Ithaca NY is a small college town located in central New York in the Fingerlakes region. During the summer time, fall, and late spring the weather there is gorges (be ready to see that a lot).
Ithaca is home to two colleges that are located on the east and south hills while the downtown section of town resides in the valley at the bottom of these hills. Cornell is located on the east hill and Ithaca College is located on the south hill. The most beautiful times to be in town are unfortunately the worst in terms of gaming. In the summer, the town's population drops to a mere 30,000ish people. This will create all sorts of problems if you plan on staying here long term as your reputation is incredibly important in securing notches. I will discuss more on this later. The colleges very rarely mingle, though you will occasionally get the IC student over at Cornell. You will never see a Cornell student over at IC trying to party.
Hilariously, even being a few years out of school the same bars I went to are still there. It seems the number of venues has decreased considerably since my time for a variety of reasons. A recent visit confirmed that this place hasn't changed much.
During the school year, about 16,000 people add on top of the small towns population making living there a lot more bearable.
Downtown Ithaca is an excellent day game spot (fair warning will be highlighted at the end of this write up). The "Commons" as they're called comprise a closed off section of the main street. Here you will find a variety of head shops, two pizza joints, small misc shops, and nightlife venues.
As of writing this (2015) they've been renovating the entire downtown area. It's a construction mess and unfortunate since it was once very pretty.
The Commons:
Silky Jones
Silky Jones is a lounge that occasionally will transform itself into a club with a DJ. This bar is a popular hang out for local high school drop outs who work the service industry jobs in town. During the summer you will only run into young townies. During school sessions it will fill up with a lot more variety with a lot of people from IC and the occasional Cornell student making it down. Not a bad place with decent cocktails, but the young townies tend to be miserable and cliquey.
2nd Floor Bar
2nd Floor is a popular bar visited by a lot of the IC "bros" and their associated "hoes". Expect to see a lot of players from IC sports teams meeting here. This is a club on certain nights. They will occasionally charge a cover which to me isn't worth it as this place tends towards to be a sausage fest.
Moonies
If you've ever met someone who lived in Ithaca College they will have fond memories of this place. When I visited the town when my friend was in school there Moonies was a dark, dank, and disgusting place. They have a great light system and black lights abound. There are pool tables in the back. Drinks are stupid cheap. This is a classic divey college club. Though the last year my friend was there they renovated it which really shined the place up. Pulling here is surprisingly easy. Go in, do some caveman manoeuvre, and pick your girl. Bottle Service when I visited cost only a measly $50. It most likely is a lot higher these days. There's no cover unless a popular DJ is visiting.
Bandwagon Brewpub
My personal favorite. Bandwagon's is a basement microbrew that has a seasonal selection of craft brews. Their beer is significantly better tasting than the Ithaca Brewing Company's. The beer itself is very popular so expect to find an excellent variety of people from all walks of life (CU,IC, working professionals, etc). The music is very low unlike Silky Jones so you'll be able to do indirect game and actually be able to have a conversation. During the day this place is a restaurant with excellent food. At night they continue to serve bar bites. I recommend the fry plate and sauces as an excellent means of satisfying that carb craving while drinking a flight of beer.
Kilpatrick's
Irish themed bar just a bit off of the commons. Decent place and has Karoke on Saturday nights.
Chanticleer
The "Chanty" as it is affectionately called by locals is a bar that never left the 1940s. You can spot the place by its well known "Rooster" neon sign. Very townie oriented so expect a similar crowd that you would find at Silky Jones except much older. An blue collar crowd hangs out here.
Lot 10
This is an odd venue that for whatever reason opens and closes whenever it feels like. When I visited town a few times, I went to a few shows here with a live band. Another time it was a club with a DJ. Then the venue closed up. It seems to be open once again, YMMV.
Collegetown
Collegetown is the section of high rise apartments that reside near Cornell's campus. Sadly Collegetown has been in terminal decline since my visits to party with my friend. The number of bars and clubs has dropped. If you know a Cornell alum, bars such as Dino's, The Royal Palms, and quite recently The Chapter House have all closed down (Chapter House even more tragically burned down). The remaining bars are ok, but nothing like the crazy times I had when venturing into Dino's.
Level B
Level B is a basement club and lounge. Arguably this is the best club in terms of size, ability to get in, poshness of the seats/tables, and overall cleanliness. Moonies has a sticky floor, Level B is very clean. It also has an extended bar and small anterior room connected to the bar where they serve bottle service. Occasionally a cover will be charged if a popular DJ is playing. Otherwise, free entry.
A lot of chicks dress up to come here. Pulling is once again contingent on your night game abilities. This is a very popular bar with Cornell's asian population if that is something you're into.
Dunbars
Dunbar's is your classic college dive. It's dirty, grimy, and most of all cheap. Wednesdays this place has an excellent drink special called "Group Therapy". You get a pitcher of Bud Light and about 8 shots worth of Sake for eight dollars. Which is by far the best drink deal in town.
Ruloff's
Ruloff's is a restaurant turned bar by nightfall. It's a semi decent restaurant. This place is an excellent location for indirect game. Music is low and the it's easy to approach if the place isn't crowded. You can play darts in the basement.
If you're looking for food, Ithaca is one of the best. Restaurants here are some of the best around. Use Yelp to pick your poison.
Overall, if you're used to out of this world drink prices in NYC and LA Ithaca is a breathe of fresh air. Prices at bars are very affordable. Compared to drink prices of the surrounding vicinity (Elmira, Cortland) it's more expensive but manageable.
College Parties
Being a college town, Ithaca has some incredibly dope parties. Cornell's action tends to be centered around the massive Frats that throw massive parties. All frat parties cost money to get into so expect a charge of 5-10$ per person. Sometimes they can also be invite only so it helps to know a brother.
Personally, if you're looking for a college party I'd stick to the south hill. IC parties are easier to find and generally easier to walk into. Kids will sometimes charge entry fees of $5 to cover their cheap beer but nothing too crazy .
Finding a party is as easy as driving around and looking for a large swarm of kids. You can normally tell where the parties are by finding people on lawns. Drive around Coddington St, Pleasant St, Hillview, Grandview, Kendell, and Penn ave.
During the Fall, you can drive up into IC's "Circle Apartments" where once again you can easily find parties by which ones are packed to the gills. These tend to get very crowded and be broken up by IC's police so be ready to run like you're a freshmen.
And finally, if you see a house on the south hill with a "red light" on its porch, go up and enter. It's a theater party and guaranteed to be a shit show of drunk theater girls and their gay friends (read zero competition).
Nature
Ithaca is Gorges. The nature here is incredible. If you're into hiking there are a lot of opportunities. The falls make for an adventurous trek. You can also go gorge jumping off of 2nd dam near IC. Look on a map for the massive reservoir between IC and Cornell. It's an excellent place to swim. Just be mindful of the park rangers as it is technically illegal to do so.
The Bad
Overall, talent here is mediocre. IC has hotter girls that are mostly DTF. However breaking into their social circles can be somewhat difficult as social groups are segregated by school (IC has no greek life). Over at Cornell, the talent runs from fare to abysmal. There are a lot of asians since it is an ivy league school again if this is your thing.
One time my buddy took me to this frat party in this basement dance hall. Once the party ended, the lights came up and I got a good look at the girl I was dancing with. Needless to say I went home alone that night .
There's a very large segment of the town that graduated from its high school and never left. These people work in the service industry for the myriad of bars, restaurants, and hotels around. Some of them can be cute, but once again reputation is everything. If you screw up or do something out of the ordinary every townie will know. Utilize small town game especially as you can cockblock yourself way down the line for one rejection (i'm very serious).
IC's campus population is also very small and once again you can ruin yourself if you get a negative reputation. Cornell is very large so you can game away with reckless abandon. Collegetown is probably a good day game spot. I've never tried.
Logistics are a royal pain in the ass. Public transit like the TCAT (buses) run when they feel like it and the the few taxis that run charge an arm and a leg. Driving will be your primary means of transport but once again logistics will shoot you in the leg if you're at a Cornell party and need to go back to your south hill residence. The girl won't bite. The town has actively been resisting uber and lyft.
Hotels in the area are astoundingly expensive when school is in session. Airbnb might be better.
And finally, the weather is the worst. Expect cold miserable weather from mid October to around late march to mid April. Not conducive to pick up at all. The worst months are late January to February. The air is cold and dry.
Verdict: Pass. Unless you plan on attending Cornell, Ithaca is an over rated destination. IC isn't worth it since its campus is way up on the hill away from town, logistics are poor (need a car), hiking gets boring after you've walked the same trail fifty times, you need to buy trash tags for trash pickup, the women at both schools are marginal, and the weather sucks.
Townies are the epitome of miserable, especially the young ones. Expect every pointless leftist policy under the sun to thrive here. Be mindful of the feminists that get around. I wouldn't have gone if my friend was there. He liked his major and program so, more power to him!
Ithaca is home to two colleges that are located on the east and south hills while the downtown section of town resides in the valley at the bottom of these hills. Cornell is located on the east hill and Ithaca College is located on the south hill. The most beautiful times to be in town are unfortunately the worst in terms of gaming. In the summer, the town's population drops to a mere 30,000ish people. This will create all sorts of problems if you plan on staying here long term as your reputation is incredibly important in securing notches. I will discuss more on this later. The colleges very rarely mingle, though you will occasionally get the IC student over at Cornell. You will never see a Cornell student over at IC trying to party.
Hilariously, even being a few years out of school the same bars I went to are still there. It seems the number of venues has decreased considerably since my time for a variety of reasons. A recent visit confirmed that this place hasn't changed much.
During the school year, about 16,000 people add on top of the small towns population making living there a lot more bearable.
Downtown Ithaca is an excellent day game spot (fair warning will be highlighted at the end of this write up). The "Commons" as they're called comprise a closed off section of the main street. Here you will find a variety of head shops, two pizza joints, small misc shops, and nightlife venues.
As of writing this (2015) they've been renovating the entire downtown area. It's a construction mess and unfortunate since it was once very pretty.
The Commons:
Silky Jones
Silky Jones is a lounge that occasionally will transform itself into a club with a DJ. This bar is a popular hang out for local high school drop outs who work the service industry jobs in town. During the summer you will only run into young townies. During school sessions it will fill up with a lot more variety with a lot of people from IC and the occasional Cornell student making it down. Not a bad place with decent cocktails, but the young townies tend to be miserable and cliquey.
2nd Floor Bar
2nd Floor is a popular bar visited by a lot of the IC "bros" and their associated "hoes". Expect to see a lot of players from IC sports teams meeting here. This is a club on certain nights. They will occasionally charge a cover which to me isn't worth it as this place tends towards to be a sausage fest.
Moonies
If you've ever met someone who lived in Ithaca College they will have fond memories of this place. When I visited the town when my friend was in school there Moonies was a dark, dank, and disgusting place. They have a great light system and black lights abound. There are pool tables in the back. Drinks are stupid cheap. This is a classic divey college club. Though the last year my friend was there they renovated it which really shined the place up. Pulling here is surprisingly easy. Go in, do some caveman manoeuvre, and pick your girl. Bottle Service when I visited cost only a measly $50. It most likely is a lot higher these days. There's no cover unless a popular DJ is visiting.
Bandwagon Brewpub
My personal favorite. Bandwagon's is a basement microbrew that has a seasonal selection of craft brews. Their beer is significantly better tasting than the Ithaca Brewing Company's. The beer itself is very popular so expect to find an excellent variety of people from all walks of life (CU,IC, working professionals, etc). The music is very low unlike Silky Jones so you'll be able to do indirect game and actually be able to have a conversation. During the day this place is a restaurant with excellent food. At night they continue to serve bar bites. I recommend the fry plate and sauces as an excellent means of satisfying that carb craving while drinking a flight of beer.
Kilpatrick's
Irish themed bar just a bit off of the commons. Decent place and has Karoke on Saturday nights.
Chanticleer
The "Chanty" as it is affectionately called by locals is a bar that never left the 1940s. You can spot the place by its well known "Rooster" neon sign. Very townie oriented so expect a similar crowd that you would find at Silky Jones except much older. An blue collar crowd hangs out here.
Lot 10
This is an odd venue that for whatever reason opens and closes whenever it feels like. When I visited town a few times, I went to a few shows here with a live band. Another time it was a club with a DJ. Then the venue closed up. It seems to be open once again, YMMV.
Collegetown
Collegetown is the section of high rise apartments that reside near Cornell's campus. Sadly Collegetown has been in terminal decline since my visits to party with my friend. The number of bars and clubs has dropped. If you know a Cornell alum, bars such as Dino's, The Royal Palms, and quite recently The Chapter House have all closed down (Chapter House even more tragically burned down). The remaining bars are ok, but nothing like the crazy times I had when venturing into Dino's.
Level B
Level B is a basement club and lounge. Arguably this is the best club in terms of size, ability to get in, poshness of the seats/tables, and overall cleanliness. Moonies has a sticky floor, Level B is very clean. It also has an extended bar and small anterior room connected to the bar where they serve bottle service. Occasionally a cover will be charged if a popular DJ is playing. Otherwise, free entry.
A lot of chicks dress up to come here. Pulling is once again contingent on your night game abilities. This is a very popular bar with Cornell's asian population if that is something you're into.
Dunbars
Dunbar's is your classic college dive. It's dirty, grimy, and most of all cheap. Wednesdays this place has an excellent drink special called "Group Therapy". You get a pitcher of Bud Light and about 8 shots worth of Sake for eight dollars. Which is by far the best drink deal in town.
Ruloff's
Ruloff's is a restaurant turned bar by nightfall. It's a semi decent restaurant. This place is an excellent location for indirect game. Music is low and the it's easy to approach if the place isn't crowded. You can play darts in the basement.
If you're looking for food, Ithaca is one of the best. Restaurants here are some of the best around. Use Yelp to pick your poison.
Overall, if you're used to out of this world drink prices in NYC and LA Ithaca is a breathe of fresh air. Prices at bars are very affordable. Compared to drink prices of the surrounding vicinity (Elmira, Cortland) it's more expensive but manageable.
College Parties
Being a college town, Ithaca has some incredibly dope parties. Cornell's action tends to be centered around the massive Frats that throw massive parties. All frat parties cost money to get into so expect a charge of 5-10$ per person. Sometimes they can also be invite only so it helps to know a brother.
Personally, if you're looking for a college party I'd stick to the south hill. IC parties are easier to find and generally easier to walk into. Kids will sometimes charge entry fees of $5 to cover their cheap beer but nothing too crazy .
Finding a party is as easy as driving around and looking for a large swarm of kids. You can normally tell where the parties are by finding people on lawns. Drive around Coddington St, Pleasant St, Hillview, Grandview, Kendell, and Penn ave.
During the Fall, you can drive up into IC's "Circle Apartments" where once again you can easily find parties by which ones are packed to the gills. These tend to get very crowded and be broken up by IC's police so be ready to run like you're a freshmen.
And finally, if you see a house on the south hill with a "red light" on its porch, go up and enter. It's a theater party and guaranteed to be a shit show of drunk theater girls and their gay friends (read zero competition).
Nature
Ithaca is Gorges. The nature here is incredible. If you're into hiking there are a lot of opportunities. The falls make for an adventurous trek. You can also go gorge jumping off of 2nd dam near IC. Look on a map for the massive reservoir between IC and Cornell. It's an excellent place to swim. Just be mindful of the park rangers as it is technically illegal to do so.
The Bad
Overall, talent here is mediocre. IC has hotter girls that are mostly DTF. However breaking into their social circles can be somewhat difficult as social groups are segregated by school (IC has no greek life). Over at Cornell, the talent runs from fare to abysmal. There are a lot of asians since it is an ivy league school again if this is your thing.
One time my buddy took me to this frat party in this basement dance hall. Once the party ended, the lights came up and I got a good look at the girl I was dancing with. Needless to say I went home alone that night .
There's a very large segment of the town that graduated from its high school and never left. These people work in the service industry for the myriad of bars, restaurants, and hotels around. Some of them can be cute, but once again reputation is everything. If you screw up or do something out of the ordinary every townie will know. Utilize small town game especially as you can cockblock yourself way down the line for one rejection (i'm very serious).
IC's campus population is also very small and once again you can ruin yourself if you get a negative reputation. Cornell is very large so you can game away with reckless abandon. Collegetown is probably a good day game spot. I've never tried.
Logistics are a royal pain in the ass. Public transit like the TCAT (buses) run when they feel like it and the the few taxis that run charge an arm and a leg. Driving will be your primary means of transport but once again logistics will shoot you in the leg if you're at a Cornell party and need to go back to your south hill residence. The girl won't bite. The town has actively been resisting uber and lyft.
Hotels in the area are astoundingly expensive when school is in session. Airbnb might be better.
And finally, the weather is the worst. Expect cold miserable weather from mid October to around late march to mid April. Not conducive to pick up at all. The worst months are late January to February. The air is cold and dry.
Verdict: Pass. Unless you plan on attending Cornell, Ithaca is an over rated destination. IC isn't worth it since its campus is way up on the hill away from town, logistics are poor (need a car), hiking gets boring after you've walked the same trail fifty times, you need to buy trash tags for trash pickup, the women at both schools are marginal, and the weather sucks.
Townies are the epitome of miserable, especially the young ones. Expect every pointless leftist policy under the sun to thrive here. Be mindful of the feminists that get around. I wouldn't have gone if my friend was there. He liked his major and program so, more power to him!
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