Downtown is centered on New Haven Green, a grassy park that hosts summer concerts and is surrounded by several 19th-century churches. Casual lunch spots, beer bars, and high-end restaurants are clustered around Chapel Street. The area is home to the main part of Yale University’s campus with its Collegiate Gothic buildings, plus the Yale University Art Gallery, featuring works by artists like Van Gogh and Rothko. 

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The area bounded by Chapel and Crown Streets is a popular stretch of restaurants, boutiques and bars located across from the Old Campus of Yale University. Includes such historic establishments as Union League Cafe and the c. 1934 Owl Shop cigar lounge. The Anchor Bar, notable for its Art Moderne style and popularity with playwright Thornton Wilder, operated on College Street from the 1940s until 2015.