Winter break is a time to catch up with friends and family, celebrate the holidays, and generally slow down from the breakneck pace of college life. But unfortunately, to spend the break at home, you actually have to get home first—and from Ithaca, that’s no easy task.
Let’s face it: Ithaca is far away. No matter where you’re from, it’s far away. And while the city’s isolation contributes to its charm (those bumper stickers that say “10 square miles surrounded by reality” come to mind), it can ruin an entire day on each end of your winter break. Whether you’re traveling by car, bus, or plane, chances are that getting wherever you’re going is a major time commitment.
For those of us who live nearby—and by “nearby,” I mean slightly less far away—driving is the easiest option. But in my experience, making the six-hour trek from Ithaca to southern Rhode Island can render one completely devoid of the desire to do anything for a few days. Even people who live closer to Ithaca than I do—like a friend from central Pennsylvania—dread the drive home. He spends the morning packing, the afternoon driving, and by the evening he’s as useless as I am.
The bus option is even less desirable. The first rule of buses is that they always take twice as long as a car to get anywhere. So while taking the bus offers the obvious benefit of not having to drive, it also means you’ll get home too late to capitalize on the energy you saved by not driving.
Finally, there’s flying. Every Ithacan has heard the horror stories—whether it’s weather delays or long layovers in New York or Philadelphia, or having to wake up at six a.m. to get to the airport.
No matter how you get out of Ithaca, the trip is a hassle. Luckily, though, the idea of being home more than makes up for the stress of getting there.