Is shopping your hobby, or just something you are forced to do sometimes? If it is your hobby, you may be surprised by Ithaca's unique and nontraditional shopping options. If it is something you are forced to do, then you will enjoy Ithaca's decentralized shopping options.
The shopping district closest to Cornell is Collegetown, and you will probably get to know it quite quickly. Often overlooked in colleegtown is the Asian grocery ``Tung Fong co'', which has fresh vegetables, videos, and makes keys. Also overlooked in Collegetown is the Indian market ``Universal Grocery.''
The main shopping downtown is in a paved pedestrian mall called Ithaca Commons, or just ``the Commons". Bounded by Green, Seneca, Aurora, and Cayuga streets, the Commons is one of the few places in America where you can find things other than what is typically found in malls. The Commons actually draws tourists, due to its unique shopping offerings. In addition, it has many stores similar to those in the mall, but with private owners. This allows the stores more freedom to treat their workers well and only sell goods that are produced with care for the environment and the laborers. You will find a number of craft stores, several used/vintage clothing stores, an outdoor/camping store, several new and used book stores, a kitchen store, 3 record stores, and much more. One clothing store, ``Trader K's'' is a used clothing store that specializes in up-to-date fashions, providing clothes that look like they just came from the mall, but at a much lower price. There is also a store called ``Race Office Supply'' which is basically a general store. Prices are a little high, but it is rare in America these days to find a small store with a wide variety in a downtown area!
In addition, there is a small mall called Center Ithaca located on the Commons that features a food court (including one of the places to get decent falafel in town), public restaurants, an entrance to Cinemapolis (the downtown movie theater), and more shops. Although most of the shopping in the downtown core is on the paved pedestrian area, there are also a number of shops and restaurants along the surrounding blocks, so it is worth poking around to check them out.
A second small mall near the Commons is the Dewitt Mall, which has a world-renowned shop for stringed instruments, a world-renowned vegetarian restauruant (``The Moosewood''), and one of the few remaining independent bookstores in America (``The Bookery'').
If you drive to the Commons, you will find lots of metered on-street parking and two public parking garages, all of which have nominal fees during the week, but are free on evenings and weekends. Additionally, all Ithaca municipal parking lots offer two hour free parking every day. Be careful, though - some lots that look like municipal lots are not, and do not offer two hour free parking (if this is the case, the lot will usually have a sign to that effect posted somewhere).
If you are looking for a ``normal'' mall, however, you will need to drive (or take the bus -- see the TCAT bus schedule for more information) to the mall area of Ithaca, at the intersection of Triphammer Road and Route 13. There are three malls at this intersection, the Triphammer and Cayuga Malls, both of which are in strip mall format, and the Pyramid Mall, which is more of a true ``mall" (in the great American sense of the word.) The Triphammer Mall is located on Triphammer Road on the side of Route 13 closest to Cornell, and contains a drug store, several small restaurants/take-out places, a crafts store, a toy store, and a laundromat, among other things. There is plenty of parking in the lots around the mall.
Behind Triphammer mall is Bishop's Small Mall, home of the large Asian Grocery called ``Ithaca Tofu.'' Across Route 13, but still on Triphammer Road, is the Cayuga Mall. Neighbored by a Mobil gas station and a Friendly's restaurant, the Cayuga Mall has a P&C grocery store, a drug store, a Marshall's clothing store, a video store, a pet store, a few take-out restaurants, and others.
The Pyramid Mall is located across Triphammer Road (on the far side of Route 13) from the Cayuga Mall, behind the Ramada Inn. It has parking lots both in front of and behind the mall. Although its small size and lack of selection is often much lamented, the Pyramid Mall does have anchor department stores such as Sears, the BonTon, and Target; clothing stores such as the Gap, Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, Victoria's Secret, Abercombie and Fitch, NYLerner's, and American Eagle; several shoe stores; three sporting-goods stores (including Dick's, a national chain);a record store; a pet store; a food court; a Borders bookstore; a Best Buy electronics store; and a number of other gift and novelty shops. Additionally, a Hollywood Video store and several restaurants can be found on Catherwood Road right before the mall. The largest cinema multiplex is also here (see section 7.4) and is best served by the rear parking lots.
If you are looking for ``big box" retailers, they have just arrived in Ithaca (to the joy of some citizens, and the disappointment of others). Most of the ones that do exist, however, are located along Route 13, south of downtown. There you will find K-Mart, Walmart, Staples, Home Depot, Lowe's, Rite-Aid, CVS, EMS, Eckerd, and Hollywood Video, and Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores. Also along Route 13 are many grocery stores, automobile dealers, repair shops, oil change shops, tire places, and car washes. There is also a large Asian grocery here, Win Li market. If you hear about poor quality water in Cayuga Lake, it is because these shops are built on top of the wetlands that used to clean the incoming lake water.
Although most of the shopping in Ithaca is in these districts, there are also a number of stores scattered throughout the city, especially downtown. For larger malls, however, you will have to travel farther afield to Syracuse, Horseheads, or Waterloo. The Carousel Mall in Syracuse is located on the north side of the city and is about an hour away (take Route 13 north to Route 81 north toward and through the city and look for signs). Slightly closer than the Carousel Mall is the Arnot Mall in Horseheads which is only about 45 minutes away (take Route 13 south). The Arnot Mall is smaller than the Carousel Mall, but both are substantially larger than Ithaca's own Pyramid Mall. Located about one hour north in Waterloo (off Route 318), the Fingerlakes Outlet Mall boasts a huge number of factory outlet stores with discount prices, on everything from clothing to books to housewares to toys. If you are looking for chain outlet stores, you can try Elmira (about 30 minutes south of Ithaca on Rt. 13) or Cortland (about 30 minutes north of Ithaca on Rt. 13). And if you are a real shopping afficionado and have some time to spare, try Rochester, Buffalo, Toronto, or New York City!