62. June 26th, 2011 Picture.

On our last day in Ithaca we made the rounds to see some of the beautiful sites the city has to offer - there is more to do here than just eat and drink, though we did our fair share of that too!

First, we drove up the mountain, YES mountain, to check out both Cornell and Ithaca's campuses.

The campus was absolutely beautiful, gorgeous views, green lawns and really pretty, picturesque fountains!  We had a fountain at Bridgewater, but state college fountains are obviously a little bit different.  We called ours the toilet bowl....so yea, you get what I'm talking about. 

 We couldn't really walk the entire campus because it's on a massive hill, okay, we didn't WANT to walk around campus because it was on a massive hill, so we did a driving tour.  We passed the dorms where Ratty lived as a freshman, then the apartments that I heard so many stories about.  We walked through the student union building and even through one of their many cafeterias.  I always think it's so interesting to walk around someone else's college, I knew Bridgewater like the back of my hand, I still do, so I like seeing where others went, trying to imagine what it would have been like to be a student there.  I'm not partial or anything, but I'd pick Bridgewater every single time.


The campus WAS beautiful, though.  I couldn't imagine having views like that from all over campus.  I ALSO couldn't imagine walking up all those hills!  Some were so steep there were stairs built in - I am not sure what's worse, the hill or the stairs, it's pretty close but I'm saying stairs.  I thought my walk across campus at Bridgewater was a tough one, but it's got nothin' on Ithaca!

In case you were confused, this is another fountain.

Once we walked/drove around campus, we decided to stop off at one of the gorges on the way back into town.  It had been raining on and off throughout the weekend, so the water was rushing and the ground was somewhat muddy, I might have been ill prepared re: my flip flops, but the trail was so pretty and when we reached the waterfall it was totally worth it!

After hiking out to the waterfall - it was just about a mile and half both in and out & MAN, it was crowded - we headed off for my inaugural visit to Wegmans.  Now, I've known Ratty for 6 years, SIX, and he talks about Wegmans as if it were similar to us winning the lottery, buying a home on Nantucket and just living out our lives next to the beach.  Okay, that analogy might be a touch roundabout, but what I am trying to say is that HE LOVES WEGMANS.  He thinks it is one of the greatest places on the planet, ever, I mean ever ever.  Now, okay, I will fully admit in the spirit of full disclosure here that I totally didn't get it.  How can you love a supermarket?  I mean, I LIKE Trader Joes & Whole Foods, but would I take someone there on a tour while on vacation?  Probably not.  But, with Wegmans, a tour was totally necessary.

And I'll admit, this place was awesome.  It's unlike any supermarket I've ever been to before, ever.  I can't explain it, you  just need to immediately.

WEGMANS!

Pretzel Bread for Miss Shelby.  I wanted to eat it allllllllllllllllll.

All weekend I was talking about what 'Ithaca is Gorges' shirt I was going to buy, I was in desperate need of a new one.  Ratty had bought me one many moons ago, and that sweet, sweet, naive boy thought I was a size 12 kids.  KIDS.  So sweet, but so so wrong.  I tried it on when he first gave it to me and the sleeves were so tight around my arms and the neckline made me feel as if I was about to suffocate - so yea, time for a new one!

Per the usual, I got it in my head that I needed a tye dye shirt, something that I'd never seen and somehow convinced myself that it had to exist and I needed to find it.  I do this all the time, think about something I'd like to own, only to go on wild goose chases for things that may or may not even exist.  I did this in high school with a pair of khaki cords that had flaps over the back pockets - seems relatively easy enough, except the flaps couldn't have buttons. Say what?  Where the heck did I get this idea from?  I was furthermore convinced that The Gap just HAD to make them, so I spent the next 2 years looking for them.  I mean, whyyyyy?  I don't even LIKE cords.  

Anywho, I spent the whole weekend looking through every gift shop for a tye dye Ithaca is Gorges shirt only to come up empty handed.  I knew deep down that Wegmans would take care of me.  I mean, just LOOK at that wall of shirts, you could bet your bottom dollar that they'd have them, which they did, SCORE!  See, I totally didn't make it up!

And finally, before we hit the road for the 6+ hour trek back to Boston, I mean, hi, didn't we JUST do that? We made one last, disgusting food stop on our way out of town.  DP DOUGH!!!

I am pretty sure that any person under 35 should know what DP Dough is, but just in case you all don't, it is a calzone chain that exists in pretty much every college town in America.  They have over 50 types of calzones, all for $5, and it's literally the best.thing.ever.

I have so many college DP Dough stories that I COULD tell, like the time they refused to let Annie and I order one in the store (they claimed they were only doing deliveries) so we stood outside the glass door while we called them and placed our order.  Okay honestly it's much funnier when I tell this story in person - promise.  My personal favorite is the Roni Zoni, which is just a whole bunch of cheese and pepperoni, dear lord I want one right now.  The DP Dough in Bridgewater was unfortunately seized by the IRS for failure to pay taxes (I am so not joking), so it's been a LONG time since my last indulgence.  Ratty and I each ordered 2, one to eat now and one to take home.  We're such fat kids.

Pure heaven.  Please note that I am drinking a DIET ginger ale, which totally counters all of the greasy fat calories I just consumed.  Obviously.

And, that's a wrap folks!  We hopped in the car and made it back to Boston in, barely, one piece.  Such a fun roadtrip!