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are there restaurants where it's easy to get a waiter job? what is the music scene like? are there young people in bands or is it just older guys in bands? recording/rehearsal studios?
I guess that depends on whether or not you want to work at a place with a high turnover rate. There are all the chains (I always hated working at them, but most of them had their crap together) in the suburbs, and on park & in the east end there are a lot of bistros and bars that seem to always have "help wanted" signs in the window. As far as the music scene, that depends on what you consider "older" - to me, guys that are over 40 are "older" guys in bands - guys that are 21-24 are "younger". That being said, most of the good music in town is being produced (IMHO) by people that fall in the 25-35 range. Most of the guys over 35 are playing in cover bands (blech) or playing in an original band that is known around Rochester, but only play on weekends and aren't looking to be rock stars anymore. They're good, no doubt, but they aren't chasing the dream. If you're 21-24, in most cases, you are reinventing the wheel musically, if only because chances are you just haven't seen the wheel yet. At 25, musically, you just start getting interesting. You are still a product of your influences, but you know enough to know what three chords have been played to death and try something different. I can get more into it if you want, but I don't want to bore everyone with that stuff. As far as rehearsal spaces, the guy that owns boulder coffee has a fairly secure building on St Paul that has reahearsal space (I think we only paid $150/mo) and there are a few spaces around in old wharehouses (god knows we have plenty of that type of space around lol).
Unfortunately the leaders of ROCH have no idea what it takes to get a downtown vibe going. Many cities have an entertainment "district" that draws people just to shop or dine. We have East End and Monroe ave that unfortunately are just a college scene filled with typical bar fights and too young of a crowd. (I'm only 32 and went to these places also. But when you hit the later 20's your perception does change).
THANK YOU!!! I'm sooo glad someone else finally speaks the truth about the "almighty" East End and Monroe Ave bar scene! Everyone else is so naive and doesn't see it for what it really is and thinks it some gem of Rochester. It's nothing but a bunch of loud, overcrowded, hipster dumps that are usually infested with douchebags and pompous ******* who need a good smack back to reality. I'm 28 and I couldn't stand those places when I was 23, I'm somewhat mature for my age and was never in to that whole scene. A place like Oxfords is my kiinda place until 9pm, when it turns in to a hell hole with overly loud music and drunkin morons.
It's sad High Falls has been vacated by a bunch of immature and irresponsible business owners (see: Tiki Bobs, Jillians, etc) that turned their nose to the underage drinking problem that constant plagued every single establishment down there. It could be such a freakin gold mine of entertainment, yet nobody cares to even try to realize it. I have also been told what some of the lease rates and terms are, and to say they're exorbitant would be somewhat of an understatement. That doesn't help either.
Whatever, the city can whither away to nothing for all I care. As long as I still have a job (in a company that doesn't really have a huge customer base in Rochester anyways), I'm good. Everything I need is right here in Greece, the only thing worth missing down there is Dinosaur BBQ.
That would be because the owners/managers of those clubs were interested in only a few things....girls,coke, and being the "players" of Rochster's club scene. They made money off the underage or they got "favors" from the young girls....I used to go to Tiki Bob's once in a great great while...... Kinda made me laugh looking at all the Jersey Shore crowd trying to be hardcore whannabees.....But man what an awesome building with the back patio overlooking the falls. A real waste of real estate....I actually looked into buying the old Jimmie Mac's, until I found out everything else was shut down around the area too.
Oxford was one of my hangouts....Back then it was all about playing darts and pool (and we all wore flanal shirts and backwards hats)....We used to go to Woody's on Wed. nights and somehow ended up playing Golden Tee for the first 2 hrs. Mostly because we were competative and there was money on the line..
The scene has defitinitely changed...I feel bad for my younger cousins, I think it was much better back 10 yrs. ago. I'm not into "clubs" and that's all it seems to be. With the overpriced liquor and "fake" VIP rooms)
With proper management the city could have a really nice scene down there, with restaurants, shops and bars. (You do need bars in a downtown entertainment district, haven't seen one without them) They have the parking facility and the building layout to really do something special. Along with the stadiums etc.(Even Cleveland has a great entertainment district near there stadiums well until Lebron left)..It has everything that is needed to draw people. Except the will to clean up any of the surrounding areas to promote suburbanites to come.
I've been to alot of cities..(job as a pilot requires tons of travel)..And Rochester is just as good as many of them. Granted we don't have an infrastructure like Seattle or San Fran. And don't have the tourist draw like an Orlando. But we do have a great number of summer things to do. Finger lakes, sports, close to Canada, fairly cheap cost of living.
Unfortunately the leaders of ROCH have no idea what it takes to get a downtown vibe going. Many cities have an entertainment "district" that draws people just to shop or dine. We have East End and Monroe ave that unfortunately are just a college scene filled with typical bar fights and too young of a crowd. (I'm only 32 and went to these places also. But when you hit the later 20's your perception does change). We had a good area down by High Falls that attracted all sorts of different people. Unfortunately the place is completely shut down. It is one of the nicest natural locations to promote a city "district" and Roch. does not utilize it. Or under develops it. Or lets the other side of the river look like crap and expect people to not notice or care about the element that come across the pedestrian bridge.
Places like Austin, San Antonio, San Jose and other mid-size cities have used alot of finacial resources to increase their entertainment venues. Rochester seems to do everything on a half-scale. Everything seems to end up being done half-assed.
plus like every other city, government is fairly corrupt and expects know one to notice.
The winters don't help much either.
How often do you go out in the east end? sure there are the college age places, but there are plenty of places for a late 20s, early 30s person to go. The old toad, blue room, mex, salingers, matthews, moes. There are also many restaurants in that area that attract a more upscale, older crowd. If you want to get away from the frat boy guido scene, its pretty easy to do. I think the east end attracts people of many ages. I get sick of the younger crowd and the problems it brings so I just go to the places that don't attract them.
I grew up in Rochester for 28 years, and it's the same old story. Over half the posts on this thread rant that the OP is being negative for bringing up a concern that he or she is seeing. They say, "Rochester is for young people, and you should be positive", like saying this is going to make the problem disappear. Then you get the other people that say Rochester needs to have a more vibrant downtown, which has been discussed time and time again.
When it comes down to it, Rochester is a nice small city to raise a family in and have a little fun downtown. Is it Paris? NO. Is it a bad place to live? No. Plenty of people like it, and I find that those who want to have children and live near their families stay/return. College kids leave town because there are fun and exciting places out there like NYC, Chicago, Philly, San Fran, European cities, etc, most of which have less snow and more sunny days. IMO Rochester cannot compete with these larger cities, nor should it try. It should continue to take modest steps to improve downtown, ensure the economy is stable, and continue to fight Albany's outrageous tax hikes.
Probably the biggest problem in Rochester is that there is no master plan or vision of who we want to be. If we had a plan, everyone could get on board and contribute in their own way. Most development is individual large projects with well conected developers that have no tie in with the rest of the area. Because these projects are not comprehensive, the citizens protest against them and nothing gets done. We pay a lot in taxes and then get nothing in return. One of Rochester's most recent and exciting projects -the Fast Ferry- was run out of town as nobody could grasp the concept of forging a closer connection with Toronto. And it was a measilly $30 million. Had the state paid for the ship, it would have broke even. No other transportation project breaks even. Again, we desperatly nead a master plan for metro Rochester so we can all get excited about it and get on board.
Measly $30M? It was way more than that. I doubt city taxpayers are happy with having to foot the bill for a $40M boat which is in the Mediterranean, now. The terminal, parking lots, and improvements to lower Lake Ave. cost north of $100M, alone.
If the state paid for the ship? So, taxpayers in Buffalo and elsewhere should have footed the bill for the thing? If the state had run the show things would have turned out worse, not better, as they would have run the thing even if it was losing money, and it would have been owned by one of NY's 800+ public/private "authorities", which are all union.
A low-cost, no frills ferry would have made more sense, but Rochester got a Cadillac ferry, when it's a Caprice Classic town.
Upstate would be smart to divorce itself from NYC and LI, thus creating a separate state. One where public employees are not allowed to organize.
One where public employees are not allowed to organize.
Ugh, unions. This is the main reason I'm planning to move, preferrably to a red state, or a state with much lower taxes so more money stays in my pockets which would allow me to travel more. I think a lot of young people come back to visit family, at least from my observations. I'm also quite sick of the attitudes of people I've met in the Fairport/Pittsford area in the last few years...
Ugh, unions. This is the main reason I'm planning to move, preferrably to a red state, or a state with much lower taxes so more money stays in my pockets which would allow me to travel more. I think a lot of young people come back to visit family, at least from my observations. I'm also quite sick of the attitudes of people I've met in the Fairport/Pittsford area in the last few years...
Just dont move to florida. I currently live here and grocerys are way more expensive, the cost of living is catching up to NY and there are way more hidden taxes!
I'm also quite sick of the attitudes of people I've met in the Fairport/Pittsford area in the last few years...
Aorre, I am just curious about your observations of the Fairport/Pittsford area. I am not from Roch, but have family there, and have my own ideas/observations about the attitude you mentioned. If you don't feel comfortable posting publicly, you could send me a private message. We are considering moving there, and this is actually a big concern for me.... Thanks!
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