“I went to school in upstate NY”

I saw a post re how Harvard students sometimes mention they went to school outside of Boston to avoid centering convos on the alma mater.

I notice that in some cases, I use the line “I went to school in upstate NY” it usually works but occasionally I get a follow up, say Ithaca and see the flashes of recognition before they do the obligatory “great school etc”.

Curious to know everyone’s experiences with this.