C'est Magnifique! Frenchtown, New Jersey

Last weekend, I had a chance to sneak away with the parental units for a day trip to Frenchtown, New Jersey. Let me go ahead and get it out in the open: if you're a Jersey-hater, you probably don't belong here. If you're merely a Jersey-skeptic, sit back, relax, and watch as one of the most charming and quintessentially folksy places comes to life right before your eyes.

This is a view from the bridge that connects New Jersey to Pennsylvania.

We pulled into our parking space and I practically leapt from the car-- SO anxious to start taking photos of all of the beauty around me. There was a really nifty bridge that we could see from the cafe where we had lunch and I took a few photos of the stunning landscapes as we walked across the river. It was also pretty neat to walk directly over the NJ/PA border... and yes, I know I'm a huge nerd.

The quaint downtown area was home to cafes, antique stores, boutiques, and (what was one of my most favorite visits of the trip) an old fashioned candy store. The candy store housed many old favorites of both my mother and I... we meant to pick up some licorice on the way around for my grandmother, but totally forgot!

We ate a lovely lunch at The Bridge Cafe-- Mama & I both enjoyed delicious roast turkey wraps with a cranberry chutney, and Daddy, quite predictably, had the "Bridge Burger." Though they had these amaaazzzzzingg looking pumpkin scones, I was way too full to even consider having any. The carrot cake looked amazing, too... return visit perhaps?



This antique store actually stood upright. What happened?

We wrapped up our visit by touring the nearby "Two Boots" and "Lovin' Oven." Visiting the shop, which is owned and operated by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert (I am a ridiculously large fan of the book) really brought home to me the type of woman Gilbert depicts herself as in the book-- casual, comfortable, and with a tremendous appetite for the good, simple things in life.

...and isn't that how any real Jersey girl would describe themselves?