Upstate NY: Some Binghamton Favorites

Many people have no idea where Binghamton is, unless they have visited Cornell, Syracuse, or the Fingerlakes area. It's certainly not a vacation destination, but since I have our family there, I am lucky to know some of the best spots. So, if you find yourself passing by Binghamton, in need of a break (from 5 minutes to all day), here are some of our favorite things to do:

The Story Garden and The Discovery Center (amazing hands-on museum for kids) at Ross Park--this is worth making a full-on stop for. There's also a zoo, the 5th oldest one in the country.

(all above pictures taken at The Story Garden)

We love the pizza and salad at Cortese's (locals are pronounce it "cor-teases"), around since the 40s. The salad is an uneventful iceberg mix, but the Italian dressing is crazy good. We ask for the blue cheese on the side, and never let the waitress take the salad bowl until we are finished with the pizza, because we dunk the pizza in the salad dressing. If you love Cortese's after one visit, you can buy them frozen at the local grocery store, Weis.

Little Venice is another old Italian restaurant, also around since the 40s. The only thing we love there is the homemade ravioli, which are referred to as "ravs". Sit in the main dining room, it has the best vibe.

Favorite coffee is L'Aveggio.

It's the "carousel capital", so there are over six antique carousels you can visit, all free.

Lots of free public swimming pools.

The TJ Maxx is very unpicked over.  Ditto the Salvation Army.

How could I forget?! WEGMANS! One of the best grocery store chains ever. This one is right off of Highway 17 in Johnson City.

Binghamton NY

Binghamton (also known as the Carousel Capital of the World, in upstate New York, was
just listed on the Today Show as one of five cities to invest in real estate (check out the clip), which is good for Grandma Carmie (grandma to my daughter Clara), and it's about time. It's been a long time since Binghamton seemed to hold some promise of getting the kids to come back and set up shop after they left to go to college, but we were back there this past weekend, and saw several exciting new places (and a festival!)...

   Kilmer Brasserie in the old Kilmer Building, where they made perfume ages ago, is now a really good restaurant, serving grass-fed beef and nice wines. We went with Clara,  and loved it, but they would do well to add in a kids menu--since it is on the expensive side, and it's hard to see ordering your kid a $30 petite filet because they ran out of the $17 steak frites. The  owners are a husband and wife team who moved to Binghamton with their son (the mom is originally from Binghamton), to seek a better quality of life, great public schools, and neighborhoods where their son
could ride his bike around freely.

The other spot we discovered is L'Aveggio Artisan Coffee, in downtown Binghamton.  Their coffee is fantastic, and it seems like there is hope for a gloomy downtown when a cheery and smart coffee shop opens up.

If you happen to find yourself in Binghamton (maybe on your way to  the beautiful Finger Lakes?), you should check these out, and also, stop in at the TJ Maxx and Old Navy there.  Nobody picks them over, and you can find Bruder trucks for $20 and super well-made athletic pants for $12 to $20 at  TJ Maxx. At Old Navy, I got so much on sale -- 50 percent off the lowest price -- that we left with a bag full of things (including kids' clothes, so it was stuffed) for $35.  The Salvation Army is also my secret place to load up on used ice-skates for $2, and I often find old school outerwear and shoes there.