<p>I'm in Buffalo. What everyone forgets when they talk about our snow is how perfect and lovely it is in upstate NY from May-October. Perfect, not humid all summer like in NYC and Boston. It hangs in between 80-85 for those easy summer picnic days. Autumn is colorful with the leaves changing. The landscape is gentle and rolling. </p>
<p>While snow is an inconvenience to homeowners, it affects college students much less, since the institution is responsible for plowing and clearing away the snow from your path. Air travel does impact students, but flight delays and snow cancellations are starting to affect airports all across the country these days, as one flight impacts the next, so I'm not sure how much worse it is. </p>
<p>Each year as a new winter comes, it feels peaceful and beautiful, especially from Thanksgiving through February. I love the look and feel of winter, the hot chocolate, knit scarves and hats, throwing snowballs, all that. It's fun and invigorating. Only thing is, it's a long season, and gray so by March/early April it's hard to stay upbeat. I'm sure Spring Break was meant for places like Syracuse the most. There is snow, but no earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes. </p>
<p>If you have a car on campus, it's important to learn some new skills for safe driving in winter. I like the rural historic sites around Syracuse; have visited Seneca Falls where the Women's Rights movement began; now has the Womens Hall of Fame and a labor history museum. Auburn NY is home of Harriet Tubman. There's a summer Renaissance Faire in Oneonta, NY and the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge.</p>
<p>teriwtt-
Go to Dino at an off-time or you will have a long wait. I think they have live blues on Friday and Saturday night, but check that. It is fun to go when the bikers are there. Bikers know their ribs. Amazing tatoos. The waitresses might call you honey or darlin. I once saw a car do about 10 doughnuts non-stop in the middle of the intersection next to Dino. People applauded.</p>
<p>who5390-
My friend who I used to visit regularly at SU was a bio major. he had an interesting research asstistantship and won the Bio Dept Research Award his senior year. He then went to work in the U of R research labs for two years and is now in an immunology PhD program at Maryland. He liked the bio program at SU. Started in English, then switched to Anthro, then to bio. Took him 5 years to graduate. He was on Marshall Street with all the crazies climbing lamppoles the night SU won the NCAA basketball tourney.</p>
<p>I laughed out loud when I read your response to me... you'll see why. </p>
<p>H has two brothers, who live in Connecticut, who barely made it out of high school (H has his Ph.D.). They've basically held menial blue-collar jobs their whole lives, not really even attempting to move up within their vocations (no kidding - one was a grave digger at one time). They both love their bikes. One brother got into a motorcycle accident the week of his wedding, due to a diabetic blackout and wore a cast on his arm as he walked down the aisle (as an aside, my older daughter, who was a flower girl for their wedding, was also in a cast after an accident at our local playground the week before the wedding). Anyway, the other brother is doing only God knows what with his life. We do not have much contact with them due to distance - both their parents died between 5-10 years ago so we have not seen them in quite a few years. However I usually send a Christmas card to update them on what's going on in our lives.</p>
<p>When our daughter was a sophomore at Syracuse, the younger brother (non-broken arm one) called us up and said he was going to be in Syracuse for some biker thing, and wanted our D's cell number so he could call her. Now you have to know our D1... she tends to be materialistic, is in a sorority and is fairly preppy. So Uncle Billy Bob calls her when he gets to Syracuse, asking her if she wants to go to the Dinosaur with him... he's there with a bunch of his biker buddies. D, thankfully as she says, had some sorority stuff going on that she couldn't miss (initiation perhaps?). But every year when he returns to Syracuse (for some biker convention or something), he calls her. Usually she's in class or something, so he leaves a message, but she's always had something else going on. Not that if she didn't, she would feel comfortable with Uncle Billy Bob in Dinosaur.</p>
<p>I remember at one point, before D2 went to college, and we were laughing about these awkward phone calls from Uncle Billy Bob. She was very clear that we not give out her cell phone number to biker Uncle Billy Bob. </p>
<p>Another tidbit... one time when we met his 'girlfriend', we nicknamed her (of course not in front of them)... scary girl. They definitely lead a different life than we do!</p>
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But every year when he returns to Syracuse (for some biker convention or something), he calls her. Usually she's in class or something, so he leaves a message, but she's always had something else going on. Not that if she didn't, she would feel comfortable with Uncle Billy Bob in Dinosaur.
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<p>Uncle Billy Bob seems an alright fellow to me. Your daughters, otoh, are complete tossers.</p>
<p>If you want Syracuse social life at a discount, check out SUNY School of Forestry (I think that's the correct name) in Syracuse; the students pay SUNY tuition but can use all the Syracuse facilities/join Syracuse clubs. Good for biology majors!</p>
<p>I think the "official" name is Environmental Science and Forrestry (ESF). It's on SUNY website and the link will get you to the website- though I think it is <a href="http://www.esf.edu%5B/url%5D">www.esf.edu</a>.<br>
It always sounded like a great deal to me to- Suny tuition (which for OOS is pretty reasonable too) and living on Syracuse campus- But it is a very specialized program so ya gotta do the research!!</p>
<p>I'm an Oswego alum. Snow ?? You learn to live with it. I think it made made me a less wimpy winter person!!</p>