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About Binghamton, NY
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Binghamton, New York is a small city in
Upstate New York, nestled snuggly between the Finger Lakes Region (to the west) and the Catskill Mountains (to the east). It lies right at the conjunction of two rivers (the Chenango and the Susquehanna) and three major highways (I-81, I-88, and Route 17, soon to be I-86)--making it easily accessible to places like New York City, Syracuse, Albany, and Buffalo.
But unfortunately this is one of the problems of Binghamton--it's close to a lot of stuff that is well-known by tourists and others not native to the area, but what exactly is in Binghamton? That is what this page is all about. Its main purpose is not to attract tourists or to make the area "look good" (I don't work for the Chamber of Commerce or anything), but it's supposed to highlight some of the things I like best about my hometown. I've chosen some well-known items and some off-beat ones, but I hope it at least gives you an idea that there are things in Binghamton--not just close to. The items on my list are located in the city of Binghamton and in the immediate area. (I actually live in Johnson City, which is a village of about 15,000 right outside of Binghamton, so some of the things below are located in my town.) |
Interactive Map of Binghamton, NY
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Ten Things I Like About Binghamton
Here are my top ten favorite things about the Binghamton area, in no particular order. (If you want, use the links below to go directly to the items on the list.)
Quick Links: Wegmans | Domed Churches | Natural Beauty | Italian Food | Apalachin Mafia Convention | Roberson Museum | Local Arts | Spiedies | Coffee Houses | Victorian Houses
1) Wegmans
650 Harry L. Drive, Johnson City
Wegmans
transforms the regular shopping experience, making the utilitarian task of
picking up groceries for the week into something fun and enriching. Though based
in Rochester and located in primarily larger, more upscale metro areas in the
Mid-Atlantic states, the Binghamton area has been blessed with what some
consider the best grocery store in the nation (according to
Food Network). You don't know how enjoyable grocery shopping can
be until you set foot in a Wegmans. The front area is my favorite, which
includes a produce section that resembles a European market, an
old-fashioned-style bakery, a patisserie (left), a cheese shop with
gourmet and international cheeses, a Mediterranean olive bar, a floral shop, and
their "Nature's Marketplace", which includes natural and organic foods and other
products. In addition, the store has a restaurant called "Market Cafe", which
offers pasta dishes, pizza, a Chinese buffet, spiedies, and a coffee bar. I love
going there after work sometimes on my grocery shopping days to grab some pasta
and eat it in their outdoor cafe (when the weather's warm). The pasta is made to
order: you select what you want in it, and they'll make it for you right before
your eyes. It's very delicious! In addition to their food, the store has one of
the best kitchen supply sections I've ever seen. I'm so spoiled on Wegmans now,
I seriously won't go anywhere else for my regular grocery shopping.
(Comment)
2) Domed Eastern European Churches
Due to the flood of Eastern European immigrants to the Binghamton area in the
early 20th century to work in the cigar and shoe factories, there are a plethora
of domed Eastern European churches (both Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic)
dotting the landscape. Most of these churches were built by Slavic, Ukrainian,
Greek, and Russian immigrants whose descendents still attend the churches today.
I had the opportunity in October 2007 to tour four of these churches:
St. John's
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (map),
St. Michael's Greek Catholic Church
(map),
Holy Spirit
Byzantine Catholic Church (map), and
Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church
(map). All were
breathtakingly beautiful. Though I'm not of Eastern European descent and never
attended these types of churches, I love how they add to the unique culture,
history, and landscape of the Binghamton area. Plus, I'm a sucker for religious
art and architecture, which these churches have in spades.
For the full report on my domed church tour, click here.
View
My Photo Slideshow of the Churches
(Comment)
As a small city in the middle of a large rural area, there is plenty of nature to behold in Binghamton: from rolling hills carpeted in greenery to rivers and streams winding their way through the valley. I love streams, rivers, and forests, and Binghamton has more of them than highways and buildings. However, the area really hasn't capitalized on what is probably its biggest asset. There needs to be more recreational areas and activities tied to the rivers and hills. Though the city of Binghamton just built a river walk along the Chenango River, the area still has a long way to go. And the rivers and hills do sometimes pose a hazard: the hills can be tricky to maneuver in the winter and the rivers have a tendency to flood (including the massive and devastating flood of 2006). But that's nature for you: it's both beautiful and dangerous.
View
My Photo Slideshow of the Rivers
(Comment)
4) Italian Food Galore
My next favorite local Italian restaurant is Little Venice (111 Chenango Street, Binghamton), which is fancier than Grande but a bit more expensive. What I love best about Little Venice is that you feel as if you are dining in a museum, due to all the old paintings that plaster the walls. The lights are dim and the walls are dark, giving it a very cozy and relaxing atmosphere.
Other popular Italian restaurants in the Binghamton area: Cortese's, Orlando's, Brothers 2 Restaurant, Aeillo's Ristorante, and Nirchi's Pizza--just to name a few.
(Comment)
5) The 1957 Apalachin Mafia Convention
The Apalachin Convention (as it came to be called) was important in that it proved to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI that the Mafia did indeed exist (he had denied it up until that point). The raid is hilariously portrayed in the opening scene of the movie Analyze This (see video below). Though it wasn't filmed in Apalachin, the location did look pretty accurate (with the hills, cornfields, and cows).
Surprisingly, I have never actually been to the house myself, and only learned
of it a few years ago--several years after I moved out of Apalachin. My parents
or grandparents never spoke of it, which makes me wonder if some of the
long-time Apalachin residents want to keep the whole thing "hush-hush".
See a video of the first part of Analyze This, which portrays the convention:
(Comment)
6) Roberson Museum and Science Center
(Comment)
Binghamton's art scene isn't restricted to the visual arts, though. There are a
lot of theater and performing arts companies, such as the
Cider Mill
Playhouse, the
Endicott Performing Arts Center (EPAC), as well as the
Binghamton
Philharmonic and the
Tri-Cities Opera.
There's always something to do in Binghamton if you're an art nut.
See my favorite local artist, Armondo Dellasanta, at work:
(Comment)
8) Spiedies
Some great places to get spiedies in the Binghamton area include Sharkey's Restaurant (56 Glenwood Avenue, Binghamton), Lupo's (1219 Campville Road, Endicott), the Spiedie & Rib Pit (3908 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal), and Wegmans (650 Harry L. Drive, Johnson City). Unfortunately, I haven't heard of any good spiedie places outside of Binghamton. Once you leave the area, it's hard to find decent spiedies (even cities as close Syracuse and Rochester can't seem to get them right!). If you live outside the area but still want the "real thing", you can order spiedies and marinades on Lupo's web site. The site also includes general spiedie info and background.
Here's my favorite way to prepare spiedies: (Comment)
9) Coffee Houses The café includes a dining area for a nice sit-down meal, cushy chairs and sofas, a bar, and cute mosaic tables right next to the windows. The walls also feature paintings and artwork, some of which are from local artists.
My second favorite coffee place is CyberCafé West
(176 Main St., Binghamton),
what I like to call the "hippy" coffee place for it's counter-culture
atmosphere. It kind of reminds me of the "old school" coffee house with old
furniture; a dark, intimate atmosphere; and live music every weekend. Mainly I
love them for their excellent food, desserts, and coffee concoctions.
Interesting fact: CyberCafe's building was the former site of a
speakeasy back in the 1920's, and a storage area used to transport illegal
alcohol was recently found underneath the cafe's parking lot. Last I checked,
the cafe had pictures of the underground room displayed in the front, and
they were giving free tours on occasion.
And like most communities, Binghamton has a plethora of
Starbucks. Though when I
graduated from college in 2000, the only Starbucks in the area was the little
one in Barnes & Noble. Now
there's also one in the local
Target as well as three free-standing locations. And though I love
locally-owned coffee places, I'll always have a weakness for the convenience and
consistent quality of Starbucks.
10) Victorian Houses
To see some of these houses for yourself, take a walk or drive down Front
Street or the Riverside Drive area of Binghamton (the houses get nicer as you
get closer to Riverside Drive). (Comment)
*For more on Binghamton, check out my
blog, which has more photos and information about the
area. Also check out Markeee's Subterraneous Blog,
packed full of local history and points of interest, and see Binghamton through
the eyes of a Scranton native in this interesting
photo tour.
*Special thanks to Dave Metraux for suggesting the creation of this page! Be sure to check out his page devoted to the Syracuse area, Binghamton's neighbor to the north.
Leave a comment here about my Binghamton Page. If you want to send me a
private message,
contact me via
e-mail. Site created and maintained by Sara Tripp.
Last update: November 5, 2009
I'm not sure if this is a "good" thing about Binghamton, but it definitely put one of my hometowns on the map--and in Mafia history forever. When I was a kid, I lived in a small town called Apalachin, which is about 14 miles west of Binghamton on Route 17. I lived there for 10 years (from age 3 to age 13) not knowing that, just beyond the hill in the back of my house, history took place. In 1957, Apalachin was a small, secluded farming town--the perfect place to have a convention of virtually every Mob boss in the nation. They all decided to meet at Joseph Barbara's house on the top of McFall Road, and the large stream of the Mafiosas' fancy cars traveling through this quiet and unassuming town definitely got the attention of the local law enforcement. When the cops suddenly broke up their "party" (everyone said they were having a barbeque to visit their "sick" friend Mr. Barbara), Mob guys scattered like flies, some of which escaped down the very hill I grew up next to (half of which belonged to my grandmother). My mom, who was only 6 years old at the time, remembers a few guys escaping through her backyard (she lived near where we ended up living 25 years later) and then going to her neighbor's house to use the phone. Unfortunately, no Mob guys ended up at my family's house.
30 Front Street, Binghamton
I've been going to Roberson Museum ever since I was a kid, and the place never seems to get old. The museum includes a planetarium and other neat science exhibits, as well as exhibits on the history of the Binghamton area and its diverse ethnic groups. My favorite exhibit is the museum's Christmas tree display
(pictured left), which has a tree for just about every country you can imagine, and is decorated to reflect the country's Christmas traditions. My other favorite aspect of the museum is the adjacent Roberson Mansion, a
remnant of Binghamton's once Victorian opulence (see #10
below). When I was a kid I used to want to live there. (OK, I still do...) Roberson is a definite must-see for any visitor to the Binghamton area. It really captures the history and the spirit of the area.
View My Photo Slideshow of Roberson
For such a small city, Binghamton has a pretty unique art scene. In the past,
the Binghamton area was home to such artists as
Rod Serling, creator of the
Twilight Zone and
Johnny Hart, creator of the B.C. comic strip (which is still
being produced in the area by his grandson). Now Binghamton is home to such
artists as Anthony
Brunelli, a photorealist;
Marla Olmstead,
the famous child artist who is the subject of the documentary
"My
Kid Could Paint That"; and my personal favorite,
Armondo
Dellasanta, an impressionist still painting in his 90's (one of his
works is on the left). One wonders how
a small, old industrial city in upstate New York could be a hot bed for artists.
Perhaps there's something in the water? If you're out and about in Binghamton
and want to see these artists' works for yourself, stop by the Broome County
Public Library on Court Street in downtown Binghamton to see both Brunelli's and
Dellasanta's paintings on display. Little Venice Restaurant also has a big collection of Dellasanta's works. Also, more local artists' works can be seen during downtown
Binghamton's monthly
First Fridays Art Walk, in which participants can tour art galleries,
museums, and other places featuring works of art.
See some of Dellasanta's
works that were displayed at Roberson Museum in 2008:
Spiedies are a food unique to the Binghamton area--if you're not from here, you've probably never heard of them. What are they exactly? They're quite simple, really: spiedies are cubed marinated meat (the traditional meat is lamb, though beef and chicken are more popular) grilled on a skewer and placed in the middle of a thick slice of Italian bread (with the sides curled up like a sandwich). Spiedies were brought over by Italian immigrants (see #4) and have been a local favorite ever since. We even have an annual festival devoted to the food called the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally, which includes a spiedie cook-off and the launch of hundreds of hot air balloons.
Believe it or not, Binghamton has some pretty
neat coffee places. My favorite is Lost Dog Café, aka "The Dog"
(222 Water St., Binghamton), which is located in downtown Binghamton. Entering the café, you get a feeling you're not in Binghamton anymore. The place more resembles a coffee place you'd find in New York City or Boston, with its artsy décor and sophisticated food, coffee, and drink menu. This isn't surprising: the business was started by three women
who spent some time living in New York city and saw the area's need for such a venue. The café opened in 1994 and has been a hit with both locals and students ever since.
In the early part of the 20th century, Binghamton was known as the "Parlor City" due to its high volume of opulent Victorian houses. But since then, many of these once glorious structures have decayed and been turned into low-rent apartment buildings, many of them becoming "eye sores". But fortunately, in the last few years, dramatic steps have been taken to improve and renovate the old buildings, giving them new life once again. While some houses are being renovated by private owners, one local organization in particular is renovating quite a few of them. First Ward Action Council wants to take steps to bring back the glory days of the "Parlor City" by giving old, run-down Victorian homes a complete makeover. The picture at right is one such shining example. I walked by a few of these beautiful homes one summer on my way to see fireworks and was awed by how beautiful they were. The renovators have taken the time to paint the houses as they once were--with every detail painted in bright colors. Ironically or not, the houses are actually being used as cheap apartments for low-income families. Which further proves that you don't need a lot of money to live in luxury in Binghamton! The houses are also part of a plan to make the city of Binghamton look better to out-of-towners visiting or passing through. Though the city has a long way to go, these gorgeous houses are definitely a good first step.
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