{"id":139,"date":"2020-09-04T15:31:47","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T19:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/2008\/05\/02\/mini-guide-to-princeton-a-stroll-full-of-surprises\/"},"modified":"2022-08-18T00:00:39","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T04:00:39","slug":"mini-guide-to-princeton-a-stroll-full-of-surprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/139\/mini-guide-to-princeton-a-stroll-full-of-surprises\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do In Princeton: A Stroll Full of Surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>PRINCETON, NJ\u2014<\/strong>Faced with a spring weekend and an urge to get out of town, Princeton may not immediately come to mind as a possible destination. What could a university town in New Jersey offer someone (possibly even a student looking to escape books and teachers) in the way of good food, relaxation, fresh air, and culture? More than you might expect. Here&#8217;s our short guide of what to do in Princeton.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_69462\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-69462\" style=\"width: 741px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-69462 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ.jpeg\" alt=\"what to do in princeton NJ\" width=\"741\" height=\"486\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-69462\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-69462 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ.jpeg\" alt=\"what to do in princeton NJ\" width=\"741\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ.jpeg 741w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ-350x230.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ-696x456.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/what-to-do-in-princeton-NJ-640x420.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><\/noscript> Princeton may not immediately come to mind as a possible destination.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Roughly an hour&#8217;s trip from Penn Station, the Princeton train depot is conveniently located in the heart of its university campus. Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College for New Jersey, boasts a bevy of charming architecture styles and a great deal of pleasure can be taken in simply strolling the grounds. One notable stop on campus is McCormick Hall, part of the <strong>Princeton University Art Museum<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-56933 size-large lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Princeton campus\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-56933 size-large lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Princeton campus\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>This venue houses an impressive permanent collection (68,000 works exhibited on a rotating basis) including ancient antiquities, and Renaissance, Impressionist, and modern works by the likes of Warhol, Picasso, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec. You&#8217;d expect to pay a reasonable sum for a ticket, but admission is free.<\/p>\n<p>Should you be looking for evening entertainment, the <strong>McCarter Theatre<\/strong> regularly hosts concerts, ballet, orchestra, and ground-breaking theatrical productions including a recent run of Mary Zimmerman&#8217;s &#8220;Argonautika.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Downtown Princeton is easy to explore on foot. Walking north out of campus, you will hit Nassau Street\u2014Princeton&#8217;s main drag. At its intersection with Washington Road, you will find Bainbridge House, one of the oldest buildings in town on its original foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Bainbridge House functions as the home to the <strong>Historical Society of Princeton<\/strong>, hosting exhibits on historic Princeton and acting as a showcase of mid-Georgian architecture. Continuing west on Nassau and onwards to where it merges with Stockton Street (Route 206 South), you will come to the site of several sculptures including the Princeton Battlefield Monument and EMC, a square (herein lies the joke) of granite featuring a bust of Princeton&#8217;s favorite adopted son, Albert Einstein.<\/p>\n<p>Heading a couple of blocks further down Stockton Street will bring you to the historic mansions <strong>Morven<\/strong> and <strong>Drumthwacket<\/strong>. Tours of Morven are $5.00 and are purchased at the old wash house (now gift shop) on the grounds; Drumthwacket is the active governor&#8217;s mansion and tours are available by appointment.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re in the mood for a detour, find Mercer Street on a map and look for address 112. The home is a private residence and is not open to the public (as Einstein requested in his will), but in locating it, you can say you&#8217;ve seen where Albert Einstein lived.<\/p>\n<p>In the event all this searching for Einstein has left you wishing for a museum dedicated to the man and his work, you&#8217;ll find one as unconventional as the man himself in the back of a store on Nassau. <strong>Landau<\/strong> has been open for business 53 years and is run by three generations of folks who know their wool.<\/p>\n<p>They stock hats, socks, Princeton University logo clothing, and provide the free mini-museum dedicated to Albert Einstein. A trove well worth the stop.<\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve worked up an appetite, there are many options for multiple budgets. <strong>Zorba&#8217;s Brother<\/strong> on Nassau serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a Greek-diner touch. Heading east on Nassau, <strong>Hoagie Haven<\/strong>\u2014a favorite with college students\u2014offers good, cheap, and greasy burgers, fries and sandwiches. <strong>Teresa Caff\u00e9<\/strong> (located on Palmer Square just off Nassau) has a nice wine list and solid northern Italian cuisine with fine flavors.<\/p>\n<p>You can satisfy your caffeine craving at <strong>Small World Coffee<\/strong> on Palmer Square and take in the relaxed vibe and local art exhibited on the walls. Ice cream is a popular pastime in Princeton: you can find good, cold doses of dairy at <strong>Thomas Sweet Ice Cream<\/strong> on Nassau, and at the <strong>Bent Spoon<\/strong> and <strong>Halo Pub<\/strong>, both located on Palmer Square. Halo Pub stays open later than many places in&nbsp;town and in warmer months has a line out the door.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;d rather do a little picnicking, grab some&nbsp;grub at <strong>Olive&#8217;s<\/strong> on Witherspoon. You can enjoy your meal on one of the benches surrounding Palmer Square or take your bounty and walk over to <strong>Princeton Turning Basin Park<\/strong> at Lake Carnegie. Picnic tables are available, hiking and biking trails are to be had, and <a href=\"http:\/\/canoenj.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">canoes<\/a> are available for rental.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_69464\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-69464\" style=\"width: 741px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69464 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton.jpeg\" alt=\"Palmer square princeton\" width=\"741\" height=\"486\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-69464\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-69464 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton.jpeg\" alt=\"Palmer square princeton\" width=\"741\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton.jpeg 741w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton-350x230.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton-696x456.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Palmer-square-princeton-640x420.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><\/noscript> Palmer Square. Photo Credit: Dan Komoda Photography by <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/deed.en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">License 3.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If shopping is more your style and you aren&#8217;t interested in the little trek over to the <strong>Princeton Shopping Center<\/strong> on Harrison Street, there are still wares to be had nearer by. In addition to familiar ivy-league staples like Ann Taylor, J Crew, and Banana Republic, local chocolatiers, lingerie, clothing and home accessory boutiques are plentiful on Palmer Square.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for funky local shops, check out <strong>Jazams<\/strong> toy shop, pick up some cigars at <strong>A Little Taste of Cuba<\/strong>, or find yourself one of those hard-to-find disks at <strong>Princeton Record Exchange<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Should all of this sound like a little too much adventure to fit into one day, easily-accessible lodging can be found at <strong>Nassau Inn<\/strong> on Palmer Square or <strong>The Peacock Inn<\/strong> bed and breakfast, located on Bayard Lane. Stay for a few hours or stay a while longer than that. However long your visit, enjoy Princeton\u2014it does Jersey proud.<\/p>\n<p><strong> How to get there:<\/strong> <em>Princeton is accessible from Penn Station via NJTransit&#8217;s Northeast Corridor line to Princeton. (You will transfer at Princeton Junction to the shuttle train affectionately known by locals as &#8220;the Dinky&#8221; to Princeton. Hold onto your ticket for the transfer.) For access to the latest station to station schedule, click here.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 align=\"center\"><strong><em>Featured Locations<\/em><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 align=\"center\"><strong><em>Culture<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong> Princeton University Art Museum<\/strong> | McCormick Hall | 609.258.3788 | <a title=\"Princeton University Art Museum\" href=\"http:\/\/princetonartmuseum.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">princetonartmuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>McCarter Theatre<\/strong> | 91 University Place | 609.258.2787 | <a title=\"McCarter Theatre\" href=\"http:\/\/mccarter.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mccarter.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Historical Society of Princeton<\/strong> | 158 Nassau Street | 609.921.6748 | <a title=\"Historical Society of Princeton\" href=\"http:\/\/princetonhistory.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">princetonhistory.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Morven<\/strong> | 55 Stockton Street | 609.924.8144 |&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/morven.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">morven.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Drumthwacket<\/strong> | 354 Stockton Street | 609.683.0057&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Landau <\/strong>| 102 Nassau Street | 609.924.3494&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 align=\"center\"><strong><em>Dining<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Thomas Sweet Ice Cream<\/strong> | 183 Nassau Street | 609.683.8720&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zorba&#8217;s Brother<\/strong> | 80 Nassau Street | 609.279.0999<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hoagie Haven<\/strong> | 242 Nassau Street | 609.921.7723<\/p>\n<p><strong>Teresa Caff\u00e9<\/strong> | 21 Palmer Square East | 609.921.1974 |&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Small World Coffee<\/strong> | 14 Witherspoon Street | 609.924.4377 x2&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong> The Bent Spoon<\/strong> | 35 Palmer Square West | 609.924.2368<\/p>\n<p><strong>Halo Pub<\/strong> | 9 Hulfish Street | 609.921.1710&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Olive&#8217;s Deli &amp; Bakery<\/strong> | 22 Witherspoon Street | 609.921.1569&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 align=\"center\"><strong><em>Shopping<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Princeton Shopping Center<\/strong> | 301 N Harrison Street | 609.921.6234 |<\/p>\n<p><strong>Jazams<\/strong> | 15 Hulfish Street | 609.924.8697&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Little Taste of Cuba<\/strong> | 70 Witherspoon Street | 609.683.8988&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Princeton Record Exchange<\/strong> | 20 South Tulane Street | 609.921.0881<\/p>\n<h3 align=\"center\"><strong><em>Lodging<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Nassau Inn<\/strong> | 10 Palmer Square | 800.862.7728&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Peacock Inn<\/strong> | 20 Bayard Lane | 609.924.1707<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><em>See our guide for getting to <a href=\"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/nyc-to-princeton-public-transportation\/\">Princeton from NYC<\/a>&nbsp;without a car.<\/em><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><em>Photos: Courtesy of Amy Lee Pearsall and Patrick Nouhailler.jpg<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- flickrset: 72157604849441999 --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PRINCETON, NJ\u2014Faced with a spring weekend and an urge to get out of town, Princeton may not immediately come to mind as a possible destination. What could a university town in New Jersey offer someone (possibly even a student looking to escape books and teachers) in the way of good food, relaxation, fresh air, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":56933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[315,329],"tags":[48,8,18,140,203,204],"class_list":{"0":"post-139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-day-trips","8":"category-new-jersey-destination","9":"tag-historical-site","10":"tag-mini-guides","11":"tag-museum","12":"tag-new-jersey","13":"tag-princeton","14":"tag-train"},"acf":[],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":56933,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/Princeton-by-Patrick-Nouhailler-350x233.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offmetro.com\/ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}