The Ithaca

A couple of weeks ago - my friends Tim and Sarah, and Chris and myself - took an overnight trip to Ithaca to see Band of Horses!

We went up Saturday afternoon and started at The Commons. The Ithaca Commons is a go-to place when you make a trip to Ithaca. There's great shopping, restaurants, and people-watching! Chris and Tim bought some records at Angry Moms, while Sarah and I went thrifting at Trader Ks.

After the commons, we headed to the Ithaca Beer Company for lunch and (of course) to taste delicious beer!

Wow, this place was a-maz-ing! All of their food was so tasty and fresh. I would recommend their fry flight, where you get 3 separate dipping sauces. My favorite was the beer ketchup - YUM! We got beer flights so we could sample more than just 1 beer. Chris really enjoyed his :)

before

after

Then we made our way to the Ithaca Ale House to watch the 2nd round of Duke vs. Syracuse. It was so much fun to watch the game with fellow fans in a crowded bar - everyone all riled up and cheering and high-fiving! We all know how that game turned out. Oh well, I was super proud of Jim Boeheim for sticking up for his guys and a bad call by the refs.  The timing was perfect! The game ended and we walked half a block away to the State Theater to see the show!

Here are a few photos that Sarah let me borrow (I forgot to take photos!) that show off from start to finish what our Ithaca trip included:

Ithaca collage!

We left the following day, and I was inspired to make a new cupcake! Here's what I came up with:

The Ithaca

It's a lemon olive oil cake with strawberries and blueberries, topped with cream cheese frosting, and homemade granola.

The olive oil came from a local store in Fayetteville called Olive on Brooklea. My friend Iellan and I went there to taste all that they had to offer, but it was pretty clear right from the beginning that a lemon-flavored oil would be perfect for this cake.

 

I also made the granola with this olive oil. I added it to honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, and various spices to toss over the oats, almonds, pistachios, coconut, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.
 

close up!

On top of the cake I used my go-to cream cheese frosting and BAM - The Ithaca!

The flavors of this cupcake are fruity and fresh; the contrast in textures is
complex. Every bite is a mouthful of freshness. Ithaca has so much natural beauty to see, like the gorges and waterfalls. With time constraints and weather, however, we weren't able to see any of it. Fortunately for us Ithaca is just over an hour away, so Chris and I have plans to head back for hiking and the farmer's market.