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We didn't get to visit most of the towns listed, instead we drove around the city. Rochester wasn't at all what we expected. Maybe we weren't in the bad parts of the city but Rochester seemed "newer" than Buffalo. We both loved the downtown (clean, new, trees/greenery, bike lanes) and wish there was a central park or gathering place like Canalside over in Buffalo. We were expecting Buffalo to be at the top of the list but Rochester moved up and it is a close tie.
We didn't get to visit most of the towns listed, instead we drove around the city. Rochester wasn't at all what we expected. Maybe we weren't in the bad parts of the city but Rochester seemed "newer" than Buffalo. We both loved the downtown (clean, new, trees/greenery, bike lanes) and wish there was a central park or gathering place like Canalside over in Buffalo. We were expecting Buffalo to be at the top of the list but Rochester moved up and it is a close tie.
I'm assuming, but parks like Highland, Cobbs Hill and perhaps Ontario Beach Park could be viewed as being similar.
We didn't get to visit most of the towns listed, instead we drove around the city. Rochester wasn't at all what we expected. Maybe we weren't in the bad parts of the city but Rochester seemed "newer" than Buffalo. We both loved the downtown (clean, new, trees/greenery, bike lanes) and wish there was a central park or gathering place like Canalside over in Buffalo. We were expecting Buffalo to be at the top of the list but Rochester moved up and it is a close tie.
It always amazes me how unaware about Rochester a lot of people around the country are thinking that Rochester is some rotting rust belt city, and even a lot of Rochesterians seem to think this and focus on the negativity. When in reality this city has amazing things going for it. From the canal town suburbs, to the festivals and the fun downtown neighborhoods with a lot of character and culture, it really is a great place to live.
It always amazes me how unaware about Rochester a lot of people around the country are thinking that Rochester is some rotting rust belt city, and even a lot of Rochesterians seem to think this and focus on the negativity. When in reality this city has amazing things going for it. From the canal town suburbs, to the festivals and the fun downtown neighborhoods with a lot of character and culture, it really is a great place to live.
Do you have one main park for festivals or are they usually scattered around the city? What downtown neighborhoods would you recommend to visit?
Do you have one main park for festivals or are they usually scattered around the city? What downtown neighborhoods would you recommend to visit?
Many of the festivals/events put on by the city are now done in MLK Jr. Memorial Park. Not a hugely impressive park by any means, but it is right downtown and close to other stuff to do so I think it works well. But stuff happens plenty of other places too. Park Ave has the huge Park Ave Festival, Highland Park does Lilac Fest, every town seems to have their own festival at some point of the summer. I think the variety is nice although I generally stick to things in the city personally just for convenience. For neighborhoods to check out: South Wedge, Park/Monroe, Neighborhood of the Arts, Corn Hill, and the "East End" which is kind of turning into just downtown in general are all places to visit.
If you are coming to visit again over the summer we could probably point you to a weekend where something bigger is going on in the city. In particular, I'd recommend visiting during Jazz Fest at the end of June or Park Ave fest in early August.
I will also say that I agree with you about how Rochester feels new and cleaner. Even people around here talk about the city and downtown like it's a dump, but I've been to other decent sized cities and I generally feel like Rochester is a pretty nice looking place in comparison. Main Street is also due for some beautification in the next year or two, I think it's going to look really nice when they're done with it and really take advantage of the changes going on downtown.
Last edited by UncleBenny; 06-07-2016 at 07:36 AM..
Just to add to what db2797 and UncleBenny stated, the Rochester metro has an above average educational attainment due to its corporate history and in turn, it has always had more of a white collar vibe to it. So, I think people assume that it is a typical Rust Belt city/area, when in fact it has more of a white collar feel. Out of the top 100 metro areas in population, the Rochester metro is 22nd in regards to people 25 or older with at least a Bachelor's Degree according to the last census: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...reas.html?_r=0
Are there sandy beaches on Lake Ontario that people hang out on summer nights? Like have bonfires on the beach?
Yes there are, but they are on private beaches. First, the beaches (parks) close about 10 and open fires are illegal. For an amazing view, walk out the Charlotte pier on the 4th of July and look around. The whole southern shore is on fire and fireworks galore.
But, people do hang out at Durand Eastman park and Charlotte beach on warm summer evenings, Yes.
Fires are "illegal" but we used to do it almost every week during the summer near Durand along with bringing a grill out on the beach. No one really cares as long as you aren't bothering anyone, every once and a while someone might stop by and make sure you don't have any open containers but you can just put stuff in plastic cups. Once it gets dark, no one is really patrolling the beach anymore so a small fire is generally not a big deal. The only trouble we had was they might ticket you in the parking lot if you hang around past closing, so we'd try to get out of there by 10 or so. The mosquitos are so annoying down there that you probably don't want to be there too late anyway.
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