A typical college student gets pretty antsy on the weekends stuck in the dorm room. Even if the campus offers multiple events going on, it still can get pretty boring spending the day stuck on campus with little to do.
Especially for an introvert like me, finding something to do is the hardest thing to do.
This weekend I was fortunate enough to get out of the boring, stuffy dorm room and go out and explore! Well not really explore but my friends let me join along in their adventure around my surrounding college area, which surprisingly, there is so much to do!
My college is 20 minutes away from the lovely town of Princeton, New Jersey, which I have learned has so much to offer. Whether you are a curious college student or an out-of-towner trying to find something fun to do, Princeton is the place to go.
My school, like most colleges, has a shuttle that stops various spots around the area. There are also buses, which are cheap and stop in major areas. My shuttle drops us off close to Nassau Street, which is basically the hot spot of Princeton.
My friends and I started our day at the Ivy League itself, Princeton University. The school is huge so we didn’t get to see all of it but what we did get to see was beautiful. The architecture is astounding. The old buildings are so beautiful and you will find yourself taking so many pictures of them all. A lot the buildings are open too, so you can see how beautiful the interior is! My friends and I walked into the chapel and it was breath taking. The stained glass windows were gorgeous works of art.
Speaking of works of art, the next stop on our trip was to the Princeton University Art Museum. Some people find art museums boring but when you get into it, it can actually be interesting and dare I say fun. Best part of the museum is, IT’S FREE! Yes, free! So the broke college kids can appreciate it and other people looking for something cheap and entertaining to do, here is a great option. The museum has paintings, sculptures, and ancient artifacts from all over the world. My friends and I were cracking up trying to pronounce the artists' names and even did our own interpretation of the art ourselves. It was an experience that I truly enjoyed at the end of the day.
At this point we got hungry, and there are plenty of amazing places to eat around the Princeton area. There is Winberie's for a pub atmosphere or PJ’s Pancake House for breakfast all day, but from all the different types of food we decided on Hoagie Haven. I had never been previously but now that I have gone I will admit that it is a place everyone should experience. They sell your classic hoagies for all the people in a plain mood, but I dare you to try a hoagie from their specials list. They put stuff on the hoagie that just shouldn’t belong on a sandwich. I ordered the Mac Daddy, which was a bacon cheeseburger Hoagie, mac n cheese wedges, fries, honey mustard, and hot sauce. I did not finish the whole thing because I probably would have gone into cardiac arrest, but it was definitely life changing.
Even though I was stuffed beyond stuffed, I still felt I needed my dessert. So my friends and I headed over to the House of Cupcakes located on Witherspoon Street. This cupcake shop was featured on the hit show Cupcake Wars and I now know why. Walking in you instantly get overwhelmed with the all sugary options. They have 45 different cupcakes flavors and if that isn’t a hard enough of a choice they also have cookies, chocolate covered pretzels and so much more. So what did my friends and I pick you ask? We picked a giant chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich and when I say giant, I am not over exaggerating at all. The thing was bigger than a cheeseburger. After the three of us tackled that monstrous thing, it was safe to say our day had ended.
So after a long day with a nice walk, beautiful art, and amazing food it was great day with the company of great friends.
So to all the college kids finding themselves experiencing cabin fever from being stuck in their dorm room, take a trip to your surrounding area, you’d be surprised what you might find, and for all the people traveling to the Princeton area, just know the options for a great trip are endless.