122 years apart, almost to the weekend: my Labor Day at the Jersey line

I spent the Sunday of Labor Day weekend in Lambertville, New Jersey, and New Hope, Pennsylvania, with my wife Linda, my son Steve, his girlfriend Mab, and their 15-week-old puppy, Django. The weather was glorious, and apparently everyone else in the region had the exact same idea. Both towns were packed, people hitting the thrift shops, which is what actually brought Steve and Mab along, the art galleries, the boutiques, and every restaurant with an open table.

We landed on the patio at The Salt House in New Hope for lunch, and the food, the vibe, and the service were all first class. Django, for his part, was a genuinely good boy the entire afternoon, mostly asleep, barely a peep out of him. I wish I could say the same for a certain white poodle at a nearby table that would not settle down for anything. If Labor Day weekend is any indication of how busy these two towns are going to be all fall, book your lodging early if you're planning to make a weekend of it.

Need to plan a holiday visit here! | photo by EJ

The bridge turned out to have its own story

I noticed the bridge connecting the two towns looked freshly painted and remarkably well maintained for something that old, built, I later learned, in 1904. Turns out that's not the first bridge at this exact spot on the Delaware. The original, a covered wooden bridge designed by pioneering bridge builder Lewis Wernwag, opened in 1814 and was destroyed by flooding in 1841. Its replacement went up in 1842 and lasted until the flood of 1903 wiped it out too. The steel bridge standing there today, a six-span, 1,053-foot Pratt through-truss, was built that same year by Lewis F. Shoemaker & Co. of Pottstown, using steel from the Cambria Steel Company in Johnstown, at a cost of roughly $62,000. It was formally dedicated on Labor Day weekend, 1904.

Kayakers and paddleboarders share the Delaware River right beneath the bridge, with the Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn visible on the New Jersey side | EJ photo

Which means our own Labor Day weekend visit landed almost exactly 122 years to the weekend after that bridge's own dedication. I had no idea when I was walking across it.

That bridge has held up remarkably well since. It became toll-free in 1919, survived the catastrophic Delaware River flood of 1955 with only about a month of repairs, and underwent a $7.7 million rehabilitation in 2004 for its 100th anniversary. Most recently, a major renovation that began in January 2024 wrapped up with the debut of new LED architectural lighting, celebrated with a parade led by the South Philadelphia String Band right across the span. That explains exactly why the steel looked so fresh to me, it basically is.

What's coming to both towns before the year's out

Lambertville and New Hope both lean hard into the holidays once fall turns over. New Hope typically holds a tree lighting at the Logan Inn followed by a holiday parade a week or two later, and the Bucks County Playhouse usually runs a full slate of holiday theater into December. New Year's Eve draws its own crowd too, with celebrations at Lambertville Station, the Logan Inn, and River House all becoming their own destination. Both towns fill up with craft fairs, gallery openings, and small-town holiday charm the entire season.

Delaware River downstream from Lambertville-New Hope from bridge | photo by EJ

So now I've got a decision to make

I love the interior of this state, Mays Landing, the Pine Barrens, places most people drive past without a second look. But somehow I keep finding myself on the edges instead, the Jersey Shore, the Delaware Bay Shore, and now Lambertville and New Hope. The question now is whether I go back soon and actually get out on that river with the kayakers, or wait for the holiday charm I just described, or, honestly, just do both.