I love coming back to Ithaca, NY. It’s a city where nature, people, and architecture can get on together. In a sense, it’s a model city with lots of outdoor areas and hike paths where all kinds of interesting and open-minded people can live, think, and work together.
As an introvert walker, I did not mind having the streets all to myselfIthaca is full of public art — you’ll see electric boxes like this all over the cityA Subaru parked outside of every home? You’re definitely in IthacaThe coziest bench on the blockArgos Inn, a charming boutique hotel with drinks served in the outdoor garden Wednesday to SaturdayPrinting press, a minimal and chic shared office space and event venueCascadilla Gorge Trail, a beautiful path with the views of the waterfallA funny logo design for Ithaca’s carshare companyYoga in the parkGreenstar Food Coop is a wonderful cooperative-owned market of food, organic and localWhile most of the shops in Ithaca are on snooze because of the pandemic, a new bookshop, Odyssey Bookstore, opened downtownAt Odyssey Bookstore, you’ll find a thoughtful curation of new fiction and non-fictionSome of the highlights at the bookstore by the famous alumni from CornellPuddledockers, an easy space to rent a kayak or a canoe for an exploration of Cayuga Lake. It takes around 25 minutes to reach the lake’s mouth from hereAt Puddledockers, you don’t need prior experience and you’ll be given a full safety instructionThe route towards Cayuga Lake and the different stops you can make on the waySouth Hill Cider, a best-kept secret — a modern cidery with stunning views and refined dry ciders. Ask for “Farmhouse” cider, one of my favoritesA fairytale, all to yourselfA sunset at Cornell University, one of the many reasons to keep coming back to Ithaca