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ViewsPrincetonFrom eTripTips Wiki
[edit] Get inA small rail station in close proximity to both the University campus and the downtown district provides a shuttle service, known locally as "the Dinky," to the nearby Princeton Junction train station, from which New York City, about an hour's ride to the north, and Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, to the south, can be accessed. Reaching the center of campus from the Dinky is a bit tricky. Train travelers from New York should purchase a NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line train ticket from Penn Station to Princeton (not Princeton Junction). The southbound train from Penn Station will stop at Princeton Junction; disembark there and hold on to your ticket, as you'll need it to take the shuttle train ("dinky") from Princeton Junction to Princeton. The shuttle's Princeton terminus is at the south edge of campus; to reach the center of campus (containing the Admissions Office, Nassau Hall, the University's oldest building, etc.), walk north from the station through a group of triangle-shaped buildings, continue north on a road past a gymnasium (on your right) and a dormitory (on your left). This road dead-ends in a loop behind another dormitory, continue walking north until you reach an immense staircase terminating at an archway; this is the Blair Arch. Walk up the stairs and continue eastward along the path. When you reach a white marble building (Clio Hall), the admissions office (West College) will be just to the north, on your left, and Nassau Hall will be further north. A stair-free, less confusing path, is to take the same path through Spelman, but walk behind the gym to a road through the center of campus (Elm Drive), which leads north to West College and Nassau Hall. Visitors may wish to visit the Frist Campus Center for a campus tour. Tours depart from the Welcome Desk on the main floor of the Campus Center (take the stairs down, not up, at the front of the building). To get to Frist from the Dinky Station, the least confusing (albeit far from the shortest) path is to take Elm Drive until one reaches an east-west path running behind a white marble building. Make a right (east) on this path, and walk until you reach a major street (Washington Road). Don't cross Washington; just turn right (south), and continue until you reach the Campus Center, which is easily recognizable by "Fristhenge", a thin brickcourse supported by pillars in front of the building. (Preferably, one would continue north on Elm Drive and ask for a map at West College.) A commuter bus line runs north from Princeton to Manhattan. This bus stop is located across the street from Palmer Square, at the heart of downtown Princeton. Buses leave on every half-hour between 8.30 am and 9 pm weekdays, and irregularly before and after those hours. The Saturday schedule is similar, and the Sunday schedule is hourly. [edit] Get aroundEverything in the downtown area is easily accessible on foot from the main parts of the campus or the two hotels in town. A physically fit visitor can reach any part of town with a bicycle. The only public transit is a single bus line that makes a leisurely loop around the outer parts of the town. Taxis are easily available by cell phone. [edit] SeeSights in town include: The University campus, with many attractive buildings in "Collegiate Gothic" style as well as colonial-era Nassau Hall, the stately University Chapel, and the strikingly modern Woodrow Wilson School building The Princeton Public Library at the corner of Wiggins and Witherspoon. The library has been at this location since the 1970's, but recently rebuilt a state-of-the-art facility. They offer free Internet access to all if you need to check email or print a ticket. Their wireless network reaches out to the plaza for 24/7 access. 19th century mansions on Library Place, Elm Street, and nearby Small historical house museum at Bambridge House on Nassau Street Albert Einstein's house on Mercer Road. At his request there is no marker but it is the small, white, ordinary home located across Mercer Road from a small park. You can see it best on foot as Mercer is busy and there is nowhere to pull over. From Nassau Street, bear left onto Mercer. Walk past elegant row houses and a large church and continue past the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary. At the bottom of the hill on the left side of the road, small homes front onto the road directly above the sidewalk. The second one you encounter was Einstein's. The picturesque, 18th century Nassau Inn in Palmer Square is worth visiting even for those not wealthy enough to book a room there. Princeton Cemetery, in the geographic center of town, half a mile north of Nassau street, contains many graves dating back to the early 19th century. Look for the resting places of Aaron Burr and Grover Cleveland. African-American and Latino neighborhood west of Witherspoon Street, across from the cemetery. Housing in Princeton is still racially segregated in practice, but the black churches and minority-owned businesses in this district of small single-family homes reveal a vibrant local community. Princeton Battlefield-site of an engagement in the Revoutionary War as Continental troops followed up their victory at Trenton by pursuing the retreating enemy. The Battlefield is a healthy walk from the center of town along Mercer Rd through a prosperous residential neighborhood. A memorial on the field incorporates imposing columns from the mansion of Richard Stockton, an area resident who signed the Declaration of Independence before renouncing the Revolutionary cause. Every other year the Battle of Princeton, the second George Washington ever won, is re-created at the site complete with firing cannons, men on horseback and charging troops. Dress warmly. Continue away from town on Mercer Street to see the striking 18th century Quaker Meeting House (ironically adjoining the battlefield), with its simple cemetery, and the 200-year old stone bridge, still in use, across peaceful Stony Brook. The towpath between manmade Carnegie Lake (the University asked for a stadium but Andrew Carnegie gave them a lake for the more gentlemanly sport of rowing crew)and the early-19th C Delaware and Raritan Canal passed numerous original canal locks and other historic structures. The towpath runs for many miles between the Raritan River in New Brunswick to the Delaware River at Trenton. Look for canoe and kayak rentals at Princeton, Griggstown and other locations. If you picnic, watch for poison ivy which abounds along the banks of the canal but also be on the lookout for Great Blue Heron, turtles and deer. Campus of nearby The Lawrenceville School [edit] Do
[edit] BuyDowntown Princeton is full of shops. Many are high-priced boutiques catering to the town's non-student residents, although some are worth mentioning.
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[edit] SleepTravellers on a shoestring budget should be aware that it is difficult to secure inexpensive lodging in town. There are a number of hotels and motels along Route 1 to the east, but those without hired transportation must note that there are no public transportation links to downtown Princeton from this area. There are no known hostels or lodging-houses in the Princeton area.
[edit] Get out
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