Back To My Roots At Sacred Root

When I first created a blog my sophomore year of high school, I envisioned a fashion/travel blog documenting prom finds and my family vacations. Of course that was a bit limited but it was enough for me. I just wanted to be writing.

I remember visiting some family in Boston, something we've been doing on Memorial Day for years and while everyone was enjoying the donuts we had just picked up on our morning walk, I sat at the end of the table typing a blog post.

I detailed the library we had visited and the restaurants we had eaten at and while these were the simplest of all activities, it felt like a legit travel blog and I was excited to be writing it.

This brings me back to my roots. I love getting to try new restaurants and visiting new cities and scoring big deals on prom dresses... and writing about it.

Ithaca is FULL of extremely eclectic new places to try. And as I enter what could be my final six weeks in this city for a very long time, it feels as though the clock is ticking on checking out all of the spots that have caught my eye over the years.

Sacred Root Kava Lounge has been on my list since a friend covered the location for her narrative journalism story. In my head, this has been the most Ithaca, hippy location I can imagine.

It was no surprise when we approached the location that it appeared to be an underground hidden dungeon sort of thing with a brightly decorated door. We walked down a staircase lined with string lights to a dark gigantic room with some square tables with just two chairs at each, spaced about ten feet apart. Each table had a centerpiece and they faced a stage with two microphones. In front of these tables was a body like sculpture placed on a pillar, the pillar being the only thing separating this seating area and the horseshoe shaped bar. Behind the bar, there was a gigantic Buddha head like statue with all of the bar supplies behind.

At the bar there was a group of three people who seemed to be friends. They chatted with the bartender and she asked to exchange contacts with one of the girls, saying something about singing together.

On the other side of the bar there was a lone man, sipping what looked to be tea. He sat quietly.

Myself and my friend, Lauren asked the bartender for help with what to order. She suggested this elixir, ginger beer mix. This elixir contained things like ginger, turmeric and some other things that I've known in the past to be good for health. It tasted delicious. Definitely carbonated and it had that gingery pang, but I found it to be similar and potentially a great alternative to a cocktail.

This made complete sense to me, why every time I looked up Sacred Root, it came up as a night life alternative. They did not serve alcohol to my knowledge, however, their kava tea (I think it is tea) I have heard to have some sort of affect on your body, like a drug or alcoholic drink- but I really don't know much about it.

I find these types of things cool, especially in a college town. It is so easy grab a drink with friends but I find myself wanting that atmosphere sometimes, but I'd rather not have alcohol. This was legitimately perfect when it came to that vibe.

As we wrapped up our night, the bartender shift changed and man came in to take the initial woman's spot. I listened as him and some customers discussed hard drugs. I also was surprised when the man sitting alone asked what drink we had ordered, simply because he gave off a sense that he was a regular.

I would absolutely recommend checking out this spot. It was one of my favorites that I've been to in Ithaca, just because of how different it was from the other bars I've been to before.