Cayuga Lake comes to a halt at its southern end at picturesque ITHACA , piled like a diminutive San Francisco high above the lakeshore and culminating in the towers, sweeping lawns and shaded parks of the Ivy League Cornell University . On campus, which is cut by striking gorges, creeks and lakes, the sleek, I.M. Pei-designed Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; free; tel 607/255-6464) merits a visit more for its fifth-floor view of the town and lake than for the unspectacular collection of Asian and contemporary art. The pick of the countless waterfalls within a few miles of town is the slender 210ft Taughannock Falls , ten miles north, just off Hwy-89, which has a swimming beach close at hand and offers a pleasant trek through the countryside on your way to the falls. Buttermilk Falls State Park , two miles south of town on Rte-13, is another delightful spot. Cayuga Lake provides excellent boating and windsurfing opportunities; boards and boats can be rented from the nearby visitor center at 904 East Shore Drive, off Hwy-34 N (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, summer Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 607/272-1313 or 1-800/28-ITHACA, ).

Greyhound and other buses operate out of the terminal at W State and N Fulton. Budget places to stay are scarce, though accommodation is on the whole reasonably priced; try the cramped Hillside Inn , 518 Stewart Ave (tel 607/273-6864; $50-75), the Elmshade Guest House , 402 S Albany St (tel 607/273-1707; $50-75), or Paragon House , 140 College Ave (tel 607/272-0919; $50-75), in Collegetown , further up the hill near Cornell. The rooms at the Best Western University Inn , 1020 Ellis Hollow Rd, on the east edge of campus (tel 607/272-6100; $50-75), are larger and probably worth the extra expense. Out of term, the Statler Hotel on East Avenue within the campus proper, is a pleasant option (tel 607/257-2500 or 1-800/541-2501; $100-130)

Ithaca boasts two dining and entertainment zones. Downtown, centered around the vehicle-free Commons , is the larger and better, and features the top-rated vegetarian restaurant of cookbook fame, Moosewood (tel 607/273-9610), in DeWitt Mall as well as Café DeWitt , which offers healthy and filling salads at lunchtime. A block away, Just a Taste , 116 N Aurora St (tel 607/277-9463), is a lively wine-and-tapas bar, while Simeon's on the Commons , 224 E State St (tel 607/272-2212), does gourmet sandwiches. Numerous cheap student-oriented places to eat line the streets of Collegetown: check out the Italian Little Joe's , 410 Eddy St (tel 607/273-2771), or The Nines , that serves up the best deep-dish pizza around and has live music, on 311 College Ave (tel 607/272-1888). For news of the lively music scene - and gigs at the Haunt , 114 W Green St (tel 607/273-3355) - get the free Ithaca Times .