<p>Hi there,
I am moving to Ithaca from the UK to work at Cornell this October. My contract will be for one year only. I am trying to decide whether or not to get a car for my time there and was hoping to get some thoughts on this. </p>
<p>I am not a very experienced driver, I have a full clean licence but haven't had much driving experience since doing my test so might be a little rusty. I don't have any experience of driving in icy or snowy roads which I know to expect in Ithaca! I will be living in a house on campus in Cornell with offstreet parking about 10 minutes walk from my workplace. I can't decide whether I will be able to get by with public transport or whether to get a car. I know I could manage getting to and from work fine etc and if I want to do any excursions to Toronto/NYC I understand there is a good bus service to these also. How convenient is the TCAT system and getting to and from grocery stores etc via public transport? What conditions are Ithaca's roads in in Winter? Will I be missing out not having a car? It would be so convenient to have a car but I would be nervous with the Winter conditions/driving on opposite side of road etc. Also it would be a hassle getting a car/getting it insured etc if I know I will have to sell it on for a year. I would love to do sme travelling after I finish in Cornell and know I could save lots not having a car. I don't think Ithaca car share/renting would be an option as I have had my licence only a year and am under 25. My concerns about not having a car would be that I know many of my colleagues will be living off campus and might make it harder to meet up without a car and explore the surrounding area. Ideally i would like to make do with public transport if it would be practical. How common is it for people at Cornell to drive/not drive and will people be giving me funny looks if I tell them I don't have a car?! :) Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello,
I just graduated in May and thought I could tell you what I know about owning a car and driving in Ithaca in general.
I had a car for 4 years in Ithaca and was never stranded or had any accident due to icy road conditions (I came from a place where the severity of winter was far greater than that of Ithaca though. So maybe I was better prepared. I haven’t seen too many complaints from drivers though ).<br>
Having a car in Ithaca definitely makes it very convenient not only to get bear necessities but also to enjoy yourself. (I enjoyed driving in Ithaca and to nearby cities like Syracuse just because the view is so gorgeous. Also I did drive to NYC many times)
You can definitely get around not having a car by taking advantage of TCAT. (I didn’t look into this too much myself but I know people seem pretty satisfied with it) I mean the majority of students don’t have cars and seem to be fine. </p>
<p>If you do choose not to own a car in Ithaca but still want to rent a car to make excursions to Toronto/NYC, I believe you can get a rental at the Ithaca airport (not sure if having a year old license makes you ineligible… i dont think so? ). </p>
<p>My D is a senior & her or none of her roommates have ever had a car & don’t feel it has been a burden. I wouldn’t worry too much about your driving…we have a joke that once you head up the hill to campus all driving rules cease to exist ALOT of poor drivers (and walkers) on campus and in collegetown!!! </p>
<p>My older daughter had a car at Cornell. She very much enjoyed the convenience of having a car. She had a little Cooper, never had any problem driving in Ithaca. When the road was icy, she walked. </p>
<p>My younger daughter has a driver’s license, but is not an experienced driver, so she doesn’t have a car at Cornell. She gets around by getting rides from people or taking taxi sometimes. It is very easy to call for a taxi to take you around. Sometimes after a party, few of her friends would share a taxi to take them back.</p>
<p>If you are not an experienced driver, I would not bother with a car. In the States, you’ll be able to get a lot of non perishable groceries delivered via Amazon. I know Netgrocer also delivers.</p>
<p>I never had a car at Cornell, and did fine with TCAT and with my own bicycle. Nowadays I do drive to Ithaca occasionally, though. Winter in Ithaca can be tricky because the snow is combined with hills, some steep. But if you go slowly but steadily and try not to stop halfway up a hill, you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>If I wanted to save money, though, and were only going to be in Ithaca one year, I’d skip the car.</p>