What to do for 5 Hours or 5 Years in Ithaca

How to summarize the town I came of age in, where I lived for 5 years as a student and grad student? In a word, unique. Ithaca is just a unique town, frequently cited by a major magazine as one of the best places in America to live.

It is home to a world-renowned Ivy League University (ahem, my alma mater, Cornell), a famous vegetarian restaurant (The Moosewood), the tallest waterfall in the Eastern US (including Niagara--Taughannock Falls) and all sorts of weird and unusual free-spirited people.

Quick Tips:

Attractions in and around Ithaca can be divided into a few categories:

Cornell (I'll start there since I'm an alum). You can walk around the huge campus, go up to the top of the belltower for an amazing view of Cayuga Lake and all of Ithaca, go to the Johnson Art Museum, walk around the Plantations, or attend a Cornell sporting event.

Collegetown--Just outside of the Cornell campus is the "student ghetto" where many students live in crowded apartments. There are a number of restaurants and stores to check out here.

Downtown/Commons--The Commons is a great place to gather, people-watch, shop, and eat.

Greater Ithaca region--Check out Buttermall Falls, Taughannock Falls, or Ithaca Falls, Stewart Park.

Finger Lakes region--Take a wine tour around Cayuga or Seneca Lake, visit the birthplace of women's rights in Seneca Falls, get in some NASCAR fun at Watkins Glen.

Depending on the amount of time you have to spend and the season, you can choose which to see. There is some amazing natural beauty in the Finger Lakes, and yes, some amazing wineries too, which you shouldn't miss.

However, if you're just in Ithaca for a day or weekend, I suggest spending some time on the commons and going to the Farmer's Market (seasonal). If you're with kids, check out the Sciencenter, a really fun interactive science museum. If you are into nature, be sure to go to one of the state parks such as Buttermilk Falls and try some hiking.

Best Way To Get Around:

This solely depends on the weather. If it's nice out, you can walk around both Cornell University and the downtown area--I recommend starting at Cornell so you can walk DOWNHILL.

Same thing goes for biking--Ithaca is a bicycle town, but try to plan your voyage to avoid the huge hills.

If you're on foot or bike you can also hop on one of the many TCAT buses--Ithaca has a really wonderful bus system with signs announcing bus stops. Most rides you take will cost you .50, though there are 1- to 8-day passes available as well.

It's very easy to drive around Ithaca, and parking isn't too bad. Just make sure not to park on the Cornell campus without scrutinizing the signs...the parking police are notorious.

To get TO Ithaca, your options include the bus or car, with limited airline service to the Ithaca airport.

The reviews that Thai Cuisine posts in their entrance way says "The best Thai food in New York State, including New York City," and I agree.

While browsing the extensive menu, start with the sweet Thai Iced Tea or a drink from the bar. If you get an appetizer, try the Chicken Satay--chicken skewers with peanut sauce, or the Tom Ka Ghai coconut milk soup (which can be a little spicy).

Some interesting entrees that I haven't seen in other Thai restaurants include the following:

Kaw Ob Mo Din--this is served in a hot stone pot, and is a base of fragrant jasmine rice mixed with chicken, sweet Thai sausage, mushrooms, and vegetables. It's not spicy but very flavorful, and is also offered in a vegetarian option.

Pasta Keemau--this is penne pasta with pieces of ground chicken and basil in a spicy sauce. It's just unique and very tasty!

For traditionalists, the Pad Thai is very good, as is every other entree I've tried. There are many vegetarian options and there are frequently some delicious daily specials.

Try to save room for dessert--there's a fairly long list here too of traditional Thai desserts and American favorites.

The atmosphere here is nice, a white tablecloth type of place, though Ithaca is not a dress-up town. At the tables you'll typically see college students dining with their parents, and professors dining together. A glass-enclosed section offers a nice atmosphere.

Though I would almost always go here for dinner, they also have an interesting weekend brunch.

If you are in Ithaca on a weekend between April and December, you have to go to the Farmer's Market. Honestly, I think if you're there on a Saturday, you will run into every Ithacan stocking up on produce, or just being social and hanging out.

Now, this isn't just a produce market. Yes, you can get freshly grown organic fruits and vegetables, but there are also vendors selling wine from the local wineries (with tastings of course), local craftspeople selling jewelry, pottery, and housewares, bakers offering tasty treats, and people who make their own soaps and beauty products. There are also quite a few purveyors of hot foods, ranging from Indian samosas to burritos, smoothies, Laotian delicacies, Belgian waffles, and sushi. One popular activity is to stay for lunch and eat out on the pier.

Probably the best thing to do besides eating is just people-watching. Everyone will pass through, and Ithaca has some interesting people! You've got your aging hippies, college students, heavily tattooed folks, families, you name it!

The hours are as follows: 9AM-3PM Saturdays from April to October
10AM-3PM Saturdays November and December
10AM-3PM Sundays May through October
4PM-7PM Thursdays June through August

The Haunt has been around for 30 years (though for only about 5 in its current location). It offers live music of virtually any genre several days a week.

They have specific events certain nights during the week. The most popular event occurs on Saturday nights, their 80s (and 90s) night. This can be wall-to-wall people dancing and singing Livin' on a Prayer. Fun times! Hours for this event are 9pm to 2am, with last call occurring at 1am. Cover charge is $5 if you're over 21, and $7 if you're 18 to 20.

Sunday nights at 9pm ($3 cover for those over 18) feature the goth/industrial night. My only recommendation for this is to wear black and you just might fit in.

Other nights of the week, and earlier in the evening, you will find local bands or even more famous musicians in everything from punk to reggae and swing.

The Ithaca Festival is the largest festival in Ithaca, occurring each year the weekend after Memorial Day, from Thursday to Sunday.

Thursday evening starts off the festival with the Parade. Now, this isn't your typical parade--consider some of the participants: The Chainsaw Marching Band and the Volvo Ballet. How to explain the latter? Let's just say it involves Volvo cars wearing tutus and we'll leave it at that.

The rest of the festival is your typical arts festival with all types of crafts for sale. There are also performers of various types, including musicians, poets, comedians, and acrobats. And of course there's festival food!

The Thursday through Saturday parts of the festival occur in downtown Ithaca on the Commons, whereas Sunday's festivities take place in Stewart Park. Admission to everything is an Ithaca Festival Button for $5.

For a town of 30,000, to have such a thriving gay bar/club/restaurant is a testament to the openness of the Ithaca community.

Once you find the Common Ground (go north on 96B past Ithaca College, make a right on Comfort Rd and it's on the left, with a very small sign) go inside, and pay your modest cover charge ($3 after 10pm on weekends). Busiest nights are Friday and Saturday, though it changes as to which of these nights is busiest (i.e., most popular with the college students).

You'll hear the top dance hits on weekends, which are occassionally accompanied by their videos. Other nights have special events such as movie nights, Latin music, and sometimes live musicians or comedians. Sunday afternoons in the summer feature a BBQ on the patio. Now, on a hot day/night, remember this place doesn't have A/C, so if you work up a sweat on the dancefloor, drink plenty of water with your beer! Drinks are pretty cheap here and the bartenders are very friendly. They also serve some food and snacks.

Last call is 12:45am, and the music stops at 1:30, so most folks head to a diner for a late night snack afterwards.

Even if you don't like birds, I suggest going to the Lab of Ornithology for the views, a really cool building, and the hiking trails.

If you do like birds, you're in for a treat! The lab is a working laboratory, a museum, a library, and will provide you with any information you ever wanted to know about birds. There are public spaces with huge glass windows (binoculars provided) to do some indoor bird-watching, all sorts of computers to learn about different species, exhibits about the local area, and many very helpful employees eager to answer your questions.

One highlight of the lab is the Macauley Library, which is the world's largest archive of animal sounds and videos.

The building is surrounded by hiking trails--wear bug spray, bring binoculars, and enjoy!


Hours of the building are as follows:

Monday-Thursday: 8:00-5:00
Friday: 8:00-4:00
Saturday: 9:30-4:00
Sunday: 11:00-4:00
Trails are open 365 days a year.