Today the New York Times travel section featured our very own Syracuse as a place, not as a place to escape from, but as a destination for jaded Manhattenites to escape to. It might be a bit of mental leap for City folk to view Upstate as a place for a cultural vacation, but those of us who live around the greater Upstate cities (Buffalo, 'Cuse, Rochester and Albany) know that these places have many fascinating destinations for those seeking entertainment, relaxation or enlightenment. NYT author Hart Seely has captured this in his article today "36 Hours: Syracuse" where he spends three days touring the sights and sounds of the city. He begins with this line:
"In Syracuse, birthplace of the serrated knife and the dental chair, as the city boasts, folks have been patiently distilling authentic Rust Belt culture. Pardon the grins, but winter is over, and global warming doesn't exactly panic a town that regularly wins the Golden Snowball award for upstate New York's most shoveled-out winter.Half a century ago, Syracuse's pro team, the Nationals, was a power in the National Basketball Association, its General Electric plant made the hot new television set and the Carrier Corporation built the giant air-conditioners that enabled Southern states to steal its factories. That was then; this is, well, something else. Just think of the 'Cuse as your past and future, waiting to be rediscovered."
From there, he visits Syracuse staples like Wegmans (for salt potatoes), Dinosaur BBQ and the MOST, but also stops at local favorites like a punk show at the Westcott Community Center, the Middle Ages Brewing Company for Grail Ale and the Central New York Regional Flea Market.
Overall, it's a great article, one that I'm personally excited about as I will be moving up north in a few months and I'm ready to hit up the sites and sounds. Hopefully, Syracuse and the rest of Upstate can continue to develop their own unique flavors that will entertain not only vacationing Downstaters, but also their own residents.
-Posted by Jesse
For me the article was a bit different, a look back to a city and a culture of which I am now only peripherally a part. I'm sure a lot of the article's Syracuse ex-pat readers will feel a lot of nostalgia, whether they now reside in those souther states or (like me) are only a few hours from home. It's a great (and snarky) reminder for us, and I'm glad that it can function as a preview for Jesse (and hopefully others) who have Syracuse in their future.
ReplyDeleteJesse, you're a dork for your last post and for this one.
ReplyDeleteI live there now and can only say that the reviewer only scratched the surface, and didn't even get to the best attractions.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm soon to be a Syracuse expat too. (Not leaving York State though).
I've been accused of being a dork on numerous occasions and I think I've internalized it, but thanks for the reinforcement Jingle. I think it's inherently a bit dorky to have a website dedicated to Upstate culture and heritage...
ReplyDeleteJesse, at least you're not as dorky as this guy was:
ReplyDeletehttp://adirondackalmanack.blogspot.com/2006/05/strange-life-of-james-jesse-strang.html
Who tried to one-up Joseph Smith's golden plates with some BRASS ones... how lame is that?
(This post reminded me of York Staters' usual fascinating content)