Things to do in Princeton, NJ [Archive] - Straight Dope Message Board

DaphneBlack

01-22-2009, 01:53 PM

Hello Princeton and nearby area dopers!

I'm going to be a visiting research student in Princeton as of Monday. I seek your excellent advice on what fun things there are to do in and around Princeton. In particular, my boyfriend will be visiting for a few weeks and I'd like to have some interesting stuff to do when he's here -- possibly some stuff he can do on his own whilst I am trapped in the library.

A couple things: I don't have a car, and seeing as I am a lowly research student, I don't have a ton of money to throw around. I am of course planning on going to New York a good number of times which will probably eat up much of the money I do have...

I am willing to spend a little more for a really great restaurant or the like, so let me know any hidden secrets of that sort, but what I'm really looking for are somewhat quirkier, more outdoorsy things, if they even exist. More than happy to take public transportation a little ways if necessary and possible.

Thanks in advance!

twickster

01-22-2009, 01:58 PM

meow meow

01-22-2009, 02:02 PM

You could take the Gargoyle tour.
http://tigernet.princeton.edu/~ptoniana/Gargoyles.pdf

I work at the University. I have gargoyles outside my windows.

Eating out here is pretty pricey. Everything here is pretty pricey. With that in mind, the best seafood is to be had is at the Blue Point Grill on Nassau Street.

gigi

01-22-2009, 02:25 PM

Thomas Sweet's for a blend-in:

http://www.thomassweet.com/

Hoagie Haven for a cheese steak:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hoagie+Haven

Yum.

Shecky

01-22-2009, 02:33 PM

The Bent Spoon for ice cream.
Go on a tour of historic homes.
Rowing.
Quaker Bridge Mall.
Visit the University's facilities (not the bathroom...well, maybe if you have to pee)

DaphneBlack

01-22-2009, 03:04 PM

Just for the record, you're as close, if not closer, to Philadelphia.

ETA: In Princeton, depending on your cultural proclivities, you may well find shows of interest at the McCarter Theater. (http://www.mccarter.org/home.aspx?page_id=1)

That theatre looks interesting indeed!

Any suggestions for a trip to Philly? I've done the Liberty Bell and all that when I was about six.

The Scrivener

01-22-2009, 05:12 PM

If you like music (http://www.prex.com/), that's your shopping Mecca.

As for the McCarter Theater, the Star-Ledger just raved about their production of George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession. Tix run as low as $15.

Voyager

01-22-2009, 05:36 PM

Definitely agree about the Record Exchange

You walk past Einstein's House (http://www.einstein-website.de/z_biography/princeton-e.html) on Mercer Street, or the much larger place Woodrow Wilson (http://www.presidentialavenue.com/ww.cfm) lived in on Library Place, well worth a walk.

If you can get a car, visit the Cranbury Bookworm (http://www.cranburybookworm.com/), one of the best used book stores I know of - filling a house in downtown Cranbury, which is a nice town in itself. On the way you'll pass Grovers Mill, where the Martians landed.

Palmer Square used to be nicer before it got taken over by chain stores. Nassau Hall is across the street, and the Nassau Inn is right there. I haven't eaten there in a while, but I used to go to breakfast there nearly every week when we were interviewing candidates for jobs. The Princeton Library is also near, just around the corner from the Record Exchange, and is as good as you could expect. They used to have a case full of the works of Our Princeton Authors.

I suspect there are still groceries in the Princeton Shopping Center, but if you can get transportation and need groceries, go to Pennington Market on Delaware Avenue in Pennington, maybe 20 minutes away. When we lived in Princeton we used to go there to shop, which is how we wound up moving to Pennington. My daughter now lives in Rahway, and she's even gone to Pennington Market. While there, visit Pennington Presbyterian Church, corner of Delaware and Main. The walls date from the Revolution. It has burned down a couple of times, but the Hessians fled there after the Battle of Trenton.

Other nice trips, requiring cars - New Hope and Lambertville, on the Delaware. Chambersburg in Trenton is full of excellent Italian restaurants - ask around, since my info is out of date.

Great place to live and very walkable. When our daughter was a baby, we put her in a stroller and walked to Thomas Sweet's original place on Nassau Street. I think it is the first place she ever recognized - when we drove past she'd point and go "mmm mmmm".

Voyager

01-22-2009, 05:43 PM

And about getting to NY or Philadelphia.

The dinky will take you to the Princeton Junction station. It's stop is right by McCarter (which is a good place to go). NJ Transit is usually a bit cheaper than AmTrak (if slower) in either direction. If you look at houses near the end of the road on the Princeton side of the tracks you'll see the house where Alicia and John Nash lived (and might still for all I know) before Nash recovered. Alicia didn't drive and worked for NJ Transit, so it was a very convenient place for them.

twickster

01-22-2009, 05:57 PM

Any suggestions for a trip to Philly? I've done the Liberty Bell and all that when I was about six.

Plenty to do in Philly -- at the very least, I hope you'll come down so we can organize a Doper dinner for you. (OlivesMarchForth did a couple of months ago and had a lovely time.)

Depending on your interests, there's plenty to do here -- lots of museum (art, science, medical oddities, archaeology), lots of history -- theater, music, dance, etc. I'd be happy to give you a tour -- I love Philly and love showing people around.

DaphneBlack

01-23-2009, 12:49 AM

Plenty to do in Philly -- at the very least, I hope you'll come down so we can organize a Doper dinner for you. (OlivesMarchForth did a couple of months ago and had a lovely time.)

Depending on your interests, there's plenty to do here -- lots of museum (art, science, medical oddities, archaeology), lots of history -- theater, music, dance, etc. I'd be happy to give you a tour -- I love Philly and love showing people around.

That sounds great! I'd certainly enjoy a guided tour plus Doper(s).

Any other suggestions or advice (anyone?)

Is there anything approaching a Nature Preserve, a nice place to go walking, interesting public gardens, anything like that? I haven't found anything in my admittedly not extensive searching.

WhyNot

01-23-2009, 01:11 AM

That sounds great! I'd certainly enjoy a guided tour plus Doper(s).

Any other suggestions or advice (anyone?)

Is there anything approaching a Nature Preserve, a nice place to go walking, interesting public gardens, anything like that? I haven't found anything in my admittedly not extensive searching.
There's this really really weird sculpture garden/building thing that freaked the hell outta my brother and I when we came upon it while intentionally getting lost one day. There's this building, see, with a bunch of sculptures inside. All looking like people going about their business only with the not moving on account of being sculptures. I can't express how eerie it was, this building in the middle of nowhere, with all these...bodies...in it. It was like that scene in Serenity when they find the office building on Miranda with all the corpseiness.

Then we turned around, walked a little ways away, and, I swear to Og, there was Toad's carriage from The Wind in the Willows. And more statues, only this time looking like they belonged in a children's book. Around the corner was a restaurant, looking like an English taverney thing, but - again - in the middle of freaking nowhere. Being short of funds and a little creeped out by the whole place, we ran away.

Down the street is another sculpture park along the road and a bunch of yards with really cool looking bits and pieces of big boats, giant concrete shapes and stuff. Some sort of warehouses or art studios or boatyards, we really couldn't tell which.

It was a very surreal afternoon.

I'm sure the local Dopers can tell you where we were. If you were to go looking for it, it'd be a nice woodsey walk.

Loach

01-23-2009, 01:28 AM

Moving to New Jersey without a car is about as logical to me as someone saying they are going skydiving without a parachute. I guess its possible but I wouldn't want to try it.

WhyNot

01-23-2009, 01:44 AM

Ah ah ah! Here we go: Rat's Restaurant (http://wine-people.com/ratsphotopage.htm) at the Grounds for Sculpture (http://www.pbase.com/koo22/september2005). Near Trenton, actually (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B06E7DE1438F931A1575BC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1). You'll need a car to get there from Princeton.

We were there, I forgot to mention, in the dead of winter on a Sunday afternoon, with nobody else around (except for a few people working in the restaurant, I guess). We saw very little, and seeing these pictures really makes me want to go back and explore lots more!

storyteller0910

01-23-2009, 06:04 AM

There's this really really weird sculpture garden/building thing that freaked the hell outta my brother and I when we came upon it while intentionally getting lost one day. There's this building, see, with a bunch of sculptures inside. All looking like people going about their business only with the not moving on account of being sculptures. I can't express how eerie it was, this building in the middle of nowhere, with all these...bodies...in it. It was like that scene in Serenity when they find the office building on Miranda with all the corpseiness.

Then we turned around, walked a little ways away, and, I swear to Og, there was Toad's carriage from The Wind in the Willows. And more statues, only this time looking like they belonged in a children's book. Around the corner was a restaurant, looking like an English taverney thing, but - again - in the middle of freaking nowhere. Being short of funds and a little creeped out by the whole place, we ran away.

Down the street is another sculpture park along the road and a bunch of yards with really cool looking bits and pieces of big boats, giant concrete shapes and stuff. Some sort of warehouses or art studios or boatyards, we really couldn't tell which.

It was a very surreal afternoon.

I'm sure the local Dopers can tell you where we were. If you were to go looking for it, it'd be a nice woodsey walk.

Heh, Rats Restaurant! Huge fan. Great, great food, and the decor is a blast: it's inspired by the character Ratty from The Wind in the Willows. Fair warning: it's a pretty high end restaurant. I guess there are some comparatively low-cost options, particularly at lunch, but they do a seven-course tasting menu that changes every night, and for two people on a non-holiday the tasting menu with wine to match each course can be in the neighborhood of $200-$250. Can't recommend it enough as a special treat once in a while, though.

Its location is very odd; getting to it by car involves driving through some industrial areas in Trenton, and it feels like you're getting lost. The surrounding area, as WhyNot discovered, is the Hamilton, NJ, Grounds for Sculpture, which is absolutely as weird - and sometimes creepy - as she reports.

(Actually, the creepy sculptures creep into the town of Hamilton in creepy ways. About two miles from Rats there's a hardware store with two of those dead-eyed people sculptures out front - a dad and a kid on a bike, looking like the dad has just given the kid a push and the kid is wobbling. Come around the corner in the dark and have your headlights flash on that fake little boy, looking like he's about to swing out in front of you, and the experience is less than pleasant).

Loach

01-23-2009, 06:11 AM

Is that stuff part of where the Big Giant Heads are? The ones you can see from 295? I annoy my wife everytime we drive by when I point and shout"Big Giant Heads!". She hates those ugly things.

ETA: all this stuff is not within walking distance of Princeton and has typical NJ access to public transportation, little or none.

Hal Briston

01-23-2009, 07:05 AM

Is that stuff part of where the Big Giant Heads are? The ones you can see from 295? That's the ones -- the big 'ol blue and red heads, with nothing to identify just what in the hell they're doing there. Always good for confusing anyone who doesn't already know.

Personally, the name always brings to mind the phrase "grounds for mistrial", but used in a very, very bizarre manner.

twickster

01-23-2009, 07:09 AM

I love Grounds for Sculpture. The gardens are wonderful, as is at least some of the art.

CalMeacham

01-23-2009, 07:24 AM

Agree with Voyager about the Cranbury Book Worm, a;lthough there are also plenty of bookstores in Princeton proper (although not used ones).

Also agree that you should see Grover's Mill, if you have a car. See the War of the Worlds monument and the "tripod" water tower behind the Grover's Mill Company that was mistaken for a Martian:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2749
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/11516

There's also Elsie the Cow's Grave:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/pet/elsie.html

You can go to Princeton Cemetary on Witherspoon Street and see the grave of Grover Cleveland (and maybe Aaron Burr?). Pepper Mill also tells me that Tulane (as in Tlane University) is there, and the statue on his grave is noted pointed away from Princeton University.

and if you go to Thomas Sweet, get the Sweet Cream ice cream.

Loach

01-23-2009, 07:49 AM

Just down the road from downtown Princeton is Drumthwacket, the governors residence. They give tours on certain days and I think it is well worth it. Beautiful old house with fantastic furniture. The governor lives upstairs (off limits) , the first floor is like a museum. I never took the tour but I was there for an event.

http://www.drumthwacket.org/

corkboard

01-23-2009, 08:00 AM

For a nice restaurant, check out Mediterra on Palmer Square. Great ambiance and food.

Hunter Hawk

01-23-2009, 08:19 AM

CalMeacham

01-23-2009, 08:54 AM

Go to Princeton Hospital and tell all the passers-by that it looks nothing at all like on House. (then go to Princeon University and find the building they used in all those establishing shots).

Make fun of the "Sundial" tower at the Princeton University Library, opposite the movie theater.

What Exit?

01-23-2009, 09:11 AM

Moving to New Jersey without a car is about as logical to me as someone saying they are going skydiving without a parachute. I guess its possible but I wouldn't want to try it.
Seconded. I grew up not too far from Princeton and I wouldn't want to even think about spending time in that area without a car. It would likely be easier to go to NYC than to a lot of local places.
It is a tough area without a car. The downtown is very nice though getting to NYC or Philly won't be too bad.

DaphneBlack, let us know if you want to meet a bunch of semi-local dopers in Princeton for a Dope Dinner.

DaphneBlack

01-23-2009, 11:12 AM

It is a tough area without a car. The downtown is very nice though getting to NYC or Philly won't be too bad.

DaphneBlack, let us know if you want to meet a bunch of semi-local dopers in Princeton for a Dope Dinner.

I suppose I should have expected everyone to be shocked that I won't have a car. :) I've been living abroad for over four years and will only be in Princeton for four months, so buying a car does not seem like a good investment. It's certainly possible that for a very special trip I could rent one. As I said, I am planning on spending much of my recreational time in NYC.

The Sculpture Garden thing sounds very cool! I think the boyfriend might enjoy that as well.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. Anything else you think of would be appreciated, especially if it is in the actual city of Princeton.

What Exit?, I am certainly open to a Princeton-Dopefest if such a thing could be arranged!

DaphneBlack

01-23-2009, 11:15 AM

Make fun of the "Sundial" tower at the Princeton University Library, opposite the movie theater.

Funny you should mention this; that sundial is a copy of my college's sundial, so I've already got a head start on the mockery there. Out of context it is a very odd item.

Quercus

01-23-2009, 11:22 AM

Dinky Surfing!!

(Just kidding. If you ever ride the Dinky, please stay inside the carriage, rather than riding on top where the electrical wires are.)

Voyager

01-23-2009, 11:51 AM

The Sculpture Garden thing sounds very cool! I think the boyfriend might enjoy that as well.
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. Anything else you think of would be appreciated, especially if it is in the actual city of Princeton.

Ah, city of Princeton. They don't do it that way in New Jersey. There are two Princetons - Princeton Borough, which contains the University and Palmer Square and the core, and Princeton Township, which goes all the way out to ETS and Route 1. The Borough is rather small, and I don't think it is that hard to walk from one end of it to the other. It's quite common for a borough to be inside a township of the same name - Hopewell is like that also.

What Exit?

01-23-2009, 12:00 PM

What Exit?, I am certainly open to a Princeton-Dopefest if such a thing could be arranged!
So now we need a poster more familiar with the area to suggest a good place to accommodate a bunch of Dopers that you can get to easily.

Any suggestions Jersey Area Dopers? What nights or days are good?

BTW: you might want to check out the Weird NJ (http://www.weirdnj.com/)site for odd stuff in the Princeton area.

Ah, city of Princeton. They don't do it that way in New Jersey. There are two Princetons - Princeton Borough, which contains the University and Palmer Square and the core, and Princeton Township, which goes all the way out to ETS and Route 1. The Borough is rather small, and I don't think it is that hard to walk from one end of it to the other. It's quite common for a borough to be inside a township of the same name - Hopewell is like that also.
Freehold is another example.

WhyNot

01-23-2009, 12:07 PM

Zipcar (http://www.zipcar.com/nyc/apply/?group_id=2805463)has cars in and around Princeton. Might be cheaper then buying or regular car rentals.

Oh, there's also a great little beading supply store in town. I don't remember the name, but it was some cute little pun. Wonderful way to spend money you don't have!

meow meow

01-23-2009, 12:30 PM

[QUOTE=WhyNot;
Oh, there's also a great little beading supply store in town. I don't remember the name, but it was some cute little pun. Wonderful way to spend money you don't have![/QUOTE]

It's called, "The Place to Bead"
Next to it is a sushi place that is cheap and really good.

You should take a look at the Princeton Weekly Bulletin for the calendar of events in and around campus. It's both paper and online.

meow meow

01-23-2009, 12:48 PM

So now we need a poster more familiar with the area to suggest a good place to accommodate a bunch of Dopers that you can get to easily.

Well, I'm in Princeton about every day, and I used to live in the boro. The Masala Grill on Chambers (right across from campus) is a good Indian place. They take large groups, and the price is right. BYO. This is where we send our students to entertain prospective students.

What Exit?

01-23-2009, 12:54 PM

Well, I'm in Princeton about every day, and I used to live in the boro. The Masala Grill on Chambers (right across from campus) is a good Indian place. They take large groups, and the price is right. BYO. This is where we send our students to entertain prospective students.

Strange question: do they serve fare for those that are not keen on Indian Food and can't handle spicy food at all?

I just found the menu (http://www.masalagrill.com/menu.htm): The prices look very reasonable indeed.

meow meow

01-23-2009, 12:58 PM

Another idea is the Triumph Brewery. Right on Nassau. They have an upstairs that takes bigger groups.

What Exit?

01-23-2009, 01:06 PM

Another idea is the Triumph Brewery. Right on Nassau. They have an upstairs that takes bigger groups.

Here is their Princeton Dinner menu (http://www.triumphbrewing.com/blog/menus/princeton_dinner.pdf)as a PDF.

DaphneBlack

01-23-2009, 02:42 PM

Here is their Princeton Dinner menu (http://www.triumphbrewing.com/blog/menus/princeton_dinner.pdf)as a PDF.

That looks tasty, if a bit pricey. The Indian place would be cool with me, too. I suspect New Jersey is one of the few places in the US which will have Indian food to compete with British Indian cuisine.

What Exit?

01-23-2009, 02:46 PM

That looks tasty, if a bit pricey. The Indian place would be cool with me, too. I suspect New Jersey is one of the few places in the US which will have Indian food to compete with British Indian cuisine.

I can't speak for Princeton but supposedly the Edison area has the best Indian food in the Western Hemisphere.

gigi

01-23-2009, 03:44 PM

Dinky Surfing!!

(Just kidding. If you ever ride the Dinky, please stay inside the carriage, rather than riding on top where the electrical wires are.)

But if you do venture up there, be sure get drunk first and then sue them for your injuries.

http://www.iceandcoal.org/nfa/dinky.html

Students have twice climbed on top of the Dinky at night at the Princeton Station and suffered horrific electric shocks when they touched the pantograph, the arm that reaches up to the overhead electric wire. The student involved in the second incident, Bruce J. Miller, subsequently sued New Jersey Transit, the university, and three student clubs at which he had been drinking before climbing onto the car; the case was settled in 1995 for $5.7-million. The Dinky is now kept at Princeton Junction when not in use.

Fiddle Peghead

01-24-2009, 09:28 PM

If you can get a car, visit the Cranbury Bookworm (http://www.cranburybookworm.com/), one of the best used book stores I know of - filling a house in downtown Cranbury, which is a nice town in itself. On the way you'll pass Grovers Mill, where the Martians landed.

If you can't get a car and want a good bookstore, go to Micawber Books on 100 Nassau St. They have a good selection of new and used books, used books at great prices.

DaphneBlack

01-26-2009, 09:35 AM

bink

01-26-2009, 09:39 AM

Get wings at Chuck's on Spring Street!

What Exit?

01-26-2009, 09:44 AM

Hello, New Jersey!

I am here! Haven't had much of a chance to explore yet, but have spotted a few of the things y'all have mentioned. Next task is figuring out how to get around on campus.

If people are still interested in meeting up for dinner, can I suggest not this coming weekend but the next?

This sounds good, beside this Sunday is an almost national Holiday. Be prepared for Superbowl Sunday, our celebration of the game to determine the best Football (American NFL type) Team.

Might I suggest Sunday February 15th as Saturday the 14th is Valentine's day. Would a lunch or maybe a late lunch meet work for people interested? Should we start a separate thread?

Borborygmi

01-26-2009, 10:24 AM

Just noticed the thread... I am here mostly to reiterate Voyager's mention of the NJ Transit trips being less expensive than Amtrak. Unless money is no object, don't make the mistake of taking Amtrak from Princeton to New York.

And I'll vouch for the already-mentioned Princeton Record Exchange (plan to spend hours there), Thomas Sweet's for ice cream, Triumph Brewing Co. (beer! also good fish and chips), and Chuck's for buffalo wings (although pricey per wing, if you ask me). And Grounds for Sculpture is a blast if you can get there -- more for the layout of the grounds than the sculptures IMO (lots of almost-hidden little trails and passages).

Not yet mentioned, Tortuga's Mexican Village (http://www.tortugasmv.com/village.htm) as a nice little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. A little hike from the hub of Nassau Street, but it's a good, cheap meal.

And, FWIW the best gyro I've had in the past couple of years was from a little deli behind the main Thomas Sweet location (179 Nassau St.). I don't think they have anywhere to eat inside, though, so even it this appeals to you, you might want to wait until Spring for this.

Congratulations on being a visiting research student at Princeton, that's really awesome! Hope you enjoy the four months there!

Telcontar

01-26-2009, 11:41 AM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Teresa's in Palmer square. It's a great little Italian place. Pricey by normal standards, but one of the only affordable nice sitdown places in town. I'm also partial to PJs, American food with an emphasis on great breakfast (also slightly pricey for what it is).

I've a lot of experience eating in Princeton on a budget if you need advice; I'm a grad student there. Depending on what you want to eat, Thai Village, Zorba's Brother (Greek/American), and Chuck's (Wings, random American, lacking in ambiance) are good standbys.

The best part of Princeton cuisine is the ice cream.
Bent Spoon: hands down the best (and most expensive) place in town. Very unusual flavors (avacado, passion fruit). their hot cocoa is essentially melted chocolate. Closed until next week.
Halo Pub: Great ice cream, made from dairy from their own farm just north(?) of here. They have more traditional flavors. Also good coffee and warm beverages.
Thomas Sweets: Their thing is blending toppings into your ice cream. Personally not my thing. Much lower grad of ice cream than the other two.
Ricky's: toppings r us. Also, horrible horrible music. I pity their employees.

Shoot me a line sometime if you want more advice about living cheap in princeton. Important note: there is no direct train to philly, you have to transfer in trenton.
I don't suppose you happen to like folk dance?

DaphneBlack

01-26-2009, 05:41 PM

This sounds good, beside this Sunday is an almost national Holiday. Be prepared for Superbowl Sunday, our celebration of the game to determine the best Football (American NFL type) Team.

Might I suggest Sunday February 15th as Saturday the 14th is Valentine's day. Would a lunch or maybe a late lunch meet work for people interested? Should we start a separate thread?

Sunday 15th is fine by me. We could start another thread, but I don't see a problem arranging it in this one either...

I should probably have mentioned that I am an American -- though clearly no football fan. I'd forgotten all about the Superbowl.

What Exit?

01-26-2009, 07:39 PM

Sunday 15th is fine by me. We could start another thread, but I don't see a problem arranging it in this one either...

I should probably have mentioned that I am an American -- though clearly no football fan. I'd forgotten all about the Superbowl.

:D I don't know how I got it in my head you were from England. I think it was just your writing. It had a British feel to it including "theatre".

Now we need to see who else is interested or if another day works better.

kalmia latifolia

01-26-2009, 08:08 PM

there's a really good record store one block behind nassau street, but I don't remember what it's called. I remember going to a nice nature preserve somewhere in the area once too but I haven't been back to princeton since I was a child...

DaphneBlack

01-27-2009, 08:45 AM

I would just like to report that to reward myself for a day of running around like a chicken with my head cut off I went to Tortuga's last night. It was very cold and a bit of a walk, but boy that was some tasty Mexican food! Full marks.

What Exit?, I have been in England for over four years, so you aren't the first person I've confused. I switched to British spelling while over there, and plan to keep with it for this term so that writing my dissertation I don't have half in British and half in American!

Anyone else have thoughts on a nice place for a group dinner that hasn't been mentioned? And should we figure out if anyone can actually come to this thing?