Princely Princeton

With its tree-lined streets and Gothic buildings, the town of
Princeton, New Jersey does indeed possess a princely allure. During the early
part of the 1700s, in fact, the community was referred to as Prince’s Town and
also Princetown. Finally, the Princeton name stuck and today it’s a vibrant
municipality of some 30,000 people. Home to the Ivy League Princeton University
since 1756, it’s a town steeped in culture, tradition and lots of
free-thinking. Other important institutions and companies are also
headquartered here, including Westminster Choir College, Berlitz International
and Dow Jones & Company, to name just a few.

The central New Jersey location of Princeton makes it equidistant
to New York and Philadelphia and just a short train ride to both of those
metropolitan destinations. So not surprisingly, a lot of people that work in
the big cities live in this lovely little town. It’s this marriage of
sophisticated movers and shakers, inspired students and longtime locals sweet
on their community that contributes to Princeton’s appeal. (It’s consistently
ranked as one of the top places to live in the U.S. by major publications.)

This and so much more also makes Princeton a great place to
visit. Now back to its Old World charm. You’ll find the bulk of it in and
around Princeton University as well as in the rest of the historic part of
town. Be sure to look up to gawk at the many elaborate spires and other
interesting architectural features that typify many of the structures. It’s movie
set-worthy and, in fact, many movies have been filmed here, including the
Academy Award-winning “A Beautiful Mind,” starring Russell Crowe, based on the
life of John Forbes Nash, a brilliant mathematician and professor at Princeton.

Many other illustrious people hale from Princeton, including Saul
Bellow, T.S. Eliot, Toni Morrison, Woodrow Wilson, Joyce Carol Oates and
Michelle Obama. (And that represents just a smidgen of the Who’s Who from
Princeton.) Albert Einstein takes the prize for the most brainiac of them all.
This world-renowned physicist lived in Princeton from 1933 until his death in
1955. Be sure to take in the mini-museum at the rear of Landau Woolens that
showcases a collection of Einstein memorabilia such as photos, personal
artifacts and newspaper clippings. This also gives you a good reason to check
out the fine quality woolens sold at this more-than one-hundred-year-old
establishment. Purchase a Harris Tweed jacket or an authentic Loden coat to
look princely fine. Shop here, too, for lots of fun Princeton University garb
that makes for great, reasonably-priced gift items for yourself and others.

Allow some time for browsing on and around Nassau Street where
you’ll discover many unique shops. Up your I.Q. at Labyrinth Books, a terrific,
small independent bookseller just next door to the Einstein Museum. They also
put on a number of events that will help you to further expand your
intellectual and social potential. Be sure to check out their website for more
information.

Culture and education go hand in hand like notebooks and pens, or
in today’s world, personal devices and chargers. The Princeton University Art
Museum is a must, not only because it’s free but mostly because it houses
almost 100,000 works of art from the Age of Antiquity up through Contemporary
Art. On the far western side of the college campus–just beyond the Einstein
statue–you’ll find the Morven Museum & Garden. Housed in an historic
eighteenth-century mansion and listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, a visit here will imbue you with the sense of what it might have been
like to live in Colonial Princeton.

Drumthwacket Foundation, another property listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, also wins the hearts of people as a lovely place
to visit. It also happens to house the residence of the governor of New Jersey;
interestingly enough it’s only one of four residences within the U.S. where the
governor does not actual reside in the capital (which is in nearby Trenton).
Indeed, this place must be pretty special.

Happy touring!