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A lively modern city, busy SYRACUSE
made its name first for the production of salt and, more importantly,
for its central position on the Erie Canal. Despite a population
nudging half a million, there's little to see, though the presence
of Syracuse University gives downtown an active and youthful feel.
The redevelopment of Armory Square , around Franklin
and Fayette streets, as an area of specialty shops, galleries
and cafs has gone some way toward adding character to the city
center, but the city still feels dominated by the highways and
railroads that slice through it.
The Erie Canal Museum (daily 10am5pm;
donation; tel 315/471-0593), housed in one of the few surviving
canal-era buildings, an 1850s weighing station at 318 E Erie Blvd,
tells the story of the long battle between politicians and taxpayers
before work on the canal began in 1810. The waterway was designed
to link the Great Lakes with New York City via the Hudson, thereby
cutting hefty transportation costs which it did by an average
of ninety percent. At first, however, not everyone was in favor,
critics speaking of a "big ditch" in which "would
be buried the treasure of the state." The project eventually
took fifteen years and one thousand lives, and went three million
dollars over budget, but it spawned America's first generation
of engineers, and after it opened in 1825, prosperous towns quickly
sprung up alongside the canal. Erie Boulevard itself was created
by filling in the old canal bed, and the industrial surroundings
do little to evoke the era, though the reconstructed canal
boat inside the museum is definitely worth a look.
Clark's Ale House , 122 W Jefferson St (tel 315/479-9859),
is locally famous for its roast beef sandwiches and cheese plates.
The Empire Brewing Co , 120 Walton St (tel 315/475-2337), has
an eclectic menu and good beer brewed on the premises, while Pastabilities
, 311 S Franklin St (tel 315/474-1153), is health-conscious and
popu lar. Student numbers ensure a lively music
scene; consult the resourceful and free Syracuse New Times . Good
hangouts include the loud, bluesy Dinosaur BBQ , 246 W Willow
St (tel 315/476-1662), and the small, punky Lost Horizon , 5863
Thompson Rd (tel 315/446-1934). The city's visitor center
is at 572 S Salina St (MonFri 8.30am5pm; tel 315/470-1800 or 1-800/234-4SYR,
http://chamber.cny.com .
