<p>i was just wondering how the environment there is. For example..what kinds of stores and restaurants are nearby? How easy is it to go from the college to downtown NYC? How easy is it to travel through public tansportation? Also, what are the dorms like? Coed? Is the food good there? Thanks for the time!</p>
<p>"How easy is it to go from the college to downtown NYC?"</p>
<p>You realize Syracuse is roughly 6 hours away from NYC right?</p>
<p>no..i did not know that...thanks for replying</p>
<p>Syracuse is actually about a 4hr drive or a 50 minute plane ride.</p>
<p>Well, again, I don't mean to barge in on what others say, but yes it is generally a 4-5 hour drive to NYC - flight is 50 minutes, as the previous poster said.</p>
<p>Stores and restaurants near campus (so im basically referring to Marshall Street, although if you live on South Campus or in off-campus apartments, this could also include Nottingham St. (WINGZ!!!)) are fairly diverse. On Marshall St. there is Panda West, a Chinese Restaurant (sit-down and takeout - nice selection, authentic cooking, around $12 for dinner), El-Saha Arab food (never eaten there before, prices around $5, small hole-in-the-wall takeout joint, looks shady), Aladdin Restaurant (mediterranean and arab-esque food, lots of organic stuff - around $12 - $15 for dinner, but I don't think it is worth it). As for pizza (the opinions vary widely on this one folks):</p>
<p>Varsity: IMO the best pizza with the best atmosphere; 1 slice is like $1.50 I think
Cosmos: alright pizza, I forget the price though
Augies: its pre-made pizza they stick through a warmer, but considering that, and the price ($1 a slice), its the perfect place to go when you got maaaaaad muchies (you know what I'm talkin about). Its about $10 for 2 whole pizzas, I think.
Dominos: 5-5-5 deal! I personally hate their pizza, theyre quite small and not all that good, but hey - when you got the munchies, it doesn't matter much now does it? ;-)</p>
<p>Wingz: ohhhhh my god. Order some your first weekend. Kick Flip is the hottest (their flavor names are a bit awkward and confusing), and I also enjoy the (think it is lemon?) Parmasean. Sooooo damn good. </p>
<p>Jimmy Johns: well, they are over-rated, but their subs are alright. I recommend the Vito, or Club Lulu. Price runs about $5 for a sub. Best bet is going to M street yourself, because their delivery usually takes FOREVER (1h 30m or more, in my experience - after ordering delivery twice and having it take that long, I didn't ever bother doing it again).</p>
<p>Pita Pit: um. Right. psychadelic colors, horrible decorations, and <em>interesting</em> food. A bit pricey ($7 to $8), but not bad if you are looking for a change of pace.</p>
<p>Insomnia Cookies: hot cookies delivered to your door/dorm. Can't beat that. Decent prices too ($3 to $5 I think - then again, I never paid :D )</p>
<p>Tasti-Delight Ice Cream: they make different flavors every day. Good stuff. </p>
<p>Quiznos: well, they make the best damn hot sandwiches I've ever had. Too bad they're expensive ($8-$10). But I love going there when I can afford it.</p>
<p>Mok Hwa Korean Restaurant: hidden atop the quiki mart on S. Crouse across from CVS, they serve authentic Korean and Chinese food. Look to spend about $20, but I am a Southeast Asian conniseur (and have actually studied cooking various ethnic cuisine from that region), and it is some of the best I've had. </p>
<p>Indian Restaurant next-door: I forget the name, but theyre right across the hall from Mok Hwa. Not sure of the price, but I've had some of their curry and god is it good. They have some awkward hours though.</p>
<p>Phoebe's: on E. Genessee & University Ave (i think), it is about a third of a mile from Marshall St. They serve up-scale American and Italian cuisine, and have a teriffic bar. Look to spend about $20.</p>
<p>Stores:</p>
<p>J Michael Shoes: overpriced crap. This store sells (and symbolizes) everything I hate about the rich, preppy, white, arrogant ****<strong><em>s that infest every crevace of Syracuse University. Without this store, they would have no place to look to for guidance of how to live their pathetic lives. So, in other words, this place sells everything LaCoste, aviator sunglasses, and all those other *</em></strong>ty, over-priced brand names
(Biased opinion? I certainly don't think so :p )</p>
<p>There is a shoe shop right next to Dunkin Donuts, but I never see them open (then again, I wouldn't ever care if they were). <em>Shrug</em></p>
<p>One store EVERYBODY has to visit is Down Under Leather. Don't let the name fool you (I did, until I learned otherwise). They sell NOTHING leather. Its all bongs, bowls, papers, lighters, whiskey flasks, Grateful Dead and tyedye t-shirts, and everything else a green-freak would ever need. Some of us also fondly refer to it has Heaven =) (Oh, how quickly I could spend a million bucks in that place...)</p>
<p>Can't think of too many other stores off the top of my head (perhaps as a cause of the products of Down Under Leather), but if you go to Carousel Mall (free bus transit Friday and Saturday after 4pm i think), they have everything and then some.</p>
<p>Bus transit downtown is -okay-. However, I brought my bike, and I'm not afraid to use it. It's 3 miles to the mall (bout 20 minute ride), and it is only about 10 minutes to downtown Syracuse - Armory Square, Dinosaur BBQ, Salina St, etc. I HIGHLY recommend you bring a bike (unless you live on the Mount (in which case, bring it only if you got some strong muscles and don't mind using them)). Rather than a 15 minute walk, you can be across campus in 5 minutes. </p>
<p>Dorms are coed - depending on where you live, some are coed by floor (entire floor being one gender), others will have one side of the hallway (or one wing of the building) all guys, the other all girls.</p>
<p>Food in the dining halls - here is how I rate them:</p>
<p>Shaw, Brockway, Sadler, Graham: good
Haven: don't even go there. (Literally - don't go there).</p>
<p>Haven is HORRIBLE. When I had class in School of Management, it was by far the closest. I ate there each day while in summerstart too. But I tell ya, the food is <em>THAT</em> bad, that I would walk or ride my bike all the way to Shaw to eat. I swear, it is a complete waste of a meal, to eat at Haven. The hot food line is very short and the line is extremely slow, and the people that cook the food there must be mongoloid idiots, because they cant cook ANYTHING right. Pasta is overcooked, rice is undercooked, and all the rest of the food just tastes crappy. Avoid this place at all costs. (And you will find that this opinion is echoed by just about every other person who has ever comparison-shopped the dining halls - I've eaten at every single one on a regular basis).</p>
<p>do you go to syracuse? you sound soo familiar..lol.</p>
<p>what would you consider the "best or better" of dining halls of them all? and why is it all the asian restaurants always more expensive, i never understand that... but i'm looking foward to that place above the quickmart</p>
<p>Theres also a really good thai place somewhere... not really sure, went there when I visited. It was prolly the best, but also most expensive thai meal i've ever had.</p>
<p>There is a MARVELOUS Vietnamese restaurant on N. State Street, about half way to the mall. It's in the ghetto, and its run by a couple - husband and wife. Most courteous people I've ever met. And best Southeast Asian I've had, too. </p>
<p>Dunno why theyre so expensive. Perhaps because they use so many exotic spices and ingredients. American dishes tend to have one or two seasonings or ingredients, while Asian cooking can use upwards of 20 - and most have to be imported. When you factor in some of the stranger types of meat and fish they use, that also adds to the cost.</p>
<p>As for dining halls, it's pretty much as I said - the only really BAD one is Haven. They change from day to day, depending on what they feel like offering. Brockway is probably the -best- though, followed by Shaw, then Graham and Sadler, and last comes Haven.</p>
<p>Of course I go to SU ;-) My name is Kaylen (yeh, I'm a guy), if that rings any bells.</p>
<p>ya here chinese is pretty cheap... weird.</p>
<p>Kaylen is an awesome name :D is it from a specific country?</p>
<p>My whole family is from Quebec (and I would have much prefered a french name), but it is Gaelic in origin. I would imagine it would have originally been spelled something like Kaelyn, Kaylin, etc... thanks tho :)</p>
<p>I guess my parents must really have wanted a girl :-S</p>
<p>haha Gaelic!! that's so neat. I should name my kid a gaelic name. I'm like 1/16 irish. (but the way my family is proud of it, you'd think it was a lot more)</p>
<p>kaylen. beautiful...</p>
<p>if you have a car, here are some good restaurants:</p>
<p>Dinosaur BBQ - among the best BBQ in the US. This is a biker joint with a diverse menu. I recomend going for lunch as the dinner wait can be a few hours on a busy night. The lunch and dinner menus are the same. </p>
<p>Eva's european treats - fantastic Polish restaurant. Best potato pancakes and sandwiches around. Big selection of european beers and wines. Deserts are also incredible and everything is price very fairly. </p>
<p>Stella's - the ultimate diner. Cheap food that is very good (but probably not very good for you). </p>
<p>Alto Cinco - some of the best mexican food around. Also has great sweet potato fries. </p>
<p>Twin trees pizza - rated best pizza in syracuse forever. Also has great wings and french onion soup. They do deliver, i'm just not sure which one is closes to the university.</p>
<p>Hoffman hot dogs - you can buy at grocery store, or they have restaurants as well. Rated top-4 hot dogs in US.</p>
<p>Leigh and Steigerwald meats - butcher shop with the #1 hot dogs in the US. Also has incredible steak, sausage, bologna, salami, burgers ... everything. Great meat, but this place is more than just a butcher. Also serves fresh sandwiches. Worth a trip for the bologna sandwich!</p>
<p>Wegman's - ultimate grocery store. Multiple location throughout Syracuse. There's none better than these mega-stores full of local and international foods. </p>
<p>The Hot Shop - huge store that sells hot sauces! Located downtown just outside of armory square. Also sells a variety of specialty sauces and salsas. </p>
<p>The blue tusk - famous sandwich joint in armory square. </p>
<p>The brooklyn pickle - another macho sandwich place.</p>
<p>Anarchy--</p>
<p>Do you really think that stereotype is true (that Syracuse is completely populated with rich, white bread clones)? Have you been able to meet people who are more..diverse?
Thanks :)</p>
<p>Well, sure - there <em>are</em> 15000 people on campus ;-) </p>
<p>I'm "different" (very much an understatement, but I'll keep it short for these purposes): I would consider myself a very intellectual person - I have an insane addiction to computers, I live and breathe politics, and I am interested in 90% of academic fields, with a fervor that most students never display even in their own major. My room is stacked with piles of books that I have to move if I want to walk around. I would literally choose a debate/argument with somebody smart, over sex, because it is so rare that I get into a good, thought-provoking discussion. So, going by that, you would assume I am weak, feable, and introverted....</p>
<p>Well, I also like partying, I can give a damn if I break the law in certain "illegal" pursuits (not actually any sort of crime in my view, but the judicial system seems to disagree), I prefer hanging out with poor-ghetto kids to rich snobs, I talk smack, and I've been in my fair share of fights. I'm a "rebel" so to speak - I am blunt about telling people how it is, I'm a straight talker, and I don't really take **** from most people. </p>
<p>So that has left me not fitting in with very many people. It often sucks, not having very many friends, so I'm kinda stuck with the ones I have. And unfortunately, most of them aren't very smart. Those who ARE smart, share none of my interests in partying, or fighting the system - they're all prim and proper, communicate in futile euphemisms, and often act more out of a simple desire to "bring home the grades" than to learn something for its own sake. On the other hand, my partying friends pretty much roll their eyes and stop listening, whenever I go on a tirade about politics, or try to have an intellectual converstion. Yeah, sometimes when we are drunk and high we can have a good philosophical discussion, but, of course, under those conditions, you aren't really making your best arguments and you probably won't remember them in the morning. </p>
<p>Point is, there is diversity AMONG groups, but not WITHIN groups. And certainly not between class or race. In my opinion, my "outsider's view" of things gives me a unique perspective of things that most people never understand. It may also predispose me to criticizing them - perhaps out of ignorance sometimes. But I would still rather remain what I am, than become something I despise. So, with that in mind, I would classify people into the following groups:</p>
<p>Preps:
-Frat/Sorority (rich & snobby & stupid, drive expensive cars and wear LaCoste)
-Bookworms (rich & snobby, study all day for their C grades)
-Truly Intelligent people (tend to be quite smart, but often prefer to hang out with other preps, and go to parties every now and then)
-Community Service Preps (people who are involved in all these local programs as though they really care, when they really have NO attachment to the local community, and only do it so they can feel good about themselves and act all arrogant, instead of REALLY making a difference - ACTIVISM makes a difference)</p>
<p>Smart people:
-People who hide in their room all day (nerds, Asians (it may be a stereotype but it is <em>extremely</em> true, especially given the family's academic expectations)
-People who are active on campus (honors program, University Senate (I won't include SA because it is just a forum for petty arguments), academic groups)</p>
<p>Dumbasses:
-Potheads (they go to the graveyard a lot - and go to every party on campus)
-Non-potheads (go to every party. these are the *******s who will trash your dorm bathroom, puke in the halls, throw food and garbage all over the lounge, write crap on your door whiteboard, and play pranks on you that you dont appreciate at all.
-"I wanna be cool too" people (immitate the other dumbass people, but fail miserably when trying, and just end up looking even more stupid)</p>
<p>Of course, there ARE others - these groups are not exclusive. But, by-in-large, I DO honestly find that a majority of students fit into one of these groups. I would rate it, 60% preps, 35% dumbasses, and 15% smart people.</p>
<p>Again, another long-winded-and-wasting-your-time response to what appeared to be a simple question ;-) [any of you guys caught on that maybe I'm the wrong guy to ask questions of? :p ]</p>
<p>^Sounds like highschool...:D</p>
<p>Indeed. I thought my rich-prep-suburban-high-school was bad enough. Hated every year of it, and was happy as could be to move on to college. Thought things could only go up from where they had been. WRONG. Instead of 1500 preps, I am now surrounded by 15 THOUSAND.</p>
<p>I expected college to be extremely academic - that classes would all be challenging and difficult, that everybody would be active and engaged in what they were learning. Nope. Wrong again.</p>
<p>That 60%/35%/15% breakdown sounds kind of ****ty. </p>
<p>I don't know if the top-notch journalism school can make up for the facts that Syracuse sounds uber-preppy and I look terrible in orange. :)</p>