This past Saturday I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Being a transfer student new to Cornell University this semester, I was excited to get a feel for the Ithaca community. What I didn’t know when signing up for this event, however, was that Ithaca’s Farmer’s Market is consistently ranked among the best in the nation—and for good reason.

I come from a small, suburban town in southwestern Connecticut. Being vaguely similar in size to Ithaca, I had wrongfully assumed that the farmer’s market here would be identical to the one in my home: a few pop-up tents with vendors from the surrounding community, and not much else. In Ithaca, however, it was much more lively. There was live music, people sitting and enjoying their food everywhere, and hundreds of different craftsmen and women all with smiles on their faces. I was surprised to learn that over the years, several weddings have been held in the pavilion, which just goes to show how much of a staple of the community this event is. Being my first time outside of Cornell campus, this event provided me my first taste of the Ithaca community—and it has only made me more excited to be here for the next three years. I definitely plan to visit the farmer’s market again, only this time with a backpack perhaps, so I have a way to carry my new possessions back to campus.