Narrative Journalism

As part of my final project for Narrative Journalism, I am posting pieces of my work here as I write. They might just be sentences, paragraphs, full stories. They will be achronological and non-narrative. This is mostly an exercise for me, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless. Feel free to comment or e-mail me with suggestions!

See the last section: Trivia at the Nameless Bar.

Driving to the Ithaca Beer Company

Head south on New York State Route 13 and you’ll hit that corner of Ithaca that is not so gorges, the big-box store section that bitters Ithaca’s malty, easy-going local sweetness. Industrial parks and strip malls; Wal-Mart, Lowes, Kohls, Midas, Barnes & Noble, McDonalds, Wendy’s, Friendly’s, Burger King. Grey buildings with bright signs line the banks of this gently snaking river of commercialism, a reminder that that Ithaca is, after all, just another American town. Sure, you’ll pass by local staples Manos Diner and the recently closed Smart Monkey Café, but you’re not in The Commons anymore, Toto.

Commercialism ends with The Home Depot on your right as you cross the threshold of a robin-blue bridge just before Buttermilk Falls State Park. Here the road straightens out and the speed limit jumps to 40 miles per hour as industry gives way to countryside. Heading toward Elmira, the road can’t seem to decide between one and two lanes, and there is no sense in swerving to avoid potholes – you’ll just hit another anyway.

Continue straight at the stoplight for the 13A spur, and the two southbound lanes merge, uniting just after the entrance to the Ithaca Beer Company.