Princeton WannaBe Blog

I'm not a real historian.   I didn't grow up in Princeton.    I don't have an Ivy League education.   

I'm a total Princeton WannaBe. 

Still, I gush about loving the heart of Princeton as much as I can!


 

 


Stosh's Costumes ..... School Approved and, Well, The One That Made His Dream Come True!

Here's Stosh's costume for elementary school.  It's the right chord for cool and ghostly without sending the younger good guys to bed.

 

Here's Stosh's 9 year old DREAM Costume .....

What am I most proud of?  Stosh knew when to fulfill his scary side AND when to make sure others felt safe. 

Thanks to Bella and Shug for more than anyone could imagine this Halloween Season!




 

 

 

 

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File This Under Yin & Yang is Chinese for WALKERS vs. TALKERS ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SOLD OUT Ghost Tour Weekend in a small business REALLY taught me ALOT about my family.  Should you EVER need them for FREE, UNLIMITED LABOR here's some advice:

1).  Count on Shug to lose his mind and schedule a 4 hour playdate during your busiest day

2).  Count on Mom to act like a crazy person arranging, re-arranging and arranging the equipment.

Luckily, we have The Amazing Regan to co-lead the Cemetery Hunts and Ghost Tours!  He's calm, cool and collected in the middle of all this mayhem!

(Of course, Regan's getting paid ..... hmmmm.... note to self on that one .....)

(And yes, because I think this post title is hysterical .... File This Under Yin & Yang is Chinese for WALKERS VS. TALKERS!)

Pictured to the right is my main man Steve O - He handles registration and overall charm at the beginning of the tour. (He's not paid but he's the love of my life so I think it helps!)

Ask Steve about the Psyleron Mind Lamp .....

He's A Believer!

His favorite ghost? 

Moses Taylor Pyne but that's a whole 'nother story!

 

 


 

 

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Princeton Elder Abuse ..... Why I'm OK With It.


Here's Bella and Shug, my parents. (Those are sugar sweet names they created when I gave them their only grandson. They are head over heels in love with Stosh and visit us in Princeton 10 days out of every month.   While others would think, "God, that's ALOT of family, I just look at them as FREE STAFF!)

This photo was taken after a planning session about how we're going to handle this weekend of Ghost Tours, Stosh's scary costume and "school approved" costume and leaving enough time for Steve O to do some metal detecting ...... I swear none of this is made up.

This weekend will mark the 2nd Halloween of Ghost Tours and, you can imagine, Bella and Shug have plenty of work ahead of them.  Shug's in charge of batteries and Baby Ruth's ..... Bella's in charge of sidewalk promotion ..... Steve O?  He's in charge of Stosh. Be on the look out for our "Lower Pyne Freaky Door"   .... Come by the Hamilton Jewelers building Friday thru Sunday and you'll see how a family business might be just what every family needs to create some life long memories!  (Did you know Hamilton Jewelers has been family owned since 1912?  I KNOW!)

This weekend's blog posts will be dedicated to celebrating my "Best Moments in Bella & Shug Elder Abuse" ! 

ENJOY!

(Please notice Bella's DOUBLE GRIP on the railing of our stairs.  That's mandatory for Bella and Shug going up and down the 36 steps .... God forbid they fall down the steps and get injured .... Then, I'd have to do all this work myself!)


 

 

 

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Follow The Princeton Brick Road, Follow the Princeton Brick Road!

Y'know the bricks in front of the Edgar Palmer statue?  They are FULL of cool Princeton facts and shameless name dropping!

The Gambino family lived in Princeton? (Yep, they left a message for you on Row #3)

A Gold Medalist has a brick there?  (That's her foot in the picture ... I KNOW!)

 


 

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Mom's Working the Sidewalks of Princeton ....

Here she is with her first tip from her first bus tour.  (We normally don't allow bus tour guides to accept tips but the bus of active seniors INSISTED that she treat herself to a special lunch.  Her first gig and she's already on probation .... anyhoo ....)

Technically, she was a "sweeper" which, in the tour biz, is someone who makes sure no one falls down or goes crazy.  If a customer DOES go down or goes crazy the sweeper has to stay with them until the group gets back.Mom only knows about Albert Einstein's relationships and the great shopping in Princeton so I'm not sure WHAT she told that poor customer but they must have loved it!

Yes, Mom'll be working the ghost tours on Friday and Saturday night if you want to meet her in person!  (So will Steve O, Stosh and Shug so get ready for a scary family affair!)

 


 

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Everyone Is Thinking About Halloween But Joy Chen ...

and me ......

Joy and I are thinking about March ..... March 11th - 14th to be exact!

Why?

Einstein was born on March 14rth .... 3.14 ..... the numeric equivalent of Pi!  I KNOW!

 

 

In 2011, Einstein's Birthday falls on a Monday so Joy and I are masterminding a Geek Freak Weekend! 

FIND YOUR INNER GEEK FREAK AND GET READY FOR PI RECITATION, PIE THROWING, PIE JUDGING, M-ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS, STRING FLINGS, EINSTEIN RE-ENACTORS, GEEK FREAK PUB CRAWLS, NO-SOCK SOCK HOPS (Einstein couldn't wear socks and concentrate...) AND EINSTEIN LOOK-A-LIKE COMPETITIONS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE MARKING YOUR CALENDAR ACCORDINGLY!

Pictured here are papers with equations from one of the top ten mathmeticians to ever live, John Conway.  He and his wife are allowing Joy and I to use some practice equations as the background of the Pi Day Princeton website ...... coming soon!


 

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File This Under DON'T Get Featured in The Trentonian!

Unless you want a TON of people reading about you!

Here I am at Olives ..... I guess the article about the best fried chicken in New Jersey got some attention!

This is actually my bud Jennifer, who is helping to put together an Energy Summit for Pi Day Princeton 2011.  She took time out from planning to pick up homemade fried chicken for her family last night!

THANKS TRENTONIAN!  YOU GUYS KNOW HOW TO SPREAD THE WORD FOR SURE!

 

 


 

 

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Wanna Live in Princeton? Here's a Great Opportunity:

FOR SALE BY OWNER

ONE BLOCK FROM PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

609-240-7292

No I do not know the owners, but I have loved this house since I started giving bike tours.

I hope a family moves in who loves the property as much as the current owners!


 

 

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Happy Birthday Dizzy Gillespie!

Donald Lambert is buried in the Princeton Cemetery - He and Dizzy were contemporary jazz musicians and dear friends.  We're taking the Princeton University Graduate Students out for a cemetery stroll tonight ....

We'll be asking Donald all about Dizzy and their times together during the JAZZ Age!

 


 

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File This Under "I'm Going to Have WAY Too Much Fun With This...."

I've always been the younger sister .... the one that got bossed around ....

ALL MY LIFE I'VE WANTED  TO BOSS SOMEONE AROUND AND NOW'S MY CHANCE!

Introducing Pristine Concierge on Spring Street ..... your one-stop-shop for anything you don't want to do yourself!

Their professional advertisements claim, "No job too small or too big."  My WannaBe brain says, "Really now?  This could be fun."

Here's a snippet of my semi-aggressive interview with Team Pristine Concierge:

ME:  "I'd like to buy a hand gun .... can you help me?"

PRISTINE PLEASERS:  "We can certainly research the rules, regs and licensed dealers to help get you started!"

ME:  "I have a hang nail .... can you help me?"

PRISTINE PLEASERS:  "Sure, we can direct you to several licensed nail salons within our block."

ME:  "I'm too drunk for car line pick up.  Can you help me?"  Okay, that was a joke, but

I swear if I ever find myself in need of true HELP in Princeton, I KNOW who to call ....

609-921-8700

or drop in on Spring Street - next to Cool Vines and across from Chucks ....


 


1 comment - Last on 10/21/2010

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Mimi, you are a unique brand of crazy. Really... WHERE do you come up with this stuff???


Now That's Some Smart Art!


If you haven't seen the Art Council of Princeton current display, you gotta go!  Here's your dream visit:

Go to small world coffee and pick up your favorite brew ..... walk one block to Witherspoon Bread Company for a bite of heaven .....

Sit on a bench and watch people go in and out of the Princeton Public Library ....... contemplate BOOKS.  The turn of the page, the smell of the print and the joy of KNOWING.

The display at the Art Council celebrates the artists that have used a bound book as a canvas to celebrate their art form. 

Be sure and check out the video before you go in  ...... I know the "hands" in the  video which shows each book ..... I KNOW! 


 

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It's Almost Princeton vs. Harvard Weekend .... Princeton WannaBe HEAVEN!


Okay, it's a big game weekend.

The streets will be FULL of Ivy League types.

Witty.

Charming.

Exceptionally Stylish. 

You know I'm right.  It's fun to see them come to town and have a rivalry. 

We'll be offering ghost tours so that after the game, EVERYONE has something fun to do!  (No, we're NOT making up a Harvard ghost to book more gigs ..... we might throw in some trivia about the rivalry though ....)


 

 

 

 

 

 

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In My Line of Work, The Rush Isn't What You Know .....

It's who you get to hang out with everyday!

Joy and I are getting serious about Pi Day in Princeton 2011.

She and Gregg Smith are designing a website that's going to be the perfect amount of steak-n-sizzle .... which is kind of becoming our brand ... yummy, huh?  Anyhoo,

What's she holding in this picture?  Original math equations from one of the top ten mathmeticians to ever live ..... I KNOW!  He wants to support the graphics with some real math doodlings!  When you live and work in Princeton, that's the kind of support you get for a unique idea!

 

Thank you to everyone who is supporting Joy and I in creating a Geek Freak Weekend for 2011. We are having a BLAST getting it ready!

Next year, March 11th - 14th .....You Wanna Be Around Princeton!


 

 

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In a Market Where Flat is the New Up .....

WE'RE GLAD WE INVESTED IN OUR GHOST TOURS & CEMETERY HUNTS!

EVERY PARTICIPANT GETS A CHOICE OF DOWSING RODS, THERMA-METERS, ELECTRO MAGNETIC FIELD DEVICES AND ELECTRONIC VOICE RECORDERS .....

BEFORE THE TOUR, GUESTS ARE REQUIRED TO USE OUR PSYLERON MIND LAMP WHICH IS LIKE PUTTING YOUR BRAIN ON A TREADMILL FOR A WORK OUT ....

HUH?  LOOK, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN YOUR THIGHS. WHEN YOU WORK OUT THE AREAS OF YOUR BRAIN THAT CONTROL INTENTIONAL THOUGHTS .... WELL, IT'S BEEN PROVEN THAT YOU CAN MOVE MATTER. 

"TIS THE SEASON FOR GHOST HUNTING AND PARANORMAL EVENTS.  DON'T YOU WANT TO BE IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE FOR IT?

 


PRINCETON GHOST TOURS - $15 PER PERSON - ONLY PAID ONLINE CUSTOMERS CAN JOIN A GROUP.


 

 

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Wanna Fall in Love? Here's Where You Need to Go!

Clearly this couple was already in love when they came to Princeton!   

She grew up here and wanted to show her boyfriend her hometown.

I love giving tours because everyone really does fall in love with our amazing town.

(I think they fall in love a little bit more with history too!)


 

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The Sexy Mata Hari was Executed Today .... She Was a Wild Child Girlfriend to a Princeton Girl?

Apparently so.  She used to hang out with Princeton home girl, Sylvia Beach.  Sylvia owned  Shakespeare & Company and they hung out all the time ..... Mata even met Ernest Hemingway there for delightful chats and, ahem, other agenda items ....

Rather than take time to paraphrase Mata Hari's life, I'll cut-n-paste from my sacred This Day in History info: 

Today in History, Mata Hari, the archetype of the seductive female spy, is executed for espionage by a French firing squad at Vincennes outside of Paris.

She first came to Paris in 1905 and found fame as a performer of exotic Asian-inspired dances. She soon began touring all over Europe
, telling the story of how she was born in a sacred Indian temple and taught ancient dances by a priestess who gave her the name Mata Hari, meaning "eye of the day" in Malay. In reality, Mata Hari was born in a small town in northern Holland in 1876, and her real name was Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. She acquired her superficial knowledge of Indian and Javanese dances when she lived for several years in Malaysia with her former husband, who was a Scot in the Dutch colonial army. Regardless of her authenticity, she packed dance halls and opera houses from Russia to France, mostly because her show consisted of her slowly stripping nude.

She became a famous courtesan, and with the outbreak of World War I her catalog of lovers began to include high-ranking military officers of various nationalities. In February 1917, French authorities arrested her for espionage and imprisoned her at St. Lazare Prison in Paris. In a military trial conducted in July, she was accused of revealing details of the Allies' new weapon, the tank, resulting in the deaths of thousands of soldiers. She was convicted and sentenced to death, and on October 15 she refused a blindfold and was shot to death by a firing squad at Vincennes.

There is some evidence that Mata Hari acted as a German spy, and for a time as a double agent for the French, but the Germans had written her off as an ineffective agent whose pillow talk had produced little intelligence of value. Her military trial was riddled with bias and circumstantial evidence, and it is probable that French authorities trumped her up as "the greatest woman spy of the century" as a distraction for the huge losses the French army was suffering on the western front.
Her only real crimes may have been an elaborate stage fallacy and a weakness for men in uniform.

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP!  AT TONIGHT'S GHOST TOUR WE'RE GOING TO ASK SYLVIA IF SHE AND MATA ARE HANGING OUT TOGETHER TONIGHT!  I MEAN REALLY, REFUSING A BLINDFOLD AT YOUR OWN EXECUTION!  WE LOVE IT MATA!  YOU ROCK!


 

 

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Happy Birthday Ralph Lauren! To Think You Got Your Start in Princeton!

IT'S TRUE!

Ralph Lauren got his first loan from Princeton University graduate Norman Hilton!

(His son owns Nick Hilton Clothiers on Witherspoon Street ..... never heard of it?  It's where Princeton insiders shop!) 

Here's mom celebrating Ralph's big day doing a walk off in our kitchen.  She's looking FIERCE in her "I-got-this-sweater-on-sale-nine-years-ago-but-it-still-looks-fine" pose.


 


1 comment - Last on 10/14/2010

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If  ANYONE approaches (finances)  me to write a TELL ALL on Mimi O.- I will sell out. (cheap). This is a promise from FAMED REIKI MASTER SISTER. 


Einstein Graduated From Princeton? Here You Go:

Einstein was awarded an honorary degree from Princeton University in 1921!

There's lots of cool people who have received honororay degrees from Princeton:  Spike Lee, Muhamed Ali, Bob Dylan .....

Don't believe me?

Those aren't even the best ones!

 

 


 

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Steve O Is In the Princeton Packet! Steve O Is In the Princeton Packet! I KNOW! I KNOW!

PROOF POSITIVE THAT I GO NUTS WHEN MY HUSBAND (or sweet heart son Stosh)  get mentioned in the press.

Every person in the PPL knew that STEVE O IS ON PAGE 7 OF THE PRINCETON PACKET!

I KNOW!

 

Why'd he get mentioned?  Pick up a Packet and find out for yourself silly!


 

 

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It's Almost Princeton University's Parents Day Weekend!

 

I CANNOT WAIT TO GIVE TOURS TO THE PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PARENTS!

 

I REALLY CAN'T WAIT!

 

This weekend's tour schedule has lots of walking tours, ghost tours and a bike tour to make every parent's dream come true!

 

(We'll be adding in some crazy info about famous parents of students this weekend too!)


 

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File This Under Another Reason I Love Steve O ...

Here's the voice message to me from my hubby this morning:

"Hey babe.  Sixteen years ago today, I woke up and knew I had to call you and get you to go on a date with me.  It's the best decision I ever made in my entire life."

I remember that phone call.  I was a psycho sales type in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was tough to get me to focus on anything other than the number.  I remember the message from my secretary ... I know, back then we actually had those .... anyhoo .... She said, "Some guy called for you but I can't say his last name .... Steve O-ma-something ..... the affectionate nickname morphed to Steve O.

Why this picture?  It's symbolic of the man I married.  When I was pregnant, Steve said, "I want to be the kind of husband that always dances with you and the kind of father that always swims with his child." 

Just when you thought the tour lady couldn't get luckier right?


 

 

 

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Princeton Public Library Raised 10 Million Dollars! How Did They Do That in This Economy!

In my opinion, they EARNED it by being committed to their mission and constituents. 

There's a reason Princeton kids prefer to hang out at a library rather than a mall ...... it's the staff and programs at our Library.

There's a reason Princeton seniors prefer to live in Princeton rather than Florida ..... it's the staff and programs at our Library.

There's a reason why their gala attracted donations and attendance from Princeton University's Entreprenuer in Residence, Nobel Prize Winners and Pulitzer Prize Winners .... it's the staff and programs at our Library.

There's a reason I call the Library our 3rd home .... it's the staff and programs at our Library.   

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY PPL! 


 

 

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Happy Birthday Matt Damon! WE'VE GOT YOUR PRINCETON WEEKEND CELEBRATION PLANS READY!

HEY WANNABEES .... MATT DAMON DREAMS ABOUT PRINCETON JUST LIKE US!  (He's a bit obessed with ALL the Ivies but this weekend, we'll be narrowing his devotion to two square miles of paradise ....)

He doesn't know we exist but WE'VE gone ahead and DEVELOPED MATT DAMON'S DREAM WEEKEND GETAWAY just in case! 

FIRST, WE'RE SENDING MATT & HIS PACK AT THE PRINCETON FOOTBALL GAME AT 1:00PM ON SATURDAY, (cool ARTS & CRAFTS AT THE PRINCETON ART MUSEUM before the game too - afterwards, some hometown fun at the McCaffrey's food show at the Shopping Center). 

SUNDAY, WE'VE BLOCKED HIS SCHEDULE FOR THE LIBRARY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION!  TONS OF COOL EVENTS AND WE'VE REGISTERED HIM FOR ONE OF OUR FREE TOURS AT 1:30P, 3:30P AND 4:30P! 

Register at www.princetonlibrary.org homepage!

(We've broken the budget and OUR table has secured the creators of Princeton Black Squirrel.  They'll be raffling off the first swag from their apparel line DEDICATED to Princeton's Town & Gown Love Affair!)


 

 

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Wanna Meet A Local Optician Who Knows Princeton History? Here you go!

Meet Dennis Pone ..... He's an optician with offices in Princeton and Hamilton .....  he took a moonlit walking tour with his wife and best buds!

If you Google him you'll see he's a Republican Councilman for Hamilton ...... Look, the tour lady has no politics (it's bad for tours) but I can appreciate ANY professional and/or politician that sees the value of knowing the history of their Hamilton constituents! 

 

If you want an optician that can get you seeing straight AND keep the conversation flowing with cool Princeton trivia ...... here's your 411:

Dennis Pone

601 Ewing St
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-924-7567

(Easy stroll or bike ride from the heart of Princeton!)

 


 

 

 

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Okay Princeton Time Travelers ... on This Day in Princeton History You're Gonna Be Sayin' CHOO CHOO!

Today in history was the first train robbery in America!  Yes, in 1866 the Reno gang were the first to stop a moving train in Indiana and grab the goods ....

Wanna time travel to the LAST train robbery?  It occured on our very own DINKY!  I KNOW!

Princeton University prankster, George Bunn (from the great class of 1963), along with three buds, dressed up like cowboys and rode horses down to the Dinky train tracks.  The boys  "stole" dates for their lawn parties and rode back through campus to listen to Bo Didley!!  (You can't make this up.  Go ahead and Google it .... last train robbery in America ..... you'll see George Bunn did ALOT more than rob trains ..... something about a pet ocelet and a bull dozer ..... ANYHOO!)

(Photo'd here is Stosh's uber cool principal .... Mr. Ciruillo from last year's Halloween parade.  He runs Riverside Elementary School ....... the best elementary school east of the Mississippi!)


 

 

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So You Think Princeton Is Uptight? Please .....PHOTO OF WACKY PRINCETON THREESOME HERE!

Yes, that title was meant to get the SHARE button en fuego on Facebook .....

experts say, to go viral you have to be a bit nasty .... we'll see .....

Pictured here is THE June Ballinger, Artistic Director from Passage Theatre Company .... I KNOW!  Next to her is THE world class playwright, James Christy ..... I KNOW!   
 

How did I meet them?  I weaseled them into doing a reading for Princeton Rotary from Love and Communication .... the new HOT play at Passage Theater.  

The whole time they were reading I kept thinking, "Thornton Wilder has been in this room, F. Scott has been in this room .... T.S. Eliot wrote The Cocktail Party while in this room ....." As I heard James  and June read an exerpt from Love and Communication, I knew I was hearing the makings of a Broadway Bound play ..... my next thought was,  "How can I get them to do an incriminating  photo worthy of a TMZ post?" .....

This was the best I could do ......

 

June is showing WAY too much love for Walter Mathau and James is looking like the whole thing isn't crazy .....

The man holding the irrelevant but cool prop is THE Dan Bauer of McCarter Theater ..... he's the public relations czar of McCarter Theater!  I KNOW!

For details on how to sit yourself in a 100 seater theater and see an original play that will change the way you look at autism through world class playwriting and directing head to see

Love and Communication -

Passage Theatre at 205 E. Front Street in Trenton ....

Show runs from October 7th - 24rth. 

www.passagetheatre.org


 

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I Know .... This Halloween, You Should Lock Yourself in a Cemetery!

Our Halloween Ghost Tours are nearly sold out ......

Don't wait until it's too late to say you made the list ....

ONLY ONLINE, PAID CUSTOMERS ARE GUARENTEED A SPOT ON THE TOURS .....

 

 

Yes, that's night vision in this photo .... guests use therma-meters, dowsing rods, EMF Meters and electronic voice recorders to PROVE Princeton is haunted!


 

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Cops in Princeton Get Thank You Notes for Writing Parking Tickets????


YEP! 

Pictured here is Chris ..... (He's paid to enforce parking rules in Princeton.  I know, you couldn't PAY me to do that job.  People are so tough on them!  Anyhoo .....)

Rumor has it he and his dream team are pretty darn good at catching folks who linger longer than the law will allow in Princeton ....

One rumor you may not of heard .....

The other day a visitor to Princeton accidentally put coins in the incorrect parking meter.  (She was a new driver and unfamiliar with Princeton.)  Chris, rightfully, put a ticket on the window.  A Townie saw the young driver's mistake and contacted the Borough police.    He went back to the car and removed the ticket! 

 

The Townie was so impressed with his kindness, she wrote Chris a thank you note!
 


 

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OMG! We Got the FRONT COVER of the The Daily Princetonian

I KNOW!

Contributing writer, Lucy Cobbs '14,  did a wonderful job!

My favorite part of BEING ON THE COVER OF THE DAILY PRINCETONIAN?

It's the oldest longest running campus dallie in the nation!

People like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edmund Wilson were writers for the Daily Prince. 

(I wonder if they haunt the offices .... looking over shoulders and worrying about deadlines.....I'm sure F. Scott does because he DROPPED OUT of Princeton because his grades were so low he wasn't allowed to become editor ..... TRUE!)

 


 


1 comment - Last on 10/03/2010

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SHOUT it from the mountain tops! Humility NEVER landed anyone on the front page.



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