’s closing is more than an inconvenience, it’s a social justice issue.

As things now stand, the closest supermarket to East Rock is the Stop & Shop located at 2335 Dixwell Ave in Hamden (which is located about 4.5 miles from YDS). One of the perks about shopping at Stop & Shop is that their free rewards cards let you accumulate points that can be used to buy gas, which helps offset the cost of driving to Hamden. Stop & Shop also runs a grocery delivery service, which makes it a shopping option for those of you without cars.

For more upscale grocery options, there’s a Whole Foods in Milford (1686 Boston Post Rd), and a Trader Joe’s in Orange (560 Boston Post Rd). Milford is also home to a Costco (1718 Boston Post Rd), for those of you who prefer to do your shopping in bulk. There’s also a BJ’s in North Haven (555 Universal Drive North), for those of you who need eighty-eight packs of tp, but don’t enjoy Costco’s romantic ambiance.

Food can be purchased in more reasonable quantities at any of several smaller markets in New Haven proper. Within East Rock, there’s Nica’s (603 Orange), Romeo and Cesare’s (771 Orange), and Orange Street Market (721 you guessed it… Orange). For those of you who plan on living closer to Yale’s main campus, there’s always Gourmet Heaven (15 Broadway and 44 Whitney). These markets can be pricier than the Stop & Shop, but they often feature much better produce.

New Haven does have several farmers’ markets, which are your best bet for produce. On the plus side, the State Street Farmers’ Market has more business days than any other farmers’ market in the nation (at least according to an NPR broadcast that I kinda-sorta remember).

Life off the Hill: Movies in New Haven

Alright, so you’re in New Haven for a summer language class (or, come Fall, you need some time off from reading for Old Testament), and you’re looking for something to do. Although there are other options in New Haven, (such as student rushing a play at the Schubert or the Yale Rep), nothing beats the tried-and-true standby of going to see a movie (in case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m a pretty big movie buff, and I will be seeing as many of the summer’s “pop corn” movies as humanly possible).

There are two good options in the New Haven area: Showcase Cinemas in North Haven and Criterion Cinemas in New Haven.

Showcase Cinemas is a pretty standard multiplex. For those of you who will have a car, it’s a nice way to take a break from Yale and New Haven. It also has more screens than the Criterion. I couldn’t find ticket price information online, and it’s been a while since I saw a movie there, so I can’t provide you with exact pricing information. Matinees run somewhere around $8 and regular show times around $12, though. That’s a pretty standard price for tickets in the area. I’ve never had a problem with the projection systems there, but the theaters themselves don’t have stadium seating and could really use a remodel.

Criterion Cinemas is my preferred theater. Like Showcase, it doesn’t have stadium seating, but it has been recently remodeled. It has fewer, and smaller theaters, but it manages to have a good mix of mainstream blockbusters, foreign cinema, and independent films any given week. The “projector” in the smallest theater is little more than a nice Blu-Ray player, but if you’re there to see a major release, you’ll be in one of the larger theaters. Concession prices are about the same as at Showcase, but the quality seems a little better, and there are discounted prices on Tuesdays (when Criterion Club members also get a discount on movie tickets; prices for other show times are available on the website). They also run special features such as “movies and mimosas” on Sundays (which is the best way ever to skip church) and “Insomnia Theater” on Friday and Saturday nights, which typically features a cult classic. All in all, it’s one of the better small independent theaters I’ve been to. With all the fuss that people make about supporting local produce and businesses, you’d think we’d talk more about supporting local movie theaters, too. So get out, go down to 86 Temple St., join the Criterion Club, and support your local movie theater. If you do, I promise that I’ll get down off my soapbox.

Also, some general advice: do yourself a favor and skip “Prince of Persia.” It looks like it was edited by a monkey with a short attention span.

"Life off the Hill": Owning a Car in New Haven

You don’t need a car to live in New Haven, but it can be helpful. Yale runs a shuttle service, but it has limited daytime service in East Rock (the Orange Line now runs through East Rock between 6pm and 7:30am most days of the year, however). Yale additionally provides Zip car service for a fee. There’s also the CT Transit buses, which are run by the state of Connecticut. Still, with the closing of the Shaw’s in New Haven, the closest supermarket is now in Hamden, which is not on the Yale shuttle route (there are smaller markets scattered through New Haven, and the price difference is usually negligible for most staples; my roommate’s grocery bill has gone up less than $10 a month since he started shopping at Nica’s).

However, a good portion of you are planning on bringing cars to New Haven. I certainly did; in Texas, no one walks any farther than it takes to get from the parking lot to the store, and I couldn’t imagine not having a car. It’s come in handy; I’ve been able to make trips to Ikea (and take friends to Ikea), buy more than a few day’s groceries at a time, and make it to class on time on days when I slept through my alarm. However, there are some things about car ownership in New Haven that are worth pointing out.

First, relatively few of the homes in East Rock have off-street parking (which would be something worth paying extra for, for the record). This means that if you don’t know how to parallel park, you should learn how to before moving. I didn’t take the time to do this (again, in Texas, you never have to parallel park, and my dad neglected to even talk about it when he was teaching me how to drive), and I definitely regretted that decision. So, for any southerners who are reading this, practice parallel parking now; it will probably save you several embarrassing moments where you’re crying in frustration in public because you’re smart enough to get into Yale but not smart enough to park your car.

That leads into the second point: since there’s a scarcity of off-street parking, New Haven requires a permit to park on most residential streets. The City of New Haven website has instructions on how to apply for one of these permits. They’re only $10, but there’s a catch: you have to register your car with the city to get one.

I know, that sounds simple, but it’s not. You see, most municipalities in Connecticut raise revenue through local property taxes. Now, where I come from, property taxes are levied on your house and land; in Connecticut, they’re also levied on your car or motorcycle. New Haven provides this information on its property tax policies. To make a long story short; to register your car with the city, you have to pay a property tax on 70% of the Blue Book value of your car. Currently, the tax rate in New Haven is $42.21/$1000 of value.

Unfortunately, this applies regardless of whether your car is registered in Connecticut or your home state. In fact, the entire time you’re in New Haven, you’re going to be taxed twice on your car; it sucks, I know, but I have to keep paying Texas registration fees and Connecticut property taxes, too. If it’s any consolation, I still come out slightly ahead when I compare what I pay with what my insurance would cost if my car was registered in Connecticut. Still, when I think of the property tax, I’m reminded of the consequences of taxation without representation discussed in my high school U.S. History class.

You can choose to not pay the property tax and park illegally on the streets. However, New Haven is very aggressive about parking tickets, and you run the risk of being booted or towed.

However, there is some good news; while all parking downtown is metered, you don’t have to pay to park after 7pm. It’s a small consolation, I know, but at least you’ll be able to afford downtown parking at night after paying your property tax.

"Life off the Hill": Dining Down the Hill

Alex may be providing you with a steady diet of meat and potatoes, but I like to think of my feature as something more fabulous. How fabulous you ask? This fabulous. (You should eat at Miya’s at least once while you’re living in New Haven. Even if you don’t like sushi. It’s that good.)

On a similar note, the Div School’s Refectory will prevent you from going hungry by providing you a steady diet of meat-and-potatoes-esque dishes. Don’t get me wrong; I like the Refectory. It’s far from the worst cafeteria that I’ve eaten in. However, when you eat it day in and day out, it gets old. That’s where today’s feature comes in.

As a YDS student, you’re required to purchase “Eli Bucks,” Yale’s dining points system. For full-time students, the required amount is $400; for part-time, it’s $200. While you can spend all of these in a semester at the Refectory, you do have other options: namely the Hall of Graduate Studies and Yale Commons.

HGS (320 York St) operates a cafeteria for Yale’s graduate and professional student community. At $9.50 for lunch and $13 for dinner, it can be a bit pricey, but it is money that you’ve already spent (plus, you didn’t hear this from me, but people totally sneak in Tupperware). At each meal, there’s a salad bar, two soup options, at least two hot entrees, one of which is vegetarian, sides, and desert. Throughout the year, HGS runs special dinners, such as “Chocolate Fest,” where every dish contains chocolate.

Yale Commons (168 Grove St) was at one point Yale’s only dining room. That isn’t the case today, but it’s still the only dining facility open to the entire Yale Community. Plus, where else can you dine beneath pictures of former US Presidents (all of whom were Yale alumni) while watching the fascinating creatures that are Yale undergrads? Commons provides more options per meal than HGS does, although it’s only open Monday through Friday. Plus, the scenes in the Indiana Jones moves that supposedly occur in Sterling Memorial Library were all actually filmed in Commons (I’m still really impressed by that fact).

There’s also a restaurant in Bass Library, but, as the worker told me, “Divinity points? We don’t take those here.” The moral of the story here is: bring cash for snacks when you’re studying in Bass (which is open later than the Divinity Library, for the record).

"Life off the Hill": Housing

In about three months, most of you will be living in New Haven. A lucky few of you will live in the Div School Apartments (which are just about the easiest places arrange housing when you’re not living in New Haven). If you’re in this category, you’re probably thinking: Why are we talking about housing in “Life off the Hill?” Well, unfortunately, this entire post doesn’t apply to you, since housing is part of your life on the hill (I’m sorry; we’re not trying to be exclusive. There will be plenty of information on your lovely apartment in Curtis or Fisher or Bellamy later. Plus, when you decide to move off the hill, maybe you’ll remember some of this.) The rest of you are about to begin (or have already begun) searching for new places to live. This post is for you.

First off, remember to breathe. I know it seems like you needed to sign a lease yesterday; I certainly felt that way when I was in your place. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t sign a lease until mid-June, and I know plenty of people who didn’t manage to find housing until later. The good news is that you will find a place to live. YDS is a very friendly place, and Melissa is amazing; she’s going to keep giving you information about wonderful places to live throughout the summer.

Now, on to the nitty-gritty info about finding places to live in New Haven.

1. Let me plug Melissa Pucci again. She is amazing. She’s going to be feeding you housing info all summer. Current students let Melissa know if they need new roommates, and students who are moving on to other things give Melissa info about the places they’re moving out of. New Haven landlords tend to love Div Students (we make good tenants, I’m told), so they’ll also send ads to Melissa. I’ve also heard rumors that she will go take pictures of apartments for you if you can’t make it to New Haven.
2. Yale owns lots of properties around New Haven that graduate and professional students (that’s you) can live in. You might want to start by checking the Grad Student Housing Office which can set you up with dorm-style housing at either the Hall of Graduate Studies, located in the middle of Yale’s main campus (and which has an excellent dining hall), or 276 Prospect Street, which is located a short distance from the Div School. I’ve got several friends who, at one point or another, lived in these dorms and loved them.
3. For those of you who don’t want to live in a dorm (I was one of you), Yale has still more options for you. Yale also has several apartment-style options for graduate and professional students, many of which are located close to the Div School. A note of caution: These properties fill up amazingly fast. I applied in late March and got waitlisted. I’m not saying that you can’t get into one of these, but you should definitely have other options, even if this is your first choice.
4. Yale also runs The Yale Off-Campus Properties Database, which is more or less a Yale-specific Craigslist. They also provide this website, which has some good information about renting in New Haven.
5. Finally, there’s always Craigslist. Seriously. I, for one, always thought that Craigslist was kinda sketchy (which it is in some areas), but it’s one of the best ways to find a rental property in New Haven. New Haven lacks an apartment-finding service with good listings (the closest you’re going to come is Seabury Rentals). While you’re on Craigslist, I’d recommend looking for apartments in East Rock or Mansfield, since those will be closest to the Div School.

I’m sure a lot of you are wondering about price or are trying to come up with a budget to determine how much you want to take out in loans. I’m currently renting a five-bedroom house for $2600/month. I’ve got four roommates, so that works out to $520/person. That’s on the low end of average for New Haven; you’ll probably end up paying somewhere between $500-$750/month before utilities. We split our utilities (which included cable and internet) five ways; the most I paid was $135 one month during the winter. Heating will be your biggest expense. That’s a fact of life.

Some of you can’t afford to make a trip up to New Haven this summer. I couldn’t. My advice is to begin networking now. I found a roommate through the Facebook group, and I then got in contact with some current students whom I met when I came up for admitted students day. Originally, they were going to look at apartments for me, but we ended up becoming roommates. Finding current students who need more roommates is probably the best bet. It worked out great for me; I ended up with a great house and didn’t have to deal with the stress of apartment hunting.

Finally, remember to breathe. I know that’s where I started this post, but it’s important to keep reminding yourself that. Trying to find a place to live in New Haven while you’re halfway across the country can be scary and overwhelming at times, but you can do it. It’s all going to be okay. Jesus may have claimed that the Son of Man had no place to lay his head, but divinity students fall into the same category as birds and foxes. (Don't worry; that will be funny and/or reassuring in about a semester).

"Life off the Hill": An Explanation

Yale Divinity School is located at the top of the Prospect Hill, which I believe is the tallest hill in New Haven (Wikipedia neither confirms nor denies this, so I'm going to go with it. Interestingly, Wikipedia also fails to mention YDS's presence in the neighborhood, which is why you should never cite it in an academic paper). My unproven claims aside, that means that we've got a great view from the Quad; it also means that we're a little isolated from the rest of Yale (some undergrads don't realize that campus extends all the way out to us).

Life on the hill is great; don't get me wrong. But there's an entire campus (literally) downtown from us, and as a YDS student, you're a part of that larger community (you can even take classes at Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, or another professional school). You're also part of the larger New Haven community. With that in mind, Alex and I have decided to run a series of articles about "Life off the Hill," which we hope will begin to introduce you to those parts of Yale and New Haven that don't have anything to do directly with the Div School. Each week, I'll pick one fantastic (or at least fantastic to me) thing about Yale or New Haven to introduce to you. It's going to be fun (at least for me; I'm getting paid to research and write about this stuff, after all); I promise.