The ABCs of New Haven - *A*
There are so many different things to love and explore in New Haven that I thought it was high time I* put together a little dictionary/encyclopedia of things that you might or might not know. Since there are so many different items on the list, I'll be breaking into blog posts letter by letter - as always, feel free to comment and tell me what I missed!
*My friends gave me lots of good input to help this list as well!
Apizza - /ə'bits/
New Haven has its own style of pizza, which locals know but non-New Englanders may have no idea. New Haveners will also fight you about your pizza choices, fyi. It's a Neapolitan-style, thin crust, coal-fired pizza, originating at Pepe's Pizza (my broker's favorite). The famous three New Haven-based spots to check out are Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern (though there are several more fan favorites in the area - BAR, Nolo, Zuppardi's, etc).
Anchor Spa/Anchor - /ˈæŋkər spɑ/
This bar holds a special place in my heart because it's where I met my husband. But aside from that, the Anchor was first built in the 1930s and featured an "art-moderne' façade (seen in the 2nd photo). The owners changed in 2015 and the sign was taken down, but the current signage has still kept with the same style. It was re-named Anchor Spa, which it originally was called when it first opened. It's a great spot to grab a classic cocktail like Old Fashioned or Manhattan.
Ashley's /æʃliz/
This small ice cream chain is a staple in New Haven as well. They've been operating since the mid-70s and you can find them on York St. in addition to 4 other locations (Hamden, Guilford, Branford, and Madison). If you're downtown, it's a great place to stop in and grab a a scoop of a staple like chocolate or any of these varieties .
Arts & Ideas Festival /ɑrts ənd ɑi'diəz 'fɛstəvəl/
This yearly festival began in 1996 and takes place every year primarily on the New Haven green. It encompasses music, dance, art, theater, creativity, and inclusiveness. From their own website
"The underlying goal of our festival and those worldwide is to bring people together to increase international understanding, social cohesion, and celebrate diversity."
The festival runs for 15 days and the majority of its performances are free to the public. A few years back I saw an amazing acrobatics group and there are always awesome musical performers throughout the festival.
Arethusa /erə'θusə/
While Arethusa isn't based in New Haven, we do get to benefit from its ice cream shop right downtown (in case Ashley's wasn't enough!) Arethusa is all CT-made ice cream, directly from their farm in Litchfield - super fresh and New Haveners rave about the quality and their "huge scoops."
Amistad Memorial /'ɑməstɑd mə'mɔriəl/
This sculpture in front of City Hall is a bronze tribute to the events from the 1839 Amistad Affair where a landmark Supreme Court case deemed 53 kidnapped Africans allowed to have mutinied against their captors. It was dedicated in 1992.