It is finally summer and after being cooped up for a particularly gray winter (see: Does it Still Exist?) and fearing a larger waistline, I have decided to get out at lunch hours and wander about the City with my iPhone and my new iWalkAboutTown (or something like that) app. It’s really cool! It tracks my distance, elevation, etc. on a little map which I can share with anyone who might want to stalk me. I love technology!
Stalkers note that I have only walked twice so far (Monday was my first day) but after my second walk it occurred to me that in all of the years that I have lived in the area and worked in downtown Ithaca (14 to be exact), I still haven’t really explored Ithaca. I, just like the next person, have taken my surroundings for granted. Of course I know where to find a good sandwich, a nice bit of shade and a good happy hour but I have rarely ventured on foot beyond a three block radius of my office. After a couple of walks, I have begun to realize that the only way to truly see a place is to put on your comfy shoes and tackle it on foot.
So here we go – this is my new blog segment – Rediscovering Ithaca! (insert trumpet fanfare sound here) Each day I walk I will post a picture or two to give you the flavor and feeling of the downtown you may or may not know. As you can imagine, this blog will be as diverse as the City itself from suits to dreads to gas-guzzling beaters to gorges. And so it begins…
Day 1
My first walk about the City was merely for exercise purposes only. I borrowed a coat from my co-worker as it was unseasonably chilly (figures) and I set my iPhone app to track my progress. I managed to walk 1.79 miles on this first ½ hour trek and was happy to be out of the office for a short time gathering up fresh air. I walked a simple skinny rectangle through the residential areas of the City and had no idea I would come upon so many things to photograph. I am a bit of a photo hobbyist and my favorite things tend to be doors and windows. I find them so charming and interesting. You never know what is on the other side of a door and it’s definitely in my nature to be curious. So instead of breaking and entering, I choose to take a picture of the door or window itself and imagine what might be inside. In the case of windows, though, you can get a little glimpse of the other side, like in my first picture. I found the cutest little house with a friendly stranger peeking out from an upstairs window. And how delighted I was to see that it was PeeWee!
I actually took that photo as it reminded me of a childhood friend and I know that she would love to know that PeeWee is loved here in Ithaca too. Gretchen, that one is for you!
In addition to doors and windows, I also love to photograph beautiful buildings. And the William Henry Miller Inn is no exception. This home was designed and built by Cornell’s first architecture student, I believe, and is full of the most amazing stained glass art. Both architecture and stained glass are very high on my list of favorite things and I just love this house.
Definitely check out William Henry Miller Inn’s website for examples of the stained glass! Who knows, maybe my next stroll around the City will include a little recon INSIDE this beautiful place! I guess you will just have to stay tuned to see …
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