Early Morning in Princeton

One morning well over a month ago now, while my girlfriend was still visiting family in Poland, I was having some difficulty sleeping. It was still dark out, since it was maybe around four in the morning. Seems like my sleep pattern has been a bit off in recent weeks, perhaps since as far back as my recent trip.

In any case, I was making good use of my time. Doing some cleaning at our place, and feeling good about the progress.

Yet, it occurred to me, just as the first sliver of weak light began to bleed through the curtains of the living room window, that this might be a good opportunity to do something which I have longed to do now for a long, long time, but had never quite gotten around to actually doing. Specifically, I had wanted to visit the campus at Princeton University early some morning, while it was daylight, but before people were out and about. Also, there was the extra added bonus that it had rained a bit overnight, and was actually raining when I first woke up. That meant that the Old World charm of Princeton would be enhanced (at least in my opinion) by the rain.

So I decided to take the trip and pay the campus a visit. 

The daylight remained weak during my drive from Hillsborough to Princeton. It still felt semi-dark, adding to the sleepy feel of the place when my visit actually began. I started at some familiar haunts, particularly Nassau Hall, which is one of the oldest and most historical buildings in the Garden State. The walkways were still slick from the rain just a few hours earlier. 

One thing that was surprising was how hot and balmy it was. The pictures might not suggest it, but it actually felt warm and almost swampy, even though this was still quite early in the morning. There were a few people about, but mostly early morning workers (including some construction) and otherwise mostly joggers. 

Now, I have grown fairly familiar with Princeton, and the university campus specifically, in recent years. Living about twenty or so minutes drive away obviously has something to do with that. But it is one of the major draws in this area. It almost feels like a little slice of Europe, a small corner with Old World charm, right in our figurative backyard. 

However, there were two times, specifically, when I really had done a major tour of the Princeton campus. The first was not long after my own graduation from nearby Rutgers University, back in 2001 (probably the summer, because I am almost certain it took place before September 11th). Then the second one was just a few years ago, during the pandemic. I met a friend who, believe it or not, used to teach a class at Princeton (theater class, specifically). In both instances, those two guys were far more familiar with the campus  - and the town more generally - than I was, especially on that first visit. 

This time, however, I was alone. Yet, I was determined to really pay the campus a thorough visit, and finally get pictures of things which I apparently had never gotten pictures of before. This included the sculptures of the animals, the Picasso sculpture, and the Fountain of Freedom, which I had actually never seen before. 

My expectations were that I would take some quick pictures, and probably be done in, say, no more than an hour.

The reality was that I was there for something like four hours. During that time, I walked over five miles, most of it without realizing just how much walking I had managed to get done. Also, I had brought a couple of books with me, and at some points, sat and read for a bit. At one point, I was seated and reading with a view of the Picasso sculpture, or at least influenced by one of Picasso's work, called "Head of Woman," as well as the famous animal sculptures. 

Very cool.

It kind of reminded me a bit of the recent visit to Paris, when I was doing so much walking around that I was walking miles and miles without quite realizing it. It was getting a decent bit of early morning exercise, while most people still seemed not to be out and about yet. 

In any case, I was glad to have finally disciplined myself enough to take the drive and visit the beautiful campus early in the morning, as I had so long wanted to do.

Below are some of the pictures, which seemed worth sharing here.

Enjoy.