Ode to Elm City

The Elm City has been home to me for twelve years. I like its contradictions, its colorfulness, its rich history. Despite the 1930’s blight of elm trees, New Haven kept its namesake. Like other colonial towns, New Haven has a prized green. A few historic churches adorn the landscape.

In Center Church on the Green, you can visit the crypt of Benedict Arnold’s late first wife—and the remains of other early settlers. When you stand on the New Haven Green, you’re actually standing feet above roughly 5,000 dead bodies. (Many tombstones were transferred to Grove Street Cemetery, but most bodies were never exhumed.) Our town green often feels so full of life, yet somehow rests upon a former civilization. Walking around the Green, you can see adjacent Federal buildings, a library and many shops. Bennett Memorial Fountain once offered a place for thirsty humans, carriage horses and dogs to drink water. The fountain was installed in the early 1900’s and was inspired by the Lysicrates near Greece’s Acropolis.

New Haven is home to many politically passionate people. Over the decades, Yale students, various organizations—people who’ve felt both empowered and disenfranchised—have unleashed their fervor out on the green. There were several large Black Panther rallies and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. At least one of the churches on the green hosted political gatherings. In 2016, Bernie Sanders rallied on the Green, and I enjoyed the pulsating mass of ardent supporters. Protests have erupted even during this ongoing pandemic. Sometimes various groups come out to support the others.

My home is considered a “sanctuary city.” Many residents welcome immigrants and proudly display signs on their yards. For the past several winters, a refugee-assistance organization called “IRIS” has hosted fundraising marathons. Several thousand people have run in the bitter cold for a noble cause. During Covid, IRIS temporarily changed it to a “Virtual 5K”. Though acts of cruel injustice have occurred here, New Haven has some roots of justice woven inside. The Amistad Memorial sculpture stands in front of City Hall. After enslaved Amistad crewmen were freed, many town residents offered support and services to those men.

New Haven is a constant tug of war between grit and grandiosity. Pompousness and human dysfunction also shape it. The Elm City—at moments, seems like the tiniest microcosm of New York City. You can purchase haute-cuisine around Chapel Street, but may feel as satisfied with a cheap food truck quesadilla. You can gaze at stone gargoyles and marble columns, as well as reckless drivers, self-absorbed shoppers and students.

There’s also this interesting dynamic between rural spaces within an urban environment. Many times I’ve escaped to certain parts of East Rock Park with hardly anyone around— except maybe a lone runner or a kayaker. I’ve seen swans with remarkable plumage floating on ponds beneath quaint bridges. In those moments, you briefly forget you’re in a tiny city—but then a car blasts rap music in the distance, and you’re abruptly reminded.

Scaling to the top of East Rock— you can glimpse the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. Facing way out in the East you can glimpse Long Island— a mere strip along the coastline. Facing west, you see the sloping West Rock hill in the distance. And of course you’ll see magnificent buildings below: Schools and greenhouses, rows of treelined houses, distant skyscrapers. You see beauty— but you’re loosely reminded of all the churning industrial sites that have come and gone.

Many New Haven streets offer alluring quirks: On Wall Street— there’s “The Beinecke,” a magnificent modern library housing rare and antiquarian books. ”The Birds of America” by Audubon, has a magnificent jewel-like presence— featuring prints of avian splendor. Thousands of other manuscripts burst with worded energy. Outside the building, I used to gaze at a nearby sculpture by Alexander Calder, as it waved its kinetic “arms”.

On Mechanic Street, I’ve watched dozens of teenagers line for a pancake breakfast at The Pantry. And on Wooster Street, who can forget the renowned rustic crusts of Pepe’s Pizza, coming from a smoldering brick oven? Or Wooster Square’s communal farmer’s markets filled with crates of produce and artisan bread loaves. Wooster Square also boasts annual cherry blossom festivals, with rows of ornate trees and amused spectators.

On Broadway, I’ve attended several evening Compline services at Christ Church. After one man I dated called it off with me, I made several desperate escapes there. My eyes welled up with tears as melodic hymns and smoky incense filled the candlelit sanctuary.

Like many college towns, New Haven is a global community. I’ve had a plethora of Yale roommates from around the world. One evening we witnessed “Night Rainbow“ from a balcony—a large light installation organized by Site Projects. Multicolored beams protruded from the top of East Rock into Long Island Sound.

Many people care about the city. From concerts to chalk-drawing contests, to mini-libraries on sidewalks where you can scavenge for free books...from scientific lectures to artistic endeavors, New Haven is a place for bookworms, astute journalists, museum lovers, culinary explorers, as well as clandestine secret societies.

New Haven has opened its flawed but beautiful arms to me: So, I will say thank you to my town. Thank you for letting me exhibit in several cafes and galleries. Thank you for your brilliant instructors that taught me forms of aerial and hot yoga—and for aligning me with new friends. Thank you for the intellectuals and luminaries I’ve met, throughout their esteemed pursuits. Here, I’ve crossed paths with more rabble rousers and eccentric people than my real hometown will ever know. Though I’ve had cars broken into— and a previous living space burgled—I’m still trying to carve a path through you, New Haven. I’ve been to your court rooms and your concert halls. Despite occasional frustrations, you continue to enchant me. And I look forward to more surprises.

Anti-Trump protester near New Haven Green, 2016