Central New York Magazine: The Good Life

07/18/2024

Did you spot Syracuse Boat Tours in our summer issue? We highlighted it in our "Fresh-air Fare" story about CNY spots with outdoor dining, great views and ambience.

Here's a little more about them.

The boat company will operate daily one-hour or 90-minute cruises on Onondaga Lake.

07/11/2024

Can’t wait to see Louise in person!

07/05/2024

We urgently require toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, lotion, pads, socks, and other necessary items. If you would like to donate, please click on the following link for convenient access: http://a.co/f3jX7ye.

07/05/2024

We've all seen fireworks (and people's photos of fireworks), but our colleague photographer and videographer Scott Trimble did something pretty cool last night!

Artistic fireworks

07/04/2024

Have a safe and happy holiday, Central New York!

Click through for fireworks shows taking place tonight and through the weekend.

📷: Scott Schild

Fireworks shows started this past Tuesday and are going on through July 7.

07/03/2024

Sorry to use the S word so soon, but we’re already working on our fall issue so we’re thinking about school. For our Down to Earth column, we’re researching ways to make the school year more sustainable. 🌎

We’d love to hear from CNY parents and guardians of PreK-12 students about how you reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle or get creative in an eco-friendly way with lunches, school supplies and teacher lists, activities, sports and all the other school-related stuff.

DM us to share your favorite tips and your advice could appear in our next issue!

06/25/2024

June has been packed with festivals and events, and this last weekend of the month is no different! Catch an exciting double header event as Salt City Roller Derby first takes on State College Area Roller Derby from Pennsylvania. Then, the two home teams, The Spuds and the Riggies, take on each other in a clash of strategies.

The action takes place on Saturday, June 29 at the Fulton Community Ice Arena. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the first game starts at 4 p.m.; the second game starts at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available in advance at saltcityrollerderby.com or at the door. Don't miss this bout, which highlights the skill, intensity and camaraderie of the athletes!

UpSkate NY Junior Roller Derby will also be in attendance to talk recruitment with interested young skaters.

Photo: David Stasiak

06/20/2024

Discover what the village of Canastota has to offer in our current issue!

The early development of Canastota was greatly aided by the Erie Canal, a portion of which still runs through town. Recently, the village was awarded a multimillion dollar grant for further downtown revitalization.
With small-town charm and international attention (thanks to the ), be sure to give ’s history, small businesses and outdoor activities (and a castle) a look.

📝 Kaila Champoux

This is the latest in the Our Town series, which highlights a different village, town or neighborhood in each issue. The goal is to encourage you to explore areas in CNY that you don’t know as well and their dining scenes, small businesses, things to do, outdoor activities and other amenities.
Where will we go next? 🚘

06/19/2024

Happy Juneteenth! We’re not free unless we’re all free. Whether you are celebrating with a day of service, a cookout or some other way, we hope you stay safe and cool!

06/16/2024

The best dads are always on duty. Wishing a relaxing, happy Father’s Day to all the dads, grandpas, uncles, godfathers and father figures.

And thinking of those who find today difficult.

06/13/2024

Celebrate 100 years of the E.M. Rose Garden this Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

The annual Rose Day celebration, held at the height of blooming season, will include skills demonstrations, garden walking tours, live music and refreshments.

The Syracuse Rose Society is the steward of the two-acre garden, and volunteers - from amateur gardeners to consulting rosarians - give their time, energy and skill to keep the rose garden one of the country's best.

www.syracuserosesociety.org for more info

06/10/2024

Trails aren’t just for hiking!

Follow dozens of tourism trails organized by interest — food, drinks, history, arts, sports and more — around Upstate New York this summer!

The story from our May/June issue is now online. Visit our homepage for more.

Writer:
Photos: /ROOST and

05/30/2024

Congratulations, Simran! We're proud of you!

Two-time Syracuse champion finishes tied for 60th place out of 245 competitors.

05/25/2024

💃🏽 🧪

CFAC is now accepting applications -June 15th for our annual girls STEM and dance summer program: Girls Rise UP In partnership with the national program 💻🩰

Over the course of three weeks from July 8-26, girls ages 8 -16 will explore the wonders of STEM and create an imaginative tech-infused dance performance, while in the midst of a vibrant and supportive community of women and girls.

To learn more about the program and complete the application visit the link in our bio or at https://stemfromdance.org/programs/girls-rise-up

05/22/2024

Stay cool!

05/16/2024

🥇We won several awards at the Professional Recognition Awards earlier this month.

The first award is for Best Human Interest Story from a non-daily publication. The story, “Bringing Everyone to the Table,” published in our summer 2023 issue, looked at the different individuals and organizations tackling food deserts, food insecurity, and access to healthy food in Syracuse. It was an ambitious story when I came up with it and I was so pleased that freelance writer Norah Machia was willing to take it on and she did wonderful work on it. And of course, Susan Santola‘s design brought the piece to

Judge’s comment on winner: This is a well-researched and fantastically reported story that hits every note you want a feature story to hit. Amy, Susan, and Norah were able to take a story hyper-local to Syracuse and connect it to a larger issue facing many communities across the country, food insecurity. It also made me think about a community’s civic duty when it come to solving larger societal issues. This was a really great, important story to tell and it’s wonderful to see reporters dedicated to local and impactful storytelling.

It was an honor to tell the stories of the people doing the real work on the Southside and in The Valley, in particular, but across CNY. I am very proud of this story, regardless of the win, and I hope we can do more stories like this in the future.

Xx amy

05/09/2024

Supporting and at .cocktailkitchen’s Dry Day (come on down ‘til 11p) and hanging with ! More to come in our summer food & drink issue, which we are working on now.

05/02/2024

Before we dive into what’s in the pages of our latest issue, we want to linger on the cover. This gorgeous shot was taken by , an award-winning photojournalist who works for syracuse.com and the Post-Standard*. He also has a background in magazines, particularly during the time when he lived out west.
We’re so thrilled with how this cover came out and it’s thanks to Scott’s image**. Special thanks also goes to Susan Santola, our art director, for her fabulous design work on each cover.

*did you know while we operate independently from them, we’re published by the same company that publishes syracuse.com and The Post-Standard
**Scott’s original image is actually horizontal so we’ll share in in its original format in our stories

05/01/2024

Yum!!

04/29/2024

Westcott neighborhood institution is known for its extensive prom selection and eclectic casual apparel. Co-owners Meaghan Crandall and MacKenzie Wilkinson took over after the untimely death of founder Lorraine Koury.
We spoke to Meaghan and MacKenzie about where Boom Babies has been, where it’s going, the vintage outpost a few doors down from the main location, Lorraine’s legacy and how they’re building their own.
The story, from our March/April issue, is now on our website.

04/27/2024

Happy to our CNY book shops! Obviously we love reading, so we're always happy to visit these stores and get drawn in by the intriguing covers and titles.

Shout out to:
Golden Bee Bookshop, Liverpool*
Parthenon Books Syr, Syracuse*
The Little Book Store - Clayton, Clayton
Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca
the river's end bookstore, Oswego
That's What She Read Bookshop & Boutique, Marcellus

Plus, there are many new/used book stores in our area to visit. Did we miss your favorite book spot? Let us know below.

Before you buy online, call these shops -- many have shipping and some work with LibroFM for audiobooks.

*These booksellers carry CNY Magazine

04/24/2024

May is (somehow) one week away, so here’s a look at our new cover, coming soon! Subscribers will be receiving their copies of the May/June issue any day now.

04/22/2024

Happy 🌎 Day!
When we produce content and choose what goes in each issue, we think about the seasons and the different activities we do here at those times of year.
🌱
We want to keep our beautiful CNY landscapes and environment the way they are and enjoy them year round, so in each issue, we highlight a small way you can introduce more sustainable practices into your daily life. We consult area experts such as , .cny, , , .esf and more.

04/19/2024

Don’t forget to pack us in your carry-on if you’re traveling for spring break!

Our March/April issue is only available for about 10 more days. Read up on home renovation and design trends, inclusive prom and wedding style, starting a container garden, cozy spots to hang out in and more!

04/17/2024

Lots of people caught doing good!

04/17/2024

Will you be joining us at on April 29? We had a great time mingling with new and returning mentors tonight and it’s quite a line up!
We’re happy to answer any questions you have about the event!

Who: Women at any stage of their career
What: Mentoring Monday networking and career skills event
When: Mon. April 29, 4-7 pm
Where: Drumlins Country Club
Why: To expand your network; find like-minded friends and professionals; ask questions about life, business; brush up on interviewing skills; and much more!
How: Get your ticket for $25 at https://events.syracuse.com/mentoringmonday2024/

04/13/2024

Did you know that we feature a different Central New York town, village or neighborhood in each issue? We do this to show readers and CNYers how much is going on within our communities and to help them explore new spots.

Sometimes we pick well-known or popular locations and other times we pick places that may be a bit unexpected so that we can show the amenities and positive aspects of those areas and dispel the myths. We want everyone to feel pride in the area that they live in and we want to help people discover new places that they are less familiar with.

In our current issue, we highlight Cortland, particularly the downtown area. We cover places to eat and drink, annual events, local shopping, parks and outdoor recreation, and things to do. We put a ton of research into these stories and everything we highlight is locally owned.

📝

04/11/2024

Wishing a long, happy, healthy retirement and many new adventures to our friend John Massara, owner of .

There aren’t many independent menswear stores here in Syracuse, so John’s was one of our go-tos. His ability to literally size a man up (and provide perfectly fitting garments to try on) just by looking at him was astonishing. John started at The Florsheim Shoe Company and became a fixture downtown in Armory Square, eventually opening his own shop and participating in Syracuse Fashion Weeks. He later moved his store to Hanover Square where it was until he retired just over a week ago.

We will miss you around the neighborhood, John, aka The Retailer of The Year (ROTY)!

04/10/2024

Our friends at The Tasting Room (search “The Tasting Room Syracuse” here on FB) have rolled out their new dinner menu and you may recognize one of the entrees!

For our March/April Farm to Table recipe, Chef JC Rodriguez provided their Citrus-glazed Duck Breast, with white bean and charred spring onion, garnished with celeriac mousse and finished with a port wine demi-glace.

Head to the downtown Syracuse restaurant to let the pros cook it for you, then stop next door at Epicuse to pick up a copy of our current issue so you can make it again at home!

The story also looks at the restaurant’s approach to emphasizing seasonality and incorporating locally grown or produced ingredients.

📝 MJ Kravec
📷