Welcome to Syracuse
The sixth-largest city in New York, Syracuse is the economic and academic hub of central New York. The city, named after the city on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily, is famously home to Syracuse University, a major research university, as well as a range of convention sites - downtown convention complex, the Empire Expo Center - that might pique the interest of those traveling on business trips. Live jazz is the heart and soul of two annual outdoor festivals in Syracuse, the Syracuse Jazz Festival and CNY Jazz Arts Foundation's Jazz In The Square Festival. If you're looking to unwind, the urban center has no shortage of green space, maintaining over 170 parks including Burnet Park, which contains the first public golf course in the U.S. Roughly 660,900 people call Syracuse home.
Given Syracuse's fluctuating weather, it's a wise idea to pack for the season. Temperatures reach the 80s in the summer and drop to the teens during the winter. To get around the city, locals will tell you that car is the best option. Syracuse rental cars might come in handy. Drivers should pay extra attention to the street signs downtown, some of which go from being two-way to one-way - something not always indicated clearly on a map. The local bus is called the Centro, which has routes throughout Syracuse University and SUNY area as well as the outer suburbs.