The 7 Wonders of the Central New York World

Everyone is familiar with The 7 Wonders of the World, whether it's the original ones or the updated wonders of the modern world--iconic sites like the great Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, etc.

We thought it would be fun to come up with The 7 Wonders of the Central New York World. So, we took it to Facebook, and received lots of votes. Many people nominated Niagara Falls, which would certainly be worthy of consideration, except it’s not located in Central New York. The rest of the nominations were varied, from natural to manmade, and from serious to frivolous. We considered all the suggestions, and arrived at (in no particular order) THE definitive listing of The 7 Wonders of CNY:

1. The Gigantic Watering Can at the Utica Zoo. It's the world's largest of its kind and a real focal piece at the Zoo.

2. Wegmans. The CNY grocer wins annual awards for customer and employee satisfaction.

3. Green Lakes. The two glacially-formed meromictic bodies of water just east of Syracuse are a brilliant color of green you can't find ANYWHERE else.

4. Erie Canal. Construction began in Rome in 1817 and the 363 miles connected the Hudson River near Albany to Lake Erie near Buffalo. A museum in Syracuse has all the details.

5. Letchworth State Park. The Rochester area attraction is "the Grand Canyon of NY." And the best state park in the U.S., according to the results of a 2015 USA Today poll.

6. Ausable Chasm. The so-called "Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks" (pictured at the top) is a worthwhile day trip.

7. Jim Boeheim. Like him or not, just consider what he has accomplished at a private institution, which compares to ANYTHING the major universities have achieved.

-Honorable Mention. The weather. The roads. Chittenango Falls. Dinosaur Barbecue. Watkins Glen.

If you think we're missing any or want to comment, send 'em in.