TRAVEL
CHASING WATERFALLS in Ithaca, New York
By DENISE LUNDY
W hile attending a relative’s wedding last fall in Tru- mansburg, New York, I had the opportunity to spend a long weekend in the nearby lakeside town of Ithaca. We flew in and out of Roch - ester and drove our rental car south- east through the rural countryside, with farms dotting the shores of the aptly named Finger Lakes, a cluster of narrow lakes that run in a north- south direction in upstate New York. We navigated the 96 south be- tween Seneca and Cayuga Lakes un- til we reached our vacation rental in the Fall Creek neighborhood of Itha- ca, at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. To our delight, we found our rental home nestled into a charming, tree-lined hamlet within walking distance of the Ithaca Bakery and a variety of interesting restaurants of- fering a range of culinary delights, including fresh seafood, Thai, Viet- namese, and more. While the wed- ding events kept us busy, we looked forward to exploring Ithaca in our free time. The wedding, held in the fami- ly’s mini-farm, was picture-perfect and featured a historic, weathered barn as the backdrop, with rolling hillsides featuring the varied hues
of the leaves in vibrant autumn col- or framing the view. With each day of our stay, the warm daytime tem- perature and cool nights coaxed the leaves into dazzling us with the bril- liance of an East Coast deciduous forest in autumn. Ithaca is perfect for a getaway, al- beit ours was too short to scratch the surface of the region’s offerings. With stunning gorges, waterfalls, winer- ies and cideries, Cornell University’s campus, a bustling Farmers Mar- ket, an eclectic downtown, a thriving art scene, and locally sourced food, it was tricky to winnow the attractions down to a realistic short-list that we could manage with our otherwise busy itinerary. Our first stop, after caffeinating at Gimme! Coffee was to walk from our rental to Ithaca Falls. The first of the many waterfalls we chased, Ithaca Falls has an impressive 150- foot drop and is easily accessible. How nice to have such a beautiful waterfall right in town! We contin- ued along Fall Creek before ascend- ing the hill to Cornell University’s perch. Founded in 1865, the Ivy League school’s hilltop location offers impressive views of Cayuga Lake and the city of Ithaca. From the top
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