It’s been a whole two months since I was last in Ithaca, so clearly that meant I needed to make a trip back for homecoming. Besides, the last one was a time and a half, and how could I pass up hanging out with my bff Raivo this weekend?? Some random thoughts and happenings:
1) To this day, I have yet to find a place with better burritos than Statler Terrace, and since they only open on weekdays during lunch, it's pretty darn inaccessible for me. So, as soon as I was back on campus, I made a mad dash for Terrace and slid into the wrap line just 5 minutes before they were closing. Even better, they had just enough pulled pork left for one last burrito! I sat down with my wrap in one hand and a New York Times in the other, relaxing in the confines of a college campus. It was pretty much a picturesque scene from SWPL. Promptly afterwards, I was asked if I was interested in attending church or bible study. Ah, some things never change.
2) Oktoberfest celebrations were happening in Trillium on Friday afternoon, sponsored by the European Club and Grad Students Association. They were passing out free knockwurst, sauerkraut and chips, blasting German music, and selling $1-2 Oktoberfest beers. Naturally, the scene was quite raucous, and I had to pinch myself a couple times when I realized people were getting smashed on campus in the middle of the day. Why didn't I crash more grad events back in the day?
3) As for the homecoming game itself, I was steeling myself for disappointment from the start. Not to be pessimistic, but Yale was the team that routed us 51-12 last year after all. Shockingly, we won the game, albeit not by much (17-14). What can I say, I guess crazier things have happened, eh?
1) To this day, I have yet to find a place with better burritos than Statler Terrace, and since they only open on weekdays during lunch, it's pretty darn inaccessible for me. So, as soon as I was back on campus, I made a mad dash for Terrace and slid into the wrap line just 5 minutes before they were closing. Even better, they had just enough pulled pork left for one last burrito! I sat down with my wrap in one hand and a New York Times in the other, relaxing in the confines of a college campus. It was pretty much a picturesque scene from SWPL. Promptly afterwards, I was asked if I was interested in attending church or bible study. Ah, some things never change.
2) Oktoberfest celebrations were happening in Trillium on Friday afternoon, sponsored by the European Club and Grad Students Association. They were passing out free knockwurst, sauerkraut and chips, blasting German music, and selling $1-2 Oktoberfest beers. Naturally, the scene was quite raucous, and I had to pinch myself a couple times when I realized people were getting smashed on campus in the middle of the day. Why didn't I crash more grad events back in the day?
3) As for the homecoming game itself, I was steeling myself for disappointment from the start. Not to be pessimistic, but Yale was the team that routed us 51-12 last year after all. Shockingly, we won the game, albeit not by much (17-14). What can I say, I guess crazier things have happened, eh?
4) I am always hesitant to try new restaurants in Ithaca because there are so many old favorites and so little time. But since I was in town in July, and satiated my Maxie’s craving then, I figured I could be adventurous for once. So, Saturday night, I found myself at the Ithaca Ale House…and I give it two thumbs up! The menu at its core is bar food, but includes enough special touches that it's semi-classy and exciting. I convinced Viki and Oliver to order the eggplant fries as an appetizer and they were delicious (didn't taste like eggplant at all), and came with a cool curry-based sauce. We also figured with 6 of us, it wouldn't hurt to order another appetizer, so Amanda suggested the guacamole & brie. I was expecting a huge bowl of dip with chips or bread around it, but instead we were served a platter of bread, with guacamole, brie and red pepper spread on top of each piece. For dinner, I ordered the Bastard burger (pepper crust, Bastard Ale mustard, onion rings)...and so did Oliver and Alec. They also had some interesting stuff on the dessert menu (fried Oreos!), but we were way too full.
5) Speaking of fullness, I never made it to Hot Truck. We debated for about 10 minutes, but Viki decided she was too full/it was raining too hard/the hill was too much to handle at 1 am, so we didn't go. This is a bit of a shame because I'm most likely going to visit Ithaca during summers in the future, when Hot Truck is closed, so I'm pretty much never getting a PMP again. :(
6) On the other hand, I did make it to Dairy Bar, because after getting breakfast at CTB (San Diego Bagel on California bagel, the kind with granola on it), we had some time to kill before the tailgate. So, Viki, Oliver and I went to get ice cream at 11 am. (<--fat kids!) I was a bit disappointed at the lack of seasonal flavors (no Clocktower Pumpkin, no Apple Pie) but the Coconutty Spring Thaw and Bavarian Raspberry Fudge were really good. Plus, I discovered that you could ask for two flavors on a "small" cone. What a revelation!
7) I'm still not over the fact that Pataflafla drinks now; there's definitely some cognitive dissonance going on in my mind. And speaking of drinking, since the '08ers have graduated, the drumline has definitey gotten drunker/less dorky. I was hanging out with Shannon, my new favorite freshman bells player, who apparently got so drunk last weekend that they invoked medical amnesty on him. Meanwhile, Matt & Co were talking about skipping the band party to play Dungeons & Dragons instead. Um, yeah.
8) There's another chimesmaster-bandie! I met her at the band party, and we talked about all the chimesmaster-bandies of years past (ARE '03, GVJ '99, a couple guys from the '50s). Unfortunately, she's missing the chimesmaster road trip to NYC for the band trip to Montreal. I am seriously considering skipping homecoming next fall to attend Chimes Advisory Council instead. They're always scheduled two weeks apart, so I can't really afford to do both. I did make it to the clocktower to get some concerts in (one with RCF and the other with WAK). Secretly, I am relieved that the concerts I crashed were played by chimesmasters that I know, but I guess in another year or two, they'll all be fresh faces to me. Sigh.
9) Ithaca Apple Festival was also a good time despite the pouring rain. You could find all manner of apples and apple products, from apple butter to apple fry bread, and there were plenty of non-apple items as well. After hearing Megan rave about her Cuban sandwich on Friday, I was tempted to get one too, but then decided I should hold out for one in Pilsen. I did get apple cider doughnuts and a piece of smoked apple pie with sharp NY cheddar, pretty much the craziest thing I could find. Tomas et al were appalled at the idea of cheese on apple pie, but seriously, is the idea of fruit and cheese that crazy? Or the combination of sweet and salty?? I couldn't convince them that apple and cheddar is not that weird. There was also a booth with jams, jellies and fruit butters, similar to the one at the Ithaca Farmer's Market, but with 16 or so flavors. Viki and I both bought a container of cranberry-horseradish jam, which was intriguing because it had the taste and smell of horseradish, but NOT the spicy sting, which apparently goes away during cooking. So, it seems that all the horseradish products I've previously eaten have been cold-processed.
10) We made a trip to Wegman's because Viki wanted to buy bread, and of course, who doesn't want to shop in the best grocery store EVER? Over the last year, I've gradually used up all my Wegman's brand products, and now only have a bit of Wegman's vanilla extract and baking powder left. So, I decided I needed to buy a non-liquid, non-perishable Wegman's item, and settled on a container of pepper. I can't tell you how exciting it is to look in my cupboard and see Wegman's, to remind me of the good ol' days.
11) Returning to Chicago, I wasn't nearly as depressed as I was compared to last year. In some sense, I've gotten used to the idea that there are people I will not see more than once or twice a year, and perhaps the relationship will fade a bit, but when we are together, those bonds are rekindled instantaneously, like sea monkeys in water. Moreover, I've put down roots here, and being in Ithaca would be a step backwards. And who knows, maybe someday we'll find ourselves in the same place again (cough, MCLU 2009?).
And so concludes my last trip to Ithaca for probably a very long time. So long, and thanks for all the fish. :)
11) Returning to Chicago, I wasn't nearly as depressed as I was compared to last year. In some sense, I've gotten used to the idea that there are people I will not see more than once or twice a year, and perhaps the relationship will fade a bit, but when we are together, those bonds are rekindled instantaneously, like sea monkeys in water. Moreover, I've put down roots here, and being in Ithaca would be a step backwards. And who knows, maybe someday we'll find ourselves in the same place again (cough, MCLU 2009?).
And so concludes my last trip to Ithaca for probably a very long time. So long, and thanks for all the fish. :)
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