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Ithaca, NY

Snow Search

To live in New Jersey and pray for snow is heresy. But since hardly any NJ citizen is burned at the stake any longer (including some politicians who likely deserved it), Jake and Stone occasionally voice their desire for the white stuff. Though J&S are always careful not to wax too eloquently or drift into the even more radical view of seeing snow as “kisses from heaven,” still their views on the glories of snow are unfailingly met with the stony faces of those who have to face all the inconveniences of a serious snow storm. Luckily for the stony faces, the prayers of Jake and Stone are rarely answered.

But then, one has to wonder, who is praying for freezing rain, ice storms and the seemingly ubiquitous “wintry mix.” These supplicants must be either legion in number or down right medieval in their prayer ethic, for obviously something is working for them up there in the grey, cloudy skyway. So, either ignored by higher powers or rendered impotent by their minority status, Jake and Stone left NJ and headed north in search of snow. Ithaca, NY, seemed a likely place.

Day 1 – January 7, 2009. The efficacy of the New Jersey Wintry-Mix Lobby extended through Pennsylvania and almost into Ithaca itself, still the drive was not as horrible as it might have been, and we arrived only a little late of schedule and still in time for a late lunch. Both Cornell University and Ithaca College were on winter break, so the town of Ithaca was hardly bustling. We had hoped to lunch at the seemingly legendary Moosewood Restaurant (noted for their soups and vegetarian fare), but they were closed for “New Year’s Clean Up,” so we went to Simeon’s, which sits on the edge of The Commons -- a traffic-free, two block assembly of small retail stores and eateries. At Simeon’s the quiet of winter break continued as our corner-view table made for a full third of the total late lunch clientele, but we enjoyed both the calm and our lunch.

Though it was not snowing, there was at least snow on the ground, so after lunch we went for a nice little walk on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which begins at Cass Park. The trail is a multi-use, asphalt path that apparently gets quite busy during the summer, but on this January day we saw but 2 joggers and perhaps 3 other couples out enjoying the day.

We then drove north out of Ithaca about 10 miles up to Trumansburg and our B&B. The Morning Glory B&B proved to be very nice indeed, and we can recommend its rooms, living room and homey vib. After a little R&R in our room we headed back into Ithaca for dinner at the Fine Line Bistro, an upscale place with a nice wine list, local art on the wall, jazz background music, good service and very good food. Back at the B&B as we started to go to bed it started to snow(!).

Day 2 – January 8, 2009. After a large and wonderful breakfast at our B&B, where we were the only guests this morning, we headed down Route 96 in search of the area’s most famous sight -- Taughannock Falls. The Overlook on Taughannock Park Road provides a wonderful vista, but to truly appreciate this waterfall (higher than Niagara Falls) one must get up close and personal, which we hoped to do by walking the Gorge Trail.

At the parking lot of Taughannock Falls State Park on Route 89, we were the only car in the lot. Excited that we would have this grandeur all to ourselves we headed towards the trailhead only to see it blocked off. Too dangerous, said the signs. Disappointed, we decided to walk down by Cayuga Lake on the other side of Rt. 89. We had crossed the road when we noticed a park ranger about to get into his car near the ranger station. After pleading our case to him he agreed with us that the recent danger of ice was no longer a problem thanks to last night’s snow and removed the barrier. To say we thanked him is an understatement.

The Gorge Trailis a flat and easy ¾ mile walk, and though we could have walked quickly, we purposefully took our time. On this day, by ourselves in a dramatic gorge with rock walls seemingly hundreds of feet high dappled with snow and glittering here and there with ice formations both big and small, with small groves of red cedar trees tousledin white, with the Taughannock Creek swiftly running its gin clear water, and with the magnificent falls as a final destination – made even more magisterial by the falls'attendant ice formations -- it was as if our previously unanswered winter prayers had somehow landed us in winter heaven.

Thrilled and thankful that things had worked out so nicely, we headed back to Trumansburg for some coffee and snacks at Gimme! Coffee on Main Street, where Stone’s cappuccino was artfully done and Jake’s regular coffee a good old regular regular. T-burg, as it is sometimes called, offers a good deal of small town pleasures, including some nice little shops on Main Street, including Sundress, where we found a bit of irresistible whimsy called the GurglePot. We next drove a little bit out of town to visit Cold Spring Studio Pottery where what prove irresistible was the manifest artistry of the head potter, Alex. We bought two lovely plates and wished that our budget had allowed us more. Back to the B&B for the mandatory nap and/or bath, then off to dinner at T-burg’s reputably best spot -- the Hazel Nut Kitchen, which proved to be worthy of its rep. The next morning we were joined at a once again hearty breakfast by a young couple visiting friends and family in the Ithaca area, then it was back on the road to NJ.

Postscript: Since returning home it has been snowy and cold for almost 2 weeks straight.