Basically, the only major attractions you have there are the gorges. You can tour around the finger lakes, go golfing, bowling, tour Cornell (but you know this much), but that's about it. If you want, About an hour away, there is a casino (Turning Stone).
Here's a link to some attractions. There isn't much aside from parks. I just graduated from college, and I suggest you just take a road trip with some friends and take a look at the stuff in upstate NY.
Go to Niagara. Just be a kid, because people will start looking at you as an adult soon enough.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.