Ithaca, NY

[red_crayons]

Ok, I just deleted my post, BOO! Google and its silly sensitivity to double return/double control... grrr....

I'm pretty sure Red Bomber is just recycling other landlords' listings. What I've seen them advertise are mostly apartments in complexes in hard to reach places with wall-to-wall carpeting.

Most complexes in general seem kind of unimpressive, and are in hard to reach places. They also cost a lot more than a comparably sized apartment in a house that will almost certainly have better access to campus and/or transportation. I've also heard bad things about the structural soundness (!) of complexes from a colleague, including one that was filled with mold and another that was slowly sinking into the ground because of irresponsible zoning on the outskirts of town (where complexes necessarily tend to be built). Come to think of it, the few people I know who lived in complexes - even reputable ones! - eventually moved out because they could find places in better locations for less money by living in an apartment in a house.

Be VERY wary of landlords who claim to be "on the bus route"!!! The buses are really inefficient in most parts of town. "On the bus route" often means a bus every 30-60 minutes during regular business hours - with little to no service after 6ish pm or on the weekends. Many of the buses don't actually go to useful places, either, so getting to, say, a grocery store could take over an hour even if you're "on the bus route". You could make it work with a car, but parking on campus also costs $600+ per year, and you still need to take a bus from the parking lot to many areas of campus.

Unless an apartment is downtown or in Fall Creek, being on a bus route is kind of meaningless. Downtown/Fall Creek means "generally near the Commons", which is where the major bus stops are. Yet even with downtown, you could still have quite a walk to the bus. Definitely google the distance from prospective apartments to the big commons bus stop(s): Seneca and Tioga, and Green and Cayuga.

You may have misinterpreted what others said on this thread about houses. Renting a home may work if you have enough people. But you really want to rent an apartment IN a house. Most houses in the Fall Creek/Downtown area have 3-5 apartments. Most landlords in those areas only have a few properties, and tend to be clueless but eager to make you happy. Really, the more properties someone owns, the less you should trust what they tell you about their apartments.

In general, though, apartments in houses downtown/Fall Creek tend to be charming, with lots of hardwood and original windows, mostly grad students and young professionals, close to everything, parking with the property or easily and safely on the street, lots of porches and yards, etc. Laundry can be a pain; many houses don't have it. But there are several strategically placed laundromats which make this completely tolerable.

There also seem to be some nice apartments in buildings on the Commons (part of downtown), over restaurants and stores. They're more expensive, but there's something to be said for being 500 feet from 15 restaurants, 5 bars and the biggest bus stop in town.

I've retyped all this too many times in the last month - look at my post here for some searching strategies:

[BKLYN-MS]

I understand how you must feel...I just moved to Ithaca a month ago from NYC. It's ok, there is a fair amount to do. Lots of bars, art galleries, restraunts, and music venues. The weather and scenery is really nice during the summer, fall, and spring. Winter is terrible, but they clean the roads really well. I am sure you will be occupied with school work anyway.

Being that I have only been here for a month I still have not burned out all the local resources, so I guess ask me then -lol. Also, I am fortunate because my fiance is here going to school as well.

[bvang]

I've scoured this forum for answers to this and found a few, but I wanted to ask again and get some fresh opinions.

If I plan on living in the Fall Creek area... (close enough to the main bus stops), do you think it's necessary to have a car? I can't imagine why I would need one with the bus system there. But I have a friend who attended Cornell as an undergrad and said it's definitely a very good nice-to-have. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of bringing my car if it's just going to sit there most of the time. If the bus can get me to Wegman's, campus, and the farmer's market... honestly what else do I need? Also if I ever need to go to NYC, I'd rather take the bus instead of drive anyway.

If any of you can think of compelling reasons why I'd need a car... please do share. Much appreciated.

[red_crayons]

Well, I've lived in Ithaca for 6.5 years without a car. But I'm getting one before I start grad school here in the fall.

Why?

- It's hard to get to where my family/friends live from Ithaca via bus and plane, but very easy via car. I have seen my family less than once a year for the past five years, and now that I'm going back to a student schedule, I want to be able to get out of town during breaks.

- The buses do go to grocery stores, but I cook a LOT at home, and I can't manage carrying everything home on the bus. I've tried. They have improved the lines to Wegman's lately, which is nice. There is also more weekend access to the mall area, where there is a Tops grocery store, too.

- I'm frankly just tired of standing around waiting for buses after years and years of relying on them. I want to feel like I'm moving forward with my life by going to grad school, and having more freedom over my schedule (=not planning around bus schedules) is something that I've realized is important to me. Waiting for buses is a minor, but constant, irritation to me.

- There are a lot of cool things in the area - restaurants, weird little antique stores, wineries, state parks, etc - that I haven't had a chance to experience fully, because you can only get there by car. If I'm staying here for another 5 years, I want to feel like I've been able to experience everything that I'm interested in. Plus, I'll have new things to do, which is important after being here for so long.

These are my personal reasons. There are very compelling reasons not to have a car in Ithaca, though. The bus system will get you where you need to go, for sure.

There's also a car share program that I currently use for errands about once a week. You pay a small monthly/yearly fee, and a small hourly fee, and they provide the car, gas and insurance coverage. You can sign up whenever you want, and there are a few Fall Creek-ish cars, which I use regularly. It's really nice! Ithaca Carshare

[bvang]

Well, I've lived in Ithaca for 6.5 years without a car. But I'm getting one before I start grad school here in the fall.

Why?

- It's hard to get to where my family/friends live from Ithaca via bus and plane, but very easy via car. I have seen my family less than once a year for the past five years, and now that I'm going back to a student schedule, I want to be able to get out of town during breaks.

- The buses do go to grocery stores, but I cook a LOT at home, and I can't manage carrying everything home on the bus. I've tried. They have improved the lines to Wegman's lately, which is nice. There is also more weekend access to the mall area, where there is a Tops grocery store, too.

- I'm frankly just tired of standing around waiting for buses after years and years of relying on them. I want to feel like I'm moving forward with my life by going to grad school, and having more freedom over my schedule (=not planning around bus schedules) is something that I've realized is important to me. Waiting for buses is a minor, but constant, irritation to me.

- There are a lot of cool things in the area - restaurants, weird little antique stores, wineries, state parks, etc - that I haven't had a chance to experience fully, because you can only get there by car. If I'm staying here for another 5 years, I want to feel like I've been able to experience everything that I'm interested in. Plus, I'll have new things to do, which is important after being here for so long.

These are my personal reasons. There are very compelling reasons not to have a car in Ithaca, though. The bus system will get you where you need to go, for sure.

There's also a car share program that I currently use for errands about once a week. You pay a small monthly/yearly fee, and a small hourly fee, and they provide the car, gas and insurance coverage. You can sign up whenever you want, and there are a few Fall Creek-ish cars, which I use regularly. It's really nice! Ithaca Carshare

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. These are actually pretty convincing reasons. I'm curious though, with the snow there... I'd guess it'd be pointless to have anything that isn't a 4-wheel drive?

[so47]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. These are actually pretty convincing reasons. I'm curious though, with the snow there... I'd guess it'd be pointless to have anything that isn't a 4-wheel drive?

Common misconception! I grew up in various places in upstate NY, including Lake Placid where it was normal to have 6+feet of snow on the ground for the whole winter, and me or my parents have NEVER had a 4-wheel drive car. Yeah, it might help to get you out of a snow pile without digging out as much, but that is not the problem with driving in snow! The problem is STOPPING, and 4-wheel drive can't help you there. Sorry for the rant, but in general people tend to think they are invincible when they have 4-wheel drive and drive like idiots through the snow, and they are the ones you see on the side of the road, rammed into trees and the lot. You always have to be cautious regardless of the car you drive.

I'm bringing my 2-wheel drive car to Ithaca this year, and the only thing I am concerned about to be honest is the combo of snow + hills, but that is just because my car is very light with a small engine, and it complains with much less daunting hills in Albany! 4-wheel drive might make it easier getting up those hills in the snow, but by no means is it pointless to have a car that isn't 4-wheel drive. This is coming from an upstate-NY-er though, not specifically an Ithacan (if that's what one calls a person who lives in Ithaca?).

[red_crayons]

Let me emphasize again that I've been fine without a car for over 6 years.

I guess I'd say that if you have a car, and you're relatively confident that it won't need a lot of expensive maintenance (it's a Subaru or Honda, for example), it might be worth it to bring it along. But as a grad student, even with a Cornell stipend you won't easily be able to absorb unexpected, expensive car repairs.

Also, think about your living situation. If you live with 2+ people, your rent and utilities won't need to be more than $450 or $500. If you want to live with one roommate, it could be $500 or it could be $700, depending on where and what. If you want to live alone, rents start around $700 for something tiny, and $800ish and up for a proper one bedroom, and then you'd have utilities and internet on top of that. Having a one bedroom is great, but having a car on top of it could get really difficult.

Parking on campus sucks and is expensive, too. Either plan an extra $600+ per year (I think?) for parking, or just assume you'll take the bus to campus and use your car for personal things. Parking in town is easy, though, especially in Fall Creek. Lots of places have driveways, although few have garages. Depending on where you are in Fall Creek, street parking will probably be easy and close to your house.

For me, since I've lived here for a while, I have enough off-campus interests and friends that I'll probably spend a lot of time running around, going places, visiting people, going to community activities, etc. I'll still take the bus to campus every day, but I'll probably drive somewhere 3 or 4 times a week.

Also, think about your discipline. If you're into environmental issues or community causes, there are lots of networks to tap into in the area. If not, you might find that off-campus life just isn't interesting to you, and you might not have the need to get away from campus and your immediate neighborhood as often.

As for the winter issue... 4WD is nice, but downtown it's not essential. In town, though, the main roads stay clear ALL THE TIME. Maybe once a year there will be a big storm that keeps people off main roads. As long as you go slow on side roads, you can get where you need to on the cleared, main roads. And going up/down hill is annoying, but most of the time that's fine, too, since those roads get enough traffic to stay clear.

If you actually drove to campus from the outlying areas every day, it would be a different story. But in town is generally fine.

I'm looking for either a gently used Subaru (4WD) or a new, cheap Toyota or Nissan or Honda (under warranty=less worry, cheaper loan), just for reference.

[so47]

One thing I was struck by in Ithaca when I visited both times last month...Drivers are NICE!!! They actually stop at stop signs and let pedestrians go! This is refreshing, coming from Philly where they do the "Philly slide" = rolling through stop signs, and the cars like to go bowling for pedestrians, extra points if they have a backpack! YAY for no more (or at least less) overly aggressive Philly and NJ drivers!

[ExoticTeacup]

I'm supposed to move out to Ithaca in the beginning of June so that I can start during the summer, so I've been looking at rentals that have been becoming available. Something is striking me as a bit odd and problematic though. It seems that just about everything in the downtown area or anywhere on that side of campus comes furnished! I've been living on my own for years now, and I have quite a bit of money invested in my home furnishings; throwing it away is absolutely out of the question, and call me a snob if you want to, but quite frankly, I don't want some landlord's ratty old sofa when I have a great leather couch. I've heard of furnished apartments, but where I come from, they constitute maybe 5% at most of all of the units rented. Are furnished units really the norm in Ithaca, and if so, does anybody know of specific landlords who have unfurnished properties? I'm starting to get a bit concerned here.

[red_crayons]

On 4/25/2010 at 8:21 PM, ExoticTeacup said:

I'm supposed to move out to Ithaca in the beginning of June so that I can start during the summer, so I've been looking at rentals that have been becoming available. Something is striking me as a bit odd and problematic though. It seems that just about everything in the downtown area or anywhere on that side of campus comes furnished! I've been living on my own for years now, and I have quite a bit of money invested in my home furnishings; throwing it away is absolutely out of the question, and call me a snob if you want to, but quite frankly, I don't want some landlord's ratty old sofa when I have a great leather couch. I've heard of furnished apartments, but where I come from, they constitute maybe 5% at most of all of the units rented. Are furnished units really the norm in Ithaca, and if so, does anybody know of specific landlords who have unfurnished properties? I'm starting to get a bit concerned here.

A lot of places come furnished, I think, because most renters are students. There is nowhere like an Ikea around to buy cheap furniture, so a furnished apartment is very attractive for a lot of people, and landlords are just responding to that.

That said, many landlords will gladly move furniture out of an apartment for you, and put it in storage or offer pieces to other tenants. This has happened with all 4 landlords I've had in Ithaca. My current apartment, for example, came with some ok furniture and some very ratty furniture. A few items are stored in the building, a few were just thrown out, and I'm using a couple things JUST until I can buy my own to replace them.

I wouldn't write off a property just because it comes furnished. Explain that you have your own items that you will be moving with you, and ask if they can move out the furniture. If they initially say they won't, explaining that it's a make it or break it factor for you might help to motivate them. I think only a minority of landlords would hold firm on only offering their apartments furnished.

[cornell11]

hi folks,

i'm entering grad school with little money. can i get an apartment(safe place) in ithaca with $300 or less? how low can i go. i want $50 lol.

seriously. i'm coming for a master's on huge loan. i wanna save. what are the job options at cornell and how much do the cheap apartments cost?

help!

[DJLamar]

Will you have a car? If you do then I've seen plenty of listings for places that are a 10 - 15 minute drive from Cornell (and Ithaca for that matter) that cost $300 or less per person. I even saw one ad where you could live in a 2 bedroom house on a farm -- total cost $500 a month, with discounts if you had experience with horses and could work with them while you lived there...

The downside of course is that you'll be really, absolutely, unequivocally in the middle of nowhere.

[matcha]

@cornell11-

I think it also depends on how much you want a roommate or not. Places with lots of roommates are cheaper- a place all to yourself is more expensive. Plus, places near bus stops or campus will also be pricier.

Keep in mind that a parking pass is around $600, plus there is limited parking and lots of parking tickets issued. Also, during the winter, you might want to be near campus in case roads close or at least in an area that gets plowed often.

[red_crayons]

Will you have a car? If you do then I've seen plenty of listings for places that are a 10 - 15 minute drive from Cornell (and Ithaca for that matter) that cost $300 or less per person. I even saw one ad where you could live in a 2 bedroom house on a farm -- total cost $500 a month, with discounts if you had experience with horses and could work with them while you lived there...

The downside of course is that you'll be really, absolutely, unequivocally in the middle of nowhere.

@cornell11-

I think it also depends on how much you want a roommate or not. Places with lots of roommates are cheaper- a place all to yourself is more expensive. Plus, places near bus stops or campus will also be pricier.

Keep in mind that a parking pass is around $600, plus there is limited parking and lots of parking tickets issued. Also, during the winter, you might want to be near campus in case roads close or at least in an area that gets plowed often.

This and this. Also, most apartments require 1 month security plus one to two more months' rent up front. It's stupid expensive to get an apartment here.

I'll be paying $450 for half of a two bedroom this year, which is a STEAL for my part of downtown. Figure on $400-$600 per person living near a reliable bus route for a 2-3 bedroom. You'll pay less with more people, but getting down to $300 would be really, really tough without a car. With a car, you could do it, but like matcha said, parking is $600+ per year on campus, plus you'd be paying for a car... so you might as well pay the $400-$500 a month for an apartment at that point.

There are also many days when it will be impossible to drive to campus because of snow. And, if you like to drink or go out at all, would you really be comfortable drunk driving in the snow on windy, hilly country roads to save a bit of money? That's a personal calculation, but something to consider.

Housing in Ithaca is really, really expensive compared to the size of the town. Period.

Good luck!

[cornell11]

oh my.thanks folks. i went to oberlin college and rent was really cheap. can't believe ithaca is that expensive. i accepted university housing oh lord

[one_arm]

When I was an incoming grad student I was able to come up for a weekend and look at a bunch of apartments, and found one that I really like. Some people don't have time or can't afford the trip. Sometimes they find a nice one, and sometimes it doesn't work out too well (like my friend in Econ who had to move after only one night and lost his security deposit =/). I've been thinking about this recently, and had an idea for a weekend project.

Are you looking for a place to live in Ithaca but can't visit to check out places? I can help you out.

Here's what I will do: for a modest fee, I'm happy to act as your agent in Ithaca and visit whatever houses or apartments you are interested in. I will take high resolution digital pictures and if needed, measure rooms. I'll write up a report with pictures and my general impression of the apartment, location, landlord, etc, and send it back to you the same day. I haven't tried this before so let's say $20 for a typical visit that takes ~20 minutes to make, plus another 10 min to write up. If it's way out of town I would have to charge more. If you are interested in several places we can work something out.

Here's what I won't do: I can't pretend to be you, you have to tell whoever it is that someone else is taking a look at it for you. If by some small chance it turns out to be an apartment rented out by someone I know, I won't do it to avoid the possibility of bias. (My landlord is a great guy, but I don't think he has any openings this year anyways). Also, I can only help you out on weekends, or possibly late on a Friday. Remember how I'm a grad student? I also won't accept any payment until I have actually visited the place, just to make clear that I'm not trying to trick anyone out of $20.

If you are interested let me know, I would also be happy to talk on the phone. If you turn out to be in either of my departments I'm happy to help you for free. I'm also happy to dispense advice for free.

[one_arm]

While I'm at it, here's a bit of general advice, although a lot of it is things that people have pointed out already.

• You don't need 4WD or even snow tires in Ithaca unless you have to commute by car every day (which you should avoid anyways). We did fine with a civic and snow tires, even on they day that it snowed two feet this winter.
• If you don't have a car, look for places downtown or in fall creek, it's harder to get around if you live north of campus or outside of 13.
• If you do have a car, think about trying to find off-street parking. Having to do the "winter shuffle" can be a real pain in the ass.
• Ithaca keeps the roads well plowed, but if you are going down the hill while it's snowing avoid the smaller streets like Seneca which get plowed last.
• The only bus routes that matter for graduate students are the ones that run on a regular basis. It's not worth living in Trumansburg to get cheap rent since there's only three buses a day and as a grad student you don't want to have to leave campus at 5pm.
• If at all possible go look for apartments in person. Check the insulation and windows carefully -- the $400 a month heating bills can happen to you. Think carefully before going with one of the large renting company. As far as I can tell, Cornell housing is hella overpriced.

[mathgeek]

(BUMP)

Just got accepted by Cornell with a great offer; very seriously considering heading here, regardless of my other applications (Cornell was one of my top choices anyways). One thing I am wondering; when is the best time to be looking for an apartment in Ithaca? June? I'd likely want to live off campus, and I really like the idea of living in one of these old converted homes. I don't drive, and bicycle will probably be my primary form of transportation during the non-winter months (so yes, both of them), and I may brave it out on the bike when the snow falls too.

[vaaarr]

I've been accepted at Cornell and I got all sorts of promotional info recently. But it didn't tell me much about some things I'm curious about.

1. What sort of housing OUTSIDE of (Cornell) university-run housing would a graduate student on a stipend most likely find waiting for them? Location, spaciousness, connected/separateness, age, working status of appliances, etc.

2. How necessary is a car for amusing oneself?

3. Is it even possible to amuse oneself? (Read: what is to do that doesn't require an inter-city trip?)

4. I am native to this area of the world (northwestern PA), so I am aware that Ithaca gets a fairly large amount of snow annually. How is the snow dealt with? Is removal efficient enough that I won't be wading to campus for three days after a major snowfall?

5. How do you (in your experience) get in and out of Ithaca? I am really against the idea of having to get a car, although I can drive, but I hear that the airport nearest Ithaca is expensive.

If you can answer any of the above questions (but especially the last one, since I need to figure out my logistics for a campus visit), it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[jimmy]

Never too early to start looking -- starting now. June is fine too, though.

There is a significant amount of non-institute housing within walking distance of campus, or with ready bus service. Both traditional apartment buildings and converted multi-tenant houses. The Cornell Campus is very large -- figure out which section of it is "yours." As an example, a lot of independent housing is closer to the engineering quad than the official institute housing.

What exists of the Ithaca social scene is mostly clustered in Collegetown (near campus) and The Commons. Both are within walking distance of my apartment (even in January). When considering where to live, spend some time looking at a map and don't forget to pay attention to the bus routes (google TCAT). Big box stores and grocery shopping are further away, but there is an Ithaca Car Share Program (google it) that might be a good solution to your once-a-week car needs.

While the ground is solidly covered in snow three months of the year, single night snow fall is usually not that extraordinary. The roads are exceptionally well maintained, as are the sidewalks on the _major_ thoroughfares near campus.

Getting to the airport by bus is cheap and easy, but otherwise getting out of Ithaca without a car is very difficult.

I've been accepted at Cornell and I got all sorts of promotional info recently. But it didn't tell me much about some things I'm curious about.

1. What sort of housing OUTSIDE of (Cornell) university-run housing would a graduate student on a stipend most likely find waiting for them? Location, spaciousness, connected/separateness, age, working status of appliances, etc.

2. How necessary is a car for amusing oneself?

3. Is it even possible to amuse oneself? (Read: what is to do that doesn't require an inter-city trip?)

4. I am native to this area of the world (northwestern PA), so I am aware that Ithaca gets a fairly large amount of snow annually. How is the snow dealt with? Is removal efficient enough that I won't be wading to campus for three days after a major snowfall?

5. How do you (in your experience) get in and out of Ithaca? I am really against the idea of having to get a car, although I can drive, but I hear that the airport nearest Ithaca is expensive.

If you can answer any of the above questions (but especially the last one, since I need to figure out my logistics for a campus visit), it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[hain]

Off campus housing is expensive in Collegetown (College & Dryden). Studio apartments are going to be around 1000, usually 1000+. If you have roommates, 700-800 is usually the norm. Most people (undergrads) sign leases in the fall for the next fall--so the prime real estate gets grabbed up really fast. Once you decide, you should look for an apartment ASAP! Although there are still good apartments later in the year, they are harder to find in Collegetown.

The downside of Collegetown is that there are a lot of undergrads. A lot of houses are really beat up because of parties and people not taking care of them. Most houses are old. Although a plus is that most places are furnished.

Housing gets both nicer and cheaper the further you head out from Collegetown. A lot of grad students I know have apartments in the Commons. Housing really isn't very expensive in Ithaca. You can get a huge, beautiful, clean apartment for 400/500. If you have a car or don't mind using the bus, finding a place far away from Collegetown may be right for you!

Alternatives to Collegetown, cheap but still within walking distance: below West Campus, downside: you have to hike up the Slope everyday to get to campus, not pleasant, especially when it's snowy and icy which is the majority of the Spring semester. North Campus, downside: far from main campus, count on a good 25+ min walk (though depending on where your department is). You can usually find nice, well kept places around West and North campus. I'd say rent will average 600 in these areas.

I did my undergraduate at Cornell. I lived in Collegetown for three years. I absolutely loved it, even though I paid an arm and a leg for my not-so-nice house--I shared it with a bunch of my friends and we all had a blast.

Most grad students I knew didn't like on campus grad housing. Cornell put all the grad students in dorms REALLY far from campus. I do not recommend them at all.

A car isn't necessary in Ithaca. The bus runs pretty well. But if you don't have a car, I recommend making friends with people who do. At least for those weekly Wegman runs.

Parking is expensive near Cornell. The University itself charges crazy amounts of money for a parking space on campus, couple hundreds of dollars a semester. And space is limited, so even if you are crazy enough to be willing to pay Cornell hundreds of dollars for a parking space that's going to be far away anyways, you might not get one! Senior professors get the spaces near their buildings, everyone else have to walk a good 10/15 minutes to their parking lots. Parking is also expensive in Collegetown, it's around $500+ a year in addition to your rent. So this is another incentive to get a place further away from campus--free parking!

There are surprisingly a lot of stuff to do in Ithaca for amusement. Lots of festivals going on: Brewfest, Chili fest, Ithaca fest, Apple fest, GrassRoots musical festival. You can also take wine tours--lots of wineries around the Finger Lakes. The Collegetown bars are pretty packed on weekends. I've heard good things about bars in the commons too.

You think you are going to visit to NYC or Syracuse or something, you are not. It's really difficult getting in and out of Ithaca. During the semester, you are going to be so busy, you'll be lucky to even show your face around Collegetown. I wouldn't plan on doing any inter-city traveling, maybe during the summer!

Snow and ice are always removed promptly. Roads are kept clean. The university does a great job of sweeping roads and walkways around Campus too. Most of the time.

The airport is expensive to fly in and out of. It's also a bit of a hassle to get to. I think there are only connecting flights to Philadelphia and Washington DC or something. There are only a very small handful of cities Ithaca connects to. Most likely, wherever you are trying to get to, you are going to fly to a city that is in the opposite direction in order to connect to the city you are actually trying to get to. In short, save yourself the time and money, drive to Syracuse or Rochester and fly out from there. You can also take a bus to NYC (there are lots of buses to NYC from Ithaca) and then fly from there. If you live within driving distance, I highly recommend driving. (My family lived in Boston while I was an undergrad, I always car pooled when I needed to get home. The only other way to Boston from Ithaca is flying out of Rochester. Seriously.)

Anyways, hoped this helped!

I've been accepted at Cornell and I got all sorts of promotional info recently. But it didn't tell me much about some things I'm curious about.

1. What sort of housing OUTSIDE of (Cornell) university-run housing would a graduate student on a stipend most likely find waiting for them? Location, spaciousness, connected/separateness, age, working status of appliances, etc.

2. How necessary is a car for amusing oneself?

3. Is it even possible to amuse oneself? (Read: what is to do that doesn't require an inter-city trip?)

4. I am native to this area of the world (northwestern PA), so I am aware that Ithaca gets a fairly large amount of snow annually. How is the snow dealt with? Is removal efficient enough that I won't be wading to campus for three days after a major snowfall?

5. How do you (in your experience) get in and out of Ithaca? I am really against the idea of having to get a car, although I can drive, but I hear that the airport nearest Ithaca is expensive.

If you can answer any of the above questions (but especially the last one, since I need to figure out my logistics for a campus visit), it would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[hain]

Start looking now! Especially if you want to live in an apartment within walking distance from the campus. A lot of leases start in June. Two of my leases started in June. The academic year ends in May (graduation is always the last weekend of May) so the majority of leases will end then and start in June.

Few leases start in August, but you can find them. First days of classes are usually 20 something of August. I know someone who had a lease that started in July.

The other thing is that you will be competing with the thousands of undergrads who are also trying to get housing within walking distance. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, most people will sign their leases in the fall (before Thanksgiving) for their housing for the next academic year. For example, I signed my lease for an apartment in September, for a lease that started the following June. So the good places closest to campus gets snatched up pretty fast.

You can always find good stuff now, but the sooner you start looking, the better! And if you go further away from Collegetown, the cheaper/nicer apartments are. Lease terms are also more flexible. Depending on where your department is, it might also be a faster walk.

(BUMP)

Just got accepted by Cornell with a great offer; very seriously considering heading here, regardless of my other applications (Cornell was one of my top choices anyways). One thing I am wondering; when is the best time to be looking for an apartment in Ithaca? June? I'd likely want to live off campus, and I really like the idea of living in one of these old converted homes. I don't drive, and bicycle will probably be my primary form of transportation during the non-winter months (so yes, both of them), and I may brave it out on the bike when the snow falls too.

[vaaarr]

Thanks for the timely responses, hain and jimmy. One question, though: when you say "traditional apartment building," are you referring to (relatively) high-rises? I'm only curious because I live in one of the less built-over neighborhoods of Chicago and the apartments here are unusual in terms of floor plan, sort of all shaped like a horse-shoe around a big central courtyard. As in:

http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2008/08/courtyard-apartment.html

I'm certainly not expecting a courtyard, and I'm actually starting to want to get rid of mine (lots of echoing party noise and slamming doors).

[Purled]

Thanks to all the posters who helpfully described Ithaca's neighborhoods and transportation situations.

A few pages back, a poster asked for names of reliable rental agencies or online resources (other than Craigslist, Zillow, and Trulia) and I haven't been able to find a response. If you could recommend who to go to to find apartments, that would be wonderful.

Thanks!

[sheisthesmoke]

Cornell paints a pretty picture in their brochures. What is it like in real life? Any seasoned veterans willing to give a girl who has never ventured into NY territory a heads up?