Cornell for lunch

Once we eluded the Confederate cavalry, we finally ran into Highway 1 south of Solon and headed north to Cornell for lunch. Our timing was impeccable, for we arrived on the day of...



...The Cornellian Journalism Conference!

They were in recess when we arrived, so we went to the newly renovated "Rat" for lunch. They have remodeled since my last visit, and I think it looks nice. They took out the walls between the Rat area and the Orange Carpet, and they also removed the walls around the Orange Carpet. It makes it all look more open.



The "Rat" is short for "Rathskeller." It is still a place where you can get a hamburger and fries, but now it's also a Starbucks.



Imagine what we'd have accomplished as journalists if we could have been drinking venti house blend with double espresso. Not that we could have afforded it or anything.



They also have gone high-tech, with little food buzzers to tell you when your order is up. Here it is guarded by Bobby's Lego viking. I had a cheeseburger, while Bobby had chicken strips.



We then returned to the Orange Carpet, where the Journalism Conference had reconvened. Mike Conklin, former Chicago Tribune reporter, was speaking. He is a Cornell Alum and he now teaches at DePaul University in Chicago. He spoke to my freshman journalism class in 1978, where his discussion of the financial and intangible rewards of journalism did much to set me on the road to an accounting career.



Next: we visit the Cornellian!