As someone who has continued to have a love/hate relationship with this city, I must confess there is much to be appreciated and adored about the city of Ithaca.

Yes, there are the gorges and swim holes, and the beautiful autumn foliage featured in upstate New York magazines. But then there are the people, the amazing people that make you feel whole, seen, and valued. There is the Ithaca Farmers Market that is filled with home-baked goods, farm-grown flowers, pasteurized meats, and the laughter of children. And then there are the beautiful murals that aim to capture culture and beauty of all the people of the city.

As Mariellen and I unpacked the idea of this site, we soon realized that we wanted to use this platform as a way to address the inequities that also exist in Ithaca.

What use is a bike trail for those who don’t have access to bikes? How will parents get to Taughannock State Park to swim if they don’t have access to a car? And how can a family outing be inclusive if we don’t know if our wheelchair-bound auntie can enter the restaurant? While listing all the places that people in the community of Ithaca enjoy, we began to ask each other who are the people that are able to enjoy these places, and what barriers exist that prevent people from being able to enjoy certain attractions in Ithaca.

Ithaca.Community strives to embrace the beauty of the city of Ithaca as well as provide resources to our diverse community. We seek to acknowledge the socioeconomic differences of our neighbors, while finding ways to build bridges that bring us all together to celebrate those differences while having power to live a quality life here. Ithaca.Community is a platform to support individuals and families as they find their source of joy through outings, advocacy and networking.

We would like for any individual of the city of Ithaca who finds themselves browsing through our site to feel that they are part of our mission, that their wants and needs are included in this site. To be proactive of catching as many voices as possible, we encourage you to take our online survey, or you can feel free to write a suggestion using the our contact form.

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Featured image: Mural close-up from the alley by Lot 10 on Cayuga Street, where you can see works by Eder Muniz, Jay Stooks, Meal, & Jeff Szuc