Somewhere In New Jersey

[aduncanson]

My wife and I are arranging to meet a friend soon somewhere easy to get to between Patterson & Cherry Hill NJ. The ladies might prefer indoor facilities (museum or shopping), but I would love to find some architecture or landscape to photograph. Does anybody have any suggestions? Does the Princeton area offer anything?

Thanks - Alan

[Walter Calahan]

Princeton is a small town. The university offers interesting architecture. There are plenty of shops along Nassau Street, as well as dining.

Personally I prefer the little towns along the Delaware River north of Trenton, such as Lambertville, New Hope and Frenchtown. Frenchtown is probably too small, but you can spend a day in Lambertville and New Hope.

[David de Gruyl]

Princeton is very mall-like. If you want what amounts to the same experience as going to the mall, you can shop there. There are a lot of pseudo-gothic buildings there (here, at the moment).

I'd also recommend Lambertville, but I'm not sure what stage of the flood they are at. (taken March 12th).
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5569847296_f0d1623d2f.jpg

Paterson has a waterfall in the middle of town and some decent Peruvian food.

[Dan Fromm]

Second Walter's suggestion. You might consider visiting Millstone, which strikes me as a little New England town -- big white church, etc -- transplanted to NJ. But Lambertville/New Hope is better for places to eat and the Delaware River valley offers better scenery than the Millstone River valley.

Cherry Hill, where I live, is a flat dull suburb.

[Graybeard]

My wife and I are arranging to meet a friend soon somewhere easy to get to between Patterson & Cherry Hill NJ. The ladies might prefer indoor facilities (museum or shopping), but I would love to find some architecture or landscape to photograph. Does anybody have any suggestions? Does the Princeton area offer anything?

Thanks - Alan

Consider Sandy Hook.

[aduncanson]

Gentlemen, thanks for your inputs. I am still waiting for a nomination from our friend and her husband the NJ native. I am certain that our decision will be heavily weighted by very practical issues like accessibility, comfort and food; but my camera will be present.

Dan, I have visited Cherry Hill several times since our friends were married there in 1979, and yeah, I have never slammed on the brakes and said "I need to take that picture!"

- Alan

[David Aimone]

Great Falls in Paterson (and the surrounding historic district soon to be a national park of sorts) and the nearby Garrett Mountain Reserve are two excellent opportunities for photos of both nature and urban settings.

I grew up near there...

http://www.patersongreatfalls.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Falls_(Passaic_River))

[Graybeard]

Consider Sandy Hook.

Sandy Hook offers a lighthouse along with a second, unusual double lighthouse nearby in Atlantic Highlands. There is a NPS-administered WWI-era Army post at the north end of Sandy Hook with any number of photogenic buildings as well as some Spanish-American War-era gun emplacements and an honest to goodness fortress from that period. Plenty of beach and surf, of course.

The seafood restaurants in Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright aren't too shabby either. The lady in your life would be pleased with most of them. If you like, let her go shopping and have lunch in nearby Red Bank while you shoot on the Hook. A decent Yoga studio is there as well - contact me on PM if this interests either of you.

You can catch the commuter ferry to NYC from several towns near Sandy Hook, Atlantic Highlands among them, and shoot all the way into the City. There are some unique views of the city from the ferries as well as of the Verrazanno Bridge which the ferries pass under. If you can't think of what to shoot in Manhatten, I will be unable to help you - Hint -start on the lower East Side.

I lived in NJ for well over 20 years and believe that the Jersey Shore offers more to a photographer than the other locations mentioned so far in this thread. I was never tempted to linger in Morristown.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

[Marek Warunkiewicz]

Sandy Hook is nice, especially the North end where you have some good views of Manhatten. Belmar Beach is nice, good pier. Asbury has a few nice places.

[rguinter]

... I was never tempted to linger in Morristown...

Neither was I.

But unfortunately I did....

Bob G.

[R Mann]

This might be something to visit if your into old restored buildings - public park and tripod friendly.

http://www.batstovillage.org/

[Graybeard]

This might be something to visit if your into old restored buildings - public park and tripod friendly.

http://www.batstovillage.org/

Allaire Village, further north than Batsto Village is similar.