Why Ithaca is a-ok

I spent my first week in the states hanging in Ithaca, NY. Besides freezing my tail off and gaining 5 kilos, I got to see why that college town is almost as cool as my own Bloomington.

For example, "Dragon Day" is an event at Cornell in which the freshmen architects spend tons of time and money building a giant dragon which the engineers burn down as soon as it is complete. Kev and I thought standing in the snow and wind to watch a bunch of firemen put out some smoke was pretty sweet. Next time we'll be sure to get there in time to see the actual fire.

There's also a laundromat in which all of the dryers and washing machines have names. The washing machines are labeled with words such as Noah's Ark and things referring to water. All the dryers bear name tags referring to intense heat, such as Dante's Inferno.



If you take the time to visit Ithaca, I suggest stopping by a hockey game. We witnessed several fights and a monster mascot on ice skates. Also, the chemical engineering lab boasts some giant machines that do something that is totally beyond me. Just be sure, if you're passing through, to go the month of July. I think it's the only time of year there isn't a nightly frost.