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When Minuk lived in New Haven in the 1960s, when Bapak was a student at Yale, her best friend was Joanie, who lived just around the corner.
The two friends last saw each other in 1965, when they were both 8 years old.
So when Joanie and Minuk linked up via Facebook last year, we planned a day trip from New York to New Haven, to meet and to locate childhood haunts.
We took the subway to Grand Central Station, enjoying the contrast between this great public space, clad in marble and air conditioned, in stark contrast to the fetid humidity of the run of the mill subway stations. To be fair though, the trains themselves are thankfully cool.
We had enough time after buying tickets on the Metro North commuter train to New Haven to check out the Grand Central Market, which offered an array of tempting gourmet treats to collect on our way home.
The two friends last saw each other in 1965, when they were both 8 years old.
So when Joanie and Minuk linked up via Facebook last year, we planned a day trip from New York to New Haven, to meet and to locate childhood haunts.
We took the subway to Grand Central Station, enjoying the contrast between this great public space, clad in marble and air conditioned, in stark contrast to the fetid humidity of the run of the mill subway stations. To be fair though, the trains themselves are thankfully cool.
We had enough time after buying tickets on the Metro North commuter train to New Haven to check out the Grand Central Market, which offered an array of tempting gourmet treats to collect on our way home.
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The train to Milford, where we had arranged to meet with Joan was 90 minutes from Grand Central. The route hugs the coast and from the windows we saw many small beach communities pass by, no doubt packed with holidaymakers as the long US school holidays had just begun, and the hot weather was tempting people to the head for the cool of the beach.
Joan was already on the platform at Milford when we arrived, and we drove into New Haven via Joan's house in the small town of Orange. The first order of business was to seek out the former Sastrowardoyo residence, a rented premises on the 2nd floor of a modest weatherboard house in Edgewood Avenue.
Joan was already on the platform at Milford when we arrived, and we drove into New Haven via Joan's house in the small town of Orange. The first order of business was to seek out the former Sastrowardoyo residence, a rented premises on the 2nd floor of a modest weatherboard house in Edgewood Avenue.
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Minuk said that despite the rather garish colour scheme, the house looked pretty much unchanged. Nor was the neighbourhood much different, withe the corner sweet shop still pretty much in place, and Joan's old house only a few hundred metres to the north in an estate off Sherman Court.
Our next destination was Minuk's old primary school, a modern one story structure, the Dwight School had few exterior windows and opened onto a central courtyard. We found it renamed 'Amistad Academy'. but just a hundred metres or so south of Minuk's house on Edgewood Avenue.
Our next destination was Minuk's old primary school, a modern one story structure, the Dwight School had few exterior windows and opened onto a central courtyard. We found it renamed 'Amistad Academy'. but just a hundred metres or so south of Minuk's house on Edgewood Avenue.
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Minuk's prep school was a little trickier to find. No trace seemed to remain of its original name on the Internet. But by following the tracks of memory, Joan and Minuk were able to piece together their journeys from home to school and locate the imposing brick structure, with its fearsome fire escapes, now ivy covered and converted to a Yeshiva in this Jewish neighbourhood.
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Our next stop was the Yale campus, which takes up a good proportion of central New Haven. The University is set up along the lines of Oxford, with tuition taking place in its many self contained colleges. At the time of our visit, school was out for the long summer holiday, lots of renovation was underway, though there were many groups of students touring the campus. Though the college building appear old, many of them were constructed in the early 20th century and aged with acid! We dropped in to the Sterling <memorial Library to see the fine stained glass in the cloister - indeed this was pretty much all we could see of the building due to extensive reconstruction in progress.
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Well, it was time for lunch, and what else to chose after the last night's heroics - more pizza!
This time, we headed to Wooster Park, to partake of New Haven Pizza, and the iconic long time champion, Frank Pepe's, an institution since 1925. (http://www.pepespizzeria.com/). Thankfully we declined being upsold by the waitress to the 'large' size from medium (see link). The medium pizza (we chose the white spinach, mushroom and gorgonzola topping!) was more than adequate, with leftovers packed into Joan's cooler for later (they are not averse to the doggie bag in the USA, despite the reputation for litigiousness). Minuk and Joan sampled the 'Diet White Birch Beer'(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_beer), which tastes like liquid 'Deep Heat'! I stuck to the real beer.
This time, we headed to Wooster Park, to partake of New Haven Pizza, and the iconic long time champion, Frank Pepe's, an institution since 1925. (http://www.pepespizzeria.com/). Thankfully we declined being upsold by the waitress to the 'large' size from medium (see link). The medium pizza (we chose the white spinach, mushroom and gorgonzola topping!) was more than adequate, with leftovers packed into Joan's cooler for later (they are not averse to the doggie bag in the USA, despite the reputation for litigiousness). Minuk and Joan sampled the 'Diet White Birch Beer'(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birch_beer), which tastes like liquid 'Deep Heat'! I stuck to the real beer.
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After lunch, we headed down to the beach, to the seaside resort of Stony Creek, near the town of Brandford. The attraction, apart from the cooling sea breezes, is the chance to take a short cruis around the 'Thimble Islands', a group of granite outcrops just of the Connecticut coast on which many summer houses have been built or purchased either by by the wealthy, or in some cases have been held by local families for generations.
During the summer months, boats cruise around the islands, giving a closer look at them, and complete with a cheesy commentary fixated on the pirate history of the area (Captain Kidd allegedly maintaining a base on one of the islands during the 17th century). We sailed on the 'Sea Mist', and enjoyed the sea breezes and the views. One sobering observation is that these houses are very vulnerable to destruction by storms which periodically afflict the northeast of the USA. Some islands are still bare of construction, since the 1938 hurricane, which killed seven people.
During the summer months, boats cruise around the islands, giving a closer look at them, and complete with a cheesy commentary fixated on the pirate history of the area (Captain Kidd allegedly maintaining a base on one of the islands during the 17th century). We sailed on the 'Sea Mist', and enjoyed the sea breezes and the views. One sobering observation is that these houses are very vulnerable to destruction by storms which periodically afflict the northeast of the USA. Some islands are still bare of construction, since the 1938 hurricane, which killed seven people.
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Joan dropped us off at Milford and we shared our slightly late 90 minute journey back to New Your with Odie, a rather spoiled little dog. Stopped at the Grand Central Market to buy bread (which sadly was had the texture of 'chleb'), and returned to LIC, where Dita had prepared a tasty chicken dinner.
Oooq and Dita chose to travel down to Coney Island, whilst we opted for the shorter walk down to Gantry State Park, where the lights of Manhattan shone across the East River. It was pleasant sitting and watching people pass by, enjoying the slightly cooler breezes. We had to leave early to get to Food Cellar before closing time. Ooq and Dita got back after our bedtime, but found Coney Island lively and worthy of the hour each way on the subway.
Oooq and Dita chose to travel down to Coney Island, whilst we opted for the shorter walk down to Gantry State Park, where the lights of Manhattan shone across the East River. It was pleasant sitting and watching people pass by, enjoying the slightly cooler breezes. We had to leave early to get to Food Cellar before closing time. Ooq and Dita got back after our bedtime, but found Coney Island lively and worthy of the hour each way on the subway.