Mother’s Day is Sunday, and if you’re still considering where to go or what to give, this article’s for you.
A family meal is usually at the heart of things, though New Haven’s possibilities go beyond the usual sit-down: a jazz brunch at Jazzy’s Cabaret, a “pampering” brunch at Bloom and grandiose buffets at both Anthony’s and Amarante’s. Olea is meeting the moment with a three-course prix fixe, while September in Bangkok’s flower-garnished patio may provide just the right ambience.
sponsored by
Before or after, gardens or galleries could hit the spot. Edgerton Park has pleasant walking paths, benches with long views and flower plantings concentrated near the carriage house. Neighboring to the north is a Regional Water Authority green space featuring a spiral labyrinth leading to the top of a hill. Due east, on the other side of East Rock Park, the Pardee Rose Garden should be in partial bloom.
Already fully bloomed is an exhibition at the Yale Center for British Art featuring work by top op artist Bridget Riley, whose precise, entrancing, mind-bending oeuvre is a leading light of the midcentury optical art movement. Across the street, a highlights tour surveys what’s currently displayed at the Yale University Art Gallery, though of course you can also choose your own adventure, perhaps making a stop at a larger-than-life Nigerian maternity shrine.
sponsored by
Or catch a larger-than-life movie—you know, on the big screen. Two foreign-language films now playing at Criterion Cinemas are likely to increase appreciation between mothers and children, albeit from very different directions. The French fantasy drama Petite Maman poignantly imagines a daughter meeting her mother when she was her age, while the Finnish horror movie Hatching features more than one terrifying vision of motherhood and puts our real-life relationships into starkly happier relief.
A simpler, more direct path to happiness is pouring at nearby vineyards—Rosabianca, Stappa, Gouveia, Rose. The latter is offering an impressively abundant spread of Mother’s Day dining specials with, of course, suggested wine pairings.
Gifts beyond the gift of gathering are also abundant:
• fresh flowers from The Blossom Shop or tropical house plants from Bark & Vine;
• books from Grey Matter, Atticus, Book Trader or the Yale Bookstore;
• wearable treasures from Derek Simpson Goldsmith, Idiom, Kate Stephen Jewelry or Alexis Gage;
• vintage style from Civvies or Vintanthro Modern;
• framed memories or artwork from Merwin’s, The Frame Shop or Hull’s (whose April sale on ready-made frames has been extended through May);
• theater tickets for Long Wharf’s Queen, Yale Rep’s Between Two Knees or one of the Shubert’s many upcoming shows; and
• spa treatments from Elm City Wellness, Capture Salon, Massage on Whitney or The Well for Women.
Happy Mother’s Day, moms, and happy planning, everyone.
Written by Dan Mims. Image 1 by Evgeny Atamanenko. Image 2 by @gatheratbloom. Image 3 by @edgerton365. Images 4-7 and 10 by Dan Mims. Image 8 by Kathy Leonard Czepiel. Image 9 by @theyalebookstore. Image 11 by @civviesnewhaven.
