| Trip Planner: New York's Lake District | |
| White Linen Dining Pangea. Of Ithaca's many appealing places to eat, this is one not to miss. Imaginative food ventures through Southeast Asia, Europe, and sometimes Latin America, and you order it by the size of the plate you want. Open Wednesday-Monday, 5:30 p.m. on. Closed Tuesdays. 120 Third St., Ithaca, NY., 607-273-8515. Simply Red Bistro Named after chef Samantha Izzo's luxurious curls, this hip, refurbished-in-red soda fountain offers food in the bistro tradition. Her menu is an evocative mix of flavors from Provence, Spain, Africa, and-on Mondays-the American South. Open for dinner Thursday-Monday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Closed Sunday. 53 East Main St., Trumansburg, NY., 607-387- 5313. Cheap Eats Halfway between Ithaca and Watkins Glen is a bend in the road called Burdett-stop right there. You've reached the Gristmill Café, a combination bakery-lunch spot that features beautiful breads and always fresh coffee. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3825 Main Street, Burdett, 607-546-7770. Rural Ritz On a back road in the Finger Lakes National Forest, the Red House Inn is a busy establishment. Located for easy access to both wine trails, the race track at Watkins Glen, and the Appalachian Trail, the Red House lets you get away from it all and not leave anything behind. There are antique furnishings and a swimming pool, a gift shop and goats in the barn. Hosts Beanie Koegler and Dorothy-Yorke Alloway put on a breakfast as big as all outdoors. Open year-round. 4586 Picnic Area Rd, Burdett, NY. , 607-546-8566. Natural Wonders Watkins Glen is a gorge 300 feet high that cuts more than a mile into the lake slope with 19 waterfalls along its path. Hiking trails rim the gorge, and a footbridge provides a breathtaking view of the chasm. Located within Watkins Glen State Park. Gorge trails are open mid-May to early November. There is an admission fee. 607-535-4511. Quality Flora The Cornell Plantations. More than 50 acres of botanical collections and 150 acres of arboretum, the Cornell Plantations are devoted not only to research and conservation but to visitors. Call it an education in bloom, and wander when you will. The collections are open daily year round to visitors, sunrise to sundown. Free. One Plantations Rd., on the Cornell University campus. 607-255-2400. Living History Women's Rights National Historical Park. Seneca Falls was the birthplace of the Quaker-led woman's rights movement. The vote, property rights, and education for women were at stake, and the park recognizes the accomplishments and the future of that movement. Visit the Wesleyan Chapel, where the first convention was held, and the house where Elizabeth Cady Stanton raised seven children along with the consciousness of her contemporaries. The Visitor Center is open year round, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 136 Fall St., Seneca Falls, NY. 315-539-0895. Americana From May through August the race is on at Watkins Glen International-sports cars, vintage vehicles, and red-blooded American race cars. In August the action gets Sirius (and Busch) with NASCAR cups. On opening day you can try the track in your own flivver. Fastest route to information: theglen.com Splash The water in Cayuga Lake can be as cold as the ocean off Maine, but the swimming area at Taughannock Falls State Park is a wide, shallow place that is usually warmer than other lake access points. Dive in. There's a lifeguard on duty. |
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