A Local's Guide to Princeton for the Non-student

Having lived here for several years (and NOT attended Princeton University) I can say what the locals say, that Princeton is a town with a college, not a college town. Yes, the University is geographically in the center of town, and certainly provides activities for the community, but that's not all Princeton has.

I'm not sure what the per-capita stats are, but this area has a LOT of restaurants. In a quick walk, you could have Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, Guatemalan, French, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean, etc.

There's a cute movie theater which plays independent films, a world-class live theater, a handful of bars and pubs, nature and parks, museums, and of course, shopping.

A Sunday walking tour can offer some great historical tidbits and a good overview of the area.

Quick Tips:

I'd recommend the Sunday Walking Tour offered by the Historical Society of Princeton as an introduction. You'll learn a little more about the area and will walk through all of downtown (it's not very big!)

Pancakes at PJ's in the morning is a tradition (the line can form out the door) and Triumph Brewery at night will offer live music.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're in downtown Princeton, you can get around on foot fairly easily. New Jersey though is a car state, and you might find it helpful if you want to get away from the downtown area. Parking downtown can be a bit of a hassle, but there are some garages that always seem to have a spot.

Princeton is on the Northeast Corridor train line, served by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. The main stop is Princeton Junction, and then you take a little shuttle train nicknamed the Dinky to get downtown.

The town has bus service through New Jersey Transit as well, and can get you to the malls or even New York City.

For a college town, Princeton has surprisingly few bars. Triumph, a restaurant/brewery is a fairly popular venue in the evenings and is right on the main street in downtown Princeton.

The downstairs area serves as the main bar/lounge spot, and is quite popular with the happy hour/after work crowd. Many nights a week there is live music--Wednesdays jazz starts at 9:30, and Thursday through Saturday has various types of music starting at 10pm. There can be a small cover charge.

Bartenders are very knowledgeable, particularly about the Triumph specialty beers--and the beer menu changes periodically. They have a sampler/flight of beers that's worth checking out. You can get appetizers and food downstairs, or eat upstairs in a more restaurant-y atmosphere.

When it's crowded, Triumph can get pretty loud, so it's not the best place for quiet conversation, but it seems like a good place to meet people. For the non-smokers, New Jersey recently passed its indoor smoking ban, so it's no longer smoky inside.

The Princeton Garden Theatre is a great art house movie theater in the heart of downtown Princeton. It typically gets the more independent or foreign shows, though occasionally will show a more mainstream big-budget movie.

The clientele here ranges from about half students during the school year to older Princeton locals. I've been there on weekday summer evenings and been one of a handful of people in the theater, though on weekend evenings, late showings attract a crowd.

There are two theaters inside, both newly renovated with stadium seating. A $1million renovation in 2001 gave new life to this theater, a now-historic building which opened back in 1920.

Pricing is currently $8.50, with discounts for children, seniors, and students.

During the week there are two or three showings of each movie, around 5 to 7, and around 9pm (no matinees).

McCarter is a great theater for live shows, concerts, dance, etc. It gets some really big name people, and actually won the Tony Award in 1994 for Outstanding Regional Theatre. It frequently gets plays just before they head onto Broadway.

Throughout the school year (since the theatre is affiliated with Princeton University) there are events pretty much every day except Mondays, with weekend matinees and evening performances. Note: During the summer, the theatre is host to the NJ Opera Festival.

McCarter actually comprises two stages, the smaller of which is brand new (the original theatre has been active for 75 years). The season typically has five plays, each of which is on stage for a few weeks. At the same time, there are world music events, dance troupes, jazz events, cabaret singers, comedy shows, etc.

It frequently hosts one-night only specials which sell out quickly. Some names that have performed are (according to their website): Bill Cosby, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Bette Midler, Gregory Peck, Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Penn & Teller, Carol Burnett, Tom Chapin, Richard Thompson, Shawn Colvin, George Winston, and the Flying Karamazov Brothers.

The location of the theatre is great, directly across the street from the NJ Transit Princeton (Dinky) station.

Every Sunday (weather permitting) the Historical Society of Princeton offers a walking tour. The group meets at 2pm in front of the Bainbridge house (158 Nassau St.) and it costs $6.

The tour is about 2 miles through flat terrain. You can learn a lot about the area--did you know that the nation's capital was in Princeton for a very brief period of history? Other highlights of the tour are the house where Albert Einstein lived while in Princeton, and the oldest surviving building in the area (from the 1600s). The tour guide was very knowledgeable about history and architecture and was able to answer the group's many questions.

On the tour you walk along Nassau Street, so you can see all the shops you want to return to later!

Bainbridge House, built in 1766, is also a little museum featuring temporary and permanent exhibitions, a gift shop, and offers various self-guided tour publications and maps, including one of the local cemetery and all the famous folks buried there! The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 4PM, with the inner library open Tuesdays and Saturdays 1PM-4PM. A ramp to the building makes it accessible to wheelchairs, and the 'walking' tour also seemed to be accessible as well.

A great way to spend a few hours on a nice day in Princeton is to go out on the canal in a kayak or a canoe.

The canal isn't very wide, and you're given a lifevest just in case. Most times you can see turtles sunning themselves on logs, and various types of birds (OK, I don't know my birds, but these were not your typical ones).

In the summer it's open from 11am to 5pm on weekdays, and 11am to 7pm on weekends and holidays. You can get a canoe for $12 for the first hour and $6 each addditional (or $35 for the whole day). They also have kayaks for either $9 or $11 the first hour and $5 or $6 each additional, and $25 and $30 all day, respectively. Two-person kayaks are $14/first hour, $6 additional hours, and $40/day.

If it's hot out, bring water and wear sunscreen, and leave those cellphones in the car...