Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I live in Ithaca and I've never met anyone here who hasn't been to NYC. I absolutely love it there and visit my friends who live there all the time. It sounds like a lot of Upstaters' negative, or indifferent judgements are based on visiting the tourist trap areas. I mean, of course Times Square sucks (although my husband loves it for some reason ha). I also love it in Ithaca (most of the time) but if I won the lottery I'd be out of here and living in a townhouse in the village no question.
Ithaca is a different Upstate city. When school is in session there are as many NYC folks as native Ithacans.
As far as upstaters visiting the big city, I recall my childhood trips to NY to visit relatives as exciting and bewildering. Kind of the like the city kids who would come to Ithaca via the Fresh Air Fund trips.
We moved upstate from NJ and live in a small town. Many of the long time residents have traveled to NYC and still do so on special occasions. Within a half hour there are many cultural and entertainment opportunities. For example, Saratoga Performing Arts, has top named entertainment and Proctor's and the Palace, all within an hour's drive have shows from Broadway. We have been to Ellis Island, several times, Empire State, World Trade Center, Rockfeller Center, etc. So many do not travel to the "city" because they have everything they want right where they live, without the high NY prices.
A few residents are born and bred here and have no desire to set foot outside their comfort zone, but that isn't the majority.
We moved upstate from NJ and live in a small town. Many of the long time residents have traveled to NYC and still do so on special occasions. Within a half hour there are many cultural and entertainment opportunities. For example, Saratoga Performing Arts, has top named entertainment and Proctor's and the Palace, all within an hour's drive have shows from Broadway. We have been to Ellis Island, several times, Empire State, World Trade Center, Rockfeller Center, etc. So many do not travel to the "city" because they have everything they want right where they live, without the high NY prices.
A few residents are born and bred here and have no desire to set foot outside their comfort zone, but that isn't the majority.
Forgot to add that many "city people" i.e. NYers head to Saratoga, Lake George and the Adirondacks for various reasons at different times of the year. During racing season in Saratoga, people come from all over the US and the world. Christmas season is packed with visitors to enjoy the Victorian Christmas, fall brings the leaf peepers. Summer the various lakes are full of tourists. NY city is a nice place to go once in awhile, but we have it all upstate.
Is it also true that most downstaters have never been to Niagara Falls?
New York is a big state, and a trip to NYC from Buffalo can take about 8 hours by car, or several hours if traveling between airports and dealing with security, parking, and commute. Any NYC visit becomes at least a multiple day trip. There are very very few people I know in Buffalo who have visited NY recreationally more than once, if that, unless they have family or business there. Unlike places downstate, for WNYers a trip to a "big city" is more likely to be Toronto than NYC, due to travel time and expenses.
I don't know many people that haven't gone to NYC. There are bigger and better things to do in NYC, so if I do go I try to plan it so that I can do things that far exceed what I can do here in Buffalo. What I find odd though is that a lot of peers who do live in NYC never do them. Either because they don't have the time or money and from what I can tell they eat at the same quality food places as I do in Buffalo and visit museums, art galleries, shopping and the like that basically match what I do in Buffalo. Then they act like nothing else anywhere else can match it. So if I do go I usually won't tell them so I can hit up the nicer more expensive things NYC can offer.
At this point, I don't really plan on going back any time soon as I've had a lot more fun going to Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Making plans just seem to be easier and cheaper. I just seem to enjoy medium to medium large cities better.
I've heard many people say that most people upstate have never stepped foot in NYC. Is this true?
I'm from Chautauqua County and had been to Europe three times and every state east of the Mississippi before visiting NYC for the first time...just never saw the point. Tall buildings. Crowded sidewalks. Big deal.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
