Reconstruction at Walmart

On a recent off-campus jaunt to Walmart, I noticed some big changes.

As I approached the store, I wasn’t even sure if it was open.  The entrance I am used to using is boarded up and taped off.  There was an extremely small number of cars in the parking lot, but I saw a few people trickling in and out of an entrance a few yards down the sidewalk.  Needing to get some essential items to get me through the toughest part of the semester, I decided to follow the slow flow of customers to see what I could find.

Inside, the store seems to echo as renovations take place.  Aisles are placed closer together, items found in different places, employees rearranging and trying to organize throughout the changes.  While it took slightly longer, I will still able to find what I needed and get on my way.

Since I was curious, I tried to find an explanation for the changes.  The most I could find were some abstracts from articles from the Ithaca Journal.  Apparently, our lovely Ithaca Walmart is going to become a super Walmart.

As the saying goes, “change is good.”  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this one goes.

Warm weather in Ithaca

It seems like all anyone can talk about the past few days is the wonderfully warm weather the area has been experiencing.  Students are spending more time outside, both on and off campus.  On campus, students have been relaxing, doing schoolwork, or playing catch with a group of friends.  Everyone is in a better mood now that the weather is warmer and the sun is shining.  The Ithaca Journal also took note of the change in weather in this story.

Courtroom Adventures

Today we visited the Tompkins County Courthouse and the County Clerk’s office located inside.  Getting there was an adventure, as we were unsure of the exact location, and didn’t know where to park.  It was, however, a good chance to see more of the town, and to learn about a place that’s very important to the functioning of the county.  The building was very large and ornate, and the people working inside, from security to those in the office, were all very friendly and helpful.

We met Aurora Valenti, who talked about the kind of information journalists can get from the county clerk.  Also, she told us that the office is in the process of transitioning from paper to electronic records.

Sports ledes

The lede in this story was interesting, the this third paragraph would have been a much better choice:

“With the hearts of all Canadians fluttering and the crowd at Canada Hockey Place creating enough electricity to light the entire country, Crosby took a pass from linemate Jarome Iginla and walked in alone on Miller. Crosby’s quick release decided the game, triggering roars here and all over Canada.”

Ithaca’s Number 1

Recently, a friend and I decided to treat ourselves to manicures.  Since we had never visited any of the nail salons in the area, we decided to go to the first one that someone recommended to us.  That place ended up being Ashley Nails on Fulton Street.

I was slightly concerned at first, as there wasn’t much parking available, but when we walked in (without appointments) we were able to get started right away.  There were many color nail polishes to choose from, and the people working there were very friendly and helpful.  While we were enjoying our pampering, both my friend and I noticed a sign on the wall that said that Ashley Nails was voted Ithaca’s Number 1 nail salon for 2009.  Looks like we picked the right place to go to!  We were both very happy with the results of our manicures, as well as the reasonable prices.

Sometimes taking a chance on a new place turns out very well!

Business package

My business package can be found on our group blog.

Ithaca Journal covers student’s death

A body was recovered from Fall Creek Gorge Wednesday morning.  The Ithaca Journal seems to be the first local news source to uncover the story, with other news sources quoting information from the journal.

The fact that such a young person’s life has been lost so close to us is truly saddening.