New York, Part 2

So, as you saw from the previous post, The Farm Sanctuary is a wonderful place. Bean and I are already planning another trip there, and I really enjoy keeping up with them on Facebook. Again, their mission is awesome and I know I made the right decision to remove meat from my life.

On our NY trip, we hit up TFS on Saturday, then we drove to Ithaca on Sunday to go to the farmer's market, meet up with some dear family members, explore the town and just relax.
First off, let me clarify something - if you think The Ithaca Farmer's Market is this huge, fair type of setup, you're wrong. I knew before we went that it was a small, specialty kind of place... with some very unique and fun individuals.

As you're driving down one of the main roads through town, you make a left turn, drive back a dirt road and bam - you're there. I wanted to go to the main one instead of the extensions they have in other parts of the city... mainly because it's located next to a really pretty lake with postcard-like views. Stunning.

Here's what I loved about the market... There are food stations that offer things from pizza to Indian to Greek. There are soaps, lotions, clothing, wooden art, jewelry, honey, locally canned fruits and veggies, tea, coffee, fresh juices, herbs and spices, musicians, pasta, cheese, breads, fruits and veggies.

All local.




When we had our fill of the market, we stopped off at Stewart Park, fed some ducks, did some shopping and found the science center. I've slowly realized that we look for a science-type activity on every vacation we take. There's always something to find, and learning never stops. This time we stumbled across the Sciencenter - a hands-on museum with outside science play area. It was a nice little place to do some exploring... my favorite part was the musical staircase. It made me think of Tom Hanks!

....and you can't go to Ithaca without stopping at Ithaca Beer Company - it was great. As you drive in on the dirt road, the brewery sits up on a hill, there's gorgeous light shining behind it... you're drawn to it. You walk in and it's absolute chaos. They are always crazy busy, there is seating inside and out, there is a beer line and a food ordering line, they have a huge bar, there are over a dozen beers on tap and the entire atmosphere is wonderful. Kids are welcome, you just have to be willing to squeeze in wherever possible. Now, they were a little bit busier than usual... it was graduation week after all.

 



Of course you can't stay in Corning, NY without going to the Corning Museum of Glass and hitting up downtown Corning, It is a beautiful, nice, artsy, inspiring city... with great food. The museum itself has been recently remodeling and updated, there are several buildings that offer a variety of activities based on the age of the people in your family/group, they have a wide selection of pieces you can sign up to make (prices vary by piece and age group), you have a tag to wear so you can come and go as you please. There are glass demonstrations going on all the time and they are great about letting the kids get up close to see what's happening. I especially love how the artists talk to you the whole time they are creating. It's a unique art that I feel is underappreciated. They have made some serious improvements since I was there last, it is a great place to go.

 Downtown is wonderful...