<p>ugh I know! I was born in NYC, raised in a suburb in Long Island 25 mins from Manhattan, and now go to NYU...I'm a New Yorker through and through. And I can't stand the students who come here expecting their lives will be one episode of Gossip Girl one day after another. No, we will not spend the day ambling down Broadway laden with shopping bags from designer stores, and then top off the evening with dinner at a ritzy restaurant and party at that exclusive nightclub till 4 a.m. Yes, those raggedy people on the street are hobos. Yes, that shady guy on the subway at night will take your purse.</p>
<p>At least Ithaca looks better than New Haven. New Haven looks like a dead city.</p>
<p>Those of you who demean Cornell/Ithaca by means of your extremely paltry arguments really need to stop. I mean, it's CORNELL you're talking about, not your local CC. Cornell's an Ivy League institution and offers a world-class education, and here you are complaining about "grunge" and "white trash"? Yes, hicks exist. Yes, white trash exists. Do you have to be that if you live in Ithaca? No. Ithaca has a liberal, earthy feel to it, similar in some ways to the Berkshires (though not quite as manicured), and though there are some <em>gasp</em> slightly poorer parts, my suggestion is to take off your blinders and actually experience the world as it is. </p>
<p>and by the way, stargazer, loved the Wisteria Lane comment. That show is actually really entertaining.</p>
<p>First of all, I agree with you 100% chandler.</p>
<p>and yes, omg, how good is DH???! New episode tonight!!! <em>squeals</em></p>
<p>Yes! I'm MAD psyched for tonight's episode, I can't wait to see it.
I used to think DH was like a chick flick but my dad and I actually watch it now... its entertainment value is through the roof.
The only show I liked more was Friends.
(And of course who can resist Jeopardy)</p>
<p>Apparently tonight's DH episode is about the 5 years that elapsed between the last season and this season.
STOKED.</p>
<p>"Since when is the East Coast more "grungy"? We've got a lot more yuppies on our shores than your corn-ridden Midwestern fields overrun with "salt of the earth" blue collar workers. I didn't encounter any yuppies when I went to the Midwest, mostly just heavy people waddling about little towns oblivious to the rest of the world." -Stargazerlilies</p>
<p>You don't have to be insulting. I'm unfamiliar with the midwest you've described. We're from communities in Minnesota like Edina, Minnetonka, Eagan, Chanhassen, etc., and the better parts of places like Naperville, Ill. Yes, we actually lived or worked in those places. Those places are nice. </p>
<p>Compared to those places, the East Coast is grungy. I say this as someone who grew up on the East Coast and went to college in NYC. I've also lived in Boston. But once I moved to the midwest, there was just no comparison. The parts of the midwest where I lived were wonderful. And clean.</p>
<p>Glad you've found your clean green Midwest. Perhaps you should consider staying there since you find it so demeaning to be amongst us blue collar commoners out East? I'm sure your daugther can find a nice college there...but unfortunately most of the best universities in the country are out here on our filthy shores. Shame :(</p>
<p>Hope our grungy streets didn't dirty your shiny, expensive yuppie shoes all the way from Minnestota! Maybe one of our "salt of the earth" white trash people who roam our filthy streets could shine 'em for you? We'll give 'em a good shinin' if you can spare us a shiny lil quarter...twice as clean if it's a Minnesota quarter...</p>
<p>There are so many places on the East Coast that are elite and exclusive. "Grungy"? Yeah, just the bad parts. The Midwest? Depressing, benighted, and filled with people who have absolutely no idea about what's going on in the world.
Though yes, there are towns like "Minnetonka" and "Eagan" (God help me) that may be nice and not ignorant, but a large part of the Midwest is MUCh less yuppie and "sophisticated" than a large part of the East Coast.</p>
<p>I'd take Ithaca over Eagan any day.</p>
<p>Oh and stargazer, how good was DH last night?!</p>
<p>I think this thread has run its course....can we let it die....or have it locked?</p>
<p>I wish I had some mod power :-D</p>
<p>'fraid I couldn't watch it Chandler...see, I turned my back for a minute, and doggone it, those darn panhandlers and muggers off of the grungy streets made off with my television set...I expect that's what you get for livin on this filthy coast...</p>
<p>No, seriously, my best friend is from the Midwest and she's so smart and I love her. But when I went to her hometown over the summer, I was appalled by the people...they weren't poor, just middle class. But honestly, they were all Bible-belters and looked at me suspciously because I'm brown...which I guess means I must be from Iraq or one of 'em Stans over there...I say we nuke 'em and take there oil...filthy commies...</p>
<p>Oh, and I've never seen so many fat people in my life. I used to wonder how it could be possible that 1/3 of this country is obese because everyone here is fit, but now I know. My god...</p>
<p>on that note, let's shut this down.</p>
<p>Ok even I'm out of really rude offensive statements...I think the OP's question has been answered.</p>
<p>stargazer, you must watch it. it was very, very good.</p>
<p>Yeah, I am too. Let's call it a night.</p>
<p>So I know this thread has gotten a bit out of hand, but I wanted to add a (hopefully) productive comment. I just graduated from Cornell in May (and I really miss it!!). As far as downtown Ithaca goes, I never thought of it as "seedy" or unsafe. I used to head down to the commons to attend festivals, chili- cookoffs, performances by some local bands (IY anyone?) occasional shopping at the unique stores and boutiques down there, and of course to eat at the amazing restaurants (I've been to Benchwarmers, Madelines, Lost Dog Cafe, Viva Taqueria, Shortstop Deli, Mahogony Grill, and a few others...) I've been there at night, during the day, by myself, and with large groups of people. The restaurants are very nice and I never had a less than enjoyable experience. There may be a few strange people hanging out by the bus stop at times, but I really never felt like it made the city unsafe in any way. My friends and I used to love going downtown for a nice dinner with our sorority bigs and littles or to buy accessories for a themed party that weekend. Also, a lot of graduate students live downtown. </p>
<p>For the most part though, I spent most of my time on campus or in collegetown and not once did I feel like I needed a big city nearby to go to on the weekends. I now live in Manhattan (as a graduate student) and ride the subways constantly. I very often feel unsafe and have to be a hundred times more aware of my surroundings. There are lots of people around and places open late, but only a fraction of the people walking around on the streets are actually students my age. I usually stay in the city and go out on Friday nights, but by Saturday I really just want to get away from the crowds and often go visit people elsewhere (i'm heading to Ithaca in a couple of weeks). On the reverse side, I just visited my little sister who is a freshman at a small Catholic university located in a very safe town. There is only one dining hall, and NO WHERE to go at 1 in the morning when you are finishing up homework and really want a slice of pizza or a sub or burrito or (I could go on forever...). I would have hated it there. </p>
<p>Cornell was perfect for me. Tons of stuff to do and places to eat like in a big city, but always feeling safe, having everyone on the streets of collegetown between the ages of 18 and 22, and having everything I needed in one place. As I was leaving my sister's campus this weekend I thought to myself, "Wow, if I could go back to senior year of high school and do it all over again, I wouldn't have changed a thing."</p>
<p>What I'm trying to say is that Ithaca is full of culture, it is safe, and it may be isolated from big cities, but it doesn't really matter b/c there is often too much to do in the city of Ithaca and at the Cornell campus alone. Downtown Ithaca may not be full of rich people, but it is full of really nice restaurants and its own 'Ithaculture' and students tend to only go down there occasionally. Anyway, I hope this helps a little.</p>
<p>Chandler, I just watched the whole thing (gotta love DVR) and it was SO good! But Tom is a terrible person! My god, Lynette, just divorce that overgrown schoolboy...he's been going through a midlife crisis since Season 1!</p>
<p><a href="I've%20been%20to%20Benchwarmers,%20Madelines,%20Lost%20Dog%20Cafe,%20Viva%20Taqueria,%20Shortstop%20Deli,%20Mahogony%20Grill,%20and%20a%20few%20others...">quote</a>
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</p>
<p>And how about, Just a Taste... oh man... how I miss thee.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Depressing, benighted, and filled with people who have absolutely no idea about what's going on in the world.
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</p>
<p>Stereotype tens of millions of perfect strangers and then accuse THEM of having no idea what's going on in the world?</p>
<p>The irony is particularly delicious tonight...</p>