Norwich is a small town and doesn't get enough traffic to warrant a bus depot. We remember when we had to buy tickets at the cigar store (now closed) but now a small cafe serves as the local ticket agent and we couuldn't be happier. The folks who run Carmen's Cafe are friendly and helpful and the food is excellent. Just a few doors down from North Broad Street (the main thoroughfare in town) Carmen's is a small and simple storefront cafe. To buy tickets just walk inside and head to the cash register at the back of the shop. Note that the bus stop is a two-block walk; see below for directions.

Carmen's Cafe serves as the ticket agent but buses board on West Park Place at the corner of Court Street. From Carmen's, take a left on Mechanic Street and another left on North Broad Street. Take your second right (West Park Place) and walk to the next corner. Look for the 'bus stop' sign on the right side. (There is normally a bus shelter here but the sidewalk is currently being renovated.) Be sure to be here early because buses only stop here a few times a day and drivers will leave without stopping if passengers are not visibly waiting. When your bus arrives ask the driver to open the luggage compartment (if you have bags) and board the bus. It couldn't be simpler. Arriving passengers will grab their bags at the side of the bus and from their they're on their own.

Welcome to downtown Norwich. Excepting the regular traffic it's a quiet town. The YMCA is right across Mechanic Street, Howard Johnson's hotel and restaurant is across North Broad Street. There is an Eckerd Drug store a block north and a handful of other restaurants and shops along North Broad Street including a movie theater. If you're in Norwich on purpose then you probably know where you're going. For everyone else, whether you're just passing through or getting out here to take a chance on small town America, well, this is it. Norwich is mostly quiet and safe. You won't find crackheads or muggers lurking in doorways, so take a look around and enjoy yourself.

We don't know of any layovers in Norwich. Buses pass through Norwich en route to and from Binghamton to the south and Utica to the north. There are no transfers here and thus, no layovers. If the schedules change for some unforeseen reason and you have a short layover in Norwich take a walk around downtown and peek in the shop windows. Grab a slice of pie or a sandwich at Carmen's. Enjoy the down-home country feel of Upstate New York.

Norwich North

Give three or four sentences that describe the city, its location, reputation, interesting facts. Give one or two sentences describing the city subjectively. Does this place deserve a visit or is it just an unfortunate layover? What are the must see and do neighborhoods or activities in this city? What are the newspapers and which ones describe local events and nightlife? Describe the weather, when to come here and how to dress.

If the city is steeped in history (Boston, Philly, San Francisco) give a few paragraphs here, maybe one for each century. Otherwise, one paragraph to describe the founding of the city, its growth and regional importance is fine. There is no history test on this trip.

There's nothing like stepping off a bus into a city you've never seen before. The smells, sights and sounds can excite and frighten even the most intrepid traveler. To make the most of your time in any city, be it a day or a month, spend a few minutes learning the neighborhoods before you go. This will help you plan your trip and orient you to your surroundings. This section briefly describes the most popular and tourist-friendly neighborhoods in the city starting with the neighborhoods nearest the bus station and fanning out from there.

Downtown

Describe downtown. Tell us what passengers would see if they stepped off the bus and walked a block or two. Use all of your senses: sights, sounds, smells, first impressions? And are your first impressions right or does this neighborhood surprise the visitor?

Give a few sentences about transportation in the city. Is there anything to walk to near the station? Are we relying on buses or taxis while we're in town? Sum it up subjectively but give objective examples in detail below.

Downtown Norwih is a pedestrian delight, save the traffic on North Broad Street. Just one-mile square, downtown Norwich is easy to navigate with streets laid out in a small grid. The streets are lined with shops and houses and there are several small parks strewn across town. Best of all, you're never more than a short walk from Carmen's Cafe, the local bus stop. That means you can wander to your heart's delight and never get lost. Two caveats: being so small, there's not much for the casual tourist to do in Norwich, and outside of downtown, Norwich is all country, with high speed traffic and narrow shoulders leaving nowhere safe to walk.

Are there buses and subways or is everything compact and walkable? Describe the transit system, company, and fare structure with detail. People need to know how to ride the system. What are the flaws and benefits? Any day or weekly passes? Free transfers?

Local Bus

Describe the history and current events of the buses. Describe the lines and where they go. Where should passengers get on and off? What lines are near the bus station? What are some hot spots on each line? Consider making a chart like this one:

Is this a city where we need a taxi? Is there some must see spot only accessible by taxi like a national park or secluded beach? Where do find a taxi, how much is it, and how can we save some money here?

Is this a city where we need a rental car? Is there some must see spot only accessible by rental car like a national park or secluded beach? Where do rent a car, how much is it, and how can we save some money here?

It can be tough to find affordable accomodations in small towns like Norwich. There's not much competition here and prices can spike unexpectadly. There are not hostels nearby and the Norwich YMCA does not have rooms. Note that Priceline and Hotwire do not offer their respective discount services in Norwich.

Ugh! Hotels in and near Norwich can be a real drag. This isn't much of a tourist town but there are a few large colleges nearby and an annual county fair. This means that hotels around here can be painfully expensive. We once paid $138 a night to stay at the Super 8 on Route 12 just north of town. It was OK but we've paid half that at better hotels in bigger cities. Maybe it was peak season (?) but still, it's hard to justify those prices in Norwich. We guess that's the free market at work.

Howard Johnson Hotel
75 North Broad Street Norwich, NY
Phone: 607 334 2200
Fax: 607 336 7516

Double: $75 and up

This is a basic hotel in the heart of downtown Norwich. You can walk from here to anywhere in town so the location is great even if the rooms can be a bit musty. The hotel restasurant (Studebakers Classic Grill and Pub) is decent but there are several better options around downtown. Take a walk around town before deciding where to eat.

Directions:

From Carmen's restaurant, look across the street, there's Howard Johnson's.. Use caution crossing North Broad Street; apparently crosswalks and pedestriands mean little to these country drivers.

Super 8
6067 State Highway 12 Norwich, NY
Phone: 607 336 8880
Fax: 607 336 2076

Double: $50 and up

Another basic hotel, this one is a mile or so north of downtown Norwich. You can walk here from town but use extreme caution as Route 12 can be very busy and traffic moves very fast. There is a Pizza Hut across the street but not much else to see around here. Good luck.

Directions:

From Carmen's restaurant, take a right on North Broad and walk straight about one mile, There is a sidewalk most of the way. Super 8 will be on your left.

Fred's Inn
5149 Highway 12 Norwich, NY
Phone: 607 334 9282

Double: $?

This might be the nicest hotel in Norwich but it's so far from downtown that without a car it's a hard choice to make. Expect clean rooms and good food but no other nearby services.

Directions:

From Carmen's restaurant take a left on North Broad Street. Fred's Inn is nearly 4 miles south of downtown on Route 12. You can walk but use extreme caution outside of downtown. We recommend that you seriously consider a taxi if you want to stay at Fred's Inn.

Perhaps the best way to travel the country (and the world), couch surfing is a post-modern concept that shows exactly how useful the Internet can be. Travelers register on-line and search the cities where they want to stay. Members offer the opportunity to host visitors (on their couch, floor, spare room) and describe themselves and their availability in an on-line profile. Then users contact each other, discuss plans, preferences and availability and decide whether to commit to an overnight or extended stay. Both parties have the option to refuse an offer without explanation and with no hurt feelings. The service advertises nearly one million users around the world so if you're ready for an adventure and can plan ahead, consider couch surfing. Interested travelers should visit couchsurfing.com and wikipedia.org to learn more.

By now everyone in the world uses Craigslist so you're probably familiar with the site. It's an on-line bulletin board where users freely post ads for everything from used toothbrushes for sale to erotic adventures. In between you can search for paid vacation and short-term rentals under housing. It means planning ahead and you might have to send a deposit to the advertiser. Most users are honest and intrepid travelers can find an affordable, safe, clean place to stay for a few nights. But if you're going to do this why not try couch surfing first? It's free so if you get to the house and don't like what you see you can leave. You also have the option to chat with your host before you ever leave home and couchsurfing.com offers some degree of reassurance with its referral and verification system. So search the Craigslist postings, but keep couch surfing in the back of your mind.

Most cities offer an eclectic menu of restaurants but some cities are best divided into dining areas by neighborhood. Think about the food options in the city. Pick a few cheap eats, a couple mid-range choices and one exotic option. Try to include places that are either MUST SEE or out of the way and easily missed but deserve a visit. Be creative.

Style (Neighborhood) $

Name
Street
City, State ZIP Code

Telephone: 555 555 5555

Hours:

Describe the restaurant, the clientele, the workers, the food, the neighborhood and the overall experience.

Directions…

Custom Directions

Include a chart like this at the end of your Where to Eat section but update it to reflect local pricing.

Is this city compact and are services easy to find? Describe it in a few sentences.

Does the bus station have lockers? How about a nearby train station or airport? Is there a hotel nearby that can hold our bags?

These can be hard to find and the restrooms at bus stations can be absolutely gross. Give us some tips on where to go, and do we need to bring a handful of quarters?

What's a good souvenir for the city? Where do we buy postcards and key chains? In New York City every corner shop sells postcards but in Tampa where do you go?

What can we say? Norwich is a typical country town; its quiet downtown is slowly disappearing (thanks Wal-Mart!) but you can still find a few useful services in downtown. There's only one post office in Norwich and it's only two blocks from the bus stop. To get there from Carmen's, take a left on North Broad Street and walk two blocks (south). Then take a left on East Main Street and the post office is on your right.

Where, when, and how much? Is wi-fi available? Are libraries open to the traveling public?

Some cities have densely populated neighborhoods that surround the bus station and downtown and thus we're likely to find a grocery store nearby. In other cities you have to hunt and peck but if you look around you'll likely find something near the bus station (think Cleveland). Tell us where to find a nearby grocery store, describe it and the neighborhood as well as the style of food, quality and pricing. How do we get there?

Some cities have densely populated neighborhoods that surround the bus station and downtown and thus we're likely to find a laundry service nearby. In other cities you have to hunt and peck but if you look around you'll likely find something near the bus station (think San Francisco). Tell us where to find a nearby laundromat, describe it and the neighborhood as well as the costs, hours, and times to avoid it. How do we get there?

Hopefully you never need medical care while you're on the road, and if you do we hope that you have medical insurance. In the United States you are guaranteed medical treatment at any hospital's emergency room (ER) regardless of your ability pay even if you are not insured. But each state determines how much care uninsured patients get.

What are the best options for medical care in the city? Think price, accessibility, and care. Are we better off going to an ER or are walk-in clinics the best option? Tell us where to go and how to get there!

NEIGHBORHOOD

Hospital or clinic
Street
City, State ZIP Code

Telephone: 555 555 5555
TDD Phone: 555 555 5555

Directions!

Custom Directions

Describe the city's activities and lifestyle in general. Is it a beach city with a hopping nightlife (Miami) or a quiet college town with some great bookstores? Give us an overview of what to expect and then describe a few free and inexpensive options below.

Place or Activity

Name of place
Street
Telephone: 555 555 5555
Hours:

Description, be creative but objective

Directions

Custom Directions

Same as above but these cost a few dollars each.

Money is no object here. Passengers might not partake in this adventure but tell us about it anyway. Maybe it's worth checking out even if we can't afford it.

If you only have one day in town consider this:

Describe in great detail exactly where to go fore folks who have a day in town, maybe just a few hours. Give us directions from the bus station and phone numbers and price guides. What's the perfect one-day trip?

Introduce a few suggested daytrips here. These spots might not be in town but they should be easy to get to in a day.

Be specific. Where are we going and why? What do we do when we get there and how do we get there? How is this different from the city or neighborhood with the bus station? Really sell this place but make sure it's worth the trip. If it's as good as you say it is then this part should be easy.

We can't say it enough: Norwich is a small town. It's livable and pleasant but don't expect too many big city services. The nearest train station is in Utica, about 50 miles north. The nearest full-service airport is in Syracuse, about 55 miles northwest. There is limited airline service in Binghamton, about 50 miles southwest, but flights are less expensive from Syracuse or even Albany (nearly three hours northeast).

To learn about a nearby city please select from the list below.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK
COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK
CORTLAND, NEW YORK
HAMILTON, NEW YORK
MORRISVILLE, NEW YORK
ONEONTA, NEW YORK
SHERBURNE, NEW YORK
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
UTICA, NEW YORK