Shopping

Corning, devastated by flood in 1972, rebuilt the picturesque centerpiece of its downtown, Market Street, which today retains a 19th-century appearance and is alive with glass galleries, gift shops, and restaurants and bars. Vitrix Hot Glass Studio, 77 W. Market St. (tel. 607/936-2488), Lost Angel Glass, 79 W. Market St. (tel. 607/937-3578), and West End Gallery, 12 W. Market St. (tel. 607/936-2011), are three of the best galleries representing the American studio glass movement, though there are a number of others that are easily discovered walking about town. The two major museums in town, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and Corning Museum of Glass, both have excellent on-site shops; the latter is a must for anyone with the slightest interest in glass; items range from inexpensive glass souvenirs to one-of-a-kind glass art and Steuben crystal pieces.