If you want your name to live on forever in Princeton, stop by PJ's Pancake House, and bring a pen knife! Princetonians and visitors alike have been leaving their mark for over forty years. If you are familiar with PJ's then you very well know what I'm talking about.
This Princeton landmark has the initials of THOUSANDS of visitors carved into the tables and counters. These carvings have survived over forty years and two fires. Despite changes in ownership, this original tradition has been maintained. So it's safe to say your name too will surely live on!
In Princeton, with spring comes the annual wave of the universities alumni. Along with the universities festivities, another tradition for many alumni is a stop at PJ's. When the alumni fill the restaurant, all wearing their orange and black Princeton attire, it begins to look like Halloween all over again! As part of their annual visit, many of the alumni include an all out search of the restaurant for their original markings. College sweethearts return, now married, to show the physical proof of their youthful love. The children, along with groans of embarrassment, get to leave their own carving, in hopes they will someday return to Princeton and keep this family tradition alive.
Working as a waitress in Princeton the past two years, I have also gotten to participate in this legal graffiti. Working at PJ's has given me the opportunity not only to leave my name, but also a few light hearted pieces of humor to lift the spirits of my fellow co-workers come a stressful moment.
PJ's has some of the best pancakes you'll ever eat, a family atmosphere that never dies, and an outlet to let your name live on in Princeton history!
How do you feel about this tradition? Do you have other traditions you take part in while visiting Princeton?
