Rochester,
rolled
It
was my attraction to bright colors that led me to Rochester’s Cigar Factory at
467 State Street. Its brightly painted exterior has made it a local landmark
— the bright spot on State Street just past “The Big Yellow Box,” Kodak. When
I checked it out recently, the customers I saw were a mix of white- and
blue-collar types, mostly men.
           Narciso Martinez is the owner. Just
call him Cisso, because it’s easier. He’s been producing his easy-drawing
Cisso-brand signature cigars here for seven years. “I was the first and
only cigar factory in all Upstate New York,” Cisso says. “We came
after the big cigar boom, but people in Rochester really wanted a Rochester
cigar.”
           Martinez came to the US from the
Dominican Republic 18 years ago. And he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He’s
working with a cooperative of independent farmers in the Dominican Republic who
supply him with the tobacco he has rolled into his cigars.
           But it’s not the supply-side that
gets Cisso going. It’s the product. His knowledge of smoking tobacco is
encyclopedic. Just don’t let it intimidate you. He seems to welcome
opportunities to work with novice cigar smokers, and has a knack for matching
finicky palates with the perfect cigar.
           In addition to the Cisso line, the
Factory creates custom cigars for local clients. It also makes special cigar
bands for company promos, bachelor parties, and weddings.
           There’s a small café on the
premises, where you can puff away to your heart’s content. The master roller is
always there on Mondays. Feel free to watch him work or even ask him a
question, but keep in mind that he gets busy sometimes, rolling over 300 cigars
on some smoky days.
—
Dave Cross
Eyes
on a prize
For
more than a decade, the Massachusetts-based Bruner Foundation has bestowed the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban
Excellence on carefully selected projects and designs across the Lower 48
states. The gold medal winner gets $50,000; silver medalists get $10,000 each.
Winners can use the money in any way they feel will benefit their projects.
Recent medalists include Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center and
Philadelphia’s Village of Arts and Humanities.
           Now fans of a Rochester project —
Atlantic-University’s ArtWalk, which
combines street and sidewalk enhancements with installations of public art —
have their eyes on the Bruner. ArtWalk organizer Doug Rice says the group is
looking for people willing to help with the application, which must be filed by
December 16. Basically, what’s needed are short supporting statements.
           Who can take part? According to
Rice, almost any ArtWalk fan who’s attended public events or viewed the
project, and of course any artist who’s submitted work for display. To get on
board, contact ArtWalk, 234-6670, or visit the group’s website,
www.rochesterartwalk.org.
Not
so mean streets
The
Rochester metro area’s highways and byways have earned an honor — sort of —
from the Surface Transportation Policy
Project, a Washington-based not-for-profit.
           In a new study, Mean Streets 2002, the group assigns a “Pedestrian Danger Index” to
large urban areas across the US. The index is based on pedestrian deaths per
capita and related data from the US Census and other sources. Orlando, Florida,
was number one on the list, meaning it was deemed the most dangerous place for
urban walkers. (In fact, five of the top six places went to Florida cities.)
           But what about Rochester? We were
number 42 of 49 metro areas — meaning this may be one of the country’s safest
pedestrian environments. We beat Buffalo; the Queen City was number 30. But
looks can be deceiving: The New York Tri-State metro area, which has vast
pedestrian hordes as well as significant numbers of fatalities, came in at
number 47. So as usual, everything is relative.
Correcting
ourselves
In
“You ain’t seen nothin'” (Nov. 20, 2002), we incorrectly asserted that Monroe
County pays the full cost of health insurance for both current employees and
retirees. In fact, according to county spokesman Bob Nolan, current employees
pay “a small share” of their health insurance bill, ranging from $10 to $50 a
month for singles, $25 to $100 a month for family coverage. Qualifying retirees
are fully covered by the county.
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2002.
