For a nice restaurant, check out Mediterra on Palmer Square. Great ambiance and food.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.)
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.
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 NJsite for odd stuff in the Princeton area.
Freehold is another example.
Zipcarhas 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!
[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.
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: The prices look very reasonable indeed.
Another idea is the Triumph Brewery. Right on Nassau. They have an upstairs that takes bigger groups.
Here is their Princeton Dinner menuas 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.
I can’t speak for Princeton but supposedly the Edison area has the best Indian food in the Western Hemisphere.
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.
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.
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?