When Friday rolls around the Hill, we all get pretty excited. For two wonderfully full days, we aren’t required to wake up early or attend class. But, amidst the happiness many of us experience on the weekends, there can just as easily be a felt sense of boredom. And the obvious question soon arises: “What the hell is there to do around here?” After all, it’s only a month and a half into the semester, and fraternity parties, Ruloffs, and Pyramid mall are already growing stale.
With that discouraging notion in mind, Daze decided to explore other, less obvious options for weekend fun. To that end, we left the confines of Ithaca, drove a little, and ended up with some fantastic suggestions for those looking for a change of pace. From New York to Niagara, here are some destinations our staffers recommend:
New York City
Not a tri-state inhabitant? Not a Manhattan regular?
Allow me to suggest a nice weekend jaunt to the Big Apple. Okay, okay. I understand. The idea is to leave the pressure and uptight lifestyle behind you.
But when all the suits who commute into Manhattan each weekday leave, they take their stress and high blood pressure home with them. Gotham is then transformed into a city of playful entertainment and seductive relaxation — all ready for you.
The first step is to get yourself on the next Shortline Bus out of Ithaca. Buses leave daily from outside the Center for the Theater Arts in Collegetown, RPU on North Campus, and from outside the Class of ’22 and ’28 dorms on West Campus. The Shortline brings you to the Ithaca terminal where you unload from the bus, purchase a round-trip ticket for about $65.00 including tax, reload, and rest up for a night on the town.
After about a five to six-hour bus ride, Shortline dispenses you at the Port Authority Bus Terminal (North Wing) located just a block over from Times Square, on Eighth Ave. and West 42nd Street. If your stomach has reached the point of nearly digesting itself, you should walk up a few blocks to Broadway and W. 45th to get a bite at Ruby Foo’s Sushi Restaurant and Chinese Dumpling House. It’s a little commercial and a slightly pricey, but even the most consummate native New Yorker will tell you it’s worth hob-nobbing with the camera toting hee-haws from Indiana.
If eastern cuisine is not your style, try some of the street vendors near Bryant Park on Sixth Ave. and W. 42nd. After devouring a delectable hot dog or soft pretzel, you can mosey on over to the Ben and Jerry’s booth for your daily mouth-gasm.
Now you’re all prepped and ready for an afternoon of disgusting self-indulgence. It’s time to hop on the nearest subway and go shopping! The typical route of every wanna-be fashionista is straight up Fifth Avenue to peruse the shining hallways of Henri Bendel, Bergdorf’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue. On the way up this street of fashion fame you’ll pass everything from Banana Republic’s flagship store at Rockefeller Center to the Versace, Fendi, and Prada boutiques.
But let’s get real. You’re a poor college student who wants to leave New York with that special find that will keep you grinning your whole six-hour bus ride home. Walk over to Seventh Ave. and W. 57th Street to hop on an N or R train heading downtown ($1.50 per ride). Your stop is the infamous Canal Street. If you walk in pretty much any direction, you’re sure to stumble on some great stores filled with brilliant creations from virtually unknown designers.
On Canal Street itself, you’ll find a quirky market place type atmosphere where the majority speaks Chinese and you can pick up a darn good pair of fake Gucci sunglasses. A must stop is the Pearl River Market located just a few hundred yards down from the corner of Lafayette and Canal. This unassuming and somewhat dingy three-story emporium holds glittering treasures to decorate anything from your feet to dorm room. Pick up a cool pair of red satin Chinese slippers or a pretty pink Chinese lantern.
If shopping isn’t your bag, hop in a cab and head towards the Brooklyn Museum of Art located on the Eastern Parkway at Prospect Park. The ride could be a bit expensive, but the current exposition of hip-hop artifacts from the past 25 years promises to be worth footing the bill. It features memorabilia from performers like Grand Master Flash and Run DMC to the Beastie Boys and Eminem.
With about thousands of venues to choose from, your night will be anything but Ithacan.
For example, in the West Village, there’s the Kosovo Milk Bar on Avenue A, which takes its inspiration from Clockwork Orange. Sip a Jean Benet or any of their other rather strangely named drinks as you watch Goodfellas next to one of the white mannequins sprinkled like nonchalant d