Introduction to Ithaca, NY

Cayuga Lake comes to a halt at its southern end at picturesque ITHACA, piled like a diminutive San Francisco high above the lakeshore and culminating in the towers, sweeping lawns and shaded parks of the Ivy League Cornell University. On campus, which is cut by striking gorges, creeks and lakes, the sleek, I.M. Pei-designed Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Tues–Sun 10am–5pm; free; tel 607/255-6464) merits a visit more for its fifth-floor view of the town and lake than for the unspectacular collection of Asian and contemporary art. The pick of the countless waterfalls within a few miles of town is the slender 210ft Taughannock Falls, ten miles north, just off Hwy-89, which has a swimming beach close at hand and offers a pleasant trek through the countryside on your way to the falls. Buttermilk Falls State Park, two miles south of town on Rte-13, is another delightful spot. Cayuga Lake provides excellent boating and windsurfing opportunities; boards and boats can be rented from the nearby visitor center at 904 East Shore Drive, off Hwy-34 N (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, summer Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm; tel 607/272-1313 or 1-800/28-ITHACA, www.visitithaca.com).

Greyhound and other buses operate out of the terminal at W State and N Fulton. Budget places to stay are scarce, though accommodation is on the whole reasonably priced; try the cramped Hillside Inn, 518 Stewart Ave (tel 607/273-6864; $50–75), the Elmshade Guest House, 402 S Albany St (tel 607/273-1707; $50–75), or Paragon House, 140 College Ave (tel 607/272-0919; $50–75), in Collegetown, further up the hill near Cornell. The rooms at the Best Western University Inn, 1020 Ellis Hollow Rd, on the east edge of campus (tel 607/272-6100; $50–75), are larger and probably worth the extra expense. Out of term, the Statler Hotel on East Avenue within the campus proper, is a pleasant option (tel 607/257-2500 or 1-800/541-2501; $100–130)

Ithaca boasts two dining and entertainment zones. Downtown, centered around the vehicle-free Commons, is the larger and better, and features the top-rated vegetarian restaurant of cookbook fame, Moosewood (tel 607/273-9610), in DeWitt Mall as well as Café DeWitt, which offers healthy and filling salads at lunchtime. A block away, Just a Taste, 116 N Aurora St (tel 607/277-9463), is a lively wine-and-tapas bar, while Simeon's on the Commons, 224 E State St (tel 607/272-2212), does gourmet sandwiches. Numerous cheap student-oriented places to eat line the streets of Collegetown: check out the Italian Little Joe's, 410 Eddy St (tel 607/273-2771), or The Nines, that serves up the best deep-dish pizza around and has live music, on 311 College Ave (tel 607/272-1888). For news of the lively music scene – and gigs at the Haunt, 114 W Green St (tel 607/273-3355) – get the free Ithaca Times.

Information by Rough Guides

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