|
|
|
Around the World in 30 Blocks
Slowly but measurably, downtown New Haven's international flavor is changing minds for the better
|
Business New Haven
3/18/2002
By: Anne-Marie Brungard
|
Been to downtown New Haven lately?
Following the disappearance of Macy's and Malley's and the atrophying of the Chapel Square Mall, the general consensus was that there wasn't much “there” there.
The empty streets at night were depressing. Not much was open after 6 p.m.
By contrast, New Haven's daytime persona remained vigorous and vibrant. But the professionals who flooded the city by day drove home after work and, much like Hartford or Bridgeport, New Haven morphed into a relative ghost town after sundown and on weekends.
Even New Haveners seemed to prefer to travel to the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford - or just about anywhere else - to meet their shopping and entertainment needs. Young suburbanites blamed high crime and lack of attractive retail options for spending their money elsewhere.
That was then; this is now. Certainly the International Festival of Arts & Ideas has done much to put New Haven back on the map, bringing with it thousands of local and regional (and even a few international) visitors.
New Haven has wisely focused on emphasizing its arty side, hoping to become the central place and strongest contender in the state for performing and exhibiting venues, including museums, exhibitions, theater and live musical performances.
For a few weeks in the summer, with the addition of the international fest, the New Haven Jazz Festivals and the Pilot Pen tennis tourney in August, New Haven fairly rocks. Folks are shopping, eating and taking in entertainment in downtown New Haven.
According to Scott Healy, executive director of New Haven's Town Green Special Services District, which promotes downtown attractions, “The Pilot Pen [tennis tourney] draws around 94,000 people into the area, [many] from New York, Boston, Fairfield and Hartford counties.”
Historically, however, when Venus Williams hit the road following the six-day event, so did many of the patrons who sipped coffee at Willoughby's or enjoyed a cold beer at Richter's.
According to the state's Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD), tourism is a $5 billion industry in the state. New Haven has been trying to get its share. The city's economic development department has sponsored façade improvement projects (lower Chapel Street has had a noticeable facelift), and plans are on the table to revitalize the Chapel Square Mall once the legal disputes with Baltimore developer David Cordish are settled. As a result, those who have invested in the city's Central Business District are seeing a return.
New Haven is certainly not Manhattan or Back Bay/Newbury Street Boston - but downtown New Haven does seem to be making a mark.
“[New Haven] has a life all its own,” says Healy, “It has…personality.”
In truth, downtown New Haven has multiple personalities, attracting diverse crowds for its buttoned-down daytime corporate side, to its laid-back five-to-seven persona, to its sophisticated after-dark crowd who dine and enjoy the theatre or live jazz until the wee hours of the morning.
By day, mall and lower Chapel merchants hustle to pedal their urban, hip-hop wares, while by night suburban neighbors make the short (if psychologically imposing) drive into the city.
For a brief period in 2000 television advertising (“New Haven: C'mon - Live a Little!”) punctuated the airways depicting downtown area visitors as trendy, designer-clad sophisticates sporting large shopping bags, or slightly older theater-lovers dining in refined eateries. Whether or not you believed the hype, you could at least sense that New Haven's downtown was evolving.
There is a synergistic relationship between New Haven's arts and entertainment attractions, dining establishments and distinctive shops which can translate into multiple points of sale, according to Healy. Anthony Lupinacci, director of marketing and public relations for the Shubert Performing Arts Center, refers to this phenomenon as a “chain reaction.”
“The awareness has increased and people are now using New Haven as a destination; they make plans before they get here,” says Lupinacci. “They may see a show, and then eat at area restaurants or shop.”
New Haven's Central Business District encompasses some 30 blocks and boasts varied attractions in different corners of the neighborhood. Healy characterizes the district as one of the hottest places for folks to shop and dine and [play] in the state.
The Ninth Square neighborhood relies heavily on the entertainment and sports offerings hosted by Veterans Memorial Coliseum. “Our customers are different depending on what's happening at the Coliseum,” agrees Forbes Smith, night manager of Tycoon's at the corner of Orange and George streets. The restaurant adapts to the diverse crowds who visit the area, for example serving families fresh from the circus one day and then hockey fans the next. Smith says Tycoon's is seeing more patrons from the suburbs, too.
The Long Wharf, Yale Repertory, Shubert and Palace theaters all have an established regional draw. Their combined drawing power strengthens the entertainment market downtown, which helps to feed the restaurants and local shops.
Lupinacci described a recent event that sold 1,500 seats, many of whose occupants visited College Street businesses before or after the performance. “Eighty-five percent of the audience had never been to the Shubert,” recalls Lupinacci, meaning that some were new to downtown as well.
Says Lupinacci: “I heard from a gentleman recently who used to come [downtown] many years ago and lives on the shoreline, and he mentioned that New Haven has made quite a turnaround.” These kinds of comments are heard more frequently from theater patrons who cite, among other factors, quality restaurants and a more vibrant atmosphere in the city as key determinants for their visits.
So who is coming downtown lately? Some, certainly, are business travelers - short-stay visitors, staying in area hotels like the Omni New Haven Hotel or the New Haven Hotel, attending meetings or training sessions. Others, like Suleiman Chater, manager of Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant on Howe Street, have forged longer-term relationships with college students, accountants and lawyers who come into the restaurant for the relaxed atmosphere and the ability to work in a quiet space.
Both urban and suburban families are attracted to circus acts, movie nights and poetry readings on the Green. And let's not forget destination visitors who come for specific events or venues.
“We are seeing a significant rise in the number of young suburbanites coming into the city from throughout the state to enjoy a night on the town,” says Ronelle Williams, interim executive director of Market New Haven Inc. For example, she says, the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art hosted more than 135,000 visitors in 2001.
Responding to a growing volume of requests for information, the Info New Haven Center opened last year on the corner of College and Chapel streets. A quick visit or phone call to the center will equip the caller with a list of area restaurants and attractions according to particular expressed interests.
New Haven's chameleon-like persona can adapt to serve many needs and desires. From hippie to hip-hop, yuppie to youth-challenged and student to suburbanite, one can shop and dine according to your taste. There are the clean classic lines of Ann Taylor, or custom jewelry from Peter Indorf on Chapel Street, elegant floral arrangements from Michael's Flowers on Whitney Avenue or formal wear from Harold's on Elm Street.
One attraction that New Haven seems to delight in is its diverse mix of economic and ethnic backgrounds. As a cultural center, downtown New Haven is not only celebrating its differences - it's promoting them, too.
Did you know you can take a trip around the world in 30 blocks? Dining out in New Haven is more than just pizza and bar food. A walk to Howe Street will take you to the Middle East with shish-kebabs and falafel at Mamoun's; Chap's Grille on Chapel Street specializes in Egyptian and vegetarian-style dishes; while Temple Street is a cultural quilt that offers (among others) Ethiopian and Irish fare.
Roomba (in Sherman's Alley off Chapel Street) offers nuevo Latino cuisine, with ingredients that are indigenous to Latin America and the Caribbean, including Cuba and Mexico. Roomba principal Suzette Franco-Camacho says that her restaurant's customers hail from as far away as Boston and New York, with a majority hailing from Fairfield, Hartford and Westchester counties.
“I am finding that we are mostly a destination restaurant, people come here primarily to dine,” she says. “The response has been very positive; people seem to be excited about the changes and the activity in the area.”
Zinc, on Chapel Street, has also benefited from the growing buzz in the three years since it opened its doors. Stan Fivekiller manages the catering affairs for the restaurant, whose “modern American” cuisine includes core American regional favorites such as lamb or chicken interwoven with Asian, Italian and other cultural influences.
Like other New Haven merchants, Fivekiller says the demographics of his customers vary from night to night and are influenced by what else is happening in town.
“Things [in New Haven] have changed tremendously, for the most part for the better,” explains Fivekiller. Like New Haven itself, Zinc has learned to adapt and change in order to survive. Zinc owners Donna Curran and Denise Appel decided to add local jazz to compliment the eatery's cuisine and services. The live jazz turned out to be a boon for the business, and a bar menu will soon be added to the late-night offerings, say the restaurateurs. To serve its corporate clientele Zinc also has a room for private and corporate functions.
Not everyone is sold on downtown New Haven. There are still those who prefer to work in the city but recreate elsewhere. But an increasing number of non-residents are taking a closer look at downtown New Haven - and judging for themselves.
|
Go FirstGo PreviousGo
NextGo LastGo
to Index
|
|
