I’m from right outside Atlanta, which means a lot of my friends from home ended up at universities scattered across the South. It also means that I can’t go home or visit them as often as I’d like, since it requires a plane ticket. Because of that, I am always urging them to visit me here in Ithaca, something I never expected anyone to actually commit to. Flights are expensive, Ithaca is inaccessible and the weather can be brutal at times.
You can imagine my surprise when I got a call from one of my best friends from back home asking if she could come visit for a few days during her spring break. Without even an ounce of hesitation, I said, “Yes.” Having one of my friends experience my life at Cornell is something I have been waiting for since starting school here. We immediately dove into the logistics — sleeping arrangements, dates, flights — until she asked me a question that left me stumped: “What are fun things to do in Ithaca?”
For a bit, I honestly couldn’t think of much to show her. But then I realized that when you live somewhere for a while, it’s easy to forget that everyday routines can be fun for someone experiencing them for the first time. So over the past week, I have been brainstorming a list of spots and experiences at Cornell that I could show my friend. Some of them might seem mundane to us who live in Ithaca but seeing them through your friend’s eyes can make them feel new and exciting.
Here is the list of places and experiences around Cornell’s campus for you and your visitors:
- Go to Collegetown Bagels for Tuesday Table for One Trivia (6 to 8 p.m.), hosted by trivia master, Gina. These are challenging, but fun nonetheless.
- Make your visitor fend for themselves and watch them try to grab a table at Temple of Zeus. This is nonnegotiable. Grab a pastry and a latte while you’re there.
- Take your visitor on a brisk morning walk to Ithaca Falls, no matter the weather.
- Take a look at the film calendar and enjoy a movie at the Cornell Cinema. It’s always fun to see a movie there, since it feels more intimate than a regular theater.
- Check out some of the Johnson Art Museum’s exhibits. Even if neither of you are huge art people, I think it’s worth wandering through. While you’re there, go to the top floor of the museum for the beautiful aerial view of Cornell and Ithaca.
- Show them around the most beautiful libraries on campus, especially the AD White Library and the Law School Library.
- Go to Uris Hall and show them the Wilder Brain Collection.
- If the weather permits, pick up various snacks from GreenStar Food Co+op and set up a picnic on the Slope. Stay for the sunset and take cute photos.
- Give them a glimpse of Cornell’s dining halls. Morrison Dining Hall is the best choice for visitors: it’s massive, has the most variety and is very visually impressive.
- Try one of the 20+ flavors of ice cream at Cornell Dairy Bar.
- Go to Ithaca Pastimes, which is located in Dewitt Mall in the Commons. There are so many trinkets, postcards, old photographs and even some vintage clothes. Even though the store is tiny, I can spend hours looking through its selection.
- Take them to your go-to restaurant in Collegetown (mine is BiBiBowl).
- Go for a midnight walk around campus and end up at Louie’s Lunch. Order either pickle fries or cajun fries (with ranch, of course).
- Head to the Fuertes Observatory on North Campus (Friday evenings only).
- Since my friend is coming during St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I will be taking her to see the Ginger Run and the darties. But if your visitor is coming during the fall, be sure to take them to the Ithaca Farmers Market or the Apple Harvest Festival, if the times align.
- Have an amazing (gluten-free) grilled cheese and tomato soup at Risley Dining Hall on Mondays.
- Go to the Guild of Visual Art’s Slope Studio hours and spend an afternoon chit-chatting while painting.
- Go to Anabel’s Grocery for a cup of kombucha on tap.
- Take your friend with you to class and make them sit in on your lecture. Maybe even take them to a discussion-based class, just to embarrass them a little.
- Stop by the Cornell Store for an “Ithaca is Gorges” shirt or any other Cornell memorabilia.
- Have lunch at Terrace and convince them to try the orange chicken burrito bowl. It sounds so questionable until you make them try it.
- Go to any performances happening on campus that weekend — a cappella, dance teams, comedy troupes or theater. More often than not, there is always something going on.
- Get to North Star Dining Room right as it opens and have a delightful Sunday brunch. Timing is key for this one — if you get there too late, the selection won’t be as good.
- Go ice skating at Lynah Rink.
- Go to Collegetown Bagels again and try one of the seasonal drinks. If the weather is nice enough (emphasis on the ‘if’), sit at one of the outside tables and people-watch.
- Go rock climbing in Bartels Hall.
- Dress up and have a nice dinner somewhere in the Commons (Thompson and Bleecker, Moosewood, Simeon’s).
- Take over an auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall at night and connect your laptop to the projector to watch a movie. Bring snacks to enhance the experience.
- Hit up a band night. Every Thursday night, Electric Buffalo Records hosts band nights and Tres Leches has a jazz night on Wednesdays.
Ruhi Datar is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at rrd56@cornell.edu.
