I don't claim to be an expert on much of anything, but I do know Ithaca like the back of my hand. It may sound silly, but I always feel a sense of pride when I hear outsiders say nice things about Ithaca; what can I say, home is where the heart is. Below are just a few places and events in Ithaca that I think are worth checking out if you ever make it up that way. First, however, let me set the record straight for all Tri-staters who love to call Ithaca WAY upstate New York, Ithaca is in central New York. My hometown is located north east of New York City and is referred to as the Southern Tier of New York. New York is a not a tiny state folks, so you can travel five hours by road and still only be in the middle of the state!
The Westy or West End-State Street, Ithaca (across from Ithaca Foreign Car at 501 West State Street)
This is a new bar from the same management and staff of the Ithaca Commons favorite Korova, which is sadly no longer. I checked the Westy out a couple of weeks ago with an old school friend whom I have known since kindergarten that's the other great thing about being from Ithaca, it is packed full of people you've known forever. The Westy is actually somewhat of an upgrade from Korova, because it has outdoor seating and food on the weekends. Inside, where the only bar is, also has some finely crafted spacious wooden booths and bar stools, along with a dart board and surround sound. Outside there is gravel, tarps, picnic tables, and big grill food set up. My friend tried the pulled pork sandwich and another new friend tried the fresh burrito (they offer veggie and non-veggie); everything got rave reviews. I can't say enough about eating and drinking outside and Ithaca has a lot of lovely summer nights. The bar also offers a nice selection of beer on tap, as well as wine and liquor; I had a light and fruity summer brew as usual. I will definitely go back to this place the next time I'm in town!
Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance
This year I was lucky enough to attend the 20th annual Grassroots Festival and I was not disappointed! Grassroots is a time honored Ithaca and the surrounding area tradition and my parents introduced me to it at an early age god bless them. Let me just state up front that the hippie music festival scene is not for everyone and there are a lot of other things to do in ithaca besides Grassroots. If you are a person who likes beautiful scenery, but doesn't mind dirt, rain, bugs, humidity, and mud, if you are a person who likes to dance into the night to soul saving music, but is not concern with hearing the latest grind worthy pop and hip-hop, if you are a person who likes yummy food from a variety of countries, but doesn't mind eating it off of a cart and on your lap, and if you love camping and comradery then Grassroots is for you. Grassroots has developed such a following that they have been able to not only book great locally known acts, but also some superstars such as: Natalie Merchant, Ani Defranco (to be fair she wasn't famous then and played for a bus ticket, but still), Rusted Root, Merl Haggard, Burning Spear, and Sharon Jones. It's hard to describe the sound of the music at the festival, because it's part of the total experience of good friends, good drinks, beautiful scenery, and just good times. Grassroots is also fun for the whole family and every year there is something new and exciting for the kids. This year there was a mini-stage complete with toy instruments and I personally saw some of my favorite little friends enjoying it. There is a great arts and crafts area, a kids caravan that gives kids rides around the fair, and workshops and magic shows for kids of all ages. Take a look at the website above to find out about festival dates and ticket and camping information. Just a tip: buy tickets early and bring some of your own food to cut down on costs.
