GUEST ROOM | The Destruction of Collegetown

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.