Ithaca is... Fences

Traveling back to your old stomping grounds can be both surreal and fun. And after a while, it is easy to sound like an old codger when you hear yourself say "back in the day", "I remember when", "what happened to".


This past weekend I visited a piece of my youth - the old college days - with a number of friends. We headed back to Cornell. Cornell has been in the news recently - and not in a good way. The continued reputation as the suicide university has not diminished and the recent spate of suicides resulted in metal mesh fences being constructed over bridge walkways which are over a gorge. No longer is the statement: "Ithaca is Gorges" a true one. Well in the purest sense of the statement, it is, but.... Ithaca is now Fences as the architecture students so aptly described.

Aside from the fences, it was a beautiful weekend. The weather cooperated and even gave us a chance to remember the old days with a very brief snow storm at 2am. The perfect end to our first evening: a trip to Hot Truck, a stumble up Libe Slope, and a snow storm whirling around the clock tower. Does it ever get better than a PMP (or whatever your favorite French bread pizza was)?


The next day was ablaze with sun and provide the opportunity for a hungover, but delightful walk around campus to remember the days of yore.