Catfish Burritos and the Carrier Dome: Why A Trip To Syracuse is Worth Braving the Snow...Probably.

(all photos copyright Syracuse photographer leah rizzo)

Congratulations on your decision to visit Syracuse! A sparkling jewel in the heart of New York State, this bustling metropolis boasts a population of 147,306, and a generous handful of relatively tall buildings. Among its landmarks are the art deco Niagara Mohawk Building, Syracuse University's recognizable Carrier Dome, which somewhat resembles a marshmallow, and its lesser-known cousin, the Manley Field House of LeMoyne College, whose likeness is closer to that of a burnt marshmallow. Though it was once known as the Salt City for its export of well, salt, along the Erie Canal, Syracuse's main export is now college basketball.

The city of Syracuse is often covered in a  thick blanket of snow, sometimes beginning as early as October and ending as late as May, but underneath the snow lies a layer of ice, and underneath that lie many rolling hills, and perhaps a few buried cars. Unsurprisingly, the city is home to a thriving population of snowplows, and has several ski areas within a 40-minute drive. 

Skaneateles Lake, one of the country's cleanest lakes, is 15 miles outside of Syracuse, and within city limits lies Onondaga Lake, which may or may not be filled with radioactive sludge after years of waste dumping by local industry. Though its waters are inhospitable to fish, swimmers, and most other living things, Onondaga Lake is home to the Syracuse City School District's crew team, which draws athletes from all four of the city's public high schools.

Further inland from the lake is Syracuse's downtown, full of museums, bars, restaurants, and one really awesome tattoo and piercing studio. The original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que has a cult following, and rightly so: this motorcycle barbecue joint has live blues, waitresses that could kick your ass, and ribs well worth risking the ass-kicking. A twenty-minute walk away, University Hill is home to college students, old Victorian houses, and young families, as well as the hip Marshall Street and Westcott Street areas, complete with coffeeshops, vintage stores, figure drawing classes, an old theater, and a few lurking teen goths. 

Harsh climates breed harsh peoples, and the extremely diverse indigenous people of Syracuse are impervious to cold. Schools stay open when the snowfall on the ground can be measured in feet, but Syracuse students do enjoy a number of windchill days when the windchill temperature is colder than -20, during which many idiot youths (my high-school-self included) often go sledding on the city's numerous hills. 

Syracuse is also home to many a "That Guy": those elusive creatures within a town who are recognized by all, known well by few, made infamous in legends of their misbehavior, and who have probably slept with or sold drugs to one of your friends. That Guy is usually actually pretty nice, and should you choose to seek out That Guy, odds are good he will be chomping on a delicious vegan burrito at Alto Cinco, where the hipster factor is overshadowed by the glory of the fresh California-style Mexican food. Alto Cinco is worth a trip for the catfish burrito or jalapeno cornbread alone, so should you miss out on seeing That Guy, don't fret. That Guy is also one of Syracuse's major exports, so you're bound to bump into him somewhere eventually. If your hunger for people-watching and indulgent food still hasn't been slaked, head over to the New York State Fair, held every summer just outside Syracuse, where you can find legendary sausage sandwiches, fresh chocolate milk served a stone's throw from the cows who produced it, wine slushies, creepy butter sculptures, and some of the world's most entertaining and terrifying people-watching.

Idyllic it's not, but if you're looking to come home with great stories from a quirky midsize city with a dwindling population and garish hometown colors, Syracuse is definitely the right place. After all, wouldn't you expect to have fun in the place once inhabited by the likes of Grace Jones, L. Frank Baum, Carmelo Anthony, David Foster Wallace, and George Saunders?