Ithaca is Gorges….

A tour of many beautiful sites of nature and a look at some fantastic architecture as we visited the Cornell University campus and several of the gorges for which Ithaca is known. We explored the local farmer’s market, sampling delicious home-made fare such as maple cotton candy (fairy floss), sweet frosted cupcakes, apple-cider donuts and local cheeses. If only I wasn’t so full I could have eaten so much more with the delicious smells of Cambodian, Thai and African being some of those taunting me. There were also many local artisan products and I bought some earrings as a reminder of our visit to this earthy, friendly, hippy and ‘GORGE-ous’ city. We spent some time checking out many of the vegetable produce for sale including olde ones such chard, golden beets and kale.

Lunch was at a small roadside tavern called Glenwood Pines. We were rewarded with an awesome treat of the best burgers ever. I can personally endorse their Pinesburger specialty – so much so that if I could have somehow doubled my stomach space I would have ordered another! With bellies filled to the brim we headed out of town for a walk along the trail that follows the river up to the (Taughannock?  I think…) Falls – a spectacular natural attraction which is taller than Niagara Falls. The gorge is flanked by steep cliffs of shale, the path over-arched with tall trees beginning to lose their leaves which fluttered like golden flecks of snow falling to the ground each time the breeze blew. There are many signs along the path warning of the danger of rockslides and urging visitors to stick to the designated track – it was difficult to resolve this potential danger with the serenity and natural beauty of the landscape.

After our walk, we spent an hour or so in the new park on the shore of one of the fingerlakes and then headed into town to take a quick walk down Ithaca Commons (the main street pedestrian mall). Although short, there was plenty to see including sculptures and several bong shops! We spent some time in the toy store where everyone found interesting things to play with (and purchase!). As dark fell, it was time to get home to organise take-out pizza for the kids, welcome the baby-sitter and get ready for a nice adult dinner in town. Once again we overindulged in good food, this time at the Fine Line Bistro while we reminisced, shared laughter, sipped wine, ate rich desserts and made plans of catching up again, hopefully before another 8 years has passed!