Greetings, earthlings!

Want an out of this world coffee shop? (I’m sorry, it was too easy…)

That is, however, a mission set forth by the GROVER’S MILL COFFEE SHOP- 335 Princeton Highstown Rd., West Windsor, NJ.

I know what some of you are thinking… “Grover’s Mill sounds familiar.”

You nerd! That is the name of the town in which Orson Welles’ infamous radio adaptation of War of the Worlds took place, and that is where the coffee shop gets its War of the Worlds theme.

In 1938, Orson Welles directed an adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel depicting an alien invasion. Welles chose to set the invasion in a small town in New Jersey named Grover’s Mill (according to the film adaptation of this broadcast, The Night that Panicked America, they picked the town name by throwing a dart at a map). Despite announcements throughout the broadcast that this was a fictional event, people legitimately freaked out because they thought Earth had been invaded by martians. It was so bad that cops were trying to break into the studio to stop the broadcast that was sending the nation into a fit of madness.

Fun obscure fact: Ray Collins, Lt. Tragg from the Perry Mason television series, was in the radio cast. One of his roles was the news reporter describing New York’s destruction before choking to death. That made me happy.

… the fact that he was in the show, not that he choked to death.

Grover’s Mill is very near this coffee shop, hence the theme. After you venture there out to the monument to the invasion monument (In VAN NEST PARK- Cranbury Rd, West Windsor Township, NJ 08550. I did not get a chance to go see it, but tell me how it is when you check it out), stop in for some coffee, ice cream, or a smoothie and relax with other… ahem, visitors.

“Original caption: Grover’s Mill, biggest employment center of the town of the same name, is shown intact the day after the town was supposed to have been ‘destroyed by invaders from Mars.'”

It’s fun, it’s gimmicky, and I’m not really a coffee drinker (I like a little coffee with my hazelnut creamer, that’s the kind of coffee I drink), but their coffee smoothie was actually really good.

Support local businesses and invade this coffee shop. Sorry, another bad one, allow me… *throws tomato at herself*.

Until next time, dahlings…