Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ithaca

What to do in Ithaca

cheerwine — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:19:32 -0800

We're going camping in Ithaca, NY this weekend. What should we make sure to do while we're there? My girlfriend and I are going car camping in Ithaca, NY this weekend. She's never been camping, so we're trying to balance the hiking/cooking on a fire aspects of it with an equal amount of hanging out in the city/winery tours. We're not too familiar with the area. I've e-mailed a bunch of wineries blindly to get details on touring them, am looking into local farms and found a few places that look like fun downtown, but we're open to suggestions. Any specific wineries that you would recommend? Hiking trails? Cool thrift stores? Other fun things to do?

We are both vegetarians in our early 20s. We like thrift stores, book stores, quirky sort-of tourist things, etc. I'm more outdoorsy than her, but we can both hold our own on a hike. We wouldn't mind driving a little while for something particularly awesome, but I'd prefer stay as close to Ithaca as I can.

You know what they say about Ithaca...

anthropoid — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:02:14 -0800

In Ithaca, NY for a long weekend, what should I see and do? I'll be in Ithaca this weekend and would love recommendations on what I can't miss. I'm detoxing from Brooklyn so I'm looking for peace and quiet, locally-grown foods to cook, and as much outdoorsy stuff as possible. I'd also like to see a waterfall, swim, do some light hiking, and drink tasty coffee. Though I prefer to cook myself, if you feel there's a restaurant beyond Moosewood that can't be missed, please let me know.

I have a car and will be taking care of a dachshund.

Bonus question: where can I ride horses? Trail rides are good, but a barn where I could take a hunter/jumper lesson is even better.

Previously asked here and answered here, but would like updates.

Where can I watch the MLB All-Star Game tomorrow night in Ithaca, New York?

madcaptenor — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:52:17 -0800

Where can I watch the MLB All-Star Game tomorrow night in Ithaca, New York? The Major League Baseball all-star game is tomorrow night. I would like to watch it. Ordinarily this would be easy. What makes this hard, you ask? I'm in Ithaca, New York for a conference at Cornell. I am staying in a Cornell dorm (on North Campus), there is no TV in my room, and there are "TV lounges" but the key I have doesn't unlock them. Presumably they give those of us who are here for conferences different keys than the students who stay in this building during the academic year. And I am carless; presumably someplace in Collegetown would be the closest but my Ithaca geography is not so good. The Internet connection in my room is good, so feel free to make suggestions that take advantage of this.

Bonus points if I won't be surrounded by Mets or Yankees fans. (I'm from Philly, and I went to college in Boston so I absorbed "Yankees suck" pretty quickly.)

With what gratitude, what joy!

collectallfour — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:53:45 -0800

TranslationFilter: Can you help me track down a particular translation of Cavafy's poem 'Ithaka'? This post on the front page got me thinking about a Cavafy translation I've been trying to track down for about ten years now. A high school English teacher--who has since retired, and for whom I have no contact information--passed out a copy of Cavafy's Ithaka. The poem was in translation, and the version I saw began, "When you set out for Ithaka / ask that the way be long." In the intervening years, I've tried to track down the poem again, but I've only been able to find translations I'm quite sure are different. Valassopoulo comes closest to my recollection, but his version isn't it. It's not Keeley/Sherrard, John Cavafy, Mendelsohn, or Haviaras, either. A defunct 1998 travel website quotes the version I remember at the bottom of the page, but only briefly, and with no translator attribution. So, MeFites--any Cavafy experts out there who can help--with a translator's name and/or the full version I'm looking for? I may otherwise be doomed to look forever fruitlessly and forlornly through the poetry shelves of used bookstores, which is probably some kind of existential rite of passage for the wannabe intellectual, but all the same I'd really like to find an answer to this particular question.

Many many thanks!

How can I find housing that is inconvenient to the Cornell campus?

Tandem Affinity — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:27:16 -0800

We are looking for (rental) housing between Ithaca and Syracuse -- it doesn't need to be convenient to Cornell or on a bus line, etc., but we only have a small window to look onsite (starting ~Jun5th) and we need to move in by Jun 21st. Can anyone recommend a realtor, etc. that could help us out or recommend a better strategy for looking than craigslist? I have a job near Ithaca, while my husband will be working in Syracuse. We'd prefer to live somewhere rural that might be a little further from my job to be a little closer to his. So we started looking in the Ithaca area and figured we'd aim for somewhere on the outskirts.

It seems that most landlords are pushing their convenient-to-campus properties, however, and probably charging more based on amenities (location, bus routes, etc.) that we don't want. We can afford a bit more than the average student, and the further we are towards rt. 90 or rt. 81, the better, so we'd love to find a house so situated. I've found a few such properties here and there, but I'm wondering if I'm going about my search wrong (I've been primarily looking on craigslist). Any tips? I've found a thread about housing in Ithaca before, but it was aimed towards helping a student find housing convenient to campus.

Hiking in upstate New York

Coventry — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:33:21 -0800

A friend of mine (in Rochester, NY) and I (in Ithaca) are thinking of going hiking together. Any suggestions for good sites for an easygoing day hike roughly halfway between us, as the car drives?

What's Ithaca like?

Coventry — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:06:36 -0800

I'm going up to Ithaca this weekend for a postdoc interview on Monday. Any suggestions as to what I should look at to get a feel for the area? I'm pretty sure I'll like Ithaca. From what I've heard, it's got to be better than the outskirts of Northern Virginia, where I am now. But I thought I'd take a look around while I'm up there to make sure. I don't really know where to start, though. I realize this is kind of a vague question which is hard to answer if you don't know me, so here are some specific questions I'm wondering about. I'm also interested in broader suggestions, though.

Are there any active Buddhist groups up there? (I don't really care about the denomination.)
I imagine there must be good cinemas and bookstores, since it's a college town?
Any good hiking groups?
Any good Tai Chi or Aikido schools?
Is there anything similar to craigslist pertaining to Ithaca? I hear the rental market is pretty tight up there. Is there a useful website specifically for that?

How can a young gay man from New York adjust to small-town life?

fugitivefromchaingang — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:49:02 -0800

How can a young gay man from New York adjust to small-town life? I am a twenty-four-year-old guy who just moved from New York City, where I've lived for the past six years, to Ithaca, New York, to attend graduate school. There are times when I really, really hate it here. It's hard to get around without a car, and the food sucks. But most bothersome is the closeted, frat-boy nature of the environment. You can feel it when you walk around town/campus, and online, too many people want someone "discreet," or, worse, "discrete." I have been out of the closet for seven years and don't really have the patience for this.

I've only been in Ithaca for a month and a half, so maybe I will adjust. But anybody who's experienced moving from NY to a small town, or who's dealt with being gay (and, hopefully, trying to date) while in a small town, please help!

Missing the west coast already...

you're a kitty! — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:55:03 -0800

Help me find my favorite bean in upstate NY... I'm hungry! I've just moved to Ithaca, NY, and I'm desperate to find pinquitos (a small, pink bean) somewhere, either online or in the area. Back home it was just a matter of popping down to Safeway and picking up a can of S&W, but I can't find them in any of the grocery stores here (even Wegman's!) or at any of the online grocers who'll ship to the area. I realize this sounds slightly obsessive, but I'm craving this recipe that requires the cursed things, so any advice would be much appreciated.

Can I just sleep in the lab?

you're a kitty! — Thu, 31 May 2007 19:15:06 -0800

I'm moving to Ithaca, NY for grad school, but it's tough to find housing from a distance. Any suggestions regarding rentals and neighborhoods? I'll be a first-year graduate student at Cornell in the fall, and unfortunately I can't afford to fly out to Ithaca again to find an apartment. I've spent a lot of time online, including at the Cornell Housing site, but I'm still sort of lost. My priorities include a safe neighborhood with good nearby bus routes (I'm female, and will likely be returning home late at night), and, if possible, the ability to bike to campus in the summertime; but I realize that would probably require living at the top of the hill, which might not be feasible. I won't have a car.
I also have some doubts about just what sort of living situation to aim for. I enjoy living with my current roommate, but I'm concerned about signing up to live with someone I've never met. I'm strongly against signing up to live with a larger group. So my preference is either for a one-bedroom apartment in a busy complex, or a two-bedroom a bit further afield. I've already been denied campus-owned housing, so that's not an option.
Any general suggestions for good realtors/websites/resources? Experience with different neighborhoods? I found an older post regarding housebuying in Ithaca, but rentals are significantly different. If anyone remembers their first year of graduate school and has advice on choosing (or not choosing) a roommate, that would be much appreciated too. Thanks!

Ithaca-NY real estate filter

FauxScot — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:09:15 -0800

Can anyone characterize the current real estate market in Ithaca, NY as "buyer's market", "seller's market", soft, vigorous, etc? and/or back up with 'days on market' type stats? I am trying to help friends find a home to buy in Ithaca during grad school and seem able only to access ancient data or the self-serving, intentionally obfuscating crap realtors post to lure in the unsuspecting. (Sometimes, google seems worse than useless!)

I am seeking very recent experience in home buying in Ithaca (close to Cornell, if possible) and a sense of the general single family home market there. Any mefites buy/sell a home in Ithaca recently? (Additional info: 150-200K price range, first time buyers).

More to the point... where is info like this generally available to the non-realtor? Certainly, it's public domain to some degree, and perhaps it's just my limited imagination at work, but I can't envision any source other than realtors to whom it would be worth compiling it AND making it publically available in a real-time manner. Am I overlooking something obvious?

Things to do in Ithaca

herc — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 14:17:15 -0800

Just moved to Ithaca, NY for grad school. When not studying, what should I do in the area? Anybody familiar with this place have any suggestions? Bonus points if you can help me earn Ithaca Dollars...