Pardee Seawall Park

What to do when you want to watch the sun rise over the ocean but Lighthouse Park is still closed? Head down to Townsend Ave and find Pardee Seawall Park and grab a bench!
I found myself in just that predicament recently. I’m a naturally early riser and love the ocean. Weekend mornings are best started with a hot coffee and a view of the sun creeping over the water’s edge. I wanted to venture a little further but couldn’t get into Lighthouse Park (no matter that it was past sunrise and the sign on the gate says closed sunset to sunrise — apparently it’s closed even longer). Coffee in hand, I set out to find another place to watch the day start and settled on Pardee Seawall Park.
The park is like a short seaside promenade of ¼ mile or so, right along Townsend Ave. there’s a nice expanse of green between Townsend and the fence of the Seawall (hmmm, nice place for a picnic!) and park benches facing the water. Street lamps glimmer near the benches, just in case you decide to visit after sundown.
On my recent morning, the ocean was as smooth and dark as a piece of onyx, with sailboats sprinkled across the surface. Even they seemed to be asleep, as the sails were rolled down and masts empty in the early morning. The air was cool and crisp, but slowly warmed up with the sun. It was a little slice of heaven right in New Haven!