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).
Supreme is a decent sized market (10,000 SF, not a 60,000 SF superstore). The prices are reasonable, the meat, fish, and produce sections (targeting Hispanic buyers) are actually quite good, and the produce is fresh. Very cool.
In a good year, nearly a million fish will pass underneath the Calhoun Street bridge. When the run is peaking, you’ll see dozens of boats anchored in the current, filled with fishermen hoping to hook into one. Many of the fish range between 4 and 6 pounds…and even a small one will give an angler a wonderful fight, especially on light tackle.
The Farmer’s Market is located just over the border from Trenton in Lawrence (though with a Trenton postal address), and is located near Trenton’s Polish enclave. It’s truly a first-rate farmer’s market, with nine produce venders, three butchers, several bakeries, an Amish market, several restaurants and a plethora of antique, craft, and gift stores. It is also a terrific value, particularly if you purchase 2nd quality produce (sometimes slightly bruised or just misshapen) which is offered by many of the vendors at an enormous discount.
Put another way…all those suburban Italian restaurants which are driving the Chambersburg eateries out of business? Many of them are serving Porfirio’s products. Ain’t capitalism wonderful? If you live or work in Trenton, the place to go is the Anderson Street store. There you’ll find at least 11 different varieties of fresh-made ravioli in stock
Halo has survived by offering good quality dairy products (including all different varieties of milk, including lactose free, plus orange juice, iced team, lemonade, eggs, and importantly ICE CREAM) at warehouse prices.
Malaga serves authentic (European) Spanish food, not to be confused with the many “Latino” (Mexican, Guatemalan, Puerto Rican) restaurants that have opened in Trenton in recent years. The menu emphasizes seafood, though there are plenty of meat and chicken dishes as well.
The Mates Inn has got to be just about the most bizarre institution on this website, and an oddity that could only be found in Trenton. It’s a restaurant located at the NJ Department of Corrections’ administrative campus, operated by inmates in the Culinary Arts job training program of the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility.
It’s rare in the US to find a bar that delivers this combination of casual comfort and community connectedness. But the Mill Hill Saloon is one of the rare exceptions. Especially if you live in Mill Hill or Trenton Ferry, or work on South Broad, you can enter almost any night of the week and recognize a friend or neighbor. They’ll introduce you to their drinking buddies, and pretty soon there’s a bunch of you jabbering away about the news, the neighborhood, or whatever.
One of the secrets to cooking with spices is to always make sure they’re fresh. The difference between fresh cumin or ground coriander, and stuff that’s been sitting around for a while, is astonishing. That’s why Broad Imports Distributors is so cool. You can buy spices in the precise quantities you need, at reasonable prices.
The River Line is the best way to commute via public transit from Trenton to Philly, and it’s a fabulous way to go on fun weekend excursions with the kids, including the Camden Waterfront.
Tony’s been the owner and tailor-in-residence at his Emory Street store (corner of Roebling Avenue) for more than 45 years. Still fit and spry, he and his wife (who is the seamstress) can do whatever it takes to make your clothes fit. Trust me, whatever you need, Tony’s seen it before.
OK, so your teenage son arrives home on Sunday around 11:30 PM. He’s been out all day, never ate dinner, and is starving. Where do you go with him? Easy, Pat’s.
The Cosmo is at the epicenter of Trenton’s Polish neighborhood, right on the NW corner of Olden and Brunswick. It’s a mini holiday just to enter and browse the shelves. They’re packed with European grocery items: cookies, candies, dozens of varieties of pickles and jarred preserves.
The food is classic eastern European fare with an emphasis on meat, potatoes, and cabbage, although chicken, fish, and a variety of vegetable dishes are also on the menu. Potato pancakes to die for. Portions are ample. Prices are reasonable.
If you have a serious framing issue you need resolved, your best bet is to bring your artwork to Artifacts, and have Marge and Bob take care of you.
Women! Have you ever dreamed of having a personal shopper with exquisite taste who would travel to Paris on shopping excursions, to bring back affordable fashions that satisfied your deepest inner cravings? Betty Young, proprietor of The Comfort Zone, is just that shopper, and will push you towards an even bolder level of self-expression.
Riding a bicycle, walking the dog, or XC skiing in the winter, are all things you can do along the towpath of this superb “linear park”, which (with a few interruptions) connects Frenchtown to New Brunswick. It’s an easy ride on a MTB or hybrid, a bit more challenging (due to the occasional loose hard-pack) on a full-out road bike.
A city museum that’s actually interesting? Yes, if it’s the “Ellarslie” museum, located in a converted 19th century mansion in the middle of Cadwalader Park (a slightly faded masterpiece designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, better know for his other design: Central Park).
The “State Street Project” is the umbrella name for the programs at Passage Theatre that work with inner-city Trenton youth. It’s a huge part of what Passage does, much of it behind the scenes. When they mount a public production, RUN, don’t walk to your phone and reserve seats (they’re always inexpensive, and often free). Everything they do is worth seeing by kids and adults alike.
Few people outside of their loyal audience, and true theatre congnescenti, recognize that one of the best professional theaters in New Jersey makes its home in Trenton, and has done for nearly 30 years.
Papa’s, founded in 1912 by the father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather respectively of the current operators (Abie, Donnie, and Nick) making it the second oldest pizza joint in the country, and by another reckoning (continually operated by the founding family), Papa’s is the oldest in the country. Papa’s makes a proper Trenton tomato pie (it should, it virtually invented it). Unfortunately, moved to Robbinsville recently, so you’ll have to drive about 15 minutes to get there.
After being flooded out of New Hope, Eric Maywar reopened his used and rare book shop in the heart of the revitalizing South Warren district. It’s become a great place to find a book cheap, as well as to meet some of the most interesting people in Trenton.
A very good Guatemalan joint on Olden, and one of the oldest. Always inexpensive, it’s now one of the cheapest. The archetypal Trenton dive is worth visiting if you’re nearby.
It’s the weekend, and you’ve been sitting like a slug for too long. You want a walk in the country, but your mother-in-law is coming over for dinner, and you’ve really only got an hour. What can you do? Walk the Levees! (No driving required as this walk is in town; Rated for Beginner walkers)
Joe Festa has been cutting hair at the State Barber Shop for 45 years. It goes without saying that he cuts hair beautifully. But don’t you dare call him a “stylist”. No, barber will do nicely.
