Damn, who knew the coolest little city in America was just down the road.  Apparently, the folks at Budget Travel Mag did.  They’re running a contest to see which one of their 22 nominee towns is the absolute sweetest in the US.  Owego is nominated.  And seriously?  What else is sweeter than spending an evening in a place where you can down your high-end dinner inside a jail cell?  Unless you’re a prisoner.  Yeah.

Anyway, BingPop wants to help.  (CLICK HERE TO VOTE)  And just to motivate you a tad, we e-mailed the eight coolest people we knew, who also knew Owego.  Because who else is qualified to tell you about Owego’s coolness than the uber-cool themselves.  So here they are, my cast of cool:

Lori (my partner on the morning show) grew up in Owego.  She’s all about the cute farms and fresh fruit.  She also loves that “people actually say hi when they pass you on the street”.  Personally, I grew up near New York City.  When people greet you on the street there, it’s because they want money.  Or booze.  Or money to buy booze.  Or they’re from another country and want you to take their picture.  Which is a perfect opportunity to steal their camera.  And sell it for money.  To buy booze.

But not in Owego.

My friend Jason is so enamored with the town’s architecture that he e-mailed me an imaginary drive-through tour of the town.  I don’t have room for the epic journey in its entirety, but here are some highlights…  “It all begins with the classic feeling (and still imposing) bridge that ferries your into the heart of town.  Framed ahead is the looming courthouse with its churchly spires.  On the right you pass the old jailhouse (now a themed restaurant).  Turn right, and…” Yada yada yada, until: “As you drive out of downtown, admire the stately Victorians thick along both sides of the tree-lined street and look for the river peeking between them on the right.”  Then you’re done.

For Jessie, it’s all about the Strawberry Daiquiris.  She’s been going to the annual Strawberry Festival since she was a kid, but the real fun came when she turned old enough to imbibe.  That cocktail, paired with her favorite Strawberry Shortcake, and she’ll be the one stumbling down Front Street with a dollop of whip cream slowly dribbling down her cheek.  Oh, and she also mentioned that she’s got a huge weakness for the basket guy who sells his wears at the same festival.

Jeffrey just moved to the area, but his first Owego find was the Jailhouse Restaurant:  “What initially drew me to it was the stoic brick building and the bars on the windows… I tend to be rather picky about the places that I eat, but I really enjoyed myself.  The food was good, a kind of unique twist on Americana.”  He recommends against taking someone there for a first date.  “The cells may intimidate them.”  Then again, I suppose it depends on the sort of date.

My coworker Marissa’s totally into the “Hand of Man” gift shop.  From what she tells me, this is THE place to be if you’ve still got your Christmas lights hanging up mid-July.  They’ve got their ornaments out year-round, for the X-Mas obsessed.  “They have a cute little cafe in the back… It’s decorated all Victorian. Great wraps, sandwiches and salads. During the summer you can sit outside on the porch and eat overlooking the water.”  Sounds a little TOO charming for my taste, but I like to frown on sentimentality with disapproval until it shrivels into a quivering ball of nothingness.

Kristen loves that Owego is all about reinvention.  “It takes what was old and makes it new.”  The old train station becomes a café.  The original jailhouse is now a restaurant.  Even the theater’s got an old school feel—but plays first run movies.  It’s got retro chic written all over it.  Or, as she puts it, a “small town feel with the sophistication of a city.”

Who else do I know that’s cool?  Oh, wait: Me!  I like the Village’s web-site.  It’s “folksy and fun”.  Whereas you wouldn’t find Bing, Endicott, or JC pointing out its own flaws online, Owego’s got no problem calling ITSELF out: “There are probably some things about the Village that make you a little cranky - like taxes or that big hole on Front Street where there used to be a lovely shop before a fire burned it down in 2000. The best way to do something about the things that annoy you and to make positive changes is to become involved.”  Personally, I think that most people prefer not to get involved, because they can’t b-tch as much.  But I can appreciate the sentiment.

Oh, and the last really cool person I spoke too was Mayor Arrington.  Well, OK, I didn’t actually speak to him.  I spoke to a woman in his office who spoke to him.  But that woman was SO cool, I imagined that she must have been hired by a really cool Mayor.  Mr. Arrington had an endless number of cool things to tell me (by proxy) about Owego. There’s the Free Kids Picnic in the summer; The Lights on River Holiday Showcase.  Also the Ti-Ahwaga Players Community Theater and the Historical Museum.  Yet ANOTHER Kids Picnic from the folks at VFW & the American Legion.  And last, but not least, the people:  “Friendly, honest, helpful, hardworking, and kind.”  And those are qualities even I can’t be ENTIRELY cynical about.