Going Out on a Tuesday Night in Trenton

What to do on an otherwise boring Tuesday night? How about going out in Trenton? A cursory review of the 449 Room website ( www.449room.com ) reveals live music, drink specials, and a poker tourney every Tuesday night. The 449 Room is a funky little place run by a guy who has poured his heart and soul into making Trenton a place for art, music, and entertainment in general. For those of you who remember Conduit, the 449 Room is nextdoor and is under the same ownership. Do you want to meet great people who are also interested in the city of Trenton? Do you want to hang out in a cool place with a "locals only" feel? Do you want to play poker and hear great music? If so, come to the 449 Room. I'm too young to have experienced the halcyon days of City Gardens, the legendary Trenton punk/hardcore club where the Ramones played an astonishing twenty five times, but from what I've read and heard about it, the 449 Room is in the same vein.

Now before anyone accuses me of just running an advertising service, let me reiterate the purpose of this blog. Part of it is to promote the city of Trenton, and part of it is to expose what is wrong. The 449 Room is a perfect example of what is RIGHT with the city. The building itself is a really cool old brick structure on South Broad Street just across from Sovereign Bank Arena with a funky little bar, a great stage area, a pool table, and a lounge area that doubles as a great place to play cards in the back. Not to mention the fact that they have their own parking lot. As a matter of fact, 449 also reminds me of a bar that I used to frequent in the West Village called the MacDougal Ale House, which has since closed. The exposed brick, graffiti on the wall, and surrounding area reminds me of everything I always loved about the West Village, right here in Trenton. There is no reason why South Broad Street couldn't be lined with bars just like the 449 Room from Route 129 to Route 1.

The bottom line is this, the word needs to get out that Trenton, on the whole, is a great (and safe) place to go out. Forget what you've heard and to hell with the rumors, as I've stated before, some parts of Trenton are safe and some are not. As a direct result of businesses like the 449 Room and the arena, the neighborhood is kept up, there are people around after dark (the Jane Jacobs "eyes on the street" principle), and more investment in the area is coming. If we want these areas to improve even more we need to support these businesses, nurture them, and make them grow. Check out www.449room.com and find out what's going on. See you out there.

Slan go foill