New York - the Annual Summer Pilgrimage

I would venture to guess that when most people think of New York, their imagination immediately turns to the city with it's skyscrapers, taxis, and 24/7 entertainment. However, despite being born and raised in New York until the fourth grade, I've never actually been to NYC (I went to the Bronx zoo once when I was little and don't remember any of it). No, New York for me means upstate with beautiful scenery, rolling hills and mountains, and far less excitement than The City. I grew up near Binghamton, and while we moved to Texas over ten years ago, my maternal grandparents still live in Vestal, so every summer and February, I fly or drive up to see them.

Tori, "Meem," and I.

I'm also fortunate to have stayed in touch with a childhood friend who lives across the street from my grandparents. While Binghamton may not be the most exciting place, it is pretty and is (usually) cooler than Texas in the summer. This trip, we decided to head up to Ithaca and drive around Lake Cayuga, stopping at Tunkhannock Falls.

The Falls.

When I was little, my mom, grandmother, and I would drive up to the Ithaca Commons for a day of shopping, but, like many childhood memories, the Ithaca of today didn't live up to the Ithaca I remember. Lake Cayuga, however, is beautiful, especially on a sunny day. Tunkhannock Falls, which flows through Ithaca's gorges (Ithaca is gorges, get it?) was also spectacular, despite the haze. Tunkhannock Falls - the perspective, depth, and extent of the gorge is difficult to convey in a picture.