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Now that I've finally gotten settled back in from 16 days on the road, covering a distance of 3500 miles, I'll go ahead and share my experiences of my week-long stay in the Syracuse area - which, in a nutshell, was absolutely fantastic!
After spending 4 days each in Michigan and Ontario, I picked up my friend who flew up from Atlanta at the Rochester airport and got to Syracuse (Carrier Circle area) in late afternoon. I couldn't wait to start exploring, either, and we made a circuit of Lake Onondaga that evening...hehe.
Since it'll take too long to chronicle everything we ended up doing in the CNY area, I'm just going to list the majority of places that we were able to visit and then give my overall impressions of the area. I have photos I wish to share as well, those will get posted in the Syracuse photos thread soon - so keep on the lookout for those
Downtown Syracuse: Toured Amory Square, did the MoST, ate at Dinosaur BBQ, visited the Galleries and city library, plus a self-guided tour of the State Building, in which I "ended up" on the 19th floor to check out the view...LOL. But one of the individuals working up there was very nice and cordial and let take a look out of the various windows - such a nice view! Lovely building, too.
Carousel Center: Went there on a hot Friday afternoon (yes, I know, it was HOT in Syracuse the week I was there, but then again, the whole country + Canada was broiling, so I took it all in stride. ), and took in a movie at the Regal 17. Was happy to see the expansion moving ahead - as big as that mall is, I can't imagine what it'll be like when the next phase is open. If only Fry's would open up a store there, the world would be perfect, but I digress.
Liverpool: Turned out to be one of my favorite places in the Syracuse area, and ended up making repeat visits to that lovely village over the course of the week. We ended up eating at Heid's, at both the hotdog and ice cream joint, did the tram ride, used the library and even got my haircut, as I was overdue for one...hehe. We also checked out some houses for sale nearby - I liked what I saw, for the prices offered (never mind the taxes, that's just the cost of living in paradise ) To be honest, Liverpool ranks at or at least near the top of places I'd like to settle in once I'm ready to buy a home in the area. Liverpool is just great in so many ways - easy access to the city and other parts of the city, the old-school village atmosphere which I love so much, nice people living in well-tended neighborhoods, and probably what's the best part of it all - Onondaga Lake Park. I just love that place!
Other neighborhoods in the city proper: We ended up touring Strathmore twice, carefully noting where the best (and the most expensive, of course...lol) streets were. Liverpool notwithstanding, I could certainly stand owning one of those lovely old homes in that neighborhood, preferably one with a view. Northside was an area we explored a lot - Sedgewick is a pretty amazing street, imo, as well as the diversity of the neighborhoods closer to downtown. Saw both Schiller and Lincoln parks - I love how those are located on hills, affording wonderful views of other parts of the city. Also got a chance to visit the Carrier Dome - can't wait to see some games in that place.
Communities outside Syracuse / Liverpool: Toured Onondaga Hill (not much there, really, despite some potentially awesome views to be had from there, like from the community college up there). Visited Baldwinsville, Skaneateles (twice!), Marcellus, Camilus, Cicero, Clay (including Radisson), Manlius, and a bit further afield, Cazenovia, which I found to be very nice, but like its western counterpart, Skaneateles, it's prolly outside my price range, but it sure is a nice place to visit.
Didn't get to a lot of the parks I wanted to see (gotta save stuff for next time anyways...lol, but we did get to take a hike at Highland County park, as well as the Eire Canal Park in Camilus, not to mention urban parks within the city proper.
Day trip out from CNY: The Adirondacks. Did that on the 21st, when it hit 101 (whoa nelly, 101 in Syracuse!), but instead of experiencing that, we were enjoying a cool 65-degree breeze on top of Whiteface Mountain...LOL. Got to see the Olympic attractions in the Lake Placid area, as well as returning to SYR via Old Forge - those endless lakes were just mesmerizing, to say the least. No doubt I'll be a frequent visitor to the 'Dacks once I'm settled up there.
Overall impressions of the area: Awesome enough to make me want to move up there immediately - only if I could... Since I've been back, I find myself pining for those intoxicating views, lakes almost everywhere you turn, the plethora of things to do, the small, compact size of the city coupled with feel of a much larger place, all those old houses I'm itching to fix up, not to mention Syracuse actually has opportunities for work-starved carpenters such as me. I found the people to be friendly and laid-back, the farmer's market is one of the best I've ever seen (seriously - it's the best!), and I still can't get over how easy and quickly you can get out into the country. I had to *look* for sprawl in the Syracuse area - which is why I felt like I was in North Carolina of 1975 (where I grew up), before the rapacious developers came in and pretty much paved the state over with strip malls and soul-less subdivisions. So the lack of growth in the area in the past 40 years or so I find to be a huge, HUGE plus.
It's probably a good thing that it was hot Atlanta-style during the week I was there, or I'd been even more reluctant to make that 15+ hour drive home - if only I could be there during the month of August, watching the days get shorter and the temps edging downward, leading to those cool, brisk days of September, turning colder for sure by Halloween, and as Christmas approaches, experiencing S-N-O-W. But not yet...sigh. I've got a house to renovate and sell, my partner has a job (which I get my health insurance from as well) is too good to give up in this economy, so the move has been put on hold, for now. But the bright side is that I still plan to come up to SYR next May and stay for about 4 months, working (hopefully!) as a "swing" person with various contractors and home remodelers that need extra help doing the busy summer season. I'd rent a room someplace, or take a sublet or whatever, and just come up with my van and tools. It's been agreed that I will NOT do another summer down here - no way, Jose! You think it was hot during the week I was there? Down here, it's hot like that *all friggin' summer long.*
Hopefully, once I spend a summer up there, I'll be in that much of a better position to make the actual move when the time is right for it. But if there's any chance I can come up sooner, for good, I'm all over it.
Enuff for now, I'll post some more thoughts later when I have the time.
Much thanks to grdnrman for all the helpful info of what to see on my visit - great advice!
It should be interesting to see how this turns out.
You sound exactly like I do when I return from any area I liked. Everyone here says you can't tell anything about an area visiting afew weeks or even afew years. The true hidden costs don't hit you til later, blah blah blah......................
You did happen to hit the best weather we have had in, oh I don't know,..........EVER!!!! These last two weeks have been exactly what I like.
I do notice your visits keep coming in Summer. Winter is a whole different kettle of fish. It not a bad thing if you like it and its when I make most of my extra money but its not for everyone. Spending the nice nicest weeks in the history of NY site-seeing is actually very similar to people that go to Disney World in February and move to Florida and start crying come July. The only part of Winter I really hate is when I haven't seen the Sun October, November, December, January and February then March comes and I've just had enough and wanna see the Sun even if its just for afew minutes. Going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark month after month isn't fun.
BTW I spent the 101 day in the 33 degree cold. Even my daughter who hates AC had it on that day. She's in Texas now lovin' the heat.
Now that I've finally gotten settled back in from 16 days on the road, covering a distance of 3500 miles, I'll go ahead and share my experiences of my week-long stay in the Syracuse area - which, in a nutshell, was absolutely fantastic!
After spending 4 days each in Michigan and Ontario, I picked up my friend who flew up from Atlanta at the Rochester airport and got to Syracuse (Carrier Circle area) in late afternoon. I couldn't wait to start exploring, either, and we made a circuit of Lake Onondaga that evening...hehe.
Since it'll take too long to chronicle everything we ended up doing in the CNY area, I'm just going to list the majority of places that we were able to visit and then give my overall impressions of the area. I have photos I wish to share as well, those will get posted in the Syracuse photos thread soon - so keep on the lookout for those
Downtown Syracuse: Toured Amory Square, did the MoST, ate at Dinosaur BBQ, visited the Galleries and city library, plus a self-guided tour of the State Building, in which I "ended up" on the 19th floor to check out the view...LOL. But one of the individuals working up there was very nice and cordial and let take a look out of the various windows - such a nice view! Lovely building, too.
Carousel Center: Went there on a hot Friday afternoon (yes, I know, it was HOT in Syracuse the week I was there, but then again, the whole country + Canada was broiling, so I took it all in stride. ), and took in a movie at the Regal 17. Was happy to see the expansion moving ahead - as big as that mall is, I can't imagine what it'll be like when the next phase is open. If only Fry's would open up a store there, the world would be perfect, but I digress.
Liverpool: Turned out to be one of my favorite places in the Syracuse area, and ended up making repeat visits to that lovely village over the course of the week. We ended up eating at Heid's, at both the hotdog and ice cream joint, did the tram ride, used the library and even got my haircut, as I was overdue for one...hehe. We also checked out some houses for sale nearby - I liked what I saw, for the prices offered (never mind the taxes, that's just the cost of living in paradise ) To be honest, Liverpool ranks at or at least near the top of places I'd like to settle in once I'm ready to buy a home in the area. Liverpool is just great in so many ways - easy access to the city and other parts of the city, the old-school village atmosphere which I love so much, nice people living in well-tended neighborhoods, and probably what's the best part of it all - Onondaga Lake Park. I just love that place!
Other neighborhoods in the city proper: We ended up touring Strathmore twice. Northside was an area we explored a lot - Sedgewick is a pretty amazing street, imo, as well as the diversity of the neighborhoods closer to downtown. Saw both Schiller and Lincoln parks - I love how those are located on hills, affording wonderful views of other parts of the city. Also got a chance to visit the Carrier Dome - can't wait to see some games in that place.
Communities outside Syracuse / Liverpool: Toured Onondaga Hill (awesome views to be had from the community college). Visited Baldwinsville, Skaneateles (twice!), Marcellus, Camillus, Cicero, Clay (including Radisson), Manlius, and a bit further afield, Cazenovia, which I found to be very nice, but like its western counterpart, Skaneateles, it's prolly outside my price range, but it sure is a nice place to visit.
Didn't get to a lot of the parks I wanted to see (gotta save stuff for next time anyways...lol, but we did get to take a hike at Highland County park, as well as the Eire Canal Park in Camillus, not to mention urban parks within the city proper.
Day trip out from CNY: The Adirondacks. Did that on the 21st, when it hit 101 (whoa nelly, 101 in Syracuse!), but instead of experiencing that, we were enjoying a cool 65-degree breeze on top of Whiteface Mountain...LOL. Got to see the Olympic attractions in the Lake Placid area, as well as returning to SYR via Old Forge - those endless lakes were just mesmerizing, to say the least. No doubt I'll be a frequent visitor to the 'Dacks once I'm settled up there.
Overall impressions of the area: Awesome enough to make me want to move up there immediately - only if I could... Since I've been back, I find myself pining for those intoxicating views, lakes almost everywhere you turn, the plethora of things to do, the small, compact size of the city coupled with feel of a much larger place, all those old houses I'm itching to fix up, not to mention Syracuse actually has opportunities for work-starved carpenters such as me. I found the people to be friendly and laid-back, the farmer's market is one of the best I've ever seen (seriously - it's the best!), and I still can't get over how easy and quickly you can get out into the country. I had to *look* for sprawl in the Syracuse area - which is why I felt like I was in North Carolina of 1975 (where I grew up), before the rapacious developers came in and pretty much paved the state over with strip malls and soul-less subdivisions. So the lack of growth in the (Syr.) area in the past 40 years or so I find to be a huge, HUGE plus.
It's probably a good thing that it was hot Atlanta-style during the week I was there, or I'd been even more reluctant to make that 15+ hour drive home - if only I could be there during the month of August, watching the days get shorter and the temps edging downward, leading to those cool, brisk days of September, turning colder for sure by Halloween, and as Christmas approaches, experiencing S-N-O-W. But not yet...sigh. I've got a house to renovate and sell, my partner has a job (which I get my health insurance from as well) is too good to give up in this economy, so the move has been put on hold, for now. But the bright side is that I still plan to come up to SYR next May and stay for about 4 months, working (hopefully!) as a "swing" person with various contractors and home remodelers that need extra help doing the busy summer season. I'd rent a room someplace, or take a sublet or whatever, and just come up with my van and tools. It's been agreed that I will NOT do another summer down here - no way, Jose! You think it was hot during the week I was there? Down here, it's hot like that *all friggin' summer long.*
Hopefully, once I spend a summer up there, I'll be in that much of a better position to make the actual move when the time is right for it. But if there's any chance I can come up sooner, for good, I'm all over it.
Enuff for now, I'll post some more thoughts later when I have the time.
Much thanks to grdnrman for all the helpful info of what to see on my visit - great advice!
Hi NorthStarDelight,
It's interesting reading the account of your recent trip to Syracuse and the Adirondack Mountains. I'm glad you were able to visit Lake Placid and Whiteface Mountain to experience the cooler temperatures/nice breezes, the scenery, and the Lakes. Also I'm glad you liked the Liverpool village/area and Onondaga Lake Park; I think that area is a nice middle-class suburb with a convenient location in the Metro area.
Here's some info in case you DO come to Syracuse next May 2012 to work for the summer. If you feel that you could live in a furnished Studio Apartment during those 4 months then I can suggest you check into the following Apt. Complexes for your housing. Be sure to ask these places about availability of a Studio well in advance of your arrival because these places are very popular with temporary business people who come to Syracuse for a few months time.
BROWNSTONE LUXURY STUDIO APARTMENTS, (phone direct 315-472-4431) 605 W. Genesee St.-downtown Syr.; walkable to Armory Square, Dinosaur BBQ, & downtown businesses. Rent price about=$650/month. Electronic entry security system on building. Kitchenette, studio room, & private bath. Located near auto dealerships & small businesses neighborhood=good location. Check ahead of time for apt. availability. http://www.bestapartmentsinsyracuse....nt/205002.html
CHESTNUT CROSSING STUDIO APARTMENTS, (phone direct 315-476-4505) 923 James St.-downtown Syr.; walkable to Armory Square, Dinosaur BBQ, dwntwn. businesses, and on the city bus route. Check with them for furnished apt. rent price. Unfurnished price about=$570 & $695. Kitchenette, studio room, & private bath. Located on James Street in the middle of low-rise & high-rise apartment buildings. Check ahead of time for apt. availability. http://www.bestapartmentsinsyracuse....nt/204998.html
Here are 3 more attractions for you to visit when you are in Cooperstown, NY.
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COOPERSTOWN, NY
Now that I've finally gotten settled back in from 16 days on the road, covering a distance of 3500 miles, I'll go ahead and share my experiences of my week-long stay in the Syracuse area - which, in a nutshell, was absolutely fantastic!
Liverpool: Turned out to be one of my favorite places in the Syracuse area, and ended up making repeat visits to that lovely village over the course of the week. We ended up eating at Heid's, at both the hotdog and ice cream joint, did the tram ride, used the library and even got my haircut, as I was overdue for one...hehe. We also checked out some houses for sale nearby - I liked what I saw, for the prices offered (never mind the taxes, that's just the cost of living in paradise ) To be honest, Liverpool ranks at or at least near the top of places I'd like to settle in once I'm ready to buy a home in the area. Liverpool is just great in so many ways - easy access to the city and other parts of the city, the old-school village atmosphere which I love so much, nice people living in well-tended neighborhoods, and probably what's the best part of it all - Onondaga Lake Park. I just love that place!
Overall impressions of the area: Awesome enough to make me want to move up there immediately - only if I could... Since I've been back, I find myself pining for those intoxicating views, lakes almost everywhere you turn, the plethora of things to do, the small, compact size of the city coupled with feel of a much larger place, all those old houses I'm itching to fix up, not to mention Syracuse actually has opportunities for work-starved carpenters such as me. I found the people to be friendly and laid-back, the farmer's market is one of the best I've ever seen (seriously - it's the best!), and I still can't get over how easy and quickly you can get out into the country. I had to *look* for sprawl in the Syracuse area - which is why I felt like I was in North Carolina of 1975 (where I grew up), before the rapacious developers came in and pretty much paved the state over with strip malls and soul-less subdivisions. So the lack of growth in the area in the past 40 years or so I find to be a huge, HUGE plus.
Hi NorthStarDelight,
Are you "home-sick" yet for "YOUR" Liverpool or "YOUR" Onondaga Lake Park or has the appeal of the "shininess/luster" on the peach or apple (Central New York) and your CNY enthusiasm worn off by now?
Well here is a little more to add to your feelings. I found the following ranch style home for sale in the village of Liverpool, probably a short 200 foot walk to enter "YOUR" Onondaga Lake Park; great location for enjoying the park. From this home it's just a few short blocks walk to the Library, the Post Office, Nichol's Grocery store, downtown Liverpool businesses, and to Heid's 1950's Hot Dog Stand. http://www.syr.interealty.com/propse...54743&AgentID=
Maybe not the perfect home but.......Location.....Location.....Location!
Recently I've noticed a group of 2 or 3 men in their late 30's & early 40's buying (one house at a time) some of the reasonably sized (1200-1500 sq. ft.) older 1960's ranch style homes in the Cicero area, remodelling (energy efficient) the interiors and modernizing the exteriors (more than just new siding=including new siding, architectural roof shingles, new windows/doors, new style garage doors, great new window/door mouldings, architectural accent pieces, etc.) of the homes creating a new updated/current/more attractive appearance & curb appeal. Then they sell them. There are a lot of nice similar sized 1960's ranch style homes especially in the Cicero area as well as in the west side of North Syracuse, Liverpool areas, and Camillus area; these areas are especially good neighborhoods for resale of these modernized homes because the larger surrounding area has no neighborhood decline=like some Syr. & other suburban areas do have neighborhood deteriorization. This modernization of these suburban homes is good for everyone. The remodelers make some profit, the homes/neighborhoods are updated/improved, and the buyers get a nice "new" home to be proud of and to enjoy.
Well, I guess that's it for today. Just thought I'd send you the above message.
I have really enjoyed reading through all 16 pages of this thread.
NorthStarDelight - My husband and I also long for the day that we can move to a colder climate and experience 4 glorious seasons We currently live in the Daytona Beach FL area - and this climate is not for us!
My husband is originally from CT, and I'm from Canada...and we can't wait to get out of the blazing and endless heat of Florida! You would think we would have gotten used to the heat by now...but that's not the case. Bottom line - we are cold weather people through and through
Syracuse is high on our list of places to move, and I thought I would post here as a place to get some advice from the people who know best - those who live there...
Can I get some job related advice from the locals who have a feel for the job market up there? I am currently in my last semester of nursing school, so by the time we're ready to make a move, I will be a Registered Nurse, looking to work in a hospital. I'll get my first year of nursing experience working here in FL, so I don't think I should have too much trouble finding work up there. Thoughts?
My husband, on the other hand, is unsure what opportunities are up there for him. He's a tractor trailer driver (class A CDL). He's done the over-the-road thing before - and that's not what he's looking for at this point. The types of hauling he's interested in are - dump trailer (sand, soil, salt, etc.), flatbed (steel coils, concrete, etc.), heavy haul (construction equipment, etc.). When I say he's not interested in OTR work, I mean he's not interested in being gone for weeks at a time. He's not opposed to leaving the state, or even having to be gone one or two nights a week. What are your thoughts on that type of work in and around the Syracuse area?
You should have a very, VERY easy time in finding employment for both occupations. My dad is a nurse and has multiple jobs- one full time and others are per diem, IF the pay is double or triple-time,... because they're willing to REALLY compensate nurses for being there. Good nurses are very much desired.
And I see ads all.the.time for CDL drivers. Roam through the syracuse.com job listings and you'll see what I mean.
Gypsum Express is based in Baldwinsville, a northwestern suburb of Syracuse. The company has a pretty sizable headquarters and what appears to be a large fleet, as I see many of their trucks on major highways like I-90, I-87, and I-81. Due to its central location in New York State at the crossroads of two major interstates (I-90 and I-81) and proximity to Pennsylvania and Canada, Syracuse seems to have a sizable concentration of transportation and distribution related companies. I can tell you that transporation is not among the fastest growing job sectors of the Syracuse economy like healthcare, education, and engineering. Retirements and attrition, however, allow for a steady stream of openings.
I agree with proulxfamily on this. Healthcare and education are the two leading areas of employment activity in Syracuse and qualified nurses have no problem finding work. CDL qualified folks will also find plenty of opportunity and yes - it will be availabel for gigs other than long term OTR.
Syracuse should be good for your nursing employment and your husband's work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nursechick
I have really enjoyed reading through all 16 pages of this thread.
NorthStarDelight - My husband and I also long for the day that we can move to a colder climate and experience 4 glorious seasons We currently live in the Daytona Beach FL area - and this climate is not for us!
My husband is originally from CT, and I'm from Canada...and we can't wait to get out of the blazing and endless heat of Florida! You would think we would have gotten used to the heat by now...but that's not the case. Bottom line - we are cold weather people through and through
Syracuse is high on our list of places to move, and I thought I would post here as a place to get some advice from the people who know best - those who live there...
Can I get some job related advice from the locals who have a feel for the job market up there? I am currently in my last semester of nursing school, so by the time we're ready to make a move, I will be a Registered Nurse, looking to work in a hospital. I'll get my first year of nursing experience working here in FL, so I don't think I should have too much trouble finding work up there. Thoughts?
My husband, on the other hand, is unsure what opportunities are up there for him. He's a tractor trailer driver (class A CDL). He's done the over-the-road thing before - and that's not what he's looking for at this point. The types of hauling he's interested in are - dump trailer (sand, soil, salt, etc.), flatbed (steel coils, concrete, etc.), heavy haul (construction equipment, etc.). When I say he's not interested in OTR work, I mean he's not interested in being gone for weeks at a time. He's not opposed to leaving the state, or even having to be gone one or two nights a week. What are your thoughts on that type of work in and around the Syracuse area?
Thanks everyone!
Hello nursechick & husband,
Syracuse has 5 large hospitals plus a childrens hospital, medical center office facilities, and nursing homes. There is alway a demand for nurses.
Syracuse is the center for many trucking operations. For your husband, there are many trucking companies; dump trailer/flatbed/heavy haul truck companies (Riccelli Heavy Haul & Vitale H. H.), as well as companies like UPS/FedEx/similar, road construction/paving companies, Household Moving Companies, and more. Your husband will have many trucking companies where he can apply or maybe he can start his search on the Internet before you move up this way.
You're originally from Canada? Take Interstate 81 straight north through the Thousand Islands/St. Lawrence River area bridge and cross into Canada continuing on to Ottawa/Montreal/Quebec City. Or drive west on Interstate 90 to Buffalo/Niagara Falls cross the bridges and continue on to Toronto/Hamilton/Windsor.
The Syracuse area has a reasonable "cost of living", is rated in the top 5 most affordable home buying Metro areas in the entire U.S., an excellent "quality of life" rating, and rated as a good place to raise children/a family.
I hope this info has helped.
grdnrman
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Since I've been back, I find myself pining for those intoxicating views, lakes almost everywhere you turn, the plethora of things to do, the small, compact size of the city coupled with feel of a much larger place, all those old houses I'm itching to fix up, not to mention Syracuse actually has opportunities for work-starved carpenters such as me. I found the people to be friendly and laid-back, the farmer's market is one of the best I've ever seen (seriously - it's the best!), and I still can't get over how easy and quickly you can get out into the country. I had to *look* for sprawl in the Syracuse area - which is why I felt like I was in North Carolina of 1975 (where I grew up), before the rapacious developers came in and pretty much paved the state over with strip malls and soul-less subdivisions. So the lack of growth in the area in the past 40 years or so I find to be a huge, HUGE plus. 
Places To Visit When In Upstate N.Y.
