Rochester (Brighton): getting your bearings (Henrietta, Monroe: city hall, houses, neighborhood)

[rgpg_99]

Hi,

If someone is about to move (early August) to Brighton, and has a week or so before starting a full-time job, what advice would you provide that person with in terms of getting to know the area (Brighton - Rochester) before getting too busy with other, job-related commitments?

For instance, are there any companies that offer a tour of the area, like a 2-hour bus tour or something along those lines, where they show you different parts of the city, what the main buildings are, etc? Or, if the tours have to be self-directed, are there any places, areas, main roads, etc., that you would recommend driving along during non-peak hours so as to become familiar with those areas? Any other general advice on what to do in those 7-10 days to get your bearings (if you guys use that expression in upstate NY)?

[skbs]

No tours off the top of my head... you want to get to know the town of Brighton or all of Rochester?

To start... get to know Brighton... Elmwood Ave, Monroe Ave, Highland Ave, Monroe Ave, Winton Ave They all pretty much connect and THAT is pretty much Brighton... Map it...


If you want to know the cooler parts of the city- Map it... this might get confusing...

take Monroe Ave up from Brighton- turn right on Culver, left on Park Ave... look for the shops/dining/cafes-popular walking part of city.... take Park up to Alexander and turn right... good bars on the left side... you will hit East Ave.. if you turn left you will see more bars, coffee shops, The Little Theater, dining...If you go right large historical Houses, museum/planetarium, G.Eastman House... Head Straight on Alexander and you will run into University... turn right and you will have the Memorial Art Gallery, keep going, coffee shop/dining on left and then Craft Co No 9/shops on Right, more shops and dining along the road...continue down to Culver and make a right on Culver and take it to Monroe... Left on Monroe and you are heading back to Brighton... Basically the block of Culver/Park/Alexander/University and all in between/nearby... look at a map.

Did I confuse you? hope not... but that is how I would go about it for at least the first couple of trips out.

[rgpg_99]

Originally Posted by skbs

No tours off the top of my head... you want to get to know the town of Brighton or all of Rochester?

Well, both: the first one because it will be my immediate surroundings, so I'll have to know where to do my grocery shopping, if there is a city hall or city utilities where I'd to to get my electricity connected (or whether that would be in Rochester itself), any cafes or larger bookstores, etc.; and the second one because I'd like to take advantage of what Rochester as a city has to offer :-)

[skbs]

Originally Posted by rgpg_99

Well, both: the first one because it will be my immediate surroundings, so I'll have to know where to do my grocery shopping, if there is a city hall or city utilities where I'd to to get my electricity connected (or whether that would be in Rochester itself), any cafes or larger bookstores, etc.; and the second one because I'd like to take advantage of what Rochester as a city has to offer :-)

In terms of Brighton (I lived there for a bit)
-you will either shop at Wegmans on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (Pittsford Plaza) or Tops on Clinton (between Westfall and Elmwood)
-Library/town hall is on Elmwood between Winton and Culver
-Dining all up and down Monroe and the 12 Corners (the intersections of Monroe/Elmwood/Winton)- Subway, Aja Noodle Co, Great Northern Pizza, Starbucks, Bagel Bin Cafe, Abbotts, Bakeries... all located at 12 Corners....tons more in Pittsford Plaza down Monroe Ave in Pittsford...
-Most Dr's offices you might be interested in are at the corner of Westfall and Clinton
-Strong Memorial Hospital is a straight shoot down Elmwood Ave
-Barnes and Nobles in Pittsford Plaza on Monroe Ave in Pittsford- along with other stores of interest
-Eastview Mall in Victor (rt 96) and Market Place Mall in Henrietta off Jefferson Rd (your closest choice but not as nice)

-RGE/Rochester Gas and Electric would be you gas/electric
-Cable is Time Warner
-Frontier is the Phone Company- unless you choose something else like Time Warner (just and example)

[rgpg_99]

Originally Posted by skbs

In terms of Brighton (I lived there for a bit)
-you will either shop at Wegmans on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford (Pittsford Plaza) or Tops on Clinton (between Westfall and Elmwood)

Thank you for the information. It seems to be that the grocery shops or the malls are all away from Rochester proper (i.e., they are towards Pittsford or Victor). I guess the city itself has more smaller shops/businesses, while the suburbs have the ample shopping centers?

[skbs]

Originally Posted by rgpg_99

Thank you for the information. It seems to be that the grocery shops or the malls are all away from Rochester proper (i.e., they are towards Pittsford or Victor). I guess the city itself has more smaller shops/businesses, while the suburbs have the ample shopping centers?

Brighton Proper has a ton of stores...just depends on what you are looking for... the best mall is in victor (Eastview) and another in Henrietta (Marketplace) which is closest mall to Brighton... Pittsford has a TON of shops up and down Monroe Ave
The closest Wegmans is in Pittsford but that is the on the border of Brighton and Tops is in Brighton
The city of Rochester has boutique like shops on Park Ave/Monroe between Culver and Alexander...

[rgpg_99]

How about the Erie Canal? Someone told me a while back that the "canal area" in Rochester was beautiful. Well, the "canal" goes from Lake Erie to the Hudson river (quite a distance), but I could never get a clarification on what exact area that person was referring to. So, is the whole extension of the canal surrounded by parks, trails, etc., or are there specific areas of the canal that have those facilities (e.g., parks, benches, etc.)? I'll be living near Winton and French Rd., I understand the canal is nearby. Any nicer parts of the canal near that neighborhood?

[notasmoker]

Originally Posted by rgpg_99

How about the Erie Canal? Someone told me a while back that the "canal area" in Rochester was beautiful. Well, the "canal" goes from Lake Erie to the Hudson river (quite a distance), but I could never get a clarification on what exact area that person was referring to. So, is the whole extension of the canal surrounded by parks, trails, etc., or are there specific areas of the canal that have those facilities (e.g., parks, benches, etc.)? I'll be living near Winton and French Rd., I understand the canal is nearby. Any nicer parts of the canal near that neighborhood?

Actually if you go to the website of our local paper, I think it is democratandchronicle.com, there is an article today about the Erie Canal & the most developed canal side places to experience it (Fairport, my town, being one of them).

[skbs]

Originally Posted by rgpg_99

How about the Erie Canal? Someone told me a while back that the "canal area" in Rochester was beautiful. Well, the "canal" goes from Lake Erie to the Hudson river (quite a distance), but I could never get a clarification on what exact area that person was referring to. So, is the whole extension of the canal surrounded by parks, trails, etc., or are there specific areas of the canal that have those facilities (e.g., parks, benches, etc.)? I'll be living near Winton and French Rd., I understand the canal is nearby. Any nicer parts of the canal near that neighborhood?

From Brighton I would take MONROE AVE to EDGEWOOD... on Edgewood you will cross French Rd and a Park/lock will be on your right hand side, across from the JCC... When I lived in Brighton I would ride my bike from there down to Fairport and back... the ride through the JCC area, Pittsford Village, Bushnell's Basin and Fairport are my favorite areas.... some areas on the path are paved, others are gravel/dirt... (actually when I lived in Fairport I used to ride from Fpt out to the airport...and back to Fpt... love the canal path.)