CNY Bucket List: 100 Things to do

100 THINGS TO DO IN SYRACUSE BEFORE YOU DIE

Jennifer Wing

“100Things to Do in Syracuse Before You Die” by Jamesville resident Linda Lowen is a guide to Syracuse’s unique restaurants, shopping, festivals, annual events and year-round activities, and includes descriptions, photos and itineraries, with each “thing’s” story no longer than 130 words.

“In writing this book, I fell in love with Syracuse all over again,” Lowen said. “I’ve been a Syracuse resident for 37 years, and a freelance writer for 25 years, so writing about my hometown was a dream opportunity. And honestly -- it landed in my lap. I’ve been a writing instructor at the YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center (DWC) in Syracuse for over a decade, and people know me as a writer and reviewer. So, when Reedy Press [the publisher] contacted the DWC looking for a writer, Executive Director Phil Memmer recommended me.”

Since the publisher had done this sort of book in 100 other spots across the U.S., they provided the guidelines, and the style of the book fit her experience perfectly.

“This type of writing was once called ‘service’ writing - the kind of writing you used to read in magazines,” she said. “For years that’s how I made my living, writing for nationally-known websites. It’s a style of writing that comes easily to me.”

In the book every “thing” tells a complete story about a business, restaurant, local attraction or place to visit, focusing on Syracuse and its immediate suburbs.

“Reading the entries in the book is like snacking on potato chips – it’s hard to stop at just one,” Lowen said. “The entries are very brief, but they contain a lot of info, detail and local color.” The book includes many of the area’s most scenic attractions to walk that are free year-round such as the footpaths along the Erie Canal, Onondaga Lake, Onondaga Creek’s Creekwalk, a waterfall hike in Manlius and a downtown historic walking tour you can download to your phone thanks to the Downtown Committee and the Onondaga Historical Association.

“The book is not about highlighting places that try hard to be impressive, posh, more like somewhere else than where we live,” Lowen said. “This book focuses on things that arise out of our history, our legacy, our place in the world and our care for each other.” Lowen added that she learned a lot while writing the book.

“There’s some incredibly cool stuff that turned up during my research,” Lowen said. “For example, in Syracuse, there’s a very rare tree – it’s kind of a Frankenstein tree, created by a Syracuse University professor and sculptor – that has 40 different fruits grafted onto the base tree. This ‘Tree of 40 Fruits’ is not only a living thing, it’s an art installation, and in the spring it blossoms with red, white, and pink flowers, and it grows everything from cherries to almonds. It has actually been mentioned in internationally-known websites that focus on the unusual and the obscure, yet I suspect only a few locals know about it. As to where it is, well, you’ll have to buy the book.”

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The book also touches on Syracuse’s rich history.

“We are a city that has been shaped by immigrants settling here and positively impacting our future” Lowen said. “We are located on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, separate nations who came together after a history of conflict to create a system of leadership and self-governance that influenced our Founding Fathers as they crafted the Constitution.”

And Lowen doesn’t forget about Syracuse’s many examples of culinary excellence, including restaurants like Eva’s European Sweets and bakeries like Columbus Baking Company, along with a wide range of offerings, from hot dogs served in an Art Deco landmark at Heid’s of Liverpool to fine dining in a Gilded-Age mansion at the Brewster Inn.

Lowen’s ‘thing’

So, what is one of Lowen’s favorite things to do in Syracuse? Shop Small Sunday.

“I love anything that combines local creatives, being outdoors and being downtown – because, after all, the book is centered on the city,” she said. “And this ‘thing’ is two things in one: it takes place outside the Salt City Market, which has put Syracuse on the map as an eclectic foodie town, and it features local artisans.”

Shop Small Sunday takes place in the rear parking lot of Salt City Market, and “allows ‘makers’ to interact with the public as they sell their wares and talk about themselves and their goods,” Lowen said. “I know a lot of folks who have booths at Shop Small Sunday, and it’s fun to see them and catch up with they’re doing while supporting small businesses right here in CNY.”

Lowen said there’s live music and a play structure outside the Market for the kids to climb around “…and, if you feel peckish, you can go inside for a bite to eat. The Market is also a ‘thing’ in the book, and I provide a tip on one meal there that’s my favorite in terms of price and taste.”

This year’s dates are May 15, June 19 (Father’s Day) and July 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“It takes a city … and its suburbs”

When asked who influenced her in writing the book, Lowen said, “Just open up the acknowledgments section and you’ll see evidence of it – it takes a city and its suburbs to write a book, and so many people were generous in offering advice, guidance, and revealing some closely guarded secrets, including where to find the best chicken riggies.” She added that those who read the acknowledgements will most likely recognize some of the names.

“After all, we’re a small town masquerading as a city, and if you were to look at our connections to each other, you’d see how many of us enjoy that infamous six degrees of separation - and probably much less - which is proof of how community matters to the health and vitality of a region,” Lowen said. “Friends and family ground us and remind us why roots matter.”

And although Lowen has lived outside of the area, she is happy to be right here, in Central New York.

“Of course, it’s good to explore, to get body and soul out of the everyday, and see the world now and then,” she said. :Yet for me, I have always been glad to come back to my life in Syracuse. A local boy who grew up to be quite famous (and whose legacy influenced several ‘things’ in the book) said it memorably and said it best: ‘There’s no place like home.’”

“100 Things to Do in Syracuse Before You Die” is available wherever books are sold. More about Lowen can be found at lindalowen.com. SWM

A nonfiction book reviewer for Publishers Weekly, Linda Lowen’s work has been published in the New York Times and in “Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less.” Her writing advice has appeared in The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazines. A creative nonfiction instructor for the Downtown Writer’s Center in Syracuse, she’s the founder of AlwaysWantedToWrite.com, which offers online writing classes and is a theater reviewer for the Syracuse Post-Standard. In her former 20-year career as a radio and television producer/host, she earned numerous awards. She was also the former Women’s Issues expert for About.com, now ThoughtCo.com. May 4 - 6 to 9 p.m.

Museum of Intrigue Destiny USA, Syracuse 855-653-7227 100ThingsSyracuse.com Open to the public, ticketed event Presentations & book signings Free and open to the public

May 5 - 7 to 8 p.m.

Community Library of Dewitt and Jamesville 5110 Jamesville Road 315-446-3578

May 6 - 6 to 7 p.m.

River’s End Bookstore 19 W Bridge Street, Oswego 315-342-0077 Also includes discussion with local author Jim Farfaglia May 7 - 1 to 4 p.m. Barnes & Noble 3454 Erie Boulevard E., Dewitt 315-449-2948 May 8 (Mother’s Day) Noon to 3 p.m. McCarthy Mercantile 217 S. Salina St., Syracuse 315-546-4919 May 21 - 1 to 4 p.m. Barnes & Noble 3956 Route 31, Liverpool 315-622-0370 Virtual book event May 26 - 7 to 8:30 p.m. Bright Hill Press & Literary Center 607-829-5055 brighthillpress.org/calendar/ Free and open to the public