By wpengine
It’s the first Saturday of the semester and I busted out into the Collegetown bar scene on a quest to locate the hot spots for you to escape from these cold winter nights. To learn where the supreme place to be seen and the best bet to get your drink on is, come along on my bar hopping adventure. Whether it is your first or last spring semester at Cornell, Collegetown bars are guaranteed to supply you with plenty of booze, babes, and banter. Although Ithaca is often dismissed for its lack of nighttime activities, the bars of Collegetown can be praised for two reasons. First, Cover charges at the door are a rarity, allowing for you to easily stalk that hottie you’ve been eyeing around campus without causing severe debt to ensure. Once you’re in the door, the unique atmospheres of the Collegetown bars enable the establishments to please a diverse array of clientele. No matter what you seek, you are sure to find a nightlife that suits your style. The first stop of the evening was Rulloff’s. I entered to find a moderate crowd of low maintenance beer guzzling regulars huddled around heavy wood tables. The music playing was an extensive variety of rock, rock, and more rock. Rulloff’s may not be the cheapest place to get sloshy or the ideal atmosphere for high strung dancing fools, but it does deliver a laid back atmosphere, plenty of space, and an extensive bar. If you have yet to enjoy one of their tasty Cosmo & Raspberry Stole’s, put it on your list, dahling. Next up for this hopper was Johnny O’s. Although the bar’s newness has worn off and the clientele tends to be on the young side, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with 80s delights like Bon Jovi and Springsteen blasting from the sound system. Go to Johnny O’s for the jolly tunes and Coyote Ugly wannabe bar tenders, but not so much for the drinks. If it’s crowded, you’ll most likely spend twice the amount of time waiting to order a drink than you do to drink it. Daily specials are a good economic choice at Johnny O’s, but this patron’s Cranberry & Vodka was a tad on the weak side. Toto, I don’t think we’re in Ithaca anymore. That’s because the next stop on my quest was Stella’s — the bar that tries to deliver a hip NYC vibe with its d
By wpengine
A small chimney fire at 12:46 p.m. yesterday forced the evacuation of Willard Straight Hall during the lunch rush. Exiting diners then joined an anti-war protest already in progress outside. While initial police reports shared little information, a fire department spokesperson confirmed that the fire could have been caused by the failure to open the flue on the fireplace. First Reports Linda Grace-Kobas, director of the Cornell News Service, said that the police report initially labeled the alarm “accidental.” “They didn’t have any commentary on the cause,” she said. “I was eating lunch,” Kevin Fink ’06 said. “Someone had tried to light a fire but hadn’t opened the flue and there was a lot of smoke in the room.” Outside, on Ho Plaza, a group of students were holding an anti-war protest. Many diners evacuating from the building joined them. “The Cornell Anti-War coalition was asking questions that were unanswered in Bush’s State of the Union,” said Tomer Malchi ’03, who organized the protest. “We were discussing the disparity between military and education spending.” “Several students leaving the building came to listen to what we had to say,” Malchi added. “A lot of people were interested.” According to Malchi, people exiting the building claimed that someone had attempted to light a fire in the Ivy Room’s fireplace without opening the flue and smoke was not able to escape. Several students reported that they were not sure what was going on and that it was hard to hear the alarms over the noise in the Ivy Room. Some were simply reluctant to give up their hard-earned tables. “No one really knew what was going on,” Fink added. “The alarm was loud upstairs but in the Ivy Room it was just like a little beep.” Cornell Dining officials were unavailable for comment last night. The Ithaca Fire Department responded to a call at Willard Straight Hall at 12:47 p.m. and reported that they had discovered a small chimney fire. Later Wednesday, a sign hanging on the side of the fireplace read, “CAUTION!!! !!!! Please do not attempt to ignite or put logs on the fire. Management.”Archived article by Chris Mitchell