New In Town

We’re new in town and it’s starting to feel like home. Some relocation experts suggest that it takes three years to settle in to a new place, but after only a year, we are already thinking of Princeton as our town.   The only question is which Princeton ?  In a few short months we have discovered nature lovers’ Princeton, gourmet Princeton, artsy Princeton, intellectual Princeton, historic Princeton and sporty Princeton.   We continue to uncover delightful new corners, people and events that reveal a side of the area we didn’t know existed.

Our first autumn found us picking apples at Terhune’s, exploring the corn maze at Howell Living Farm, and hiking in the Sourland Mountains, where I learned that you need to wear an orange jacket during hunting season, and yes we did run across someone with a bow and arrow! (Maybe you all are blasé about that sort of thing, but it made me feel as if Daniel Day Lewis was about to jump out of the underbrush in a Last of the Mohicans kind of way.)

As winter and the recession rolled around I decided to audit an economics course at the University through the Community Auditing Program. Combined with lunch at the Institute for Advanced Study surrounded by geniuses (kindness of one their Friends), and lectures by visiting and hometown luminaries such as Alan Bennett, Calvin Trillin and Cornell West we felt at the epicentre of intellectual life on the east coast. 

We attended a very festive Christmas party at Morven, and countless productions at McCarter from Shakespearean classics to the newest American dramas.  We’ve been to concerts at the University, including Princeton’s own Symphony Orchestra.  Did I mention shopping for antiques in Lambertville and closer to home in Hopewell at the Tomato Factory ?

As soon as spring arrived we were inspecting three different farmers’ markets, visiting the Dutch Market on Route 27, biking the canal path from Princeton to Kingston for a lovely lunch at Eno Terra, stargazing at  the University’s open observatory nights and joining two Community Supported Agriculture plans. (I know, that’s a lot of vegetables, but it was so hard to choose between Cherry Grove and Honey Brook Farm. ) We were even inspired by the Princeton lawn to food program to plant our own fledgling vegetable garden. 

We have spent hours walking through the Institute Woods, Mountain Lakes and Carson Woods guided by Sophie Glovier and Bentley Drezner’s book Walk The Trails , as well as wandering through the University Art Museum,  attending  screenings at the Library’s environmental film festival, and listening to lectures at Whole Earth.   Is it just me or are all the farmers around here very dishy?  From Gary -call-me -Pa –Walton-with-some-Walter–Pidgeon-thrown-in -Mount to the delectably Alan-Bate-ish Farmer Ed, these farmers sure put the mmm in farming.   After feeding our minds, we had one of the best meals of our lives at Elements…who needs to go to New York or Philadelphia with restaurants like that in your back yard?

Of course all exploration has been punctuated by early morning risings for Nassau ice hockey practice, late afternoons courtside at  Nassau Tennis,  and weekends at Princeton University football games.    As far as we can tell, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sports – there’s lacrosse, wrestling, martial arts, baseball, softball, soccer, fencing, diving, and riding all available for novice and expert alike.   (Incidentally, if you are new in town too, and wondering why every other thing is called Nassau I can fill you in:  Princeton University received its  charter from King William III of England, who was also Prince of Orange, of the house of Nassau.  That explains all the orange too.)

So, yes, we’ve been busy getting to know Princeton.  It is astonishing what this town has going for it.  Next I’m hoping to uncover Princeton at home.  We can tell that Princeton is a party town; it seems the calendar is overflowing with glamorous events supporting a variety of causes.  However we want to check out those small get- to-know-your-neighbor-over-dinner parties.   Given the plethora of interesting and educated people in this town and the vast array of beautiful and inviting houses, we think this could be the dinner party capital of the east coast.    In fact, I’m throwing down a gauntlet to the Princeton community… go on, invite some friends to dinner.   It doesn’t have to be a fancy, candelabra type of affair.  In fact, it doesn’t even have to be home cooked (I’m sure the folks at Bon Appetit or Lucy’s Ravioli can help out).     I’ll be writing again with tips, menus and ideas for parties.  So start writing up your guest list, and let me know how it goes!