Last week was a blur for me with a bunch of deadlines at work so I didn’t get a chance to post about our trip to Ithaca, New York over Winter Break. I took the kids to the Sciencenter, a place we had driven by but had never visited. While it wasn’t all that large, it made up for it with the quality of the exhibits. The kids enjoyed all kinds of activities from touching a starfish and horseshoe crab, to making music with their feet to creating origami creatures.
We spent a couple hours in the morning, and then made our way to lunch at Purity, famous for its ice cream. Before we filled our bellies, though, we had to stop at a wine store, of course. Right around the corner from the center is a shop called Red Feet Wine Market and Spirit Provisions.
Red Feet Boasts a Unique Variety of Wines
At first I wasn’t sure what I would find inside, but the kids and I decided it was worth a look. I was not disappointed. From the floor to the ceiling were many rare and hard-to-find wines from smaller producers from around the world. I was shown a few different kinds of wine, based on the description I gave for what I was looking for. I went home with a French red from a smaller producer from the Cru Beaujolais region. Leading sommeliers will tell you that the best value wines on earth come from this area and I was excited to try one.
I added a white to my pairing, choosing a grape I had never tried before called Passerina from the Abruzzo region of Italy. It reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc but instead of citrus overtones, I tasted apple and pear. It’s my new favorite white. Wow. Such a great tasting wine. I nearly drank the bottle on my own! It would be amazing with sushi and for good reason. The region is known for its fishing.
It’s a blessing and a curse that this shop is not closer to home for me. I might go broke stopping in there all the time,” but I wish I had the opportunity to stop in more often!
Purity Lives Up to the Hype
I’ve lived in Central New York my whole life and have never visited Purity. Well, if I did, I don’t recall. Since it was a kid day I knew we had to get some ice cream but we wisely decided to eat “real food” first. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered from grilled cheese to a turkey avocado BLT to a hot dog, everything was excellent. Of course, the dessert was the best part! I do understand why everyone says this is a “must do” when in Ithaca.
After lunch we headed back to the Sciencenter since the kids wanted to play with everything more. This day trip, door to door, took about seven hours so it’s doable when you have a day off or just want to skip town on the weekend. Just make sure you manage to stop at Red Feet and Purity while you’re there!
How does the ball stay in the air like that? 
Building something cool 
Playing in the sand and watching the elevation shift 
Making star constellations 
Origami time 
I love Purity 
Mmmm, ice cream!