Living in Binghamton/Vestal

<p>My son just got accepted to Bing, and he is thrilled, of course. There is so much he likes about it - but there is one major concern. We live outside of NYC, and he loves all that urban life has to offer - ethnic food, concerts, funky neighborhoods to explore, etc. He has always envisioned himself in a city for college (other top choice is McGill - hasn't heard yet). Obviously, Binghamton is not at all urban, nor does it seem like a traditional college town - but is there anything interesting to do off-campus? Or does life pretty much revolve on-campus? Is it worth the trade-off for what he would receive at Bing (top-notch education, smart peers, great price)? Curious to hear from other urban-minded students about how you manage it.</p>

<p>Hi, congrats!
I live on Long Island so I was always used to having the city as an option. Binghamton is definitely nothing like NYC. There are things to do, you kind of just need to be proactive about seeking them out. There are a good amount of restaurants downtown. If he has friends interested in going, there’s a lot of cool options. There are events that go on sometimes, like First Friday every month which is an art/gallery event. However, it is a relatively small downtown center. I don’t mean to imply it’s huge and super active. Most people will only go if they’re heading to a specific place.</p>

<p>Honestly, I spend most of my time on campus. Before college I always envisioned myself taking advantage of living in a busy city. But there’s so much to do on campus that I’m never really bored. We have the usual big Spring and Fall concerts, but several weekends per month, there will be concerts in the undergrounds of the Union that are always well-attended (search Binghamton Underground Music Presents). We have a lot of ethnic student groups that are always putting on cultural events with food, dancing, etc. There are definitely things to do as long as you look out for them.</p>

<p>I don’t live there, but I went there for a campus tour. As far as I know there’s a big mall not that far away, as well as downtown, a lot of restaurants, and a pretty big movie theater. It’s obviously not like NYC, but there’s still a lot of stuff that you can do.</p>

<p>I’m a Student Ambassador here at Binghamton and I’m also a junior so I’ve had a few years of experience with campus life around Bing. While it’s not the city there’s more than enough to do both on and off campus. Both posters above mentioned a lot of the activities like Fall Fest, Winter Wonderland and Spring Fling that we have every year. We also have a lot of great concerts, this past year we’ve had Yellowcard and J. Cole come perform. As far as restaurant culture we have this thing called restaurant week where a ton of restaurants around Binghamton offer 3 course dinners for $20 and lunch combos for $10. ([Binghamton</a> Restaurant Week | Downtown Binghamton, New York](<a href=“http://www.binghamtonrestaurantweek.com/]Binghamton”>http://www.binghamtonrestaurantweek.com/)) Definitely a high point in each semester. There’s also an even called First Fridays where lots of artists and musicians come out and showcase their work downtown on Washington street ([First</a> Fridays Upcoming Events - The Gorgeous Washington street](<a href=“http://www.gorgeouswashington.com/firstfridays/firstfridaysupcomingevents.html]First”>http://www.gorgeouswashington.com/firstfridays/firstfridaysupcomingevents.html)). Downtown there’s an improv comedy club, as well as a movie theater that shows a lot of film noir. I can honestly say I love Binghamton and have enjoyed the culture that I have found in being a student here. It’s def not NYC but it works just fine for me. I think rebecar said it perfectly, you spend so much time on campus anyways just because of daily life it’s not like you have copious amounts of time to go exploring Bingahmton. But when time does present itself, there’s more than enough options on things to do.</p>

<p>I have heard that Bing area has a high crime rate.
I have heard some neighborhoods where former Bing students lived off campus,
have become crack houses. Seems to me you would be stuck on campus.
I went to a school with similar problems, hating being stuck on campus, and transferred out (and the academic reputation meant little when I was miserable living there). </p>

<p>Comments ?</p>

<p>Ummm I know a lot of people who live downtown and none of them are in the midst of crack houses. There are a lot of really nice, extremely high-security student living apartments downtown. The other option is living in a house. I know people who do this and I’ve never felt unsafe visiting them. Obviously campus is “safer” than downtown in the sense that there’s more security, everyone is pretty much a student, and you won’t find yourself lost, but downtown is a popular spot. Most people I know do not feel trapped on campus.</p>