The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/collegetown-bagels/page/3/)
Collegetown Bagels customers will soon have to walk an extra block downtown to get their coffee and Zabs order. The beloved restaurant’s downtown branch will move from the corner of N. Aurora Street to the new City Centre Ithaca building along the Commons.
Around 7 p.m. Thursday evening, the power went out for many Collegetown businesses on the 400 block of College Avenue — plunging student hangouts like Collegetown Bagels, Rulloff’s, Apollo’s and 7/11 into near-darkness. Calls made by the businesses to NYSEG had employees estimating that power will return to the block by 9:45 p.m.
The Ithaca Planning and Development Board gave the official go-ahead for next June’s planned demolition, which will level the historic Chacona Block building in favor of six stories of sleek new apartments during its meeting on Tuesday.
Imagine you are an alumnus from the Class of 2010: You and a couple of your college friends make the trek to Ithaca to visit your old stomping grounds. After checking out campus for a little while, you head towards Collegetown for dinner. “How about Stella’s?” your friend suggests, “It’s got great atmosphere.”
“Sounds good!”
You walk across Cascadilla Gorge and down College Avenue. You see the black awning — “COFFEE LUNCH BRUNCH STELLA’S DINNER WINE COCKTAILS.” As you come nearer, however, you see the windows are covered with paper “FOR RENT.” No problem, you can walk a bit further and go to The Nine’s. They’ve got great atmosphere and the deep-dish pizza is delicious, you think to yourself, I remember going there with my friends during my first week on campus.
The plans include an outdoor gathering space similar to Collegetown Bagels’ busy outdoor plaza. The plans may not include Collegetown Bagels.
Ithaca’s Collegetown Bagels will be moving their downtown location this summer and will be making additions to its menu offerings. Currently located at 203 N. Aurora St., the popular bagel place will move to the new City Centre building at 301 E. State St.
The central question motivating these petitions is whether or not the Chacona Block should be officially designated as a historic landmark.
As businesses across Collegetown have become or faced the possibility of becoming historic landmarks, owners of some businesses within these buildings have raised concerns.
On my walk home from class, I stumbled upon a popular hotspot: Collegetown Bagels. From the freshly baked bagels to the artsy chalkboard decor, I found myself in awe — yet, one thing instantly grabbed my attention. I discovered that each and every unique sandwich name had been submitted by local students. In this moment, I realized that not only had I found my new hangout, but I was also about to unearth my claim to fame.
This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend the 18th Annual Great Downtown Ithaca Chili Cook-off and eat some truly memorable chili. Of the 39 competitors vying for the title of best chili, some submitted both vegetarian and meat options and some even provided drinks or sweets as palate cleansers. Though I wasn’t able to check out all 39 stands, I’ve included thoughts on the 11 stands I did sample.