Rochester (New York)
From World travel guide
Rochester is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.
Contents |
Understand
Rochester was George Eastman's home town, and is still the location of Eastman Kodak. Also home of Xerox and Bausch & Lomb, making it a major center for optics.
The local newspaper is the Democrat and Chronicle.
Get in
Rochester has a small international airport to which air fares are generally expensive. Some of the best deals can be found with JetBlue when flying from JFK Airport in New York City. There is a Greyhound bus station which is located in the heart of downtown. There is also a train station, but Amtrak is expensive and rarely runs on time.
Fast Ferry from Toronto, Canada to the port of Rochester via The Cat. The ferry permits bicycles, and it has two movie theaters, a restaurant, a bar, and shopping. A $50 adult off-season round-trip ticket may seem like a lot, but the two-hour trip saves a lot of time.
Get around
To see the city, a car is a virtual necessity. Either bring your own car or rent one on the arrival floor of the airport. Outside of downtown, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are scarce. There are bus lines run by the Regional Transit System (RTS), but the fares are pricey, almost $2 for a single ride.
See
Museums and Galleries
- George Eastman House: International Museum of Photography and Film, 900 East Ave, 271-3361 (Fax: 271-3970), [1]. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM. Offers guided tours of the mansion and photographic exhibits. $8 admission.
- Memorial Art Gallery, [2].
- Rochester Museum and Science Center, [3]. Exhibits for children and adults.
- Strasenburgh Planetarium, [4].
- Mount Hope Cemetery, Mt. Hope Ave. Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and other historical figures are buried in this beautiful old cemetery. Also a great place for running.
- Susan B. Anthony House, 17 Madison St, [5].
- Seneca Park Zoo, 2222 St. Paul St, [6]. The entire zoo can easily be enjoyed in an afternoon.
Sports
Cinema and Shows
- The Little Theatre. 240 East Ave, 232-3906, [10]. Run by a not-for-profit corporation, the legendary Little shows a wide variety of independent films. There is also a cafe with live music. Tickets cost $7 most nights, except for the weekend matinees where costs drop to $5. Discounts are available for seniors and students.
- Dryden Theatre. At the George Eastman House, 900 East Ave, 271-3361, [11]. The Eastman House, a major not-for-profit film and photographic museum, houses the Dryden Theatre. The Dryden shows a wide variety of Hollywood classics, international and independent films. Tickets cost $6 for the general public, $5 for students, and $4 for museum members except during special events such as visiting filmmakers. Nearly all films begin at 8PM and are preceded by a brief film talk.
- Geva Theatre, 75 Woodbury Blvd, 232-1366, [12]. A very nice theatre, offering a choice from two different plays at any given time. Discounts are available for students and seniors.
- Comix Cafe, 3450 Winton Place Plaza, 424-5233, [13]. Billed as the only comedy club in Rochester, the cafe provides both comics in the showroom and booze in the bar up front. Be warned, however, that attending a show requires both a ticket and a minimum amount of food purchased per person (or face a surcharge). While the food is reasonable in taste, the prices are pretty steep and can result in a high hidden cost.
- Water Street Music Hall, 204 N Water Street, 546-3887, [14]. A wide variety of live music several nights out of the week. There is also a reasonably priced bar inside.
- BugJar, 219 Monroe Ave, 585 454-2966, [15]. The walls display various works of art created by local artists, and the stage area/dance floor has an entire roomful of furniture arranged on the ceiling. Drink specials and live entertainment are featured here nightly, presenting popular local and national musical artists.
- Downstairs Cabaret Theatre, 20 Windsor St, 325-4370, [16]. A tiny theatre with seating just a few feet from the stage. It's best to call before hand to buy tickets and get directions.
Districts
- High Falls. Featuring a waterfall in the center of downtown, this is a nice area to walk around.
- Park Ave. There are a lot of great trendy shops in this district, and it's serviced by the RTS service. However, it's definitely not an entire day activity, and things close relatively early.
Do
Hiking
- Cobb's Hill Reservoir Park. If you happen to be in the area, Cobb's Hill provides a great panoramic view of downtown. Located on the corner of Culver and Monroe, it is an easy walk from the cafes on Park Ave.
- Erie Canal Trail, [17]. Though the walking paths are open year round, the canal is drained, kept empty, and less scenic between November and May. During the winter time, however, the canal trail is virtually deserted, and provides an excellent place to snowshoe and cross-country ski. There is no admission fee, and free parking is available at Genesee park. The trail and facilities are open from 6AM to 9PM daily.
- Genesee Valley Greenway , [18]. Formerly a railroad bed, this mostly gravel trail is perfect for off road cycling/walking/running. It follows along the Genesee river, cutting through the rolling farmland south of Rochester. 50+ miles depnding upon how far south they've developed the path.
- The Hi Tor, [19]. A short drive from Rochester in the village of Naples lies this spur off of the Finger Lakes Trail system. The Hi Tor provides heavy duty steep grade hiking/mountain biking. Leads to a beautiful hill top view of Canandaigua Lake.
Buy
- Rochester Public Market, 280 North Union St, 428-6907, [20]. Established in 1905, the public market is full of stalls and vendors. Fun to walk around, it is also an excellent place to purchase cheap locally grown produce. Open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays.
- Marketplace Mall, [21].
- 'The Mall At Greece Ridge Center, [22].
While the usual generic liquor stores abound, there are specialty shops that are worth a second look:
- Beers of the World, 3450 Winton Plaza (same plaza as Comix Cafe), 427-2852. A huge selection of both macro and micro brews from all over the world. Also has a large display filled with good cigars.
- Wine Sense, 749 Park Ave, 585 271-0590. Located near numerous other small shops and cafes, this wine dealer has a very friendly staff and carries many quality wines from the Fingerlakes region.
There are several bookstores on Monroe Ave and East Ave which sell new, used, and rare books. Naturally, there are also large chain stores such as Barnes and Noble and Borders in the city.
- Greenwood Books, 123 East Ave,= (near the Little Theatre). A nice selection of new and used books, with some older items that one simply can't find in large chain bookstores. Of particular interest is the selection of books covering both historical and modern Rochester.
- House of Guitars, 645 Titus Ave, 544-9928, has a huge selection of new and used records, cd's, and casettes, most of which you won't be able to find anywhere else. The store is also a shrine to music and musicians, with an extensive collection of instruments for sale. Some of the biggest music groups in the world (Metallica, Ozzy, etc) go out of their way to come to this store, because the selection is so big.
Eat
Like many other American cities, Rochester is blighted with endless stip malls crawling with large chain restaurants. For more original fare, try the many cafes in the pedestrian-friendly Park Avenue area. There is one piece of local cuisine that travelers with a large stomach and no fear of cholesterol should try: the Garbage Plate of Nick Tahou's.
- Aja Noodle Co., 2602 Elmwood Ave, 244-1052. Serves lunch and dinner. Though located away from other travel attractions, the noodles are some of the best in Rochester. $7-$12 ($5 for all noodle bowls with a college ID).
- Jay's Diner, 2612 W. Henrietta Road (across the street from the Movies 10 budget cinema), 424-3710. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. A popular hangout with local college students, there's cheap food and it's always open. $5-$10 (10% discount with student ID).
- Nick Tahou Hots, 2260 Lyell Ave, 429-6388. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Though located in a bad part of the city, Tahou's is the origin of Rochester's authentic cuisine, the garbage plate. For a few dollars, the plates come with macaroni salad, home fries, and special sauce, and multiple hamburger patties. $4-$10.
- Rochester's Independent Restaurant Guide 2Taste
- Dinosaur BarBQue Amazing Ribs, Chicken, and Black Beans and Rice among many other things. Expect to wait though! Average wait for a table is easily an hour, they don't take reservations, and unless your whole group is there you can't get on the list. They're a tad vigilant about it, but the place pushes so much business through they can afford to do so. Dinosaur BBQ
- 2 Vine, 24 Winthrop Street. French and Italian food in a casual yet elegant bistro-type setting. Delicious vegetarian dishes, as well as a wide selection of fish, veal, etc. Moderately priced and near The Little Theatre.
Drink
A small cluster of bars on Alexander Street represent one of the few places alive at night in Rochester. Even during the cold winter evenings, people can be seen on the street, hopping from one bar to the next.
- The Distillery, 1142 Mount Hope Avenue, 271-4105. Open M-Su. A rather generic sports bar and grill, this establishment is mostly notable for its specials. Before 10PM, there is a different draft beer on sale every day of the week. After 10PM, the beer sale ends, but all appetizers are half off. Naturally, the best time to arrive is 9:45PM. $3 draft/bottle beers, $6 well drinks.
- The Old Toad, 277 Alexander St (next to several other bars), 232-2626 (info@theoldtoad.com). Open M-F 11:30AM-2AM, Sa 12PM-2AM, Su 5PM-2AM. English beer, English Food, English staff. What more can one ask from an English pub? A unique atmosphere with reasonable prices, the Toad is an excellent place to get sloshed. $4 draft/bottle beers, $6 well drinks. http://theoldtoad.com/
- Spot Coffee, 200 East Ave (next to the Little Theatre). A trendy, popular hangout, people come here to relax and socialize while enjoying a cup or two of the brown brew. It's quite acceptable to spend hours here while only buying a single small cup of coffee; students do it all the time. The drinks cost about $2-$3, while light meals are available for around $5.
Get out
A nice day trip, Niagara Falls is an hour and a half by car to the west. There are also several nearby parks, Letchworth being popular and only an hour drive away. Near Letchworth is Hemlock Lake, which is considerably quieter and less known. The lake has the added bonus of being free of admission and parking fees.
Starting just south of the city are the various towns along the Finger Lakes, such as beautiful Canandaigua.
For onward travel, New York City and the scenic Adirondack mountains are both a six hour car trip to the east. Toronto, Canada is also close by and can be reached by a three hour drive, or by the newly opened ferry.
Places of Worship
If you're looking for a lively Protestant church in the heart of downtown, Bethel Community Fellowship on 321 East Avenue and Broad Street seats a good number.
Down the street further east, you'll find a more traditional Asbury First United Methodist Church (1050 East Ave.), recognized for wonderful formal music.
Speaking of music, Pearce Memorial Church features many musicians from the Roberts Wesleyan College community. Take 490 way out west to the North Chili exit, and follow the signs right for Roberts Wesleyan.
Tucked almost in the heart of downtown, Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word is a cozy place 597 East Avenue. Walk across the street afterward for lunch at the Spot.
Over a dozen synagogues are available within a few miles of downtown, and they're worth passing just for the architecture. If your hotel is in Henrietta, check out Temple Beth Am on 3249 E. Henrietta Rd.
Rochester has at least two Messianic Congregations: Petah Tikvah on Doncaster and Shema Yisrael. If you follow 590 North up to the Webster exit, turn right at the first street. Shema Yisrael is on 1326 North Winton, with a quaint store selling Judaica and related books.
A few miles west of downtown, visible from 490, is an exhuberant Spanish congregation: Iglesia La Luz Del Mundo, 200 Child Street.
A popular Catholic Church, St. Pius X, is located on 3000 Chili Avenue, which is the western continuation of Main street (take the expressway to avoid lights; it's between the airport exit and Chili Center).
External Links
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