<p>It's time. Oldest S has other reasons to travel east this summer, and we'd like to build a visit to Princeton into the trip. We're thinking a weekday in mid-June, and I've checked to make sure that campus info sessions and the Orange Key tour happen on the dates in mind. (Engineering tours do NOT happen when we will be in the area.) </p>
<p>The visit will be brief, and mostly just the admission dog and pony show. But what else should we absolutely, positively do if we are in Princeton? (I was last there, for a professional visit to ETS, back before my son was born.) Where should we stay? What would be a good place to mosey around on our own to get a sense (as much as that can be done during the summer) of life at Princeton? All information and opinions eagerly sought. </p>
<p>Best wishes to all the rest of you with summer college tour plans.</p>
<p>If you are taking younger kids along with you, the Cotsen Children's Library (part of the Department of Rare Books) is really neat...they have books, games and a reading loft.
Our youngest was also really entertained by the "tiger" tour and the "gargoyle" tour...we bought booklets in the Princeton bookstore that list the locations of all of the above on campus and our daughter tried to find them as we walked around the campus.</p>
<p>stay at the nassau inn-- its relatively inexpensive over the summer, when there are fewer conferences and no graduation. That way you can walk around the town and campus easily. Since it's summer, you have to go to bent spoon!</p>
<p>We had our 3rd visit this spring, the others had been during the summer. I would say to spend the extra money and stay at Nassau Inn. It is the best way to experience the town and the school imo. There is a great little inexpensive and delicious icecream shop right across from the Inn not on nassau the other direction. We went this spring because we hadn't seen the campus while the students were there. I'll say it was as wonderful during the spring as it was in the summer. We also took the train from the station right on campus into NYC, you can get a pass at the visitor center to the library which was a bit interesting I guess. Enjoy!!</p>
<p>Bent spoon is great ice cream (Ed Levine said about it in his Best Bites of 2007: "I had never heard a word about the ice cream at the Bent Spoon until I came across it at the tail end of an outdoor event in a freezing rain. This is ice cream good enough to forget any inclement weather. In fact, this is four season ice cream, just creamy enough, intensely flavored, and perfectly balanced. Start with the ricotta ice cream and go from there.").</p>
<p>Thomas Sweet's on Nassau Street also has great ice cream. The third great ice cream place in Princeton is Halo Pub - it's likely the one 2by2 was referring to in her post (though it could've been Bent Spoon, which is also right around there).</p>
<p>Make sure to stop by Hoagie Haven if you're in need of some good sandwiches for lunch - it's incredibly good (we're talking so good that, when my [Canadian] high school's tennis team goes down to Princeton annually during spring break for a training trip and to play local schools, they all come back with Hoagie Haven T-shirts). Not particularly healthy - good old greasy sandwiches - but incredibly tasty.</p>
<p>I second the idea of taking a trip into NYC from Princeton on NJTransit since your son will be making similar trips fairly often if he attends. Having to make that trip is a good way for your son to figure out if Princeton is too isolated for his tastes.</p>
<p>As far as on campus stuff goes, make sure that you see what all of the residential colleges look like. I've not been on an Orange Key Tour recently, but I doubt they show you Wilson College (ugly 1960's architecture). It's important for your son to know that going to Princeton does not necessarily mean he will be living in gothic splendor.</p>
<p>I appreciate all the detailed information. The schedule on this trip won't allow exploring how to get to New York or Philadelphia, but I used to make that trip, so I'll be sure to mention how that works to my son.</p>
<p>I had fun using hotwire to search for hotels in my town. I take it that one doesn't usually get $79 rooms at the Nassau Inn through hotwire, right?</p>
<p>Trips to NYC or Phila are easy. For the kids in school you can take the train, there is a spur that is a few minutes walk from the doorms. You can then choose NJ-Transit (cheaper) and more frequent tains, to Amtrak (more expensive) and less frequent through PJ. Driving to Phila is easy 40 minutes or so to center city (pretty much a straight shot down I95) maybe less when no traffic.</p>
<p>My daughter will be staying at Princeton this summer to do research in her lab and get ready for her senior thesis. She will be back home during the time you are there, however, I mention this because she is not the only student doing this. I would bet if you called the Admissions office, they might see if some of the students on campus for the summer might be willing to meet you and your S for lunch if you liked. It's also possible that several of the labs might be willing to give you a tour, as the graduate students will certainly be there.</p>
<p>Also, given your son's math level, it's possible he'd be in graduate courses before senior year, right? So I would correspond directly with the Math Department and see what professors might be around.</p>
<p>Princeton is a manageable place, and the faculty and staff are usually pretty easy to access. Right now it might be tough to contact people, just because of finals and preparation for Reunions and graduation. But I think nothing would be lost in trying.</p>
<p>There are cheap hotels on Route 1, which probably put their rooms on Hotwire. I think that Princeton is one of the prettiest places in the world with buildings, especially in June, so I'd concentrate your effort on the campus. But, if you can stay in walking distance of the campus (e.g., Nassau Inn), he'll get a better feel of the place.</p>