Downtown Syracuse

April 7, 2013 - 4:31pm
The food and drink tasting event drew large crowds to the Museum of Science and Technology even during the SU Final Four game against Michigan.

If you weren't watching the Syracuse-Michigan basketball game and needed something else to do on Saturday night besides spill beer on your orange Final Four T-shirt or shout “Go Cuse!” at a bar's TV, "Tap into the MOST" at the Museum of Science and Technology was definitely the best way to spend your night. 

July 26, 2011 - 9:48am
Volunteers from 40 Below are working on a mural spanning two blocks to remind people of the impact the Erie Canal once had on the Salt City.

A dozen people clad in sandals rolled out baby blue paint onto Erie Boulevard in downtown Syracuse Saturday night between Montgomery and Salina streets, a two-block stretch converted from a fraction of the Erie Canal into dry land less than a century ago.

Approaching 9 p.m., the former national power building shone out down the boulevard, and the fountains bubbled behind public works barriers. To the South, the sky loomed dark and opaque.  

July 22, 2011 - 1:47pm
Syracuse University lent a hand in hosting the city’s first Air Guitar Competition on April 22.

The Event

The Department of Art and Music Histories at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences teamed with The Red House Arts Center and the national U.S. Air Guitar Competition to host Syracuse’s first annual Air Guitar Competition on April 22. Performer Paul Martino of Syracuse, known as Math Romancer, won the contest and gained a free trip to New York City and a spot in the US Air Guitar Regional Championship held on June 15.

October 3, 2010 - 7:23pm
Review: Rarely Done Productions puts on [title of show], a musical about writing a musical, at Syracuse's Jazz Central.

In the third song of [title of show], Hunter, dressed as a sandwich board advertisement that reads “An Original Musical,” gives Jeff a satirical crash course in how to put on a Broadway-worthy production. He promotes an over-the-top set, a huge cast and a full symphony orchestra. And when Jeff says he wants to use just four chairs, four cast members and a keyboard, Hunter replies that Jeff needs at least “a turntable or a freakin’ electric blimp or something.” 

June 12, 2010 - 8:41pm
A look at OrangeSeeds' "Big Event" and two ongoing projects in Syracuse's Near Westside neighborhood.

Students in Syracuse University’s OrangeSeeds program chose to focus on the Westside community downtown for their annual “Big Event” on April 24, bringing a group of 150 to 200 volunteers to clean up the area and help out with a variety of projects taking place there.

June 12, 2010 - 7:09pm
SU professor Marion Wilson leads volunteers from OrangeSeeds in rethinking and shaping up a Near Westside house.

Less than a year ago Marion Wilson bought a house on the Near Westside through Syracuse University's Scholarship in Action. The house had been run down and used as a drug headquarters among some area residents.

June 12, 2010 - 6:33pm
Artists, students and volunteers combine forces to create art, vegetation out of a neglected space in downtown Syracuse.

A collection of Syracuse University students and local volunteers gathered in Lipe Art Park in April to clean up and prepare the area for gardening and art projects taking place there. Brendan Rose, a masters degree student in architecture at SU, used volunteers to mix cement for an art installation he is creating for the city. The installation is located in the center of the park and will serve as both a graffiti wall and shade canopy for the residents. 

March 3, 2010 - 12:37pm
Clayscapes blends together the experience of a gallery, studio and classroom.

A simple material pulled from the earth -- clay. That’s what it’s all about at Clayscapes. Some galleries focus on paintings, others on sculptures. But at Clayscapes Pottery, the theme of the work centers around using your hands to mold, shape, and create a piece of art. Don’t be frightened by its warehouse-like look, or its off-the-beaten-path location. Clayscapes is a gallery for anyone who appreciates great works, created from raw, native materials.

February 14, 2010 - 5:38pm
Downtown Dining Weeks starts Monday in Syracuse, and offers restaurant-goers a variety of cuisines for $25 or less.

Downtown Dining Weeks is a great opportunity to sample the wide world of cuisine Syracuse has to offer without dropping a ton of dough. For two weeks, from Feb. 15 to 27, 19 local restaurants will offer three-course dinners for $25 or less. And 14 days leaves plenty of time for double dipping. You can get a lot of diversity—and a lot of dinner—for your dollar. The restaurant roster includes all kinds of food: French, Italian, Irish, Greek, Thai, Mexican and American, to name a few.


The list: