Div Dictionary: East Rock

East Rock (n): 1) One of two huge bluffs which bookend New Haven. 2) The park surrounding this bluff. 3) The neighborhood directly south of this park.

New Haven history Quickie: originally founded as utopian Congregationalist Community, New Haven is nestled between East and West Rocks – two rocky crags which neatly bookend the original city grid. The streets were originally gridded (or so people claim – I’m from Chicago and I know from gridded; I have my doubts), with the grid tilted so that the north-south thoroughfares led towards the twin bluffs. YDS is closest to East Rock, which you can see clearly from the back of the quads.

East Rock Park is one of my favorite things. In addition to providing baseball and soccer fields, basketball courts, and a river for boating, East Rock has miles of trails, paved and unpaved. You can bike to the summit of East Rock on paved trails, hike up through the wooded ones, or attempt to climb the accurately named Giant Steps (pictured above) – which are probably the most direct route, but also the steepest. Once there, you’ll have panoramic views of the city of New Haven, as well as Long Island Sound. If it’s a clear day, you can often see all the way to Long Island itself. During the summer, there’s almost always a guy in a truck up there selling ice cream, and a decently clean porta-potty over by the tennis courts. East Rock is HUGE – I took a three-hour walk there recently and still haven’t been able to find the rose garden. Enjoy getting lost in there.

At the southern foot of East Rock lies the neighborhood of East Rock, the neighborhood where many of you will be taking up residence. Local merchants line Orange Street, including European grocers Romeo and Cesare, Lulu’s Coffee House, and further down, Oriental Pantry, which has some great Kim Chi. On sunny Spring and summer days, East Rock is rife with tag sales, where you can furnish your apartment for cheap.

Ah, East Rock. Time for another long walk.

-Kate