Ithaca, NY

[overmorrow]

On 2/14/2016 at 3:49 PM, lecturesonnothing said:

Finally, what's the situation re. driving? Is it pretty much necessary to have a car in Ithaca if you want to have something approaching an independent life? (Bear in mind: I'll be 25 when I start, and have had a couple of years out of full-time study, so am keen not to spend all of my free time doing campus-based/'studenty' things.)

I'm not a student at Cornell, but I've been to Ithaca before, and while a car may not be completely necessary, I'd say it would make an independent life a lot easier. Ithaca is not particularly walkable, especially when winter sets in.

[nevermind]

54 minutes ago, overmorrow said:

I'm not a student at Cornell, but I've been to Ithaca before, and while a car may not be completely necessary, I'd say it would make an independent life a lot easier. Ithaca is not particularly walkable, especially when winter sets in.

Agreed. If you have a car, bring it. If you can get a car, get it--especially if you want to live off-campus (the further away from campus, the cheaper it is). 

Ithaca isn't really super-centralized (you can get downtown pretty easily by bus or walking from Cornell) and to get to grocery stores or the big box stores (with the exception of Target, which is on the bus route), a car is a pretty good thing to have. 

I didn't have a car though. I just used my bus pass and http://www.ithacacarshare.org/...The upside of this is that you get a student discount + you don't have to pay monthly car insurance. If you only use a car occasionally, it ends up being cheaper. I'd either ride with friends to Wegmans or rent the car and stock up. 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

I'm moving to Ithaca and would like to commute (I already signed a lease about 5 miles off-campus and the route isn't bike-friendly at all... no bike lane or anything). The TCAT runs to my apartment complex about 4 times a day but I don't want to be stuck on campus after 5:00, and that $750 commuter permit makes my wallet scream in fear. What do?

[soc13]

On 3/1/2016 at 11:24 AM, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I'm moving to Ithaca and would like to commute (I already signed a lease about 5 miles off-campus and the route isn't bike-friendly at all... no bike lane or anything). The TCAT runs to my apartment complex about 4 times a day but I don't want to be stuck on campus after 5:00, and that $750 commuter permit makes my wallet scream in fear. What do?

@pinkfuzzybunny ah, I hear you! I am trying to figure this out myself although I haven't signed a lease yet. It's cheaper to live further out, but that's a hefty price (is it $750 a semester?).

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

On 3/4/2016 at 11:00 AM, mm3733 said:

@pinkfuzzybunny ah, I hear you! I am trying to figure this out myself although I haven't signed a lease yet. It's cheaper to live further out, but that's a hefty price (is it $750 a semester?).

Nope, $750 a year from what I can tell. But I just came back from a visit... I think it might be feasible (though annoying) to park for free in a neighborhood north of campus and then walk. At least, that's my current plan

[freudianneuro]

On 3/1/2016 at 10:24 AM, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I'm moving to Ithaca and would like to commute (I already signed a lease about 5 miles off-campus and the route isn't bike-friendly at all... no bike lane or anything). The TCAT runs to my apartment complex about 4 times a day but I don't want to be stuck on campus after 5:00, and that $750 commuter permit makes my wallet scream in fear. What do?

You can park in B lot for half of that and just take the bus to that parking lot from your building on campus.

[Excelsior!]

Hello guys! I have an offer from Cornell and I wanted to know more about life in Ithaca. Is it expensive? I have heard that it is a small town so it can get boring. Is that true?

[madamoiselle]

I just got an offer from Cornell for an outstanding program, and am looking for graduate housing suggestions if anybody has any!

[Manuscriptess]

On 1/30/2018 at 12:45 PM, madamoiselle said:

I just got an offer from Cornell for an outstanding program, and am looking for graduate housing suggestions if anybody has any!

Hey! I went to Cornell for my BA. Ithaca is my favorite city! Cornell has really, really, really good graduate housing. Are you looking to live in University housing or off campus? 

If you want off campus, there are a couple of different areas which are good--- Collegetown is mostly upperclassmen undergrads and can be expensive. There are some apartments off of North or West Campus which are cheaper, but those can be kind of isolating. Whatever you do, try not to live near frats. My suggestion is to live on the Commons and take the bus to campus. Feel free to DM if you want more specific info. 

 

On 1/29/2018 at 2:32 PM, Excelsior! said:

Hello guys! I have an offer from Cornell and I wanted to know more about life in Ithaca. Is it expensive? I have heard that it is a small town so it can get boring. Is that true?

Ithaca is less boring than you'd think, although it's by no means a big city. There is always something happening on the Commons.

Housing in Collegetown (mostly undergrads) can be expensive but otherwise the price of living is a lot less than living in a large city. 

 

On 2/17/2015 at 11:59 AM, WalterSobchak said:

I lived in Ithaca from fall 2003 - spring 2008 (undergrad at Cornell). I loved it. 

 

 

Wegmans >>>>>>

WEGMANS ❤️

[Assotto]

21 hours ago, madamoiselle said:

I just got an offer from Cornell for an outstanding program, and am looking for graduate housing suggestions if anybody has any!

Congrats! Downtown and Fall Creek are where most grad students live. Starting rent for a studio is $1100. Roommates can get your housing costs down to $600 roughly. Avoid Collegetown at all costs because its mostly undergrads with a heavy frat culture. There is also the option of graduate housing on North campus, which will save you a bit of money but is not located near a bus stop with a bus that runs as frequently as Downtown or Fall Creek. For property companies I recommend Travis Hyde Properties.

You can always message me if you have more specific questions about grad student living in Ithaca. 

[madamoiselle]

@Assotto Thank you so much! That's interesting that the bus doesn't run as frequently to graduate housing haha. Is there one that seems to be preferred over the other? I'll also give Travis Hyde a gander.

 

[hurryskurry]

Wanted to ask again, how necessary a car is in Ithaca. Talking with grad students, it seemed as if there were several who didn't have a car, or didn't use it to get to the university on a daily basis. 

[PXYZ]

Looks like they tore down the old maple wood and are in the process of building a brand new community. After making 9 calls to the leasing office, I decided that they offer better housing options than the listings on Craigslist for an international student like myself. The reasons include: late lease starting date (8/20), utilities included in the rent, close to bus stops to campus and Wegman's, grad student and staff only community, and a roommate pairing system called RoomSync where you can find a roommate if you want to co-rent but don't know anyone. They are also pet-friendly and provide parking for a relatively low cost. I talked to a friend already attending my program and she agrees that's a good deal. 

If anyone is interested, here are the links:

http://www.livemaplewoodapartments.com/

https://maplewoodithaca.com/

[collegesista]

On 3/11/2018 at 4:18 PM, hurryskurry said:

Wanted to ask again, how necessary a car is in Ithaca. Talking with grad students, it seemed as if there were several who didn't have a car, or didn't use it to get to the university on a daily basis. 

Talked to some graduate students at my visit today and the one who does have a car mainly uses it when traveling out of town to visit his partner. Other than that, the others prefer to bike or walk. They did say a car is useful for groceries, but Uber does exist in Ithaca now. Ridesharing (Ithaca's version of zipcar - don't remember the name) is also an option.

[Informat]

40 minutes ago, collegesista said:

Talked to some graduate students at my visit today and the one who does have a car mainly uses it when traveling out of town to visit his partner. Other than that, the others prefer to bike or walk. They did say a car is useful for groceries, but Uber does exist in Ithaca now. Ridesharing (Ithaca's version of zipcar - don't remember the name) is also an option.

Thanks for the info. How about traveling to New York City, or Boston from Ithaca? Any public transportation?

[collegesista]

7 hours ago, Informat said:

Thanks for the info. How about traveling to New York City, or Boston from Ithaca? Any public transportation?

Yes, Cornell has a bus from Ithaca to NYC campus and there are other companies with buses and shuttles to those areas.

[Jenna Rae]

On 3/11/2018 at 4:18 PM, hurryskurry said:

Wanted to ask again, how necessary a car is in Ithaca. Talking with grad students, it seemed as if there were several who didn't have a car, or didn't use it to get to the university on a daily basis. 

So, I grew up near here, and lived in Ithaca for fun for a while.  You don't NEED a car.  The TCAT is the bus transportation service (you can see their schedules on their website).  It runs a ton to Cornell campus.  BUT!  It's not like a large city where you can have groceries delivered, and you'll have to deal with bus schedules to get groceries.

 

So, in short, you don't NEED a car.  But it is actually helpful here.   Check out the TCAT.

[Saltshaker]

Hi everyone! I just accepted a PhD offer, and was wondering if anyone knew of good, quiet places for grad students to live? I do have a car, but don’t know if I’ll be bringing it. My stipend is $26,426 for the year, with an added $5,568 for summer support. A studio or 1-bedroom apartment would be ideal! When I visited campus, current students in my program suggested using Craigslist..does anyone know if this is a good option?

[medievalbotanist]

On 3/29/2018 at 9:59 AM, Saltshaker said:

Hi everyone! I just accepted a PhD offer, and was wondering if anyone knew of good, quiet places for grad students to live? I do have a car, but don’t know if I’ll be bringing it. My stipend is $26,426 for the year, with an added $5,568 for summer support. A studio or 1-bedroom apartment would be ideal! When I visited campus, current students in my program suggested using Craigslist..does anyone know if this is a good option?

I'm also an incoming Cornell student who was looking for housing! People in my program also recommended Craigslist. I've found a place, but I was looking and it looks like there are still places being advertised. I was advised by literally every single person I asked to stay away from Collegetown, if that helps you any!

[Saltshaker]

7 hours ago, medievalbotanist said:

I'm also an incoming Cornell student who was looking for housing! People in my program also recommended Craigslist. I've found a place, but I was looking and it looks like there are still places being advertised. I was advised by literally every single person I asked to stay away from Collegetown, if that helps you any!

I actually just secured a place in Fall Creek via Craigslist! Yeah, most people told me to stay away from Collegetown, too, because of the frat parties. 

[curlyq177]

I'm from NYC and went to Ithaca College for 4 years as an undergrad! The summers are beautiful there and despite being a small "city" there are tons of things to do and events going on. There are two large universities within a mile of each other so theres always a drag show, performance, game, food festival to go to. ithaca has the BEST food festivals (e.g. apple fest, chili fest). The Dali Lama has a vacation retreat there so it cant be that bad!

Ithaca has a bunch of wineries and breweries. It has more eateries per capita than nyc actually. It was definitely an adjustment moving there, but I loved my time there. There is also a bus from Ithaca to NYC that you can catch when you miss home and its not too expensive. Hope that helped! 

[ResilientDreams]

Bumping this!! Who else is moving to Ithaca??

[issaquah]

@ResilientDreams I'm moving to Ithaca in August, currently looking for a 1bdrm in Fall Creek/Downtown on Craigslist (everyone told me to look there during my visit)

[ResilientDreams]

58 minutes ago, issaquah said:

@ResilientDreams I'm moving to Ithaca in August, currently looking for a 1bdrm in Fall Creek/Downtown on Craigslist (everyone told me to look there during my visit)

Yay!! It's nice to meet you. Fall Creek is a nice area. I got an apartment in Maplewood though. 

[issaquah]

@ResilientDreams You too! Did you find yours on Craigslist? It looks like pickings are slim at this point, but I only made my official decision yesterday