Museums & Munchies

Begin at the Yale University Art Gallery, whose 2012 renovation and expansion project was met with universal acclaim – The New York Times called it “wonderful,” the Boston Globe termed it “a masterpiece.” Inside, you’ll find art and objects spanning many countries and cultures, from African art to coins and medals to American paintings by Homer, Sargent, Hopper and Eakins. Admission is free to both this gallery and the Yale Center for British Art.

It’s a short walk over to the legendary Louis’ Lunch for a hamburger at what is reputedly the birthplace of the hamburger. Louis’ has been around since 1895 serving its fresh-ground burgers between slices of toast - and no ketchup, so don’t ask for it.

The Yale Center for British Art was named by The Times of London as one of the world’s best 50 art galleries, so let’s begin here. Housed in a Louis I. Kahn-designed building and opened in 1974, the museum claims the largest and most comprehensive collection (2,000 painting and 200 sculptures) of British art outside the United Kingdom. Get your Hogarth, Turner, Gainsborough and Constable fix right here.

You’ve never been to a sushi place like Miya’s, where proprietor Bun Lai’s wild invention rules the day and you can never predict what might be on the menu. In the mood for an invasive species? Miya’s serves them from a special menu. Want to get his take on Emerald Witches’ Lips sake, a Voompa vegetable roll or Dr. Phuey’s Sushi Sonata? Go to the regular (34 page) menu.

Plan your next day according to the type of museum you’d like to see, because New Haven still offers a number of good choices. There’s Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History, famous for its Great Hall of Dinosaurs and exhibits dedicated to human and mammal evolution; there’s the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, one of the best in the world; the Knights of Columbus Museum features often fascinating exhibitions of artwork and history, usually pertaining to the heritage of Catholicism; and the New Haven Museum covers 375 years of local art, history and culture.

Whichever museum you choose, you still have another choice ahead of you: Pepe’s or Sally’s? This is the eternal question in New Haven, where both these world-famous pizza spots vie for supremacy. Pepe’s is open for lunch, Sally’s not until 5 p.m., so you’ll have to figure out how you want to work it – one or both? There are many who believe this is the best pizza on the planet.