Gwyneth K. Shaw Photo
In a quiet, sunlit Yale-New Haven Hospital room, Benedict Machado slept in his father’s arms — a peaceful coda to a whirlwind entry into the world that began on I‑91.
Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, Benedict’s mother, Justyna, felt contractions. She brushed them off; she hadn’t been sleeping well, and thought it was simply a false alarm. But they kept coming.
Still, Justyna and her husband, Duarte, figured they had plenty of time: Labor with their son, 21-month-old Luke, had lasted more than 30 hours.
They had less time than they thought. After leaving their Hamden home at the height of the area’s morning rush hour, Justyna’s water broke as they navigated Interstate 91.
“We’re on 91 South, and she’s like, ‘Oops!’” Duarte Machado said.
Justyna was in a hospital room at Yale-New Haven at 9:05. Benedict was born just 31 minutes later.
Given the strength of the contractions, Justyna said, “I’m glad he’s here.”
Both parents are 32 and work at Yale: She’s a registered nurse in medical oncology; he’s a neurologist. They’re expecting a flood of family later Tuesday, including Luke’s first chance to meet his little brother. Meanwhile, they were enjoying a little mellow time with Benedict — a chance to take a deep breath.
G.K.S.
2:50 p.m. — Finally, Alberto Gets A Bite
Melissa Bailey Photo
Alberto Martinez, 63, climbed out onto the rocky promontory off the Amistad pier with his son-in-law for the first fishing expedition of the year. He hooked a frozen shrimp onto the end of a fishing line and cast a lead weight into the water.
He was fishing for striper, which he hoped to throw into the oven with tomato and chilis, al diablo.
A former chef in a Wall Street restaurant, he used to cook for kids for the New York City Board of Ed, too. Originally from Puerto Rico, he learned to fish growing up in the Bronx.
He drove down from New Britain Tuesday to try his luck in New Haven Harbor.
There haven’t been many fish there lately, he said. Last year he caught only two.
At 2:50, he felt a tug at the line. “See?” he said, pointing to the top of the fishing pole.
His son-in-law caught a sand shark there once, he recalled.
“I was supposed to cook it,” but his daughter cooked it before he came home. When he got home, he asked, “Where’s the shark?”
“I don’t know. He ran away,” replied his son-in-law, who had eaten it all.
Tuesday, whatever nibbled the line also ran away.
“I know we’re not going to get anything today,” Martinez said.
He said that’s fine with him. When you go fishing, you’ve got to be prepared for two outcomes, he said: “be happy if you get a fish, and be happy if you don’t.”
“Not every day is a day for fishing.”
M.B.
1:15 p.m. — Mansour Recites The Dhur
Allan Appel Photo
Sudanese immigrant Mansour Salih popped out of his cab for a quick scheduled fill-up — of spiritual fuel.
It was just after 1. Observant Muslims like Salih (pictured) make sure to stop what they’re doing and say prayers at five appointed times of day. This was one of those times. The hour of the dhur prayer.
Depending on where he last drove a fare, he heads to the nearest Muslim house of worship. At 1:10, that was Masjid al-Islam on George Street.
Salih, a slender man in his 40s with a quiet and sincere demeanor, went to the door, took off his shoes, and joined 15 shoeless reverential men in two lines. They stood and prostrated on a green-striped rug.
The whole service lasted around ten minutes.
It began with a required prayer, followed by a Koranic verse, or sura, of the supplicant’s choice. Salih chose one that, in Arabic, began, “I seek refuge from the Lord of the people.” It continued with advice and miracles.
Then he was done.
“it really changes my mood,” Salih, who came here five years ago, said as he put his shoes back on and headed to his cab. “Sometimes I pray and I get good business. But that’s not the meaning of the sura.
“I feel comforted. Allah will protect me. It’s a risky job.”
Salih reached into the taxi. “I want to give you a gift,” he said. It was a book called, “Would you like to know something about Islam?” He handed it to a visitor, then headed off to his next fare.
A.A.
1:10 p.m. — Experts Battle Cookies In The Aisles
In the produce section of Whalley’s Stop & Shop, experts told shoppers how to feed their kids better. A few aisles over, Monica had a Chip’s Ahoy bag in her cart, along with a six-pack of Coke.
“This is a bad choice for the kids,” she confessed sheepishly of the cookies. But with two kids at home, ages 7 and 8, it’s hard to keep them on the healthful track all the time.
To be fair, Monica (who asked not to be photographed or provide her last name) also had broccoli and beef in the cart.
“You’ve got to balance,” she said. “Today, they’re going to have baked chicken and broccoli.”
Gwyneth K. Shaw Photo
Meanwhile, Makia Richardson and her 9‑month-old, Coree Weston (pictured), joined about 20 people sitting in folding chairs in produce, near the deli section, to hear tips about avoiding childhood obesity from experts at Yale and the New Haven Public Schools
Parents who wanted more help could pick up packets of information about how to improve their diets: Cut out sugared soda, go for whole-grain cereals, and switch to low-fat milk. Exercise was also emphasized as a way to fight the flab and improve overall health.
Marlene Schwartz, deputy director at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, said the supermarket matters.
“We need to make an environment that makes it easier for parents,” she said.
G.K.S.
11:40 Luana and Shanti Eat Right
Breadsticks were on the menu for lunch at the John C. Daniels School; 8‑year-old Luana Fulton was ready to chow down.
“She loooooves breadsticks,” said Shanti Sanchez, 7, a fellow second grader and Luana’s BFF.
The breadsticks — made from whole grains — were part of a balanced lunch Tuesday. They were served alongside baked chicken, collard greens, salad, an apple and white milk.
Older kids at Daniels get a salad bar, too, as part of the larger effort to get New Haven’s schoolkids to eat better.
The important part for Luana: “it’s good,” she said, chewing. Shanti munched on an apple; Luana said she usually saves hers for later.
But the food, however tasty, is secondary to the real treat of lunchtime: catching up. The girls started the school year in the same class, but now have different teachers. Each minute is precious.
“That’s my favorite part about lunch — eating and talking,” Luana said.
G.K.S.
11:25 a.m.: Flames Erupt From A Dashboard
Michelle Turner Photo
When Matt Grieger made an emergency stop into Sam Ash Music’s parking lot, he didn’t need new guitar strings. He needed a fire extinguisher.
Grieger was driving his 1982 Chevy K20 into New Haven from Woodbridge around 11:30 a.m. when he started smelling smoke.
Then flames shot through the dashboard.
Parked in the Sam Ash lot off Amity Road, he called the fire department.
By the time firefighters from Engine 15 arrived, someone else in the parking lot had given Grieger a fire extinguisher. Grieger, who’s 21, put out the flames, then surveyed the damage.
The inside of his car was wrecked.
“It must have been a rat’s nest or something,” he said, examining under the hood.
By 11:40, a truck from the nearby Megill’s repair shop had Grieger’s Chevy in tow, and Grieger was waiting for a friend to pick him up.
“I wasn’t worried about getting hurt,” he said. “I was worried more about my poor truck.”
M.T.
11:20 a.m. — 470 Kids Leave School
Allan Appel Photo
Recess came early Tuesday at Columbus Family Academy, complete with fire trucks.
School officials evacuated the building of all 470 students within a minute after a fire alarm went off, according to Principal Abie Benitez.
Firefighters arrived from the East Grand Avenue station along with an ambulance crew. They checked out the building. All clear; no fire.
As the children went back inside, Benitez wondered whether a piece of equipment in the science lab had triggered the alarm. She’d noticed a flashing light inside the room right before the alarm went off.
A.A.
10:21 a.m. — Island Buzz At A New (Smoothie) Bar
Michelle Stratford stopped in to downtown’s latest new store and left with a Caribbean lift.
Attending a grand opening of brand-new Pure Health Lounge on Audubon Street, she was looking for a little psychological warmth.
She ordered a small Pineapple Delight from the smoothie bar and cafe: Pineapple, pineapple juice, frozen yogurt and coconut, plus a scoop of whey powder for protein.
“I’m trying to go to the islands in my head,” said Stratford, pictured, who’s in her mid-40s and lives in Orange.
Stratford turned up for Tuesday’s grand opening to support her friend, Ray Sbrega, who owns the cafe with his wife, Patti. She’s in sales and often comes through New Haven, so a new spot on the healthy-food map was a draw, too. Pure has salads, sandwiches, frozen yogurt and coffee, as well as juice and smoothies.
“It’s a great part of New Haven right here,” Stratford said of the location, which is across Audubon from Koffee?
Sbrega (pictured), who lives in Ansonia, said he’s counting on Yale and the immediate neighbors — which include the Neighborhood Music School and the ACES Educational Center for the Arts — for business. He was handing out samples (pictured) of apple-carrot-orange juice and two smoothies: Caribbean Breeze (passion orange guava juice, frozen yogurt, mangos and strawberries) and Mango Madness (which substitutes bananas for the strawberries).
G.K.S.
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