With three eating clubs facing legal charges and the possibility of being closed indefinitely, there's an added incentive to finding alternatives to the Street. Sure there are plenty of exciting activities on campus, but what if one prefers to get away? It becomes more difficult than simply walking out onto Prospect Avenue and letting the thumping music and large crowds guide you. Without eating clubs, students have to fend for themselves socially by searching for a USG-sponsored event, finding a room party or getting creative on Nassau. To explore social options away from the Street, a friend and I ventured outside the gates Saturday night to see how well two 20 year olds could fare in town.
After eating dinner on Nassau, we decided our first stop would be Small World — but not for the coffee. I'd done some research earlier and learned that the small, hippie coffee shop on Witherspoon Street features a live band every Saturday night. It was about 9 p.m. when we got there, only 30 minutes after Dream Duo started playing. I expected some kind of folk music, so I was utterly surprised when the band turned out to have a very distinct electronic sound. Ryat, its singer, used a deep, jazzy voice to give it a rich and mellow feeling. We tried to find a place to sit, but it was packed — people inside were already standing around with their coffees and teas in hand. I didn't recognize a single face; the crowd consisted mostly of adults. It was cozy, though, and had it not been so crowded, the gentle ambience would have made for a relaxing evening. When I turned to one of the women making coffee to ask about the band, I saw that her eyes were closed and that she was swaying a little to the beat of the song. I took that as our cue to leave, though Dream Duo would go on for another hour and a half. By this point it was 9:30, and we left in a bit of a hurry to make the late showing of "Across the Universe" at the Garden Theatre.
When we entered the theater, I felt a sense of defeat; going to a movie seemed like a cop-out on our quest for interesting off-campus activities. I felt even worse when I noticed the theater was packed with familiar faces — so much for getting off the beaten track. I didn't let that discourage me, however, and I promised myself the night would get better once the movie got out. So when it ended around midnight, we headed straight for Thomas Sweet for some dessert. Only, it was too late. As we walked up the steps, one of the young guys inside saw us and shook his head at us. But it was only 12! I refused to believe the night would end, this early, and I was determined to find another option that didn't involve eating.
As we walked back up Nassau toward campus, we passed by Triumph Brewery, saw it was open and decided to check out the scene. I had been to Triumph only once, and it was for an early dinner, so I was eager to see what it was like late at night. Not even knowing if we could get in, we decided to try. We walked down the long hallway before reaching the hostess at the front.
"Hi, two please," I said.
"Can I see your IDs please?" asked Emelyne, the hostess, so sweetly and yet so full of doubt.
A little confused, we got out our proxes while she explained, "You have to be 21 or over to sit at the bar. But if you want to eat something, we can seat you right away."
I said we wanted to eat, though in truth I was still full from dinner. I just wanted the chance to see what the place was like, to pretend like we were there to enjoy the darkly lit room, the noisy crowd and the alternative band, the Alfred James Band, that was playing.
Emelyne led us upstairs, as far away as possible from the band in the center of the restaurant and anyone with a drink in their hand. I was disappointed to say the least, but I decided it would be fun to order a small appetizer and just listen to the music. As we weaved in between tables of 20- and 30-somethings on the way to our table, Emelyne explained to us that people are normally carded at the door after 9:30 p.m. and charged $5 on the weekends unless they just want to eat. In our case, eating was our only option, so we settled in and ordered a grilled-cheese panini and shoestring fries. Here we were, at our fifth stop on a Saturday night, and we were surrounded by a ton of people we didn't recognize. We were only blocks from the Street, but we felt miles away.
By 12:45, I couldn't believe all we had done, and yet how little. While I'd certainly found new ways to entertain myself without the Street, I realized that there is really not much to do in Princeton late at night under these circumstances. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the social scene in Princeton revolves around restaurants because there are so many options. Though movie watching is undeniably a fun pastime, it does get boring, especially when the only movie theater in town shows two films at a time and their hot chocolate consists of two packets of Swiss Miss and water. If sitting back, taking in a relaxing atmosphere and listening to music is not your thing, then neither is the town as a social alternative to the Street. But if you're looking for a break from loud music and dancing, take a walk down the block from Prospect, and you'll find yourself in a completely different environment, where the music is chill, the people are old, and you can't get much done without eating.
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