Marshall Street, People’s Place, Schine Underground: All of these places are hangouts and venues for events that Syracuse University students frequently habituate. But students could miss out on a variety of other interesting spots if they only stick to those places on or directly next to campus. Either by bus, car or just walking a little bit more, it is definitely worth adventuring to these three places.

Mello Velo

Love great home-baked goods and seasonal coffee? Love cycling around the city and taking in more scenery than could ever be achieved in a car? On Westcott Street, both can be found in the bike cafe Mello Velo.

There are two entrances, one that has stairs leading up to the bike shop, and the other leading up to the cafe. Musa, a Shiba Inu that holds the title of “shop dog,” is likely to make an appearance as customers enter. The bike shop is filled with an array of used and new bikes. Specifically, Kona and Yankee are the bike brands that the shop sells new.

There is a door that connects the bike shop and the cafe. The cafe side is decorated with bike decals on the walls. There is a variety of furniture, from plushy seats to high-top tables. At the counter, there is a range of baked goods, such as banana rum coffee cake, and the chalkboards above display the multitude of food and drink to choose from, such as the Cinnamon Chai-der and the aptly named Le Tour Panini.

“It’s just really peaceful, loving, accepting,” said Nate Carlson, a sophomore television, radio and film major, about the shop’s “bike cafe” atmosphere — a combination that is seen also in New York City.

The shop owners, Sara and Steve Morris, are also dedicated to creating a bike community by holding bike rides every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m., open to everyone.

Said Steve Morris: “It’s just a fun thing to do for people that have a common interest. It brings different types of people together.”

Rosamond Gifford Zoo

The last thing most people expect when they go to sleep is to listen to the trumpeting sounds of elephants.

For those living right across from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, like Carolynn Steele, a senior English and textual studies major, this is a daily occurrence.

“Most mornings when I wake up and most nights when I come home, I can hear the animals,” Steele said. “It’s a really interesting experience to wake up to the calls of howler monkeys, and fall asleep to the sounds of elephants.”

The zoo — located near Burnet Park, a park in downtown Syracuse — is home to a variety of different animals and exhibits alike. Some of its most recent animal exhibits include the grey wolf pack and the Asian elephants that were temporarily at Canada’s African Lion Safari.

Steele herself finds the elephants the most interesting.

“My favorite exhibit to see would probably be the elephants, especially now that they have so much more room after the exhibit was expanded,” Steele said. “We can actually see them interacting with each other now, whereas before it seemed like only one or two would be visible to patrons at a time.”

The Mission

In downtown Syracuse, there are a variety of restaurants to choose from, but few have quite the historical significance of The Mission. This restaurant has a variety of Pan-American food, such as Southwestern, South American and Mexican food.

The restaurant used to be the Syracuse Wesleyan Methodist Church. During the late 1800s, the church also acted as a stop for the Underground Railroad. Also, in 1852, Susan B. Anthony gave a speech there about women’s suffrage. The restaurant is on East Onondaga Street, which is easily accessible by Connective Corridor.

The restaurant is constantly busy. The bar and interior, with a colorful blue ceiling and Pan-American architecture, add to the lively attitude.

“(It’s) crowded, typically loud,” said Eugene Law, a fifth-year environmental resources engineering and environmental biology dual major at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. “Like any other restaurant that has a bar in the main dining room.”

Published on November 1, 2012 at 1:11 am

Contact Claire: cmdunder@syr.edu | @ClaireDunderman