# Bridgeport (Connecticut)

Bridgeport is a city in Connecticut. Bridgeport has beaches and parks, but the biggest attraction is the Klein Memorial Auditorium, a performing arts theater.

## Understand

Bridgeport is a victim of deindustrialization that has been trying to reinvent itself. After European settlement around 1639 by Roger Ludlow and the English Connecticut Colony and incorporation in 1821, it took off as a manufacturing mecca by the 19th and early 20th centuries, with iron foundries and companies churning out sewing machines, automobiles, ammunition, and numerous other products. The famed showman PT Barnum was mayor here during the time of the Civil War.
Since about the 1960s, as industrialization declined and restructured, Bridgeport saw a decline with an accompanying increase in crime. It has attempted to renew itself with service and financial sectors of commerce, and can boast gastronomic exuberance due to all of the various ethnicities that have migrated here.
* Bridgeport tourism information

## Get in
### By plane

* 41.163333-73.1261111 Sikorsky Memorial Airport (BDR ), 1000 Great Meadow Rd, Stratford (3 mi (4.8 km) SE of downtown via Connecticut Turnpike), ☏ +1 203 576-8161. Small airport catering to general aviation in Fairfield County. There are no commercial airlines or flights available at this airport, although Tailwind Air Service offers seasonal air taxi from Boston and New Bedford, as well as New York City via seaplane. Companies such as Air Charter Advisors can arrange flights on-demand to BDR using light aircraft due to its shorter runways. (updated May 2019)
For commercial flights, there are several airports within a 2 hours drive:
* Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport is a very small airport in New Haven, offering flights from Philadelphia. It is 40 minutes away.
* Westchester County Airport is an airport in Westchester County, New York, offering flights nationwide. It is 50 minutes away
* LaGuardia Airport is a major airport in Queens, offering flights worldwide. It is 70 minutes away.
* JFK International Airport is a major airport in Queens, offering flights worldwide. It is 80 minutes away.
* Newark Airport is a major airport in Newark, NJ, offering flights worldwide. It is 90 minutes away
* Stewart International Airport is an airport in Newburgh, NY. It is 100 minutes away.

### By train

    See also: Rail travel in the United States
* 41.1778-73.18712 Bridgeport station, 525 Water Street. (updated Oct 2023) Train operators:
** Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Routes stopping at Bridgeport:
*** Northeast Regional is Amtrak's busiest regional service, connecting Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and the many towns and cities in-between. Toward the east end of the route, some trips terminate at Springfield instead of Boston. Some services also continue south into Virginia towards Newport News, Roanoke and Norfolk on three separate branch routes from Alexandria. This is also Amtrak's most frequent service, with multiple daily departures, and the longest trip takes 12.5 hours.
*** Vermonter operates daily between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. including stops in Essex Junction, Waterbury, Montpelier, White River Junction, Claremont, Bellows Falls, Brattleboro, Greenfield, Northampton, Holyoke, Springfield, Windsor Locks, Hartford, Meriden, New Haven, Bridgeport, Stamford, New York City, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and New Carrollton.
** Metro-North

### By car

* I-95 goes through Bridgeport.

### By ferry

The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry runs approximately every hour between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson, New York, on Long Island.

## See

Bridgeport has a variety of beaches and parks, including Seaside, one of the nicest in the state complete with a lighthouse and a walk out to it.
* 41.175278-73.1886111 Barnum Museum, 820 Main St, ☏ +1 203 331-1104, fax: +1 203-331-0079. Tu-Sa 10AM-4:30PM, Su noon-4:30PM. Exhibits about P.T. Barnum and the history of the city. It is downtown, within walking distance to some great architecture downtown. $5, ages 4-17 $3.
* 41.176145-73.1902852 Burroughs-Saden Library, 925 Broad St, ☏ +1 203 576-7403. The main branch in Bridgeport. The third floor has a well-maintained historical collection with rotating exhibits and lots of genealogy information.
* 41.2125-73.1822223 Beardsley Zoo, 1875 Noble Avenue, ☏ +1 203 394-6565. 9AM-4PM daily. A wide variety of ecosystems presented, including a rainforest building, as well as tigers, otters, bison, etc. During the summer, usually late July/early August there are free theatrical showings, usually Shakespeare called "Shakespeare in the Park". The Beardsley park is also a lovely place to picnic. Adults $20, Seniors and ages 3-11 $16.
* 41.1601-73.20194 Seaside Park, 1 Barnum Dyke. 9AM-4PM daily. Bridgeport's seaside park so to speak. It was made possible by the foresight of PT Barnum who wished for people to have access to the waterfront when at the time it was all privatized, and includes a statue of him, cannons, and a drive-thru arch, plus plenty of skyline and coastal views. not advised to park here between Memorial Day to Labor Day, as a daily parking permit for out-of-staters is a whopping $60.

## Do

* 41.1745-73.20211 Klein Memorial Auditorium, 177 State St, ☏ +1 203 345-4800 (Box Office ext 150). A performing arts theater with a variety of performances throughout the year. If you enjoy the symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony performs regularly.

## Eat

There many eating venues in Bridgeport, including Italian, Jamaican, Chinese, Thai, Brazilian, Mexican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican, and other Latino food, as well as many more typical American restaurants.

## Sleep

Ironically there are few places to stay within the city proper and accommodations will probably have to be sought out in adjoining communities.

## Stay safe

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Bridgeport had a notable crime rate. The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, and drug dealers from New York all battled for control of the city's many housing projects, places like Father Panik Village, Pequonnock village, Marina Village and the PT Barnum Housing Projects. Today, for the tourist staying for a few days or weeks, Bridgeport's bark is bigger than its bite. The main attractions for tourists like the Harboryard and the PT Barnum Museum are in areas that are not to be considered high crime. Traveling to the East Side or East End is considered to be the Spanish harlem of the city, as that is where all the Spanish restaurants and shops are located along with a strong Catholic religious background indicative of the churches located within this area as well.