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The Taste of Syracuse, held this year on June 5th and 6th in Clinton Square, is one of my all time favorite Syracuse events. It is becoming a tradition for a group of friends and I – we attend this event every year. I have discovered some of my now favorite restaurants there.

By Kirk House
Story curtsey of The Syracuse Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau Magazine. Available online at http://www.visitsyracuse.org/media/VisitSyracuseMagazine.pdf

Nobody can say it – everybody loves it. Skan-ee-AT-las is the name… “Long Lake” in the local Iroquoian tongue. It’s just the right size for strolling from shop to shop to shop, and the lake itself makes a wonderful backdrop for the 19th-century shopping district.

Story curtsey of The Syracuse Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau Magazine. Available online at http://www.visitsyracuse.org/media/VisitSyracuseMagazine.pdf

By Kirk House
Story curtsey of The Syracuse Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau Magazine. Available online at http://www.visitsyracuse.org/media/VisitSyracuseMagazine.pdf

“Here, try some of this,” says Fred, shaving from the wheel and offering me a slice on the blade of his long knife. “Romano. Like they grate and put on spaghetti. Good, huh? Just slightly aged. Or try some of this.”

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Do you believe in reincarnation? The Panther does! That's right, "the Cat is Back!" Proving that they do indeed have nine lives, Bruno Schirripa (the aforementioned 'panther'; more on that in a minute) has returned to reopen Wise Guys, a comedy club, a restaurant, and an entertainment showroom all under one roof.

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Cafe Hooray!

Sugar Pearl, a vegan coffeehouse, brings a big-city feel to Hawley-Green

By Lorraine Smorol
Courtesy of Syracuse New Times

What kind is your favorite? Empire? Macintosh? Cortland? Whatever your choice, there are tons of local apple orchards within a 15 minute drive of downtown for you to sink your teeth into.

A few weeks ago, I visited Beak and Skiff Apple Farms in Lafayette and was pleasantly surprised at all they had to offer. Not only apple picking - complete with riding a tractor out to the orchard and getting "let loose" to choose the perfect pieces for a pie, cake or just to nibble - but a full country store, apple tasting stations, games and horse rides for the kids -- and a winery!

Story and photos by James P. Hughes, courtesy of Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine. (http://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com/)

How about visiting a place that suggests a trendy urban neighborhood in Boston or New York City, without the long drive? Interested in stylish shopping and exceptional food, casual to fine dining? Do you enjoy varied entertainment, music and nightlife?

It’s time to discover Syracuse’s Armory Square, where you’ll find it all.

Anyone flying US Airways in September 2007 had the opportunity to read a 58-page profile on our great city. It's a glowing review that focuses on everything from entrepreneurship to Dinosaur BBQ.

My favorite section featured a lifelong resident versus a transplant to our area. While their views were different, both mentioned the high quality of life and the variety of things to do.

Check out the links below to read each section of the feature. These are PDFs:

Word of Mouth

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Above the hideaways of the Underground Railroad, and the covered-over speakeasys, lies a coffee shop that was both the delivery room for the birth of 40 Below, two weekly outdoor concert series, and a favorite resting stop for Onondaga Nation faithkeeper Oren Lyons. Coffee Pavilion, co-owned by Bill Harper and George Feltman, is in its fifth year of existence...as a coffee shop, that is. Before that, it was just one of the dozens of architecturally distinct buildings that make up Downtown Syracuse.