<p>I looked up hotels for move-in day today in the hopes of making a reservation, but it looks like all of the Ithaca hotels are booked (at least according to sites like expedia and travel.com). The closest hotels seem to be in Cortland, but it'd be cheaper overall if my family and I flew into and stayed in Syracuse. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which one we should decide on? Is Syracuse just too far away to spend the night in?</p>
<p>Syracuse is around an hour away from Ithaca; Cortland is approximately half-way in between. If your family intends to only spend one day in Cornell, then it would be ok to get a hotel in Syracuse. Otherwise, I would go with a hotel in Cortland. There is a Walmart in Cortland, which is very handy for buying last-minute things for your room - and unlike stores near Cornell, there isn't much danger of the merchandise running out during move-in days.</p>
<p>You may want to see whether the Orientation information is up yet. </p>
<p>People with last names in different parts of the alphabet are assigned to move in at different times of day. If you're in the early morning group, you probably don't want to be too far away because you'd have to get up very early.</p>
<p>Cortland works out well for many people, and it's easy to get back and forth to Ithaca. Just follow the Route 13 signs.</p>