The weather in Ithaca during the winter is not the most pleasant unless you like cold, snowy, gray days and bitter cold nights. Just ask any Cornell or Ithaca College alumni.
That said, even the local tourist board has finally given up trying to attract people during the dark months. Here's a USAToday online mention of the tourist board's latest post:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...d77404963a0eba