Part of the reason behind my excitement to get out of California
this summer is having the opportunity to travel, explore new places, food, and culture.
Cornell is located in Ithaca NY, which isn’t exactly a city.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Some
might consider the lack of urban excitement a disadvantage. I however, am more
than ecstatic to be surrounded by its lush forests, waterfalls, and gorges. As
cliché as this might sound, I look forward to forming a deeper connection with
my surroundings on my trip out east.
With the help of the Internet and former ILCers’ blogs, I
have compiled somewhat of a bucket list of places to go and things to do on my
trip to Ithaca.
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| Ithaca Falls |
First and foremost, I want to be able to visit Buttermilk
Falls State Park, Robert H. Treman State Park, Triphammer Falls, and Ithaca
Falls. All four of these locations are home to breathtaking waterfalls and
gorges, and they look like the perfect places to take hikes, swim, read, and
have picnics.
I would also like to see Finger Lakes while I’m in Ithaca.
The region, consisting of a group of 11 lakes is not only home to spectacular
views, but also a very rich history. Seneca Falls, the birthplace to the
Women’s Suffrage movement lies at the lakes northern end and it would bring me
great pleasure to be able to get near where it all began.
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| Finger Lakes |
Yet another place I would consider visiting is the Wilder Brain Collection, an actual display of some of the most interesting and famous donated brains, including that of an actual murderer. In 1925, American author Helen Hamilton Gardener donated her brain to the collection to show that women’s brains weren’t in any way inferior. Who knows, seeing it firsthand might convince me to donate mine. That is, if they want it in the first place.
Last but not least, I want to get a taste for authentic New
York style pizza. I’m not exactly sure if Ithaca will be the right place for it, but of all things I’d be devastated to miss out on that experience.
The Cornell Cohort will also be visiting Chicago, which is
quite the opposite of Ithaca. There’s an endless amount of things to do and
places to visit there and despite having never seen it in person, I am already
convinced that I will love the city.
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| Penguins- Shedd Aquarium |
When in Chicago, you guessed it; I’d like to be able to get
my hands on some deep-dish pizza and a hotdog or two. Walking through
Millennium Park and taking a picture in front of cloud gate is also a must. I
don’t know if we’ll be able to visit Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of
Chicago, or the Adler Planetarium, but I’d be more than grateful to get even a
tiny glimpse of any of them.
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| Views from the SkyDeck at Willis Tower |
Evanston, Illinois home to Northwestern University is our
other stop. Prior to my research, I did not know a lot about the city. I have
however learned some things including the fact that there is an escape room at
Lock Chicago, which might be a great way for us to bond as a cohort.
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| Inside the Charles Gates Dawes House |
It also turns out that the city is home to a great deal of
historical houses including the Frances Willard House, Emil Bach house, and
Charles Gates Dawes House. The Charles
Gates Dawes house in particular seems to me like an interesting place to visit,
considering its original owner worked on the Dawes plan, was our 30th
vice president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
I could list every single place that I want to go this
summer, but I’m afraid that it would be too long of a blog. My insatiable
desire for travel is closely related to the fact that I haven’t done as much of
it as I would like to. For this reason, I am hoping that the places I go and
things that I learn as an ILCer will be the start to an exciting new chapter
full of adventure for me.
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