<p>I think you mean Ithaca College. Some people really love Ithaca (never leave after graduating) Other folks see it as the boonies.</p>
<p>Ithaca is a small city (30,000 or so), very liberal, beautiful landscape (a finger lake, waterfalls, gorges) and adequate shopping (it is not 5th Ave). It has very good and diversified (Thai, Mexican. Sushi, vegetarian, etc) dining, some great bars w/ local bands. Downtown (the Commons-closed to autos) tends to be where IC (Ithaca College) students go. Cornell students have their own college town nearer to their campus with lots of bars, restaurants, etc.</p>
<p>Ithaca has almost everything you could want because it is a college town. There are regular concerts and world renowned speakers. There are also restaurants galore, festivals, sailing, hiking and skiing nearby. </p>
<p>However, it is upstate NY and it is cold and snowy for many months of the yr. It is also hard to get to. It does have a small airport. But it is not close to any major city. NYC is 4 hrs away, but there are regular daily buses going there.</p>