<p>Ok since people ignore the 10 times I’ve said The Triangle region altogether (not just Durham) is much cleaner, newer, and nicer than the Ithaca region, I give up. Thank you, Colm, for a picture of a leaf, a kid on a bike, and a Campbell’s Soup mug. They shed some real light on the beauty of Ithaca. </p>
<p>Bottom line is: Ithaca has natural beauty, yes, but the city is gross. The Commons is terrifying, the nicest store in the city is Target, and all of the homes are old. Yes, some people like old homes with “character” but there’s a difference in that, and run-down homes with no AC that sleezy Ithaca landlords charge $2500+ a month for so they can extort money from Cornell students. I prefer freshly built homes with hardwood floors and granite countertops. I like having nicer stores like Williams-Sonoma, Nordstrom, etc in the local mall. I like having the option to go to a nice restaurant (and not the joke of a restaurant “The Heights”). I like having a large international airport nearby. Most importantly, I enjoy all 4 seasons (which NC does have) being evenly represented, instead of a major slant towards winter as is the case Ithaca - it’s too cold, too long here. There was a day I had to go to class this year where windchill brought the temperature down to -29 according to Weatherchannel.com. It doesn’t help that Cornell’s campus is huge and we have to walk 15+ minutes to every class in the snow. We’re all different and that’s fine - a lot of people like Ithaca, a lot of people don’t. Just deal with it.</p>
<p>Do I regret coming to Cornell? Honestly, no. Living what I consider a much harder life as an Upstate New Yorker has made me a stronger person, and the education I’ve received is top-notch. It doesn’t mean I have to blindly love Ithaca and gloss over its shortcomings.</p>