One thing I love about Princeton’s campus is its proximity to Nassau Street. Nassau Street is just outside of FitzRandolph Gate, the University’s main gate, and it’s speckled with cute shops and eateries, as well as with fancier restaurants and boutiques. Walking down Nassau is often just what I need to get off campus and to get my mind out of the books, and I’m happy to have some more time to do just that because we’re now on spring break! So, here are few of my favorite places on Nassau:
1) Naked Pizza. Yum! I went here for the first time during my first month as a freshman with a free pizza coupon the University gave us. I’ve been back (many, many) times since. It’s healthy and delicious—I highly recommend the “superbiotic.” It really is super!
2) The Princeton Public Library. It’s not that the University’s 11 libraries aren’t enough; it’s just that our public library has a wonderful community atmosphere. One of my favorite parts is the small book shop in the front where you can get really nice used books for just $1 or $2. They also have a cute cafe by the entrance with some fun treats and drinks, and the library is sprinkled with great study spaces. As a Princeton student, you can get your own library card. I always use my card to check out travel books since their travel selection is so wide.
The other thing I love about the library is that it hosts a farmer’s market on Thursdays just outside its doors in the fall and spring. Fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan breads, homemade candles, local meats, brown eggs and flowers galore. In the winter, the library hosts the market inside once a month.
3) The Whole Earth Center. For my fellow health nuts, this is a must. It is a bit pricy (but less expensive than the U-Store on campus), and it’s an easy 15 minute walk down Nassau Street, so it is very convenient. I’ve found that the best sales are in September at the beginning of the academic year—think Clif bars, healthy cookies, organic peanut butter and the like, all reduced to a pretty significant savings. The other nice thing about the Whole Earth Center is that they have nuts and trail mix in bulk.
4) The Paper Source. I could just live here. The Paper Source is an adorable paper store that has decorative paper, great stationery, cute cards and the best calendars. Their windows are also always so festive and decorative, and I once did a card-making class here on a Thursday night with a friend. We each made several amazing valentines during the class. Simply put, the Paper Source is a must.
Of course, there’s also a Starbucks on Nassau, and I just couldn’t do justice to the myriad ice cream places in this post; they certainly deserve a blog of their own. So, these are a few of my favorite places on Nassau. And as I have more free time over spring break, I just might discover a few more.