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Attention 40 Belowers! We had such a blast last year, at the New York State Bluews Festival, we are doing it again! Join us at the Blues Festival on July 12 (festival also runs on Sunday, July 13) as we work the beverage concessions (beer!) as a fundraiser for 40 Below. Click here to sign up!

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*UPDATE: If you would like to be a volunteer pourer for this year's Fest, please contact Karen at brewfest@twcny.rr.com. Shifts are 4pm to 7:30 pm, 7:00 to 10:30 pm or 4:00 to 10:30 pm. Volunteers get to enjoy the rest of the festival after their shift (a $30 value). This is not a fundraiser for 40 Below (like the Blues Fest the next day,) but it does gain you admission to a rockin' good time!*

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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.

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I checked out Syacuse Stage's A BOMB-ITTY of Errors on opening night and I have to say, it was the most fun I have ever had watching a play! Funky beats, wicked rhymes, killer comedy and off the wall dance moves made this show one of my all time favorites.

Based on Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors, Syracuse's adaptation is truly "da bomb!" Mixing in current events, music and pop culture with a classic story are what make this event so hard to resist.

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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.

Last night I took my girlfriend out in Syracuse for our weekly "release" from our jobs. It went like this...

7:00 - quick bite at Alto Cincos | $13
8:00 - an amazing display of music at the Syracuse Symphony | $58
10:00 - late dinner, drinks and dancing at Dinosaur BBQ | $29
11:45 - movie at the apartment

My point is this; only in Syracuse can I enjoy an amazing Mexican dish, a world renowned pianist, the best BBQ in the north east - and in my opinion, the best BBQ in the country... and I have lived in the south - and an awesome live blues band in one evening!

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.

Last weekend, my parents were in town. When they show up, I always make an attempt to fill the visit with fun and excitement, with the ultimate goal of showing them how great it is to live in Syracuse. They have lived in Chicago for the majority of their adult lives (in the actual city, not a suburb) and are surprised by how things operate around here. They'll say things like "Do you think we'll hit traffic?" To which my response is a laughing "no.. this is Syracuse!"