Festive Haven

Have you been yet? You have until June 26th to check out live music, art, dance, theater, bike tours, walking tours, foodie tours, poetry and tons of other events all over the city.

I wonder if anyone has checked out "Susurrus" which is, according to the description on festival's website, "part radio play, part avant-garde sonic art, and part stroll in the park - a poignant story of misplaced passion and betrayal that sensuously refracts the themes of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream". Created by playwright David Leddy, the audience listens to the play through using an iPod while following a charted path through Edgerton Park. Hmmm...I'd check it out. Any takers? Facebook/Twitter me :)

Many events are free like the one I attended on Tues June, 15th - A Conversation with Bill T. Jones & Elizabeth Alexander at the Yale Center for British Art. Elizabeth Alexander is a Poet and Yale Professor of African American Studies who also composed and read the poem at Obama's Inaugural ceremony.


In Tuesday's event, she interviewed the renowned choreographer Bill T. Jones who just received a Tony Award on Sunday for FELA! the hit broadway musical about the talented musician and political activist Fela Kuti. One full house and 90 minutes later, the thought provoking discussion on everything from dance and poetry to "Americanist" attitudes and influence of celebrity and marketing left me inspired to say the least. Afterwards, both Professor Alexander and Mr. Jones remained to chit chat with fans, friends and family.



Of course, my personal favorite has to involve food (which would also mean cocktails) so my mission is to attend at least one of the foodie tours which start today at 1:30pm with the "Blending Spices" themed tour involving Thali Restaurant for its Indian cuisine; Bentara for its Malaysian and Geronimo for its authentic Southwestern cuisine (not Tex Mex!). There are also coffee tours, sustainable sushi tours with Bun Lai of Miya Sushi and a very seductive "The Art of the Cocktail Tour" hosted by 116 Crown's mixologist John Ginnetti.

Geronimo's Bar has over 100 tequilas including some infused with jalapenos!



Chef Prasad Chirnomula's innovative dishes at Thali Regional Indian Cuisine (above).

That's all I have for now. Check out more stuff at www.artidea.org and come back and comment if you so wish. Today (sunny and 80+ degrees) I'm playing tourist guide and taking some members of New Haven Collective to the Thimble Islands for a boat cruise!