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Ithaca Pages by Michael_D
| Page Views: 8,597 Last Visit to Ithaca: - | ~Ithaca...Close to Heaven~ by Michael_D - last update: Jul 29, 2008 |
This years trip to Ithaca(summer 2005) revealed a new Ithaca. One that is more akin to Manhattan if Manhattan was surrounded by the Bristol Mountains, 12 Finger lakes, 150 waterfalls and was also home to Cornell University.
Cornell University is one of the most beautifull campuses in the country and likely the most gorgous place I have ever lived.
Originally laid out by Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of Manhattan's Central Park, the Cornell campus features classic and modern architecture, graceful quads, and world-class facilities for living and learning. So much so I plan on spending summers here when I retire;-)
I spent 2 years here pursuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations & then went on to Rutgers as I was offerred a research assistan$hip to futher my graduate work. I did not enjoy one moment of the time I spent At Rutgers/NJ. But I fell in LOVE with Cornell.
In many ways the things I learned, saw and experienced at Cornell were the most important in my life and stayed in my memory...the setting is spectacular and the education was phenominal.I am the 1st in my family to attend and IVY LEAGUE school ans the 1st to get a degree. It means alot to me;-)
THE IVY LEAGUE
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Penn
Columbia
Dartmouth
Brown
Cornell
*I live in Florida in the winter and spend summers as often as I can at a farm I have near Ithaca in Trumansburg. |
|  | Ithaca is gorges Every day on the way to class I would cross Triphammer Bridge and get this view. Ithaca is FULL of gorges and waterfalls...and buildings that could pass for CASTLES.
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ITHACA FACTS
• Ithaca -located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. 5 hrs from NYC & 3 hrs from Niagara Falls.
• Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, the longest of the 11 Finger Lake and is home to Cornell University and Ithaca College.
• Cayuga Lake is named after the Cayuga Indian Nation, one of the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.
• Ithaca has over 150 waterfalls within a 10-mile radius of downtown.
• home to 3 gorge parks of only 6 within the entire state of New York.
• Taughannock Falls is 215 ft-higher than Niagara Falls.
• The Sagan Planet Walk in honor of Cornell University astronomer Carl Sagan, is a scale model of our solar system.
• Ithaca offers more restaurants per capita than New York City.
• The famous Moosewood Restaurant is located in Ithaca.
• The September 2003 issue of Organic Style magazine voted Ithaca the "best healthy city in the Northeast."
• The downtown Ithaca Commons was named one of the New York's top design projects of the century by the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
• Ithaca was once known as "The Film Capital," because from 1910-1920 silent movies such as The Perils of Pauline, were produced at Wharton Studios in Stewart Park.
• Ithaca was designated "America's Most Enlightened City" by the Utne Reader in 1997. |
| | Camelot? With a little imagination...is this not a castle? hehehe This is Balch Hall.
OK,,,CORNELL is my own little CAMELOT and YOU are welcome to visit anytime;-).
Ithaca serves as a cultural hub for the Finger Lakes region of New York. Shoppers & art enthusiasts alike can spend a day strolling the stores in the downtown Commons area or hilltop Collegetown .
Ithaca's downtown area is concentrated primarily along the square formed by Buffalo Street (North), Green Street (South), and Cayuga Street and Aurora Street to the West and East.
Just off the commons, the Dewitt Mall is housed in a large brick building & has a wide range of unique shops and restaurants.
The entire downtown area is navigable on foot. Try taking the Carl Sagan Planet Walk. Named after Cornells own Carl Sagan. The walk begins at the sun statue in the Commons, and traces a to-scale path of the solar system as it stretches out into historic Ithaca ending a mile away at the Sciencenter.
The Greater Ithaca Art Trail provides visitors the opportunity to drop by local artist's studios. .
Traveling north along Route 89 will take you to the Cayuga winery region, a number of state parks, museums and antique centers. The drive itself is incredibly picturesque as you follow the western bank of Lake Cayuga through rolling farmland and forest.
Stop at Taughannock Falls State Park, a ten to fifteen minute drive north from Ithaca. Higher than Niagara Falls, it dropsr 215 feet into one of the many gorges that cut through the region.
The Cayuga Wine region's vineyards number in the double digits. Thirteen of the vineyards have banded together to form the Cayuga Wine Trail.
The Cayuga Nature Center is six miles from Ithaca on Route 89.
On Route 96, the Paleontological Research Institution is home to one of the largest collections of prehistoric fossils in the United States.
Eight museums and educational centers are included in Ithaca's Discovery Trail .
Sapsucker Woods is located a short drive northeast of Ithaca off Route 13 and has over four miles of trails overlooking waterfowl ponds, bird feeding areas and is home of Cornell's Lab of Ornithology and a bird sanctuary museum.
The Sciencenter is a hands-on science museum, with over one hundred exhibits and is a fully interactive learning experience.
Atop a hill overlooking the town, you will find Cornell University's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Fine Art housing an array of international works and one of the most sweeping views of Ithaca and Cayuga Lake. |
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| Pros: | "Visually it is nirvana. Gorges/waterfalls/Finger lakes" | | Cons: | "winters are horrible" | | In A Nutshell: | "After the dust of going to university settles...its a great place to retire;-)" |
Michael_D's Ithaca Travel Tips
 Comments for Michael_D about Ithaca | | | | |
Maria250 Thu Feb 28, 2008 13:20 UTC
Wonderful tips! Particulary about Cascadilla Hall!! Thanks!! | mvtouring Mon Feb 26, 2007 05:19 UTC
Very nice page with lovely pics and tips ;-) | flytoithaca Wed Jun 14, 2006 07:35 UTC
If you're planning on visiting the Ithaca area, please check out my site which specializes in travel to Ithaca, NY. http://www.flytoithaca.com | mim95 Tue May 16, 2006 20:34 UTC
Finally I'm making a trip to Ithaca! Thanks for your tips again! |
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- Economy Inn Ithaca
658 Elmira Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850
- Rodeway Inn And Suites Ithaca
654 Elmira Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850
- Bw University Inn
1020 Ellis Hollow Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850
- Courtyard By Marriott Ithaca Lansing
29 Thornwood Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850
- Clarion Htl Univ Htl And Conf C
1 Sheraton Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850
- Holiday Inn Ithaca
222 S Cayuga St, Ithaca, NY 14850
- Meadow Court Inn
529 South Meadow St, Ithaca, NY, 14850
- Hilton Garden Inn Ithaca
130 East Seneca Street, Ithaca, NY, 14850
- Comfort Inn Ithaca
356 Elmira Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850
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