Culture

Some tamales are so good, you’ll follow directions that start with “use the basement door” to satisfy a craving — the tastiest bites are often tucked just out of sight. Even better when there’s an option to pair that lunch or dinner adventure with a hike at Letchworth, a ski run down Bristol Mountain or […]

Twenty years ago, Nick DiBella walked into Schutt’s Apple Mill in Webster and immediately had an epiphany. He compared the feeling to being struck by lightning.  “Suddenly, I could see a television show in that place,” said DiBella, local filmmaker and co-founder of Faith Street Films. “I could see young people working on the farm, […]

Before electricity was invented, farmers in peak harvest season worked beyond sunset with help from the light of the full moon. The eponymous “harvest moon” arrives closest to the autumn equinox each year, sitting low in the sky. For many Asian cultures, this moon extends beyond agricultural significance and represents a time for community.  On […]

Best Of Rochester 2026 has entered the chat. Our annual readers’ poll is a chance to shout out your favorite people, places and things to do. A chance to give recommendations to other CITY readers. A chance to promote your business. And as always, the four finalists in each category are dictated by your write-ins! That’s where […]

At 233 Mill Street in the High Falls district sits a new jazz and R&B lounge that the owners describe as mature, classy and comfortable. Nightcap Blues was the vision of Tyrone Reaves, Harold Drumgoole and Rick Caesar, three men who work in manufacturing with a love for good vibes and good people.  “We wanted to […]

Intricately designed, hand-carved tiles click against acrylic racks as four women spanning three generations rack their tiles, uncovering the 13 they have to work with. Once everyone has racked their tiles, they select three they want to pass and the Charleston (or tile swapping) begins. Between each tile exchange, the women forget which round they’re […]

Even with the continued rise in features about Rochester and its many contributions to the local, national and international, it can still feel like there’s only two notable Rochesterians — or three, if you think a little more on it. It cannot be overstated how impactful the contributions of Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony and […]

On a humid 90-degree day last July, nearly 400 people sat shoulder-to-shoulder inside the Fedder Building on East Main Street. Handheld fans and sweating bottles of Modelo took the edge off, and any discomfort was forgotten as the first-ever Rochester Fashion Runway program began. For the next two hours, more than 10 designers, 20 performing […]

Behind-the-scenes and setting the scene: Leaphe Ferm, Jeffrey McCune, Jr., Beatriz LeBron, John Kucko, Jenna Manetta-Knauf, Max Kelley, Jon Spacher, Pam Sherman, Andria B. Langston and Nydia Padilla-Rodríguez.