Sure, it was blustery and cold outside, but that doesn’t make a winter afternoon in upstate New York any less beautiful. Indeed, the cold added to the beauty in many ways. The gorges that run through Cornell University’s campus truly are beautiful and when not trudging through them just to get to class it offers the opportunity to go slow and actually enjoy the view.
In addition to the natural beauty of Ithaca it also still has some rather interesting and entertaining small-town business experiences to behold. Walking through the Farmer’s Market I was somewhat surprised to overhear a conversation between a vendor and customer detailing a purchase and return from two years prior. The original hat didn’t fit but the shop offered only a credit, not a refund. No paperwork or receipt, just a promise that they’d honor the exchange if the customer stopped back by and reminded them of it.
So the customer did. Two years later, a quick “Hi, I’m Mr. xxxxx” was greeted with a happy “Welcome back; go ahead and pick the hat you want.” Certainly not the type of business arrangement I’m used to experiencing but I suppose it works.
Gotta love a small town.
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Have you ever been inside one of the buildings in the gorge? They are very interesting inside too. Winter however is probably not the time to go exploring there though….