For decades, small American towns have been dying out as housing developments and sterile, sprawling shopping centres built on the outskirts of once-vibrant communities have come to dominate the landscape. Princeton, New Jersey, a picturesque town of about 25,000, located half-way between New York City and Philadelphia, has, however, escaped this fate. This makes it a worthwhile destination for anyone visiting or passing through the state.
AROUND TOWN SHOPPING A visit to Princeton begins at Palmer Square, the town centre. Here and all along the nearby Nassau and Witherspoon Streets is an impressive range of clothing, specialty and gift shops. Several small boutiques specialise in men's, women's and children's apparel from casual to formal, while a number of well-known chains like Ann Taylor, Talbots, Gap, Banana Republic and J. Crew occupy substantial real estate on and around the Square. Matteo & Co., Mandalay and Etc. Co. offer stylish home furnishings and gifts, from linens, picture frames and jewelery to handmade candles, tableware and garden furniture. Spoil yourself with lovely soaps and lotions from Crabtree & Evelyn or find the perfect gift at Coach, which showcases upscale leather handbags, belts and wallets.
Bookworms can happily while away the time at Micawber's Books or at the University bookstore.
A huge construction site at the corner of Witherspoon and Wiggins Streets has been underway for nearly two years. The building will house the new public library, which has been temporarily relocated to a shopping centre on the eastern edge of town. Free internet access is available here, as is an impressive collection of videos, dvds and, of course, books. The local YMCA is a few blocks away and offers swimming, aerobics, and other fitness programmes for both members and visitors.
DINING OUT Princeton is home to my favourite pizzeria in all the world! Old World Pizza first fired up their brick oven on the eastern edge of Nassau Street in 1998, and since then has been producing hundreds of mouth-watering pies each day. My slice of choice is the simple "margherita": tomato sauce topped with fresh basil and slices of fresh, water-packed mozzarella cheese. A range of other toppings, including various vegetables and meats is available. A slice of plain margherita costs $1.85; add one topping and the price rises to $2.15. Nearby, the Wild Oats organic market has a large deli with hot and cold dishes, salads and a fresh juice bar.
For upscale dining, The Ferry House serves excellent contemporary American food in an intimate setting. It's pricey, with main dishes starting around $20 at dinner time, but if you're in the mood to treat yourself, this is the place to do it. If possible, take advantage of one of Princeton's best lunch deals and indulge in the delicious and reliably consistent cooking of Chef Bobby Trigg for around $20 per person. The black bean and sweet potato tortillas promise to be memorable and the chocolate vegan torte made with a couscous crust is worth saving some room for. In New Jersey it is costly and often difficult to acquire a liquor licence, so The Ferry House is a 'bring your own' establishment. Both Community Liquors, located across the street, and The Corkscrew, just around the corner on Hulfish Street, have excellent selections of wines and knowledgeable staff.
For a quick bite head to Sakura Express, where charismatic brothers Albert and Andrew Co serve up fresh sushi (starting at around $2.00 for six pieces), tempura and other Japanese specialties daily.
No visit to Princeton would be complete without a stop at the Halo Pub on Hulfish street. Offering home made ice-cream in 45 tantalizing flavours, including chocolate butter pecan, raspberry cream sorbet and Tahitian vanilla, Halo has been a Princeton fixture for nearly thirty years.
Starbuck's opened a cafe on busy Nassau Street a few years ago but for real atmosphere and excellent java, Princetonians flock to Small World Coffee on Witherspoon Street. Recently expanded, this buzzing coffeehouse roasts their own beans, offers simple but good sandwiches and baked goods (try the morning glory muffins made with carrot, raisins and walnuts) and usually has a line out the door, especially early in the morning.
NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT Princeton can be a bit of a sleepy little town at night. The Yankee Doodle Tap Room, The Alchemist & the Barrister and TriumphBrewery are popular local pubs, sometimes offering live music. The recently renovated Garden Cinema has two screens with stadium seating and shows mainstream Hollywood movies as well as the occasional foreign or independent film. For stage performances ranging from Shakespeare to Stomp!, McCarter Theater is one of New Jersey's premier establishments, garnering the Tony award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Annual highlights include a summer opera festival and a celebrated production of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" every December.
THE UNIVERSITY Established in 1746 as The College of New Jersey and renamed Princeton University in 1896, this respected institution occupies a verdant campus that was modeled after Oxford. Over 6600 students study here and a number of activities and events are open to the general public. Music, theatre and dance performances take place throughout the academic year, as do a host of special public lectures and discussions (recent guest speakers have included Noam Chomsky (linguistics; US foreign policy) and Amos Oz (Israeli Peace)). Of course, Princeton boasts an impressive faculty, including Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, John Nash ("A Beautiful Mind," the story of his life, was filmed here), James McPherson and Cornel West; keep your eyes open and you might spot one of these distinguished academics roaming the campus. If the weather is good, take a leisurely stroll and make sure you check out the lovely Prospect Gardens.
SURROUNDING AREA Lambertville, NJ and its neighbour New Hope, just across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, have lots of funky specialty shops, restaurants and cafes, and make excellent day trips from Princeton. Several small nearby towns, such as Allentown and Cranbury, are now known mostly for the antique shops that attract city dwellers at the weekends.
INTO THE WOODS Despite aggressive land development there are still plenty of parks and nature preserves in the area. Princeton's Petrinello Gardens offers some lovely trails, including one scenic route around a small lake. Heading west out of town, you can visit the 200+ acre wood at the Institute for Advanced Study (Einstein, among other notable scientists had tenures here) or catch up on some history of the American Revolution at Battlefield State Park. The Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath, which starts in Trenton and winds through several scenic villages before ending in New Brunswick, draws scores of cyclists, runners, and families in good weather. A series of plaques along the towpath chronicles the building of the canal in the 19th century, primarily by Irish immigrants. For more serious hiking, Sauerland Mountain lies to the northwest, about a fifteen minute drive from Princeton. More excellent walking can be found at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association's nature preserve near the town of Pennington.
ACCOMMODATION In-town accommodation is somewhat limited to the upscale Nassau Inn and the Peacock InnB&B. Several chain hotels/motels are located on nearby Route 1.
GETTING THERE Princeton is connected to New York City and Philadelphia (and points in-between, such as New Brunswick and Newark) via New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor rail line. A shuttle train, called the "Dinky", operates between downtown Princeton and the main train station in suburban Princeton Junction, four miles away. There's also reliable bus service every half hour into New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Return tickets cost around $16 (bus and train), and the journey takes about 90 minutes.
Several major roadways, including Interstates 1 and 95, and State Routes 206 and 27, snake around or run though the town. Newark International Airport is a 45 minute drive to the northeast.
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My brother lives in Princeton Junction. A good friend of my Mum's lives in Princeton - her husband was a professor there (Marion J Levy Jr - you can run a Google search on him and find out what he did) - my mum lives in Yardley, about 20 minutes from New Hope...ah...makes me miss my family. Cheers, Kate
kris002263 13.12.2003 23:54
Good op, well deserves the diamond well done, hope there all this good cant wait to read more - kris
franl 01.12.2003 16:54
I would have nominated it for a diamond but you already have one! Great op, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Fran
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