GTGL Snippets: Palmer Square on Ice, Princeton, New Jersey
It's been quite a mild and kind winter in our area of the northeast. Other than the drop in temperatures, the usual indications that we're well in the middle of the season have been non-existent. Though lack of snowfall isn't something that I would complain about, I have to say that it has gotten me and my family feeling out of sorts. There's just something amiss. We haven't done any of the fun wintertime things we do as a family. We haven't even gone ice skating at the Mercer County Ice Rink yet, one of the easy, cheap thrills we look forward to this time of year.
The Palmer Square on Ice event in Princeton last Saturday was a winter event we didn't know we needed. Looking at incredible ice sculptures on a chilly, though gloriously bright and sunny, day was a mood-setter.
We actually thought we weren't going to make it to this one-day event. Scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., I already knew we'd have to catch it after lunch, thanks to my son's morning basketball game. What I didn't anticipate was the struggle to find a parking spot. The metered streets in downtown Princeton were already lined with cars, and the entrance to the garages were barricaded with a sign that read, in bold and all caps, "FULL."
The event was held at the lawn in front of the Nassau Inn. It was already embellished with cool (see what I did there?) artworks when we finally got there. Spread across the lawn were a hot chocolate/coffee ice bar, a larger-than-life robot, a throne, a Vince Lombardi trophy (to hype up the next day's Super Bowl festivities, obviously) and a tiger, a requisite nod to Princeton University, among other things. While taking photos of the sculptures and waiting for my turn on the ice throne, I was ecstatic to find out that my family hadn't missed our chance to see Ice Sculpture Philly in action.
Standing over a block of ice, the Ice Sculpture Philly team asked the crowd for requests. I yelled out Jon Snow (because of course I did 😜), but in the end he decided to commemorate Valentine's Day. I made no objections.😊
More than just the obvious, timely romantic atmosphere that Ice Sculpture Philly successfully evoked on this last piece, I was particularly happy that a small event like this brought the Princeton neighborhood and its neighboring towns' residents together. With the current national and international climate, we could surely use a lot more love.
See more of the Palmer on Ice event on Instagram!
Carol is one of the founders of get there | get lost. She is a New Jersey-based content producer and social media specialist, and a digital nomad wannabe. With regards to travel, she writes mostly about getaways with her family, and is a strong advocate of the “experience over things” mantra. Follow her everyday adventures @fcbsantiago.