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Cayuga Lake comes to a halt at its southern end
at picturesque ITHACA , piled like a diminutive
San Francisco high above the lakeshore and culminating in the
towers, sweeping lawns and shaded parks of the Ivy League
Cornell University . On campus, which is cut by striking
gorges, creeks and lakes, the sleek, I.M. Pei-designed Herbert
F. Johnson Museum of Art (Tues-Sun 10am-5pm;
free; tel 607/255-6464) merits a visit more for its fifth-floor
view of the town and lake than for the unspectacular collection
of Asian and contemporary art. The pick of the countless waterfalls
within a few miles of town is the slender 210ft Taughannock
Falls , ten miles north, just off Hwy-89, which has a
swimming beach close at hand and offers a pleasant trek through
the countryside on your way to the falls. Buttermilk Falls
State Park , two miles south of town on Rte-13, is another
delightful spot. Cayuga Lake provides excellent boating and windsurfing
opportunities; boards and boats can be rented from the nearby
visitor center at 904 East Shore Drive, off Hwy-34
N (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, summer Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 607/272-1313
or 1-800/28-ITHACA, ).
Greyhound and other buses operate
out of the terminal at W State and N Fulton. Budget places
to stay are scarce, though accommodation is on the whole
reasonably priced; try the cramped Hillside Inn , 518 Stewart
Ave (tel 607/273-6864; $50-75), the Elmshade Guest House , 402
S Albany St (tel 607/273-1707; $50-75), or Paragon House , 140
College Ave (tel 607/272-0919; $50-75), in Collegetown
, further up the hill near Cornell. The rooms at the Best Western
University Inn , 1020 Ellis Hollow Rd, on the east edge of campus
(tel 607/272-6100; $50-75), are larger and probably worth the
extra expense. Out of term, the Statler Hotel on East Avenue within
the campus proper, is a pleasant option (tel 607/257-2500 or 1-800/541-2501;
$100-130)
Ithaca boasts two dining and entertainment zones.
Downtown, centered around the vehicle-free Commons
, is the larger and better, and features the top-rated vegetarian
restaurant of cookbook fame, Moosewood (tel 607/273-9610),
in DeWitt Mall as well as Caf? DeWitt , which offers healthy and
filling salads at lunchtime. A block away, Just a Taste , 116
N Aurora St (tel 607/277-9463), is a lively wine-and-tapas bar,
while Simeon's on the Commons , 224 E State St (tel 607/272-2212),
does gourmet sandwiches. Numerous cheap student-oriented places
to eat line the streets of Collegetown: check out the Italian
Little Joe's , 410 Eddy St (tel 607/273-2771), or The Nines ,
that serves up the best deep-dish pizza around and has live music,
on 311 College Ave (tel 607/272-1888). For news of the lively
music scene - and gigs at the Haunt , 114 W Green
St (tel 607/273-3355) - get the free Ithaca Times .
