Connecticut city a haven for arts and culture

A textbook example of Egyptian Revival is the gate to the Grove Street Cemetery (1845) by Henry Austin, with a chilling message for visitors: "The dead shall be raised."

Another campus attraction is Hillhouse Avenue, which Charles Dickens once called "the most beautiful street in America."

At the time, the street showcased private mansions in Greek Revival, Italian villa, Beaux Arts and Victorian styles. Today, most are Yale offices and classrooms, carefully preserved, including No. 37, where President Bush lived as an infant while his father was a student at Yale

If this architecture tour makes you hungry, New Haven restaurants offer an array of tastes from around the globe. Notable ethnic restaurants are Bentara on Orange Street, a Malaysian spot with a huge wine list; Roomba, a Caribbean place, specializing in seafood, on Sherman's Alley off Chapel Street; Caffe Adulis on College Street, featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean dishes; and Istanbul Cafe on Crown Street, the place to get shish kebabs and other Turkish delights.

New Haven eateries also claim to be the birthplaces of two American favorites: pizza and hamburgers. I won't get into the validity of these stories here, but for a turn-of-the-20th-century hamburger experience, go to Louis' Lunch on Crown Street, where the burgers are broiled vertically in gas-burning ovens and ketchup is forbidden.

The Shubert Theater is known as the "Birthplace of the Nation's Greatest Hits," for hosting pre-Broadway previews of "South Pacific," "The Sound of Music" and other musicals.

The Long Wharf Theatre also is known for hosting premieres. Recent winners include the Pulitzer-winning "Wit."

And, the Yale Repertory Theatre has a history of providing cutting-edge drama along with tomorrow's stars. Meryl Streep, Henry Winkler and Jodie Foster are among the Yale drama alums.

New Haven's museums also draw crowds. The Yale Center for British Art houses the largest collection of art from Britain and its colonies outside the United Kingdom.

Across the street, the Yale University Art Gallery has works from ancient artisans and modern masters.

The Peabody Museum of Natural History, also a Yale museum, houses some of the first dinosaur fossils to be excavated and classified, as well as exhibits on American Indian culture, birds of New England and other natural history attractions.

The New Haven Colony Historical Society houses a museum about New Haven history, including a milestone in the history of black Americans — the Amistad incident.

In 1839, a shipful of Africans, bound for the Caribbean as slaves aboard the Spanish ship Amistad, rebelled and took control of the ship. It landed in Connecticut, and a trial was held in New Haven to see whether the Africans were the property of the Spaniards, or whether they were illegally taken from Africa and free to return.

The New Haven judge sided with the Africans, and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed. The case was an important precursor to the abolition of American slavery.