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In the lush land of the Finger Lakes
Ithaca, N.Y., surrounding areas marry rural life with nerdy charm
 Ann Levin / AP Visitors are dwarfed by a waterfall as they make their way along a trail through a spectacular gorge in Watkins Glen State Park, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The Finger Lakes region of west-central New York is known for its dramatic waterfalls and gorges. |
ITHACA, N.Y. - I saw them almost as soon as I walked into the Ithaca Farmers Market: Baskets of apples with odd shapes, strange hues and exotic names like Zabergau Reinette, Red Northern Spy and Calville Blanc d'Hiver.
Containers on a shelf offered slices, some from well-known varieties like Jonagold and McIntosh, others the rarer kinds increasingly popular among connoisseurs turned off by the vapid taste of mass-produced fruit.
These spectacular-tasting apples, many of them heirloom varieties, were grown on a local farm by Cornell horticulture professor Ian Merwin and his wife, Jackie. Nearby another Cornell scientist and his wife sold their bumper crop of squash and pumpkins in brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow.
No more proof was needed of the relationship between Cornell and local farmers in the lush, rolling farmland of the Finger Lakes district in west-central New York.
The Cornell brainiacs also lend a nerdy charm to this college town at the southern end of Cayuga Lake. In two visits to the area last fall, my husband and I returned to Ithaca again and again for the terrific used bookstores, unusual crafts and vibrant ethnic restaurants. Events this fall include Apple Harvest Fest, Sept. 27-30, and Ithaca's annual used book sales, Oct. 6-8, 13-15 and 20-23, with a quarter-million books for sale.
Ithaca also serves as a good jumping-off point to explore the countryside around the Finger Lakes, so named for the 11 long, slender bodies of water that divide the region from north to south, making any east-west journey a time-consuming operation.
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One of the best ways to explore the region is by bike. We brought ours along after reading the excellent "Backroad Bicycling in the Finger Lakes Region" by Mark Roth and Sally Walters, which is crammed with useful information and entertaining history.
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Whether biking or driving, you won't want to miss the scores of wineries clustered largely along the shores of the three largest lakes: Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga. Even if you're not a drinker, you'll be amazed by the sheer beauty of the vineyards, some planted on slopes pitched precipitously toward the water.
One evening around sunset, as we drove along the western shore of Cayuga after a brief rain shower, we saw the biggest, brightest rainbow we've ever seen arcing over the eastern side of the lake. Drivers pulled over to take pictures. Another evening, at dusk, driving along Seneca Lake, we passed the ghostly outline of a horse and buggy driven by one of the region's Mennonite farmers.
The Finger Lakes region also offers quaint villages and towns full of colonial-era and 19th century American history.
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