Downtown Ithaca Alliance Office - Ithaca, New York

Suzy D.

Revelry was amazing, staff went above & beyond, the food was delicious & the atmosphere & decor perfect. The beer, OMG, so great! I had the Flying Donkey, my friend had the Heat of the Moment. I highly recommend going there.

Heather B.

Ithaca Commons is one of our fave parts of our vacation to Ithaca! The Commons is a beautiful outdoor pedestrian style mall area that is were all the shops, bars, coffee shops & eateries are! Beautiful buildings & beautiful flowers/plants line the street. It is a very pretty area to just walk around. Ithaca is a FOODIE TOWN, so there were COUNTLESS places to eat along the Commons. Lots of fun shops, coffee bars and bakeries as well. We spent the evening walking around followed by a wonderful dinner which had outdoor seating which was fun to people watch while enjoying dinner.

Ithaca is a very clean, fun & artsy feel city. Check out the Commons while visiting for sure! Do check out the Ithaca murals while venturing around- art is everywhere!

Kira H.

Some really nice stores and restaurants. Parking can be a pain. Had a few times where people where "raising money for charity" they are rather pushy and I looked up the "charity" later and it is sketchy at best. Wish there were stricter rules about tabling.

Frank L.

The Ithaca Commons is the heart of the city. Recently renovated and well appointed the space offers an excellent venue for the many festivals, concerts and gatherings the city is known for. Due to the infrastructure improvements below the Commons many new businesses have sprung up in close proximity which has increased the density of pedestrian traffic , housing and hotel options. Many of the historic legacy buildings that feature century old architecture were able to tap into the new utilities and so were able to improve and modernize. All together this has resulted in the space and buildings being well kept with a low vacancy rate. The Commons features lovely plantings, seating options, a clean and well lite environment. There are many specialty stores but this is not the place for grocery or home shopping, rather a place to buy gifts or incidental items. The Commons reflects the personality of the city and although it has gone through growing pains over the past few years the projects seem to be subsiding and hopefully will provide many years of enjoyment. Under the auspices of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance the space has an infusion of professional, monetary and custodial influence and direction. Come down and enjoy the art, shopping and festive atmosphere and venture into the nearby community that has much of the same to offer.

Mo D.

Always love walking the commons. This weekend they’re having a festival celebrating authors & etc. I would give 5 stars, only downfall is the mass of confusing one-way streets and dead ends surrounding the commons. (Some people are not great at navigating such streets, therefore I am factoring that in). Great place for a stroll & having a look about any day. Very expensive, however, as many stores have items by artisans that are hand-crafted. There are also a fair share of shops that claim their items are handmade pieces of art, yet they fail to remove the “made in China” stickers from the bottom 😅! I personally got swindled by a shop owner, they assured me that something was a certain product. $50 and no refunds later, and it is NOT what I asked for at all. This shop keep also had a thick accent until the transaction was over, suddenly their accent was completely gone and they sounded like any other typical “American city boy”. (Was sold Delta gummies @ a smoke shop called “Xscapes”, I was clearly stating what I wanted & what I received was NOT it!).

All in all, check your purchases & labels BEFORE buying (great advice for any purchase 🤦🏼‍♀️).

If you are near the commons, be sure to check out all of the local gorges and waterfalls! “Ithaca is gorges”, after all!

TL;DR: nice walk, nice views, clean, …expensive! Can become over-crowded certain weekends. (& Beware pushy buskers, one way streets, & cheats)! Lastly, this IS a college town. Hippies, artisans, students and like-minded folk flock the commons.

Mariusz S.

I like the common squares of small towns where people meet for coffee, food or some shopping. This is a pedestrian strip which was well presented. Places to eat and places to shop. One hour is probably enough as a tourist to visit but I can see how people meet there and how it can be a vibrant place at times.

Luke D.

The Commons is it’s own universe of beautiful gardenia, unique shoppes, a wellspring of friendly conversation and all manner of the arts condensed into one walkable place. It’s a really thrilling and vibrant environment. Highly recommended!

Craig H.

The Commons remind you of everything you wish you could find in small town America. There are some very good restaurants making this a destination. There are a few good stores though I wouldn’t go out of my way if I wasn’t staying at a nearby hotel.