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I'm going to college at Syracuse University and I come all the way from Arizona (yes I love cold weather)
and I just want to know what the city is like around it. Is it big and bustling, how is the city economically, how are the restaurants and people, just in general everything about it and do some from SU drive down to NYC on the weekends?
I don't know about big and bustling, but like most cities, some areas of town are better than others. If Syracuse was in AZ, it would be the 3rd biggest metro and the city is a little bit smaller than Tempe in terms of population. I'd assume that it is more "urban" than cities in AZ in terms of density though.
It's economy needs improvement in many areas, but some sectors are doing alright. So, it will depend on what you can do.
There is a variety of restaurants, with some being more prevalent than others. Taste will depend on what you are use to probably as well. While it needs to be updated, here's an idea of what kind of restaurants are here: mobile.cnymenus - cnymenus
I'm sure some students go to NYC or other major cities within a reasonable drive in the US and Canada on weekends or certain weekends.
Is there anything else specific that you are looking for about the area?
There are lots of things for young people to do on campus, in the Westcott neighborhood (about 1 mile east of campus) and downtown in Armory Square. Syracuse is a safer city than average, but you do need to be careful not to walk alone around campus late at night, especially near Thornden Park.
The area has transitioned to a green economy based on meds, eds, tech and tourism, it is a diverse community with Syracuse University, State University of New York (SUNY) ESF and SUNY Upstate Medical Center playing a major role in its redevelopment, along with LeMoyne College and Onondaga Community College playing a lesser role.
I am not sure if you are interested in an urban neighborhood or suburban, but there are a couple urban neighborhoods you may be interested. The Westcott and Hawley-Green neighborhoods are both very diverse. Hawley-Green is transitioning with a large gay and lesbian population. The Westcott neighborhood within the greater university hill area was ranked one of the top ten neighborhoods in the USA in 2009 by the American Planning Association which I am a member. It includes some great restaurants, like Alto Cincos, plus the Westcott Theatre.
As far a recreation, you will have plenty with easy access to Adirondacks, Mohawk Valley, Green Lakes State Park, the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario, etc. In addtion to the State Fair, there is Harbor Fest in the City of Oswego, the Sterling Renaissance Festival and Shakespiere in the Park in Syracuse.
The city is adjacent to Onondaga Lake and Onondaga Lake park that is going through a huge clean-up and is coming back to life. The lake will soon be surrounded by a trail that will connect the Erie Canal system with the new completed Creekwalk that cuts through the City from Onondaga Lake to downtown Syracuse. The Creekwalk will eventually connect downtown with southern neighborhoods of the City. The Connective Corridor will intersect the Creekwalk at Armory Square which has become a vibrant urban neighborhood that is helping to transform downtown and includes entertainmnet venues like Redhouse. The Connective Corridor is intended to bring downtown and the University closer together with new pedestrian and biking trails that will connect cultural, art, business and entertainment along selected corridors, including Syracuse Stage and SyrART galleries.
You may also be interested to know that there is a building boom downtown, developers cannot build new apartments, condos, lofts fast enough to meet demand with a 99% occupancy rate. Most of the new units are conversions, same as what has happened in NYC the last two or three decades. Plus, there is $1.4 billion of planned investment for Syracuse
Among other things, your children may be interested in visiting the MOST, Museum of Science and Technology in Armory Square, the City has a great zoo, the Erie Canal Museum, there is Wonder World at Destiny USA which is a huge shopping experience on the banks of Onondaga Lake.
All of this is not to suggest that Syracuse does not have problems, there is still some old school, less than open minded, not in my back yard, damned if you do, damned if you don't, vision-less thinking that continues to plague aspects of the community. The City struggles with serious finanical problems that can be attributed to its small geographic size relative to the County and universities and colleges that cut into its revenue stream. University and colleges are not-for-profit and tax exempt. Locals can be very negative, but that there is an increasing number of new people that believe in Syracuse's future. Syracuse is also subjected to high taxes, regulations and economic conditions dictated by Albany. Plus, the weather can be brutal between October and April, although it has been mild lately.
I'm a recent graduate from SU (well ESF, technically), and I've lived here my whole life. There's plenty to do here. It's quite a mixture of people, some nice and courteous, others not so much. But that also makes Syracuse really interesting, because you get to find and befriend all sorts of people. It's rainy. It snows a LOT (bring a shovel... or two...). The Wescott area is fun in the daytime, not so fun at night. I've walked through Thornden Park at night. Don't. It's seriously very creepy and I'm a guy most people don't mess with. There's a fair bit of crime these days, mostly due to the fact that the city cops are trying to disband more gangs in the city, and, being pushed out of their territory, the gangs start branching out toward the surrounding campus areas. But don't walk alone after dark, don't store expensive stuff in your car, keep your wits about you, and you'll be fine. I've never had anything happen to me, and I've never had anything stolen. Most people don't make frequent trips to NYC, I myself have only been once. It's about a 7 hour drive not counting traffic, so it's a bit of a haul. Erie blvd has most every kind of restaurant you can hope for, and it's really close if you drive. also if you drive, there's a great italian place called the spaghetti warehouse. I go there almost every week. check it out when you have time, i'm sure you'll love it. great place to bring dates. I hope this helped, good luck with school!
NYC is around 4 hours. Maybe 5 with serious traffic.
At night, Westcott itself is alright. It's the walking through the park part I wouldn't suggest to people at night. There are ways to avoid that by getting driving escorts from DPS officers or things like Shuttle-U-Home. You can more information here: PublicSafety Website
I'm from AZ too. We moved here last year. How much you enjoy this city will have everything to do with what you enjoy and what you don't enjoy. AZ is a very different world from Syracuse. I personally think that's a good thing. feel free to message me if you have any specific questions. I'm sure I could break it down for you because of my understanding of both places.
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