This is my second trip to Princeton, NJ. Growing up in New Jersey you would have thought by my age---71, I would have visited this little city decades ago. Better late than never. We visited my niece, Leanne, her husband Sam and her new baby Owen. Sam left Wales for a life in New Jersey and he could not have found a better area to help him feel somewhat at home. The area has quite an international appeal. Sam can hardly believe his good luck that the World Cup is coming to New Jersey in 2026. After a wonderful visit with my great-nephew Owen, we went on a delightful walking tour of the streets of Princeton. On this very hot and humid August day, there were crowds walking through the town and the Princeton University Campus. Since I had toured the campus on a prior visit we skipped walking around the halls of ivy. We ate at the Triumph---a beer brewery restaurant at 139 Nassau Street, the main street. We stopped in a book store and passed by Hamilton's, a famous jewelry store, a Charles Schwab investment spot, and many pricey clothing stores. After our dinner we headed for Grounds for Statues (glad it was late in the afternoon or else we would have struggled there earlier in the heat) about 15 minutes away in Hamilton Township. One is able to view a few of the gigantic sculptures just by driving by. I heard about the larger than life statues so I was surprised to find that the place was more than just statues. It had water features like ponds and babbling brooks. They had fish, peacocks, hawks, pond dragonflies, and ducks. The landscape featured many special plantings of grasses, trees, shrubbery and some fantastic aquatic water plants. Some statues were an exploration of reflective surfaces, others had comic appeal, and forms that made you want to guess what inspired the art. Lovers would enjoy the isolated walkways between the statues. There were eateries and a gift shop with related offerings.
Having a beer at the Triumph.
A wall of succulents:
Hamilton's Jeweler dominates its spot on Nassau Street. We only window shopped and saw some watches by Channel and, of course, they feature Rolex watches, too.
Too much money on your hands......make a
deposit while you tour Princeton:
Good food at the Triumph:
Channel watches featured at the Hamilton Jewelers:
Not so quaint windows:
Bourdain will be remembered:
On the ground at the Grounds for Sculpture:
Most of the statues are outside on the grounds but there
are a few that are inside because of the nature of the piece.
Can you see my reflection in this gleaming art form below?
Below you will find a type of water lily: Nelumbo nucifera ----or sacred lotus
This young hawk was identified as a Cooper's Hawk. There were about four juveniles and they were chatting away and nearly oblivious to the patrons walking around the grounds.
Statues with special effects added one more feature to intrigue us.
