Living in New Jersey, we are spoiled for choices when it comes to arts and entertainment. We are sandwiched between two major cities: Philadelphia and New York. Broadway shows, musical performances at the Kimmel Center, and world-class museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation are all less than two hours from most points in New Jersey. Yet we boast some fantastic artistic venues of our own, including the recently renovated Princeton University Art Museum.
Established in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum (PUAM) is dedicated to preserving, organizing, and displaying over 100,000 works of art in the university’s collection (via Wikipedia). The museum’s previous home, a building erected in 1962, proved far too small to house the university’s prodigious collection, so in 2015 a new museum was commissioned, and it opened in October of 2025.
On a cold, gray Sunday in mid-February, my wife and I set off to the town of Princeton to grab some lunch at a favorite spot and then make our way to a see an art collection that the New York Times remarked “Now in a stunning new home, these objects seem to breathe and converse as never before.”
Let’s begin:
A Princeton Afternoon
Princeton sits squarely in the middle of New Jersey, and is an hour from Philadelphia and 80 minutes from Manhattan.We left our home before lunch and made our way to Princeton via back roads. Gray skies, temperatures in the 30s, snow in the forecast… it was a good day for some indoor activities!Rather than fight for street parking on a busy day in town, we left the Acura in the Chambers Street Parking Garage. Located off Palmer Square, the garage is relatively affordable, easy to access, and has ample parking.First stop: lunch! We made our way to Jammin’ Crepes on Nassau Street, one of our favorite lunch spots in all of New Jersey.Sweet crepes! Savory crepes! Breakfast crepes! Vegetarian crepes! So many options, and nearly every crepe can be made with a gluten-free batter. Jammin’ Crepes also sources most of their ingredients from ten farms in New Jersey.That will be a Bahn Mi crepe (Black Forest ham, house-pickled radishes and carrots, fresh cucumbers, and house-made aioli) for myself and a gluten-free Bahn Mi crepe for my wife. Fueled up after a tasty meal, we set off to walk through the Princeton University campus.As we walked through campus, I admired the Gothic architecture that is the hallmark of the university’s buildings. Blair Hall, built in 1896, epitomizes this style.As we neared the museum, an outdoor exhibit caught my eye. “(Any) Body Oddly Propped” is a 2015 installation of colored glass. Beautiful on a gray day, I’d love to see it when the sun fully illuminates the glass.We made our way to the entrance, where we paid the fee of FREE! The Princeton University Art Museum is open to anyone and is free of charge.You are greeted at the entrance by a colossal piece of art entitled Let me kindly introduce myself, they call me MC Prince Brighton by Chicago-based sculptor Nick Cave.We headed into the rather busy galleries! This was the fewest amount of people we encountered during our visit – the museum was packed!I love stained glass, and the detail of this scene of St. Louis of France fighting the Saracens blew my mind. The colors are stunning for something created in 1465… almost six hundred years ago!In a section of art otherwise devoted to Eastern Orthodox iconography sat Blue Marilyn, a painting of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol. Warhol used the style of iconography to draw attention to the almost religious fervor with which fans follow their favorite celebrities.The museum labels next to each work of art contain some interesting behind-the-scenes information. For instance, this painting, Christ Before Pontius Pilate, once hung in the dining room of Princeton art historian Allan Marquand. Marquand’s wife had him donate it, as she refused to eat with “anything so gruesome before her.”The label next to this self-portrait of Charlotte Bonaparte was equally fascinating. Charlotte was the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte, and she was a New Jersey resident! Napoleon’s brother Joseph fled with his family to nearby Bordentown after Napoleon abdicated the French throne in 1815.Perhaps my favorite story was that of Portrait of Old John, Head Waiter at the Kings’ Head Inn. Joseph Wright painted Old John, and then the painting was auctioned off to provide a pension for the man after forty-three years as a server at the inn.For many visitors, the star attraction is the collection of Impressionist art, including Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge by Claude Monet.The museum’s collection of ancient art is equally impressive. This relief of a genie once stood in the palace of Ashurnasirpal II in the city of Kalhu (located in present-day Iraq). It dates to around 850 BC, nearly 2,900 years ago. The inscription on the relief is written in Cuneiform, the oldest known writing system in history.This mosaic of Medusa came from a Roman imperial palace in modern-day Turkey, and dates to the late second century.Ancient Egypt was quite well-represented. Here the Egyptian goddess Bastet appears as a cat. In this case one that bears a striking resemblance to our own cat, Mikko.I thought this suit of armor from the Edo period of Japan (1603-1868) was very cool.From ancient to far more modern: A Twilight Labyrinth by Boston-based Josiah McElheny was mesmerizing.The museum holds several pieces by one of my favorite modern artists: the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. One of the most intriguing parts of this painting, Notary, was that his mistakes and revisions were simply crossed out or drawn over, ultimately still incorporated into his final work.Winter Veils by Edna Andrade of Philadelphia attempts to create a sense of motion through a stationary painting. I kept coming back to this painting again and again.So our verdict? The newly renovated museum is quite nice. However, both my wife and I concurred that in the transition into the new space, it may have lost a little of the homey charm of the previous incarnation. The new museum feels quite professional, like an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The older one felt a bit more informal and relaxed, like a group of students had mixed-and-matched their favorite artwork as a semester project. That said, the PUAM is definitely worth a visit!Before heading home, we made one last stop in Princeton – The Bent Spoon, one of our favorite ice cream shops in New Jersey!Defying the cold February temperatures, my wife got two scoops of vegan ice cream – one vanilla and one dark chocolate. I, on the other hand, opted for the winter special: hot chocolate with homemade whipped cream. It was maybe the best hot chocolate that I have ever drank. Fueled up, we headed back to the Acura to go home.A half hour later, we were back in our garage. The 70,000 mile mark is fast approaching – onward!
Garage Updates
My trusty Acura TLX recently informed me that it needed some maintenance TLC, so off we went to Bridgewater Acura.While I waited for my car, I ambled through the showroom. The dealer has a red Honda S2000 convertible for sale. The late 90s and early 2000s was the era when Honda/Acura created some of its best designs, and one of the most iconic models is this little high-revving convertible. I resisted the temptation to look at the price tag.After an oil change, a tire rotation, and fresh fluids for the all-wheel drive system (differential and transfer case fluids, if you’re keeping score at home), my Acura TLX was ready for another 8,000 miles of effortless driving.Meanwhile, my wife is currently tooling around in this Jeep Wrangler, a loaner from the dealer while her Grand Cherokee undergoes some emergency surgery. More on that in a future post!Well, the true head of the household is letting me know it’s time for dinner. Catch you later!
Wrapping Up
The town of Princeton is lovely to visit anytime of the year, with plenty of great restaurants, awesome shopping opportunities, year-round activities, and cool museums. The Princeton University Art Museum is well-worth a visit. It is open seven days a week, and best of all, the museum is totally free to visit! Do bring your wallet, however, if you want to dine in the third-floor cafe or do some shopping in the museum store!
Thanks, as always, for coming along on another journey down the open road ahead.
The Open Road Ahead 