Things to Do at Wooster Square

Wooster Square spans 4 blocks of New Haven's Little Italy where Frank Pepe opened America's first coal-fired pizzeria in 1925, serving thin-crust "apizza" pronounced "ah-beetz" that reaches 900°F temperatures in century-old coal ovens. A classic margherita pizza costs around -22 (-22 USD) at legendary spots like Pepe's and Sally's, and the neighborhood centers on a 1-acre park planted with cherry trees that bloom spectacularly each April. Visit on weekday evenings when the coal ovens fill the air with smoky aromas mixing with fresh basil and garlic - you can hear the hiss of pizza dough hitting hot brick while Italian grandmothers chat in windows above the bustling Wooster Street sidewalks.

Wooster Square sits about a mile east of downtown New Haven. You can walk there easily from the city center, though driving means circling the block during peak dining hours when street parking disappears. Worth the hassle. Local buses serve the area, but most people walk from downtown or grab a quick taxi ride. The neighborhood is compact. Once you arrive, everything sits within easy walking distance of each other.