Ithaca (New York)

Ithaca is a small city in the Finger Lakes region of central New York, at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake. In addition to being the home of Cornell University and Ithaca College, Ithaca is known for its several gorges and waterfalls, small eclectic shops and restaurants, and deep interest in politics.

Understand
Ithaca is a town of contrasts, and it attracts many different types of visitors. It is very much a college town, but it is also home to a solid and vibrant permanent community. The town is compact yet surrounded by extensive outdoor attractions. Even Cornell University is a study in contrasts: it has the noble, refined air of the Ivy League school that it is, yet as the state's land-grant university, it excels in agricultural and veterinary research.

Ithaca has a humid continental climate, and is markedly cooler than New York City. Winter is cold, sometimes bitterly so, with temperatures reaching or lower several times a year. There is also significantly more snow and more cloudy days than along most of the coast. The best time of year to visit is summer, as it is the sunniest and driest season; days are pleasantly warm but rarely too hot, and nights are crisp. Fall is also pretty&mdash;the fall foliage in the area, which peaks in early October, rivals that of anywhere in New England. The first snowfall can occur as early as around Halloween.

Visitor information

 * Official website

By plane
The, northeast of the city, has flights on Delta Air Lines to and from New York City (JFK) and on United Airlines to and from Newark (EWR). Hourly bus service to the Ithaca Commons and Cornell University are available on TCAT Route 32 (weekdays) and 72 (weekends), until around 11PM each night (4PM on Sunday) for $1.50. Taxi service is also available, although you may have to wait for a cab to arrive, especially during peak hours. It's a good idea to call as soon as your plane lands and the crew notifies you that use of mobile phones is permitted. Ride hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are also available to transport you from the airport upon arrival.

Airports in Syracuse, Elmira, and Albany offer additional departures and sometimes cheaper fares, although Ithaca's fares have become much more competitive since the addition of United.

By car
By car, Ithaca is about 1 hour south of Syracuse, 1 hour north of Binghamton, 2 hours southeast of Rochester, 4 hours north of Philadelphia, and 4 hours northwest of New York City. The main routes into the city are New York highways 13, 79, 89, and 96. Interstate 86 (formerly NY State Route 17) intersects NY State Rt 13 in Elmira, about 45 minutes southwest of Ithaca. Interstate 81 connects with NY State Rt 79 half an hour from Ithaca at Whitney Point, and with NY State Rt 13 about 20 minutes from Ithaca in Cortland. You can reach Interstate 81 by taking NY State Route 17 (parts of which are co-signed as Interstate 86) West from New York City, or Interstate 476 North from Philadelphia. Interstate 90 connects to NY State Rt 96 near Geneva, NY, about 45 minutes from Ithaca.

By bus



 * Greyhound offers daily direct departures to Binghamton, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and New York City, Albany and Boston via Binghamton, and Rochester, Buffalo, and Toronto via Geneva, from the Ithaca Bus Terminal.
 * Shortline (Coach USA) offers several daily departures to New York City via Binghamton, although Shortline primarily serves the Cornell University Campus and some departures skip the Ithaca City Bus Terminal. If using Shortline, your best bet is to board at Collegetown (across from Collegetown Bagels), all departures serve this stop and you can easily connect to the TCAT system here. Connecting busses are available in Binghamton to other destinations in the Southern Tier: Corning, Elmira, Big Flats, Olean, Jamestown, Dunkirk/Fredonia and Buffalo.
 * Trailways is a regional carrier primarily serving Western New York that offers service to Rochester, Buffalo, and southern Ontario in Canada.

By train
Although Ithaca once had rail connections to New York City, Scranton, Philadelphia, Buffalo and several cities in New England, the last passenger train left Ithaca in 1961, with the majority of service ending in the 1930s. Today, the nearest Amtrak stations are on the Empire Corridor in Syracuse and Rochester. There is one bus per day to Ithaca (Greyhound Station) from the Syracuse Amtrak station and two to three buses per day to Ithaca from the Rochester Trailways Bus Station, a three-minute walk from the Amtrak station. The two colleges sometimes run shuttles to the rail stations around semester breaks.

Get around
As Ithaca is a college town, bus service by TCAT (Tompkins County Area Transit) is frequent and runs late into the night. Taxi service is an inexpensive way to get around the small city, and it is available by phone, but expect to wait an hour or more on busy or cold nights. Avis & Hertz Rental cars are available at Ithaca Tompkins County Regional Airport, and Enterprise-Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental, in Ithaca. Ithaca has a car share program that offers instant access to a network of cars throughout the city, 24 hours-a-day.

Parking
Parking is easy in most parts of Ithaca. However, there are some parts of Ithaca where it can be tricky. If you park illegally the chance you will get a ticket is higher than average. It is also illegal to leave your car in the same non-metered space for more than 24 hours, although this is generally not enforced on weekends.

Downtown and the Commons
Street parking is metered and more difficult to come by (in some areas a 15 minute maximum on the meters), although there are always spots available if you're willing to walk. There are three municipal parking structures, one on Green Street just east of Cayuga Street, one at the corner of Tioga and Seneca Streets and the other on Cayuga Street to the south of the Commons. All three garages are free on evenings and weekends. Some local retailers will provide a token for an extra free hour. Parking at metered spaces and the garages is $1 per hour, up to a maximum of $10. Weekly and monthly parking passes are available at discounted rates.

Collegetown
Street parking in Collegetown is also metered with some non metered spaces a few blocks from University or Stewart Avenues. There is one, spacious parking garage on Dryden Road. Unlike the downtown garages, the first hour is not free, the hourly rate is $1.50 (with no daily maximum) and fees are charged around the clock including weekends with an automatic payment machine being used in the off-hours.

Cornell University
It is difficult to find parking on the Cornell University campus. It is generally best to avoid driving to campus at all. Bus service onto campus from downtown and other areas of Ithaca runs frequently during the day. One hassle-free and relatively fast parking option for visiting campus during the day is to park at the Seneca and Tioga streets parking garage in downtown Ithaca and then ride the Route 10 bus to campus. Route 10 departs from a heated bus stop located inside the parking garage every 10 minutes (7:30AM-5PM on weekdays, less frequently later in the evening) and the ride to Cornell takes only a few minutes. Check TCATbus for schedules and more information.

If you have to park on campus during the day, you will need to buy a visitor parking permit from one of the parking booths around campus, and then you can park in a spot labeled for visitor parking, which are few and far between. The parking booth attendant can give you a map showing visitor parking spots, but during a school day expect not to find anything. There are several small metered lots, including one behind Willard Straight Hall and one in the lower level of the parking garage by the football stadium, that are convenient to central campus but are often full. Larger (and rarely full) metered lots are located across from the Dairy Bar and next to Bartels Hall, but both are at least a 15 minute brisk walk to most places on central campus. After 5PM, some of the various "tiered" parking lots are available for general parking, but be sure to read the signs, as many lots have restricted parking until 8PM or 10PM and others are restricted at all times. If you are arriving on campus by car during normal business hours, expect to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes looking for parking, and 10 to 15 minutes more walking from your parking spot to your destination, so plan to arrive on campus at least 30 minutes before you need to be somewhere. You can park for free or for cheaper off campus in Collegetown or in Cayuga Heights, but expect your walk to be 20-30 minutes to your destination if it is on central campus.

Ithaca College
The parking situation at Ithaca College is also poor, as over the past few years, there hasn't been enough parking for on-campus students, despite significant fee increases and discounted public transit passes (in some cases student permits can run upwards of $500!) The only sanctioned visitor parking is a frequently full, visitor lot near the football stadium, and half a dozen spots near the main administrative building (Peggy R. Williams) specifically for visitors to the office of admissions. Elsewhere parking is reserved based on a color coded permit system: Blue (faculty and staff), Red (upperclassmen and graduate students), and Green (freshmen). If you are visiting a specific person on campus (such as staying overnight with an on-campus student) you may be able to obtain a temporary permit from Public Safety. Availability is not guaranteed and if granted, you will be restricted to a specific lot, usually one intended for commuters. You will need your vehicle registration and insurance card to obtain the permit.

Parking lots are supposed to be patrolled 24 hours a day year round, but in practice, permit enforcement is almost non-existent on weekends and during the summer. Unless you're parked somewhere an ordinary student would not be allowed to park (e.g. spaces reserved for maintenance vehicles), the odds of receiving a ticket for not having a permit are very slim.

There are a few official exceptions for non-students during certain special events:
 * School of Music programs: J Lot West (nearest the Whalen parking bridge)
 * IC Theatre events: F Lot (directly behind Dillingham)
 * Football games: L Lot/L Lot extension (between Butterfield Stadium and the Terraces residence halls) or CC Lot (Circle Apartments)
 * Emerson Suites events: U Lot (Campus Center)

Many off campus students either walk or take the bus to school. TCAT service to the IC campus from downtown is plentiful, Routes 11 and 65 provide service every half hour or so during the day and every hour at night.

Other areas in and around Ithaca

 * Parking in Cayuga Heights is easy, but it is illegal to park overnight on streets in Cayuga Heights.
 * Some parts of the City of Ithaca have dense housing and parking at night can be tricky, especially between November 1 and April 1, when alternate side of the street parking is in effect (typical for most locales in Upstate New York). There is no parking (from 2AM to 6AM) on the even side (house numbers) of the street on even days of the month, and no parking on the odd side on odd days of the month.

By bus
Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit.

By bicycle
Most destinations are easily accessible by bicycle with ample bicycle parking stands to secure to. Be sure to ride with working gears as the topography can present challenges to inexperienced riders. Some roads have painted bike lanes alongside parked cars and some 'sharrows', the painted arrows, also can be seen on some streets. It is advisable to pick up a map from a local bicycle shop to get the best information on where to ride.

In the downtown Ithaca area, as well as on the Cornell campus, there are Lime electric assist bikes that can be located using the Lime app. It costs $1 to unlock the bicycle and $0.15 per minute and require a smartphone and a form of payment to get started. The app shows the available bicycles and the battery levels for each bike so you may have to walk some distance to access.

To download the app use these links to get started. Apple App Store link Google Play Store link

See

 * Waterfalls - many of the local waterfalls are located in state parks with hiking trails that were built (or rebuilt) by public works projects in the 1930s, often featuring stone staircases and bridges. The waterfalls are found along creeks that flow into Cayuga Lake. At parks with trails, you will typically find a "gorge trail" that follows the course of the creek, and a "rim trail" along the edge of the gorge, with overlooks to the falls underneath.
 * Waterfalls - many of the local waterfalls are located in state parks with hiking trails that were built (or rebuilt) by public works projects in the 1930s, often featuring stone staircases and bridges. The waterfalls are found along creeks that flow into Cayuga Lake. At parks with trails, you will typically find a "gorge trail" that follows the course of the creek, and a "rim trail" along the edge of the gorge, with overlooks to the falls underneath.
 * Waterfalls - many of the local waterfalls are located in state parks with hiking trails that were built (or rebuilt) by public works projects in the 1930s, often featuring stone staircases and bridges. The waterfalls are found along creeks that flow into Cayuga Lake. At parks with trails, you will typically find a "gorge trail" that follows the course of the creek, and a "rim trail" along the edge of the gorge, with overlooks to the falls underneath.
 * Waterfalls - many of the local waterfalls are located in state parks with hiking trails that were built (or rebuilt) by public works projects in the 1930s, often featuring stone staircases and bridges. The waterfalls are found along creeks that flow into Cayuga Lake. At parks with trails, you will typically find a "gorge trail" that follows the course of the creek, and a "rim trail" along the edge of the gorge, with overlooks to the falls underneath.

Cornell University
Cornell University is part of the Ivy League and is one of the most selective universities in America. It has world class Veterinary, Hotel, Agriculture, Architecture, and Engineering schools. It is far above Cayuga Lake, on a hill overlooking Ithaca, separated from the city, yet an integral part of it.



Performing arts

 * The Ithaca College has numerous free concerts and recitals almost every day of the week during the school year.
 * The Ithaca College has numerous free concerts and recitals almost every day of the week during the school year.
 * The Ithaca College has numerous free concerts and recitals almost every day of the week during the school year.
 * The Ithaca College has numerous free concerts and recitals almost every day of the week during the school year.

Outdoors

 * ,, and  all offer nice walking/hiking trails. Some have parking fees on weekends and during high season. Cross country skiing is permitted on the golf course in winter.
 * (not to be confused with Robert Treman State Park) offers a large marina, and a large fenced off-leash dog park nearby.
 * There are two outdoor stores in the downtown Ithaca area. (206 E State St, +1 607 273-3891) on the Commons and  (722 South Meadow Street, +1 607 272-1935) on Route 13 South (about  south of Wegmans.)
 * Also check out which has rental equipment and an indoor climbing wall.

Buy
Ithaca is home to one of the world's most successful local currency experiments. The Ithaca Hour was Ithaca's local currency that was accepted by more than 600 local merchants and service providers, including the Autumn Leaves bookstore at Ithaca Commons that served as the unofficial home of the currency. Using Ithaca Hours contributed to Ithaca's economy and small businesses.

Shopping in Ithaca is in four major areas: Downtown/Commons, Meadow Street/Route 13, Collegetown, and Lansing/Mall area.

and malls, which are less elaborate.
 * Downtown/Commons - The most typical Ithaca items can be bought downtown in the commons area. Local crafts are of exceptional quality. Ubiquitous green "Ithaca is Gorges" t-shirts can be bought here as well.
 * Meadow Street/Route 13 - Also known as The Strip. The "big-box" stores have moved along Meadow St. Drugstores, cellphone stores, supermarkets, and major discount retailers are often present in multiple incarnations. There is not much exciting here for the out-of-towner although it is certainly practical. An exception is Northside Liquors (see the Drink section).
 * Collegetown, just across Cascadilla Gorge from the Cornell campus, is mostly home to restaurants and businesses catering to the college crowd, and there are several shops specializing in Cornell- and Ithaca-related merchandise.
 * Lansing/Mall - Finally, just north of Ithaca in Lansing is the (formerly known as the Pyramid Mall), has Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Target, offering a fairly broad and ubiquitous selection of shops. Nearby are the

Books
A number of independent book sellers continue to thrive in the city and its immediate vicinity. Downtown Ithaca bookstores on or very near the Commons include the following:

Within a 20-minute drive of Ithaca you can also find two barn-sized used-book sellers:

Also, one "big-box" bookstore can be found in Ithaca:

If you'll be in Ithaca in May or October, look into the dates of the huge Friends of the Library book sale, which lasts a week or two for each sale period and offers over 250,000 items for sale, with proceeds supporting the fancy, new (but cash-strapped) county library on the corner of Green and Cayuga Streets.

Eat
Ithaca has some of the best and most diverse dining options in all of upstate New York. The areas with the highest concentration of restaurants are in Downtown and Collegetown. Downtown and The Commons has the most variety, ranging from Pizza, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Indian to fine-dining establishments. If you are uncertain about what you want to eat, a stroll along downtown's "Restaurant Row" on North Aurora Street should provide almost anything one is looking for. Collegetown also has a wide selection of dining, but has fewer fine dining options. Also notable is the area to the west of Downtown known as the West End, or The Inlet. Elmira Road, south of the downtown and Pyramid Mall, north of Ithaca in the Town of Lansing, have a selection of fast food and chain restaurants.

Groceries
, the largest grocery store in Ithaca, has a very large selection of specialty and ethnic foods, and has a large food court-like "marketplace" where ready-made food ranging from pizza to sushi can be purchased and eaten in the pleasant on-premises eating areas. A tourist experience of its own, like the Wegmans around New York State.

The other main grocery store chain in Ithaca is. Tops is smaller and has less selection than Wegamans but is favored by some residents for just that reason. Tops has a better selection of foreign food than Wegmans. Most grocery stores in Ithaca are open 24 hours to serve the college market. There is an Aldi that sells deeply discounted store-brand foods with limited hours and no free grocery bags. There is a Walmart just off of Route 13 near the Tops store that offers a full produce section, a deli, frozen foods, meats, dry grocery, bakery and dairy section.

is a food co-op on the west end of town and is open to everyone. They offer a good selection of organic produce and bulk dry foods. Also check out their smaller location,, in Dewitt Mall (near Moosewood) just off the Commons. If you're vegetarian and/or looking for organic selection, this is a great place to shop. It also has its version of the "marketplace" in its deli section where prepared foods are offered to either eat-in (there is a dining area) or take out. It is the only grocery store to offer fresh baked vegan desserts (which are very good). Here you will pay for the higher quality since it can get a bit pricey.

If you are in town on a weekend during the warm months (Saturday and Sunday April-October, Thursday afternoons June-August), you should consider getting your groceries and some bites to eat at the Ithaca Farmer's Market. There is a large selection of not only fresh herbs and vegetables, but also free-range and pasture-fed meat. The breakfast burrito is a local favorite. Many local artisans (soapmakers, woodworkers, etc.) also have kiosks, and there are about a dozen different food vendors. Local vineyards also have kiosks.

There are three main Asian grocery stores in town. The most popular are, south of downtown on Elmira Rd., and , located in the "Small Mall" on Cinema Drive behind Triphammer Mall. Win Li is the largest and has a very big selection of fresh Asian vegetables and has seasonally fresh fish. They also have some Chinese housewares (pots, bowls, rice cookers, etc.) and a big selection of rice. Ithaca Tofu has a slightly more varied selection of fruit and vegetables (including fresh shiso/ohba), but has much more in the way of Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Korean sauces. In keeping with their name, they do have a large selection of all kinds of tofu, but they also have a lot of Japanese snacks, sushi-related items, and they get fresh shipments of pre-cooked Chinese deli staples (chicken feet, tripe, scallion rolls) from NYC every week.

Wineries
The Finger Lakes are a well-known wine growing region, and dozens of wineries with tasting rooms can be found along the shores of both Cayuga and Seneca Lakes within an easy drive of Ithaca. The region grows white varietals best and produces many good Rieslings and Chardonnays.



Elsewhere

 * just off Route 13 at Franklin St offers an excellent selection of wines and spirits with an exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly staff. (identified by giant "Discount Beverage Center" letters) in the shopping center at the intersection of Elmira Rd. and Rte. 13. Northside Liquors has a very large selection of wines and liquors, with a rare wines room and probably the largest selection anywhere of upstate New York wines. If you go on a wine tour but in retrospect failed to buy your favorite wines, just go to Northside Liquors to pick them up instead of driving all the way back to the winery. Smaller, but also with a nice selection of wines, is  in the Triphammer Mall off Rte. 13.

Sleep
Ithaca is not a large city, but between Cornell and Ithaca College, about 25,000 students attend school here, with thousands more people visiting daily for conferences, sporting events, and other university functions. On normal days, Hotel and motel rooms can be surprisingly hard to find and shockingly expensive when compared to the surrounding area. Finding lodging during major school events, like freshman move-in, parents' weekend, and graduation, is difficult bordering on impossible at the last minute. If you find yourself in Ithaca during those times, you may have to go as far as Cortland ( away) or Elmira ( away). In a real pinch, it is not inconceivable to stay as far away as Syracuse, NY. It is only about 60 minutes away, depending on weather conditions. Elmira and Watkins Glen are decent options, and lodging will likely be quite a bit cheaper there.

As a general rule, lodging that is downtown or close to campus will start at $150/night, while the downscale motel chains that are out of town start upwards of $100/night. Rooms for less than $75/night can be had at some of the locally owned (and decidedly not 5-star) establishments that are outside of town. Rates during major school events can more than triple.