East Rock Park

Author's Comments

The first time I drove up East Rock I was unprepared for how the city arranges itself from the summit. New Haven below, the harbor beyond, and on a clear evening Long Island Sound holding the last of the light like a thin sheet of metal at the edge of the frame. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument anchors the south overlook and gives the foreground something to do, which a wide landscape often needs and rarely gets at this kind of elevation. October is when I prefer it. The traprock ridge holds color late, and the woodland that drops away toward the Mill River goes from green to rust over the course of two or three weeks. Golden hour here is generous because the overlook faces south and west, which means the light rakes across the city rather than blowing it out. The skyline is modest. That is part of what makes it photograph well. You get a real horizon, a real harbor, and enough architecture to suggest a place without overwhelming the view. Come up by the summit road if it is the season for it, or walk if you have the legs. Either way, give yourself an hour before the sun drops. The light changes faster than you expect at this elevation, and the moment when the harbor goes from blue to gold to almost pink lasts maybe ten minutes.

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