With finals season well underway, there are a few downtown South Orange spots that are perfect for a mid-study break.
As an out-of-state student, I don’t have a vehicle to seamlessly enter and exit campus, but with the SHU Shuttle and SHU Ride, the sites of the town are up for grabs.
After the power outage on campus during Easter break, I came up with a solution to cure boredom and note the unmistakable places to visit before summer. My friends and I, who were also stuck in the same boat, could go somewhere nearby off campus throughout the time. But not just anywhere. We went to places we had normally passed and were typically easy to miss.
Within just a few minutes of wandering downtown, I noticed this group of stores I would always walk past without a second thought. Since I had plenty of time to spare, I stopped to look around the area at a slower pace than normal. I realized the Village Pizzeria was located right at 319 S Orange Ave, which is merely steps away from campus. I tried out their mushroom pizza, and it was delicious.
With this increasingly warmer weather recently, I found another spot to enjoy.
Venturing further along South Orange Avenue, I noticed this park that I would always walk by as well.
Grove Park is located right at the intersection of Riggs Place and South Orange Avenue. It’s an ideal location to sit and enjoy the warmer weather or even have a picnic. Grove Park is also a great spot to just walk around if you want to take a walk outside of the gym. The view there is beautiful in the day, when you can enjoy the scenery and even in the night, where you can watch the stars in the sky.
Upon first glance of the local deli, it appeared to be a mini store in downtown South Orange. But after venturing into the store, I soon realized it was a New York-style deli.
NYC Style Deli is located at 12 S Orange Ave and has an assortment of snacks and drinks you can buy. They also have meals you can try out that will set your taste buds alive.
Though it’s right across from Chris’s Diner, which was recently damaged by a fire, the customer’s street view while eating there is a wonderful sight of downtown South Orange Village.
After visiting NYC Style Deli, I saw another place that suddenly caught my attention. Near the South Orange train station, there is a marketplace at 1 S Orange Avenue, just a 15-minute walk away from campus.
So, if you would like to shop somewhere other than the City Supermarket, it’s an ideal location to visit and has an immense variety of items from local food to hygiene products and everything else in between.
Finals season doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. There’s a solution to your boredom: take one side quest at a time without needing to look further than downtown.
Rickiya Coulton is a writer for the Setonian’s Opinion section. She can be reached at rickiya.coulton@student.shu.edu.
