Category: Ithaca

Taughannock Falls

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Walking along the ancient path carved through the mountain by water and time.

Air. Earth. Water. Fall. Waterfall. Taller than Niagara Falls, less voluminous after the drier summer months, nothing short of spectacular in the changing light at golden hour.

All images from the Taughannock Falls Gorge Trail, except the very first one, taken from the Overlook View Point.

Ulysses, N.Y. northwest of Ithaca.

October 25th, 2017

Cayuga Lake

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We almost missed the lake! Here we were, next to the longest, widest and second deepest of the glacier carved Finger Lakes and we had almost no time left to enjoy it. That’s how enthralled we had been by the beauty of Ithaca’s waterfalls! So, on our way to the most magnificent of them all, the least we could do was make a quick stop at the deserted Allan H Treman State Marine Park; and a second one in Taughannock Point, before entering the Park. It was sunny and cool and – at times – very, very breezy. It was also getting late and we still had a long walk ahead.

Ithaca, N.Y.

October 25th, 2017

Cascadilla Gorge Trail

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”Ithaca must be one of the most picturesque towns on this side of the Ocean”, I thought, as we were walking past these well-kept buildings, down neat, tree-lined streets to join the Cascadilla Gorge trail.

”No, this is paradise”, I corrected myself mentally after the first few steps alongside the cascading waterfalls, over the footbridges and up the staircases. For this stunning trail crosses right through the heart of Ithaca, connecting its downtown with the Cornell campus.

Cornell, Cornell… no matter how long you walk you’ll be hard pressed to find a place in Ithaca that is not in some way connected with Cornell. I found it rather surprising, the fact that Ithaca has actually kept its name; if one day someone decided to change it to ”Cornell City”, no one would give it a second thought, I suppose.

Then, this newspaper caught my eye. ”Anti-Semitic posters appear on Campus Buildings”. How odd is human nature, always ready to show its ugly face as if unable to bear so much beauty!

Ithaca N.Y.

October 25th, 2017

We paid our respects

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To Professor Carl E. Sagan whose brilliant mind touched and inspired millions and whose work brought a slice of the Cosmos within our reach. May his memory leave forever in humanity’s quest to understand the Universe.

Professor Sagan was laid to rest in the serenity of Lake View Cemetery. People still walk the ascending path that leads to his grave and leave all kinds of dedications. We found, among others, a button with one of his famous quotes: “The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be.” Here is the rest of the quote: ”Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.” – Carl E. Sagan (1934-1996)

Ithaca N.Y.

October 24th, 2017

Cornell Campus || Beebe Lake

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  • A break for lunch at Manndible Cafe; located on campus, inside the Mann Library, but easily accessible to non-students, too; soups, burritos and such.
  • Walking past Bailey Hall
  • Back to the path toward Sackett Foot Bridge; wonderful views over Beebe Lake; fall yellows reflecting on water

Warm afternoon sun

Inner peace

Ithaca, NY

October 24th, 2017

Beebe Lake, Ithaca

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There is a quiet path going around Beebe Lake, loved by joggers and walkers alike, where we took our first steps in discovering Ithaca.

We walked over Sackett Foot Bridge, named in honour of Colonel Henry Sackett, a Cornell student who donated a considerable amount of his personal wealth to build these paths and help preserve the natural beauty of the two nearby gorges – Cascadilla and Fall Creek.

We walked towards Triphammer Falls and the Beebe Dam, designed and built by Ezra Cornell, the very founder of Cornell University. The whole area, the falls, the dam, the lake, the path, are all part of the University campus. Can you think of a more scenic campus, anywhere?

Ithaca, N.Y.

October 24th, 2017

In Ithaca, one night in October

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What is it about Ithaca that we’ve had to travel far and wide to find it?
Better may be, what is it about us that have had to travel far and wide to find Ithaca?

An Ocean and four Seas apart from the original Ithaca, home of Odysseus, lies another – a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

It was only the first stop of a week-long trip to Cayuga Lake, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, around Lake Ontario to Gananoque and the Thousand Islands – with a touch of Ottawa.

So here we were, one night in October. We had found Ithaca. Now all we had to do was explore it.

This is downtown, at 8 p.m. on a Monday.

Ithaca, NY

October 23rd, 2017