Stuff to Do in Ithaca

Here are some activities you may want to do while you’re in Ithaca:

• Cornell University: Of course we’re biased, but Cornell has a beautiful campus that’s worth seeing. The Arts Quad is the historic center of campus.  For you architects, Rem Koolhaas’ Millstein Hall, future home of the architecture college, will be under construction. You can also check out Richard Meier's Duffield Hall, Kieren Timberlake's dorms on West Campus, or James Sterling's Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. You can get a great view of Ithaca's two main gorges from campus. Cascadilla Gorge, at the south end of campus, has a hiking trail that starts near the main bridge to campus. Fall Creek Gorge, at the north end of campus, has a great suspension bridge and an old hydroelectric plant. Get a campus map here, and general Cornell information here.

• Cornell's Johnson Museum of Art:  The Johnson Museum is an interesting I.M. Pei building with a good collection. Current exhibits include Michael Ashkin Photography and the museum's collection. Asian Art, on the top floor, has a great collection and a spectacular view!  Information on the museum can be found online here.

• Cornell Plantations: In addition to the main academic campus, there are the Plantations – a series of gardens including a wildflower area, cast concrete sculpture garden, arboretum, and natural areas totaling 4,300 acres. You can easily spend half a day wandering around. Maps and information can be found here.

• Ithaca College: It ain’t a beautiful campus, but it’s home to the Park Center for Sustainable Business Enterprise, which Claire worked on with Atelier Ten. Go check out energy efficiency in action!

• Wineries: Upstate New York’s wine country has been maturing for a while, and is now home to some really good wine. White wines and especially Rieslings are the specialty of the region, though there are good reds to be found as well. There are a ton of wineries near Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. Go to www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com to search for wineries by location and type of wine. Or follow the Seneca and Cayuga Lake Wine Trails. Most wineries have tastings for $1-$5 per person. We haven't tried them all, but so far we like Atwater Estate Vineyards, Glenora Wine Cellars, and Fulkerson Winery best; all three are on Seneca Lake about half an hour from Ithaca. Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery is the most famous in the region but is a bit farther afield (1 hour and 15 minutes away).
  
  
  
• Hiking: Taughannock Falls, Robert H. Treman, or Buttermilk Falls State Parks make for a great day(s) of hiking. This'll give you a reason to get one of those Ithaca is Gorges' t-shirts! Taughannock has the highest falls in NY State, and is where we're having our picnic on July 2nd.  Robert H. Treman Park allows swimming, and Buttermilk has some great hiking.

• Canoeing/Kayaking: Rentals, tours, and lessons are available for a day out on the lake.

• Car Races: You may have noticed our panic last full, due to the car race in Watkins Glen 40 minutes away. But our misery can be your gain! You can check out the weekend races here.

• Architectural Pilgrimages: Check out the Darwin Martin House and Graycliff by Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo, and a Louis Kahn's First Unitarian Church in Rochester. Also see the buildings we've noted above at Cornell and Ithaca College.

• Other Attractions: The Corning Museum of Glass is the world's largest glass museum, and is about an hour from Ithaca. Women's Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls is where the women's rights movement started, and is also one hour away. You can check out  more things to do in nearby counties at the NY State Parks website, the Ithaca Visitor's Information website, and the Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce.

• Restaurants: Ithaca has great food! We recommend the Ithaca Farmer’s market for weekend lunch, produce, and crafts. You can grab prepared food and eat sitting on the dock on Cayuga Lake.  Moosewood is a famous vegetarian restaurant that changes its menu daily, and is open for lunch and dinner. We also like Thai Cuisine, Maxie's Supper Club, Collegetown Bagels, Stella's Kitchen & Cocktails. If you like eating food off a truck, try Hot Truck on Stewart Avenue below West Campus or Louis' Lunch near Risley Hall. Short Stop Deli also serves the famous late-night pizzas that you can get at Hot Truck. If you don't want to choose ahead of time, just walk around Collegetown or near The Commons and you'll find plenty of good places! If you're looking for groceries, go to Wegmans. 

• Shopping: Wander around The Commons (Ithaca’s downtown pedestrian area) for
  good bookstores, crafts, hippie gear, and Ithaca is Gorges t-shirts.  Cornell gear can be found at the campus store on Ho Plaza, at the center of campus.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Getting Around Ithaca

There are a few ways to get around Ithaca. Having a car isn’t required, but it may make your life a lot easier. If you’re going to be driving around Ithaca, we hope you’ll offer to give the car-less crew a lift!

• Taxis charge by geographic zone and per person. A typical fare from the airport to downtown is $16. (607) 277-7777.
• TCAT Buses: TCAT (Tomkins Consolidated Area Transit) runs busses to and from downtown Ithaca including Cornell University, the bus station, and the airport.  It runs like a suburban bus, so not all lines are frequent at all times of day. Also, some of the parks and hotels we’ve listed are out of TCAT range, so please check if you’re planning to rely on the bus. The fare is $1.50. (www.tcatbus.com)
• Ithaca Carshare: Like Zipcar, Ithaca Carshare is a membership-based, hourly car rental service. While most of you won’t want to sign up just for this trip, it does have an agreement with several other local carshares such as City Carshare (in San Francisco). (www.ithacacarshare.org)
• Car Rental: There are many car rental outfits in Ithaca and at the airport. Enterprise, National, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and some local companies are available. We recommend renting well ahead of time, just in case given how busy this weekend is likely to be.

How to Get to Ithaca

If you are coming from New York City, there are three ways to get to Ithaca:

• Bus: Greyhound and Shortline both have routes from NYC to Ithaca. (www.greyhound.com or www.shortlinebus.com). Buses depart every 1-2 hours. Round-trip fares are $100 on Greyhound and $107 on Shortline. Shortline tends to have nicer buses, so we recommend them. Travel time is 5 hours, and the route usually has one other stop in upstate NY. If you are a Cornell alum (or know one), there’s also the swanky Cornell Campus-to-Campus bus (www.c2cbus.com). It has big comfy seats, tray tables, and wifi. It goes from Cornell Medical Center or the Cornell Club in NYC to the Ithaca campus. Fares are $150 round-trip, and there are only two trips each day. Travel time is 4.5 hours with no stops.
• Fly: Flight delays and cancellations into Ithaca are common, so we don’t particularly recommend flying.  But if it’s the best option for you, there are direct flights to Ithaca and Syracuse from Newark and LaGuardia airports, on Continental and US Airways. Ticket prices vary, but at the moment flights from Newark are $250-270 round-trip; flights from LaGuardia are $280. Flight time is 1.5 hours. Note that all flights are on turbo-props, which may bother some travelers. You can also fly to Syracuse, which is a 1-hour drive from Ithaca. Flights are $195-235, also from Newark and LaGuardia, and also a 1.5 hour flight on a turbo-prop.
• Drive: Ithaca is a 4 hour drive from NYC, up to 5 hours depending on how much NYC traffic you have on the way out. It’s a very pretty route!  If you decide to drive, we hope you will consider carpooling with friends or family to reduce emissions (sorry, all – I can’t help it!). You can post comments on this website to offer or request a seat in someone’s car.
• There’s no passenger train to Ithaca, unfortunately. You can take the train to Syracuse, which is a 1-hour drive from Ithaca.

If you're coming from Washington D.C. or Maryland, you have two options:

• Drive: Ithaca is 5 hours away from Baltimore, 5.5 hours from Annapolis, and 6 hours from Washington DC. If you decide to drive, we hope you will consider carpooling with friends or family; you can post comments on this website to offer or request a seat in someone’s car.
• Fly: Flight delays and cancellations into Ithaca are common, so we don’t particularly recommend flying.  But if it’s the best option for you, there are flights to Ithaca and Syracuse from BWI, Dulles, and Reagan airports.  Ticket prices vary, but at the moment there are direct flights from BWI to Ithaca ($275 round trip) and to Syracuse ($300-$400 round trip). There are also flights to Syracuse from Dulles and Reagan airports (also $275 round trip). Flight times are 3.5 hours from BWI (with 1 stop) and just over 1 hour direct from Dulles or Reagan to Syracuse.
• You can take Greyhound, but with bus routes and layovers it's 10+ hours and several transfers. Based on personal experience, Dan wouldn’t wish this on anybody!
• There’s no passenger train to Ithaca, unfortunately.

   

If you're coming from San Francisco, we have a few options for you:

• Fly: Flights are available from SFO to Ithaca on Continental and Northwest. At the moment, prices are $450-540 round trip with 1 stop. Flights to Syracuse have similar prices are also 1 stop, but have more options for flight times. Prices vary a lot throughout the year, so prices might go down (or up!).
• Fly: to NYC and follow the options above.
• Drive: only 43 hours!  And you get to see Wyoming. In the summer. Ye-haw.

Where to Stay in Ithaca

Or, how NASCAR threw a lug wrench into our plans.  Ithaca in the summer is quite beautiful, if a little sleepy.  Unless of course there is a NASCAR race in Watkins Glen. Which there is on the weekend of our wedding, we recently learned.  What this means for you is that hotels are already getting booked.  Ithaca is made for large crushes of people a few days out of the year (think graduation) and there are a lot of options - we have put some of these together for you.  But we do want to suggest reserving one right away! We apologize for being pushy, but strongly suggest that you book something soon soon soon. We're told that the whole city will be fully booked months before our wedding! (You can always cancel, guilt-free, usually up to 3 days beforehand; hotels will have no trouble re-booking your room. But please check the cancellation policy at the hotel you select.) So, even if you're just considering whether to come, please reserve a hotel room, B&B, cabin, or campsite!


We’ve reserved blocks rooms in a few local hotels, which are listed below.  If these don’t appeal to you, feel free to peruse the longer list or check out the www.visitithaca.com website.  We’re also looking into getting Cornell dorm rooms, which still isn’t confirmed but could be fun!  We recommend making a hotel reservation ASAP, and then switching to the dorms later if it becomes possible and appeals to you.

Hotels We’ve Reserved:

• Country Inn & Suites. A new hotel located 1 mile south of downtown. Has a complimentary shuttle to downtown and the airport.  Rooms are $189.99 per night. Reservations can be made by calling the property directly at (607) 256-1100, or the Country Inn & Suites toll-free line at (800) 456-4000.  Please mention the Johnson-Maxfield Wedding when you call.  Unfortunately you can’t use their online reservation system to access these reserved rooms. (www.countryinns.com/ithacany)
• Homewood Suites by Hilton. Located north of Cornell, 5 miles from downtown Ithaca. All rooms are suites with a kitchen, and are either studios or multi-room suites. Kitchens have cookware and dishes provided. Rooms are $155 per night for a studio or 1-bedroom suite. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at (607) 266-0000, and mention the Johnson-Maxfield wedding.  Unfortunately you can’t use their online reservation system to access these reserved rooms. (www.ithaca.homewoodsuites.com)
• Best Western University Inn. Located in East Hill Plaza (a shopping center), 2 miles east of downtown Ithaca.  Free shuttle service to and from Cornell University, downtown Ithaca Commons and Tompkins County Airport. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at (607) 272-6100 x4714 and mentioning the Johnson-Maxfield wedding. (www.BestWesternUniversityInnIthaca.com)

Swanky and Business Hotels: 

The high-end hotels in Ithaca are the ones with the most restrictions for our weekend. If you can’t find what you want, we recommend some of the nicer B&Bs.  

• The Statler Hotel at Cornell University.  Run by the College of Hotel Administration, the Statler is walking distance to Collegetown restaurants and shops. 1.5 miles to downtown Ithaca. Rooms start at $240 per night, and there are some restrictions on check-in dates for our wedding weekend. (www.statlerhotel.cornell.edu or (800) 541-2501) 
• Hilton Garden Inn. Located in downtown Ithaca near the Commons, within short walking distance of many restaurants and shops. This hotel has a 3-night minimum for our weekend and does not have many rooms remaining. Rooms are $209-284 per night. (www.hiltongardeninn.com or (607) 277-890) 
• Holiday Inn. Located in downtown Ithaca near the Commons, within short walking distance of many restaurants and shops. This hotel has a 3-night minimum for our weekend. Rooms are $230-290 per night (www.hiithaca.com or (877) 863-4780) 
• Courtyard by Marriott. Located near the Ithaca Airport, 12 minutes from downtown Ithaca. (The Ithaca airport is a small regional one, so hotels near it won’t have the bad connotations of a usual airport hotel!) There may be restrictions on the reservation length or availability. (www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ithcy-courtyard-ithaca or (866) 541-3600)
• La Tourelle Resort & Spa. Has a variety of room types, a well-known restaurant, and is on 70 acres. Located 3 miles south of downtown. $215-330 per night. (www.latourelle.com or (800) 765-1492)

Mid-Range Hotels: 

• Taughannock Farms Inn. Located north of Ithaca, 10 miles from downtown. Some holidays have two-night minimums. The Inn has a well-known restaurant. Rooms are $140-210 per night. (www.t-farms.com or (607) 387-7711)
• Country Inn & Suites. A new hotel located 1 mile south of downtown. Has a complimentary shuttle.  Rooms are $180-240 per night.  (www.countryinns.com/ithacany or (800) 596-2375)
• Homewood Suites by Hilton. Located north of Cornell, 5 miles from downtown Ithaca. All rooms are suites with a kitchen, and are either studios or multi-room suites. Kitchens have cookware and dishes provided. Rooms are $155 per night for a studio or 1-bedroom suite. (www.ithaca.homewoodsuites.com or (607) 266-0000)
• Ramada Inn. Located north of Cornell, 4.5 miles from downtown Ithaca. Has complimentary shuttle service to and from the Tompkins County Regional Airport and Cornell University. Has pools, sauna, hot tub, fitness room and free parking. If you reserve here, make sure your room is not in the Clarion, which is owned by the same people and shares reservations; reviews say that the Clarion is gross. Rooms are $120-$150 per night. (www.ramadainnithaca.com or (607) 257-3100)
• Comfort Inn. $130-$160 per night. Located 2 miles south of downtown Ithaca.  (www.choicehotels.com or (800) 228-5150)
• Best Western University Inn. Located in East Hill Plaza (a shopping center), 2 miles east of downtown Ithaca.  Free shuttle service to and from Cornell University, downtown Ithaca Commons and Tompkins County Airport. No online reservations. (www.bestwesternuniversityinnithaca.com or (607) 272-6100 x 4714)

Bed & Breakfasts: 

• There are a ton of local B&Bs located in and around Ithaca. Most have just 3-5 rooms. The best place to find a list is at www.visitithaca.com– click on the lodging tab and search under B&Bs.  Note that some of these B&Bs are 30 minutes away from downtown Ithaca. 
• Frog’s Way and The Wild Goose B&Bs at EcoVillage. For our adventurous and eco-minded friends, you can rent rooms or an apartment at EcoVillage, a sustainable co-housing community. Rooms are $65-$90 per night. Located 3 miles west of downtown Ithaca. (www.frogsway-bnb.com or (607) 275-0249; www.wildgoose-bb.com or (607) 272-0953)
  

Camping and Cabins:
There are three gorgeous state parks near Ithaca, and each has camp sites and cabins available.  Cabins have 4 cots with mattresses, electricity, an outside picnic table, and a fire ring. Cabins do not have heating. Cabins are $48 per night; campsites are $19 per night. Park information for all three can be found on the New York State Parks website (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks). Reservations can be made on the Reserve America website (www.reserveamerica.com), which also has details about the amenities at each park and campsite. Because this is a holiday weekend, reserve these sites as soon as you can!

• Taughannock Falls State Park. Taughannock is one of the highest waterfalls in the East, falling 215 feet into a deep canyon. The park offers 4 miles of hiking trails on 783 acres, boating, and swimming in Cayuga Lake. There are 16 cabins and 72 campsites with public toilets and showers. Located 11 miles north of Ithaca.
• Buttermilk Falls State Park. Buttermilk is locally known for its falls that spill into a natural swimming hole. The park offers 7.5 miles of hiking trails on 751 acres and a 15-acre lake.  There are 7 cabins and 61 campsites with public toilets and showers. Located 3 miles south of downtown Ithaca.
• Robert H. Treman State Park. This 1,025-acre park has smaller falls and a swimming area.  There are 13 cabins and 67 campsites with public toilets and showers. (Don’t confuse this with Alan Treman Park, which is in downtown Ithaca and does not offer camping.) Located 6 miles south downtown Ithaca.
  

Other resources for lodging:
www.visitithaca.com - click on the lodging tab and search by type. There are more mid-range hotels and motels than we’ve listed above, along with loads of B&Bs.

Claire & Dan are getting married!

Dear Friends & Family,

We're getting married! And we hope that you can join us next summer to celebrate at our wedding.

It is going to be

On: Saturday July 3, 2010

At: The Museum of the Earth

In: Ithaca, New York

In the posts below, we've started listing information about where to stay, how to get there, how to get around, and things to do. We'll add more details as we get closer. In the meantime, please reserve a hotel room right away, even if you're not sure you are coming! Due to an event in a nearby town, hotel rooms are already being booked for that weekend, and the whole town will be booked well before our wedding. See our post below on where to stay for more information.

Best wishes,

Claire & Dan