EXACTLY the same with Santa Cruz. And an immensely tired feeling as well.
But...
It's the buildings and people. The LAND has a very special energy, very high and mellow at the same time. It's definitely different, and really great to be in - as long as you're not with any Santa Cruzians. But I don't think, long ago, the natives actually live there. Nearby, yes, but not there - too powerful.
Same with Santa Fe, NM. The city sits on a plain where the natives came for giant meetings and dances and spiritual celebrations. But no one lived there - they lived nearby.
But the white folks plonked down right in the middle of both places and prompt turned into liberal hippie democrats.
The natives knew better.
“...city sits on a plain ... natives ... spiritual celebrations...”
Very interesting - I wonder if the Cayuga natives had a similar respect and spiritual awareness of the area that is now Ithaca. This would not surprise me.
I certainly have felt an odd time warp feeling in and around Ithaca - the land indeed perhaps has a special energy that needs proper handling (not twisted sixties new age mishandling).