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Bingo. And as I have said time and time and time and time again, I only choose to live in Rochester still for my family, as I have no desire to move my son away from his family, and strip mine and my wifes parents of being close grandparents, especially my parents since our son is the first grandchild in the family. Otherwise, I'd be off to greener pastures, wherever that may be. But good try and making a dig at me, I'm flattered
You're not seriously trying to say that NYC has great quality of life, are you? Please tell me you're joking.
It's honorable to want to keep family close together and I would never suggest otherwise. In fact that was our main reason for moving back to this area....but i mean, is it worth it? Is it worth living in an area you distaste so much to keep your parents near your son? And if it is, would THAT not make it worth while to at least TRY and find some positive things about living here and NOT taking pleasure in highlighting the negatives? Not trying to flame you or anything, just some observations made from experience.
Well, it's not like a live a miserable life. I'm pretty happy, I personally just find it extremely hard to stick up for the city of Rochester. It's so mismanaged that I guess I get a laugh out of it and take more pleasure in pointing out all of the negatives instead of the few (in my eyes) positives. I'm a visual person and judge things by their cover. In my eyes, Rochester at its core is so filthy and lifeless that I have a tough time caring about the museums I might visit twice a year or the festivals I really don't care for in the first place that add some small amount of value to Rochester.
To further make me hate the city and its inhabitants, my car was f*cking keyed/scratched today in a post office parking lot where I usually park, which really p*ssed me off. There was plenty of room between me and the other car so whoever did it most likely did it intentionally or just didn't have enough respect for my shiny thirty thousand dollar sedan to take proper care while walking next to it. It's a long enough (from mid front door to the gas cap, at least 3.5 feet long) and deep enough scratch to where I think some piece of $hit did it intentionally, probably because they're jealous that he/she is such a degenerate they can't afford something even half as nice themselves. I just hope karma catches up to the f*cker that did it and they get hit by a bus. Be one less dirty piece of useless $hit wasting oxygen.
Dude, you are from Florida...you have no room to talk about any state being in a heap of trouble. 20% of the houses in your state are vacant and the list of top cities for unemployment in the nation is littered with FL metros. Also, talk about a bad migration rate....FL OVERWHELMINGLY gets its growth from retirees and the elderly, and young people, especially those with kids, are leaving in DROVES (I know, because I lived in NC until 2007 and that was where they were all moving to) and generally has some of the worst school systems and highest homeowners insurance rates in the country.
I enjoy my 1 week vacation to the sunshine and beaches that can be enjoyed during the winter there; but the rest of the year, you can have it.
To further make me hate the city and its inhabitants, my car was f*cking keyed/scratched today in a post office parking lot where I usually park, which really p*ssed me off. There was plenty of room between me and the other car so whoever did it most likely did it intentionally or just didn't have enough respect for my shiny thirty thousand dollar sedan to take proper care while walking next to it. It's a long enough (from mid front door to the gas cap, at least 3.5 feet long) and deep enough scratch to where I think some piece of $hit did it intentionally, probably because they're jealous that he/she is such a degenerate they can't afford something even half as nice themselves. I just hope karma catches up to the f*cker that did it and they get hit by a bus. Be one less dirty piece of useless $hit wasting oxygen.
Whilst shopping around the holidays back in, oh, '06 I think, I did the usual "Park out in the middle of an empty part of a parking lot so nobody parks near to my car", thing, and sure enough upon leaving the Sears at the Greece mall I see that some moron has parked their large SUV so close to my vehicle that I can't open the driver's door. The spaces around the two vehicles were empty, several spaces across in all directions. So, I have to turn on my "Rochester a*****e" as I call it, and take some form or another of action.
As I'm climbing over the center console from the pass. side, I see the two folk who were guilty in this whole deal waddling towards the two vehicles. Obviously, mine is now occupied by a non-too-happy owner, so it must be theirs which is so close to mine that is blocking my door. They see me, and for some odd reason their fingers are wagging at me and they're vocalizing their displeasure at the fact that me, the owner of the vehicle I now occupy, is somehow guilty of something. I think, "Hmmm, how can I handle this?". I got it out of neutral, hit the key, started it up, then proceeded to open up the door on my old Jeep and repeatedly slam the edge of the door into their front pass. door. "Ahhh", I think, gonna sleep well tonight!
Top 5 good things about Rochester:
1. Plenty of doctors there who dispense copious amounts of psychoactive drugs, which keep an inordinate number of Rochesterians on a somewhat even keel. Thanks docs!
2. Overall, there are great places to eat around the metro, which is more than I can say for other, similarly sized metros.
3. A somewhat educated workforce, although as I get older I'm starting to wonder "Educated in what, exactly?". Plenty of technical folks, some great schools in the area (MCC, UofR, RIT, etc.).
4. 4 seasons, if that's your thing. If you catch the region during a good summer it's one of the best places to be, hands down. Fall is nice most of the time, and there's plenty to do during parts of the year.
5. The suburbs, exurbs, and bedroom communities are generally safe, unlike some parts of the country where you have to watch your back and carry concealed 98.7% of the time. Not much of a problem with crack and meth say out in Ontario Cty., kids worshipping Satan, etc.
Top 5 worse things:
1. Taxes. They're downright awful.
2. Weather, depending on the patterns and time of year. People spend an awful lot of time mulling the weather in Upstate, NY
3. Utilities. Higher than just about anywhere else in the country.
4. Unions, although they're not nearly as prevalent there as in Buffalo and even Syracuse. Union people tend to be sheep and repeat the same-old canned nonsense they hear in the media, whatever their union tells them, and they have a local, unionized media which are there at their every beck and call. That way all the sociology degree'd folks who teach school are told "how important they are" and "it's all for the children", in order to justify their sky-high salaries and compensation. Other white collar government folks fit into the same category.
5. Attitudes. Some Rochester people I've come across are so blind to reality it's made me wonder about their backgrounds and what kind of young adult experience they had. The usual these days is mommy and daddy kicked them out after 26 years of child-rearing (auto and health covered, etc.), only to find out that there's a whole, big, wide world mere streets over from their cozy, cloistered, sheltered world.
Just ask any East-Sider when the last time was they ventured west of the river for anything, or any former Delco employee when the last time was they took a college course. It's fine when folks ask you questions in Rochester, but start scratching the surface there and you'll find there's a whole lot more than meets the eye.
Dude, you are from Florida...you have no room to talk about any state being in a heap of trouble. 20% of the houses in your state are vacant and the list of top cities for unemployment in the nation is littered with FL metros. Also, talk about a bad migration rate....FL OVERWHELMINGLY gets its growth from retirees and the elderly, and young people, especially those with kids, are leaving in DROVES (I know, because I lived in NC until 2007 and that was where they were all moving to) and generally has some of the worst school systems and highest homeowners insurance rates in the country.
I enjoy my 1 week vacation to the sunshine and beaches that can be enjoyed during the winter there; but the rest of the year, you can have it.
Keep in mind that it is a prediction and I wonder if this person took a look at other states right now.
Been reading this tread with amazement. I just cant believe how fluid some of you are with your words and comments. Yet you all seem to get along without taking it overly personal and continue to engage each other with objectivity. Do you realize how utterly cool that is? I have spent a good amount of time on a SC forum 1 state down and jeezum-wonkers do people ever get their drawers in a bunch finding ways to take things personal. Then, all the regulars gang up on the poor soul who dares to whisper a critical but objective opinion and pronounce them to the firey halls of the dam*ed. No matter how much they overweight the post with positive comments.
You guys seem to offer, on balance, just as many honest positives about Rochester as the obvious negatives of the city and state in general. I have lived in Charlotte for 26 years and am considering coming back to NY but just not sure about Albany which I am most familiar with. Can anyone tell me any differences you notice between Albany & Rochester? If anyone is considering a move South, please research your own priorities and weigh them carefully. The South has some FANTASTIC qualities, to be sure, but there are a pocket full of hard-core negatives in my own opinion. I am really torn between both places. With equal amounts of my life in each state.
What are you specifically looking for, as that will allow people to help you properly?
Just generally social, political, economic and culture etc. I have been to Rochester twice in my life. Didnt get around much. Drove directly to a certain destination, did my thing and went back home. I was, however, surprised at how nice the general area seems on the surface. Yes, I noticed some old and tired spots sprinkled around but on the whole, Rochester seems like one of the more vibrant and nicer Upstate cities. I noticed drivers are a good bit less uptight than Albany drivers, for one thing. It seems folks are a bit more laid back and wonder if that is noticed by others as well. I would hope for a better political balance than Albany. Too one sided over there for my liking. I have a pretty good mix of liberal and conservative ideals. (environmentally left of center, fiscally moderate and socially just right of center). How are rental prices? Is it true the area places a high value on local and interesting retail and eateries? or does the never ending strip malls, chains and big boxes rule the roost like it does here in Charlotte? I hear it has a good arts vibe. Does it have a full time Jazz station? How would you rate the area for being bicycle friendly? Are there tons of interesting festivals? Well, there's a few questions for now.
As I'm climbing over the center console from the pass. side, I see the two folk who were guilty in this whole deal waddling towards the two vehicles. Obviously, mine is now occupied by a non-too-happy owner, so it must be theirs which is so close to mine that is blocking my door. They see me, and for some odd reason their fingers are wagging at me and they're vocalizing their displeasure at the fact that me, the owner of the vehicle I now occupy, is somehow guilty of something. I think, "Hmmm, how can I handle this?". I got it out of neutral, hit the key, started it up, then proceeded to open up the door on my old Jeep and repeatedly slam the edge of the door into their front pass. door. "Ahhh", I think, gonna sleep well tonight!
You just went up a notch or two in my book
I've done the same thing before, back when I had a winter beater that I couldn't care less about aesthetically. Anytime someone decided to park a foot away from my car, they got a nice paint mark and dent right in their door. Horrible parking really pisses me off. The easiest thing you can possibly do as a driver, and people still tend to really screw it up. Makes me wonder how they even made it from point A to point B if they can't even park their car correctly.
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