Syracuse (New York)



Syracuse is a city in Central New York. With a population of 149,000 in city proper and 662,000 in its metro area (2020), Syracuse is the fifth largest city in the state of New York, and the third largest in Upstate New York.

By train

 * Routes stopping at Syracuse:
 * Empire Service operating twice daily between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City including stops in Buffalo, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
 * Maple Leaf operating daily between Toronto and New York City, in partnership with VIA Rail Canada. Stops between Toronto and Niagara Falls (New York) include in Oakville, Burlington, Grimsby, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls (Ontario). Stops between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City are the same as those made by the Empire Service. Border crossing processing takes place in Niagara Falls, where passengers must detrain with their baggage. Train crew members are staffed by VIA Rail within Canada, and by Amtrak within the United States.
 * Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer).  The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City.  Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham.  Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City include Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, and Croton-on-Hudson.
 * Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer).  The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City.  Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham.  Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City include Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, and Croton-on-Hudson.

By bus
Intercity buses stop at William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center, see "By train" above.
 * Greyhound. Bus service from New York City (via Scranton, Binghamton, and Cortland), Boston (via Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Schenectady, and Utica), Cleveland (via Erie, Buffalo, and Rochester), and Toronto (via Buffalo). Very limited service to Ottawa, F Su only.
 * Trailways of New York. Service from Buffalo (via Rochester) and New York City (via Scranton, Binghamton, and Cortland). A bus runs to Massena via Watertown and various points on US11.
 * Megabus. Service from New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, and Toronto.

By car
Travel from the four cardinal directions is served by two Interstate highways.


 * I-90 (New York State Thruway) from locations east (Albany, Boston) and west (Rochester, Buffalo), with service to downtown Syracuse via I-690
 * I-81 from locations north (Watertown, Ottawa) and south (Binghamton, Scranton)

By car
A car is probably the best way to get around Syracuse, especially if you are going to places away from downtown. Thanks to its many Interstate highways (I-90, I-81, I-481, and I-690), nearly everywhere in the Syracuse area can be reached within a 20-minute drive. Make sure you have a map and pay attention to the street signs. There are some streets in the downtown area that go from being two-way to one-way, which is not always clear on a map.

On foot
You can walk to most of the destinations in downtown Syracuse from a parking lot or the Centro bus terminal.

By bicycle
Most of the downtown area is relatively flat, but keep in mind that the Syracuse University area has many steep hills and the residential areas surrounding downtown have quite a few hills as well. What some people will do is catch a ride on the bus downtown, placing their bike on the bike rack on the front of the bus and then use their bike once they reach downtown, thus avoiding the steep hills. E-bike rentals are available throughout the downtown area via Sync Bike Share.

By bus
The Centro Bus System provides a fair alternative to driving to most locations, with a fare of $2 within Syracuse and additional fares to outlying suburbs, such as to Auburn for $4 and to Oswego for $5. Buses can come sporadically, especially if you plan to ride the bus outside of Downtown Syracuse, so check the bus schedule online in advance. If you have to transfer to another bus, be sure to ask the bus driver for a transfer card so that you don't get stuck paying double fares for the same trip. Centro offers discounts for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and children. The buses are accessible to people with disabilities and the bus drivers are instructed to let a person with a physical disability on before letting other passengers on.



By taxi
There are several taxi services listed in the Syracuse phone book that you can choose from. It will usually take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes for a taxi to come pick you up but it can be useful if you missed the last bus of the day. At the airport there is usually no wait, as there is a well-frequented taxi stand at the end of Terminal A. Ride-hailing services including Lyft and Uber are also available.

See


Up-to-date information about happenings in Syracuse can most easily be found in the weekly Syracuse New Times, available for a fee at supermarkets and convenience stores. Syracuse's only major print newspaper, The Post-Standard, publishes a Weekend section in its Thursday edition containing upcoming events in the Central New York area.

Online calendars of upcoming events are offered by local media groups:


 * Syracuse.com Events
 * Syracuse New Times Calendar
 * WRVO Public Media Community Calendar

Festivals
Syracuse has gained the nickname "the City of Festivals" for good reason. There are numerous festivals year round. The following are just a few of the festivals that are held in and around the City of Syracuse:


 * Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival This jazz festival at Clinton Square is seen as a downtown replacement for the M&T Jazz Fest which has moved to the Onondaga Community College campus.
 * Latin American Festival

Buy




Shopping areas and malls
General retail opportunities like supermarkets, big-box stores, and casual dining can be found in Syracuse’s immediate suburbs on commercial strips including:

To the west: West Genesee St in Camillus.

To the north: US 11 (Brewerton Rd) in Salina, West of Syracuse Airport.

To the east: NY 5 (Erie Blvd E) in DeWitt.

Drink
Syracuse has two major nightlife districts. The largest is Armory Square downtown, followed by Marshall Street on University Hill.

University Hill
The University Hill neighborhood is directly adjacent to Downtown Syracuse and is home to Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and SUNY College of Environmental Studies and Forestry.

Suburbs
There are several hotels near Carrier Circle in DeWitt, directly accessible from the New York State Thruway's Exit 35, and 15-minute drive to/from Downtown Syracuse during non-peak hours.



Radio
Radio stations serving the Syracuse area include:


 * News/talk: WAER 88.3 FM (NPR), WRVD 90.3 FM (NPR), WSYR 570 AM/106.9 FM (conservative)

Television
Major television stations serving Syracuse include:


 * WSTM Channel 3: NBC
 * WTVH Channel 5: CBS
 * WSYR Channel 9: ABC
 * WCNY Channel 24: PBS
 * WSYT Channel 68: Fox

Connect
Libraries are your best bet for public Internet access, unless you can find a Wi-Fi hot spot elsewhere. Fortunately, the city and its suburbs have an excellent network of libraries, the Onondaga County Public Library System. There are eleven library branches in the city, and more than twenty in the suburbs.



Go next
Syracuse