Utterly beautiful. 12 miles of hiking trails with up to a 400 foot elevation gain. 20 minutes from downtown Trenton. Need I say more? This is the jewel of the Mercer County Park system, and one of the nicest small parks in all of NJ. (Driving time is about 20 minutes; Rated beginner to Experienced depending on where you go).
Mastoris is one of those places that doesn’t seem possible when you first go there. First of all, it’s impossibly huge… the website claims they serve up to 2,800 people per day, and certainly the facility is large enough. Second, when you sit down, your waitress will bring you a plate piled high with two loaves of sweet bread, one each of cinnamon and cheese. Don’t eat too much bread, though, since the portions on your order, when it arrives, will be huge.
Anthony Rabara is a long-time Trenton resident, a retired ballet dancer, and one of the top Pilates instructors in the world. At a time when every gym and workout joint claims to offer Pilates instruction, Rabara is the real deal, having started teaching in 1983.
Prices are incredibly reasonable. The food, including the tacos, tostadas, and several of the meat platters is very good. Note, this is a dive. Clean, friendly, but still a dive. English skills of your server are likely to not exist, so if you don’t speak Spanish (like me), be prepared to puzzle out the menu on your own, and order via sign language.
Let’s see….suprisingly good and varied Italian food. BYOB. Reasonably priced. It seems in our household, we end up going out to Villa Rosa as often as anyplace in the area.
“So where do you shop for food?” has been one of those haunting questions for us Trenton residents for many years. In truth, despite the good efforts of the Supreme Supermarket, for years there hasn’t been a store in town where you’d want to buy food for a dinner party. Until now. In June of 2008, the somewhat mercurial Bogopa Food Services Corp opened it’s 12th Food Bazaar Store in Trenton’s Roebling Market. At 67,000 SF, it’s 3x the size of any other food market within Trenton City limits.
Warren Street is the center of the revival area of downtown Trenton. Go there to check out Classic’s Bookstore, the Big Easy or the Hummingbird, or to have a wonderful Italian dinner around the corner at Settimo Cielo. And while you’re there, it’s worth checking out the “revolutionary art” on Warren. (Rated for Beginner walkers)
It still says “The Garden State” on our license plates, but in most parts of NJ it would really be more appropriate to say, “Suburban Sprawl State”. However, if you follow this ride, you may feel you’ve ridden through a time warp. While there is some recent development along the way, for the most part it looks like it did in 1960. And these roads touch on some of the most beautiful farmland and scenery you can imagine for Central NJ.
Hong Kong Restaurant, located where Hamilton and S. Clinton intersect is probably the best, true Chinese take-out in town. This is a family-run restaurant, with an extensive menu cooked in front of you while you wait.
Everyone has a yearning for simple, cheap Chinese food from time to time, and you don’t want to have to drive to get it. In a town where there are some truly dreadful take out Chinese joints….listing a few that are pretty good is a useful service. Kam Buffet is a post millenium buffet joint, with a large dining room and a huge array of steam tables. The food is good, and management takes better care to keep it fresh and turning over quickly than many establishments of this type.
From the outside, Lucy’s looks like many other downtown Trenton lunch joints. But the food isn’t what you’d expect. Lucy’s appeals to the alternative eating crowd. There are always has a bunch of specials…for example the other day salmon burgers were on the menu. You get a choice of grilled vegetables with most sandwiches or wraps, where you can select from a lovely platter of freshly parboiled veggies ready to be grilled to order, including broccoli, onions, carrots, zucchini, peppers, and more. Of course, you don’t HAVE to go veggie. You can get a pretty mean cheese steak with all the grease and none of the greens, if that’s what you want.
Knapp’s has been around since 1944, and the current owner, Pete Garnich, started working at the shop, for Mr. Knapp, in the late 1970’s. He bought it around 10 years ago. The shop is pleasant, with a good selection of bikes for kids and adults, mountain and racing. I’ve bought 6 bikes as an adult for myself, and 4 for members of my family. I’ve never experienced the care and expertise that Knapp’s brought to the table when I bought my current road bike.
A decent Pan-Asian restaurant across from the Dairy Queen in Morrisville? Believe it or not… And the food’s the thing. With an extensive menu serving up Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes, no one should go hungry or want for choice. There’s plenty of seafood and vegetarian dishes (which you’d expect), one of the best sushi bars in the area, and even several dishes that will satisfy the unrepentant carnivores in your party.
“It’s Nutts” is immediately adjacent to Washington Crossing State Park, and on the way to Baldpate Mountain. If you’re headed there, it’s a great place to pick up a well prepared, moderately priced meal (in an area that’s not known for bargains).
Sayah Anne Richardson, the proprietor of Sayah’s African Fashion Studio, immigrated to Trenton from Liberia about 30 years ago. Ever since, she’s been Trenton’s “go to” dressmaker, creating custom fashions, or expertly altering dresses for a diverse clientele.
Part of the Monmouth County Park System, Clayton Park is an easy 25-minute shot from Trenton (off I-195 Exit 11). It’s absolutely lovely, featuring 8 miles of trails through a mixed habitat of mature hardwood forest, wetlands, and fields. The topography is rolling hills…there’s no more than a hundred feet or so of elevation gain at any one climb, but you can string together a few of those climbs to improve the aerobic value. More popular as a MTB trail than as a hiking trail, but both activites are lovely. (Driving time is just about 30 minutes, Rated for Beginner to Intermediate cyclists or hikers depending on where you go).
Frankye’s is a bar on the edge of Chambersburg , with a clean, nearly-charming dining room serving first rate Guatemalan food. The dining room tables are covered by white table cloths, and the floor sparkles. They can char-broil a decent steak, and serve the best Carne Adobada in town.
From the outside, Szechuan House looks like a pretty standard suburban Chinese restauarant, and at first glance, so does the menu. All of the standard Americanized items can be found. But look a little closer, and you’ll see a number of items that you never see on a “standard ” menu. Some frankly, sound pretty disgusting…but my rule is that if you don’t find at least a half dozen things that sound disgusting on a Chinese menu, you’re going to the wrong restaurant. As it turns out, there’s plenty on the menu that’s both authentic and delicious.
Art is a no nonsense mechanic. He works only on Volvo’s and Saab’s. He does all the work himself. He’s smart as a whip, and diagnoses problems that stump most other mechanics. Plus he’s honest. The cost of repairing my Volvo fell about 75%. And it runs better now than when I took it to the dealer.
Lucky’s has been located on the same location at Division between Clinton and South Broad for more than 45 years. John is the second generation, having taken over from his dad. Obviously, they haven’t survived this long in an unforgiving Trenton location by overcharging their patrons.
Galicja is a pleasant, typical local bar with an eclectic clientèle that happens to serve draft pints of Pilsner Urquell, a really good Czech beer, for less than the price of domestic beer at most local bars. On Friday evenings, free with the purchase of a beer, the owner puts out an incredible buffet of home made food.
Mi Tierra is another of the many outstanding Guatemalan restaurants in the City of Trenton, serving its burgeoning Latino population. Mi Tierra stands apart because: 1) the food is well prepared, a notch better than typical and 2) the decor is better than most. While not fancy by any means, it’s a pleasant place to eat, and the service is friendly.
Arctic is a great place to buy ice cream if you’re stocking up for a party. The smallest container is a half gallon ($5), or you can get the 3 gallon tub ($24.64). It comes in (count ’em) 45 flavors (though not all flavors are available year round).
Water Ice is a Philly confection: a slush (like a slurpee) made from water, sugar, and flavorings. In Rita’s case, the flavorings are generally fruit (my favorites: mango, wild-cherry, and lemon) with chunks of fruit mixed-in. Rita’s is a chain started in a suburb of Philly in 1984, that has been aggressively expanding in the mid-Atlantic states with some 400 stores.
From the outside, Henry’s looks like an old-school luncheonette, which went out of fashion in the early 1960’s. However, peer through the window, and you see something’s up with the large, modern cooking area, and nicely stocked shelves. Then you realize all the packages have Polish labels, and you remember that you’re at the very epicenter of the Polish section of Trenton: European Bakery is next door, Cosmo Food Market is across the street, and Rozmaryn Restaurant is around the corner.
Brunswick Sports is an old-fashioned bait and tackle shop that offers a good selection of products combined with expert advice. Re-opened by 4 partners in April of 2006, it’s the perfect place to find out what’s happening on the local streams.
The European Bakery (“EB”) is the expanded successor to the Eagle Bakery (now closed), which used to operate two blocks down Olden Street. It offers a wonderful variety of authentic Polish-style baked goods – pastries, cakes, and breads – plus a well-stocked deli with cold cuts, sausages, and an assortment of grocery items.
Franca’s is clearly the best of the old-line Italian bakeries remaining in Trenton. It does some lovely, crusty peasant breads, a mean sfoliatella (a ridged, chewy, triangular pastry filled with a lemony ricotta filling), and a decent cheese cake. There may be other good items as well; I’ll confess to have sampled only a few.
Chiarello’s delivers greater-Trenton’s iconic hoagie sandwich (submarine to those of you from northern NJ; hero, if you’re from NYC; grinder if from Boston).
The society supports regular showings of movies during the year (usually at the Mill Hill Playhouse where Passage Theatre mounts its productions). The society also sponsors a number of film festivals: the Trenton Film Festival, the Not Quite Legal Festival (for teens), and a foreign festival.
Striper season at Trenton will start as soon as the water warms up a bit. You need the water temp at or above 50 degrees to spark the bite…. Our best action has been in late April and all of May. You will know things are getting active when you see all the boats in the water fishing for herring right below the bridges and beside Kat-Man-Do.
Spring through Fall, Trenton’s section of the Delaware becomes home to a nice population of smallmouth bass ready and eager to take your fly, lure, or bait. Fish up to a couple of pounds are pretty common, and larger is possible. There are also Carp, which can be HUGE, and are much harder to catch than the smallies.
P&G Trading Company is one of central NJ’s premiere purveyors of fine seafoods to the wholesale trade. The heart of their business is delivering seafood to restaurants and groceries. While they used to have a retail store, they recently ran out of room in the warehouse and had to close it. However, I am assured by the owner that they will still sell retail, though only now in case quantities or whole sides of fish.
Some of the most beautiful candles on the planet are made in Trenton. Ana Candles, the original striped taper, are sold in premiere home decor, gift shops, and musuems across the country. You’ve probably seen them: they have a unique horizontal striped design in a variety of exotic colors. The design can’t be made with conventional candle-making equipment – Frank Weeden, the late founder of Ana Design Corporation, invented special machinery to make it possible.
Whatever your thoughts about the Museum itself (state treasure, or politically correct snooze-fest), the Museum Shop is one of the best places in the county to purchase an exotic gift for that special someone.
Cycling out of the Delaware Valley into the rolling countryside surrounding Stockton and Sergeantsville, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d been beamed up to Vermont. It’s truly special. This is NOT a route for a novice rider. If you ride it all, it’s about 25 miles, and quite hilly.
OK, so it’s not exactly hidden, what with Six Flags being a major player in the “Location Entertainment” business. But it’s only about half an hour from Trenton. And what a lot of folks don’t know is they have a great “season pass” deal.
Wendy Nardi runs a tight ship at the Trentoniana Room, presiding over an extensive collection of maps, photographs, newspapers, trade-cards, directories, and books (and much, much more) all dealing with Trenton’s past.
You can leave Trenton at 11 AM on the hottest weekend in August, and be comfortably ensconced on the beach long before noon. On the same day when your fellow New Jerseyans from, say, South Orange, are contemplating a 3 hour crawl through the world’s second longest parking lot (the Garden State Parkway – the world’s longest, of course, being the Long Island Expressway), you’re whisking from the terminus of Rt-29 to virtually the beach at 70 mph.
What’s the closest place to Trenton to get in a reasonable hike? The answer’s simple: Washington Crossing State Park (the NJ Park, not its counterpart on the PA side). It’s only about 8 miles from downtown, a straight shot up Rt. 29 (or you can cycle up the D&R canal, if you’re truly ambitious). (Driving time is about 15 minutes; Rated for beginner to intermediate hikers depending on where you go).