Whether you spend a day exploring one neighborhood, or bounce between
several of them, you’ll find that the city of Rochester features a variety of
historic places, shopping spots, parks, cultural districts, and nightlife
opportunities. Starting out on the far north end of Lake Avenue, this is one
route to see the sites, taste the flavors, and live the history that Rochester
has to offer.
Northwest
Along Lake Ontario, with the town of Greece to the west and the Genesee
River to the east, is Charlotte, a narrow neighborhood with a
distinct feel. Many of Charlotte’s attractions and businesses are directly
linked to the nearby water. Along the lake, where Lake Avenue ends, is OntarioBeachPark. Sunbathers and swimmers can be found enjoying the beach during the warm months,
and the beach is also the site of the “polar plunge” during the
city’s Lakeside Winter Celebration every February. The park also includes a
carousel that has been in operation for more than 100 years, a pier that
stretches out into the lake, a boardwalk, and several beach volleyball courts.
Head south along Lake Avenue and you’ll find that Charlotte is home to
several popular Italian restaurants, including Mr. Dominic’s.
The area’s diverse nightlife scene includes Rab’s Woodshed, a mainstay that features live blues; NOLA’s BBQ,
which features live rock and pop music; and the Penny Arcade,
which hosts metal and punk bands almost nightly.
Farther south along Lake Avenue is the Maplewood neighborhood. With Kodak’s industrial area to the north and west, and the
Genesee River to the east, the neighborhood is listed on the national and state
registers of historic places. The neighborhood streets are lined with homes
dating to the turn of the 20th century, in architectural styles like Tudor
Revival, Italian Villa, and Queen Anne. The homes, along with the accompanying
manicured lawns and small gardens, attract visitors to the annual home and
garden tour of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is also home to the Maplewood
Rose Garden on Driving Park Avenue at Lake Avenue. This urban oasis
has more than 3000 rose bushes filling more than an acre, and is home to an
annual festival.
Continue south along Lake Avenue and turn west onto Emerson Street to enter
the Edgerton neighborhood. In the EdgertonCommunity Center on Backus Street is the Stardust Ballroom,
which is often packed with swing dancers, concertgoers, and even boxers. The
far west side of the city, near Emerson Street and Lee Road, features large
stretches of industrial buildings, warehouses, and shipping docks. In the east,
at the Driving Park Bridge, is the beginning of the Genesee River Trail,
which runs north along the river into Charlotte. The trail is a mixture of
large wooded areas, waterfront pathways, and scenic viewpoints of some of the falls
and gorges along the Genesee.
Back on Lake Avenue, continue south and turn west onto Lyell Avenue to the Lyell-Otis neighborhood. The neighborhood houses Paetec Park, the home field for both the Raging Rhinos (soccer) and the Rattlers (lacrosse). The largely
working-class neighborhood includes several business mainstays. Travel southbound on Mt. Read Boulevard toward Jay Street.
On Jay you’ll find Antonetta’s, a
homey Italian restaurant that serves lunch on weekdays and dinner on Fridays.
Back on Lyell Avenue is Smokin‘
Joe’s Bar and Grill, an eclectic biker bar that has live rock and
blues music. Neighborhood bars, bodegas, and nail salons have popped up among
the many old factory buildings along the main drags.
Southwest
From Lyell Avenue, go south on Broad Street into the southwest side of the
city, which features the Dutchtown neighborhood on the north end, the Greater Rochester International
Airport to the southwest, and the Genesee River to the east. At Broad
and Main, head east into the Susan B. Anthony neighborhood,
where you’ll find the Susan B. Anthony House on Madison
Street. The home, the site of the suffragist’s famous arrest for illegally
voting in 1872, is open to the public. Walking around the neighborhood is a
little like stepping back in time. The narrow streets and alleys still hold
historic homes centered around a public square, which
includes a statue depicting Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass having
tea.
Head east on Main Street and south on Plymouth to enter the Corn
Hill neighborhood, located just southwest of downtown Rochester. This
area of the city includes many historic homes located around a central park on
Frederick Douglass Street and Edinburgh Street. Corn Hill Landing,
located along the Genesee River, contains apartments, restaurants, shops, and a
river walk. Residents embrace the sense of community in Corn Hill, exemplified
by the popular summer arts festival that packs its street, and the Corn
Hill Tool Library. The tool library allows residents to borrow from
the more than 300 neighborhood-owned tools for gardening, home repair, and
general use.
Take Plymouth Avenue southbound, veering to the right onto Brooks Avenue,
and you’ll be in the neighborhood known as the 19th Ward. The
19th Ward is home to many college students, long-time residents, and two
housing co-ops. The neighborhood attitude is summed up by the slogan of the
19th Ward Community Association, “urban by choice.” The association
has been instrumental in maintaining the neighborhood’s racial diversity and
identity.
Located on both banks of the Genesee River, just southwest from the
University of Rochester campus, is GeneseeValleyPark,
one of the oldest parks in the county. This urban park includes soccer,
cricket, and softball fields, an 18-hole golf course, trails for hiking,
biking, and cross-country skiing, and several picnic shelters.
Head eastbound on Elmwood Avenue, to the University of
Rochester campus. Now the area’s largest employer, the University of
Rochester is a major research center in the health and science fields. Head
further eastto Mt. Hope Avenue, where you’ll find Mount
Hope Cemetery. The nearly 175-year-old cemetery is the burial ground
for some of Rochester’s most famous and influential residents, including both
Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. To learn more about the people buried
there, check out the tours led by the Friends of Mt. Hope during the warmer
months.
Southeast
From Mt. Hope Avenue, head east on Gregory Street to the South Wedge and Swillburg neighborhoods, which have
seen some revitalization in recent years thanks partially to an influx of young
homeowners and entrepreneurs in the area. They’ve built on the strong
foundation laid by some of the neighborhood’s older establishments.
The Cinema Theatre on Clinton Avenue is the city’s oldest
neighborhood theater, attracting movie-goers since it first opened its doors in
1914. Beale Street Cafรฉ on South Avenue serves hot Cajun and
barbeque food alongside smoking-hot, live blues music. The nearby German
House, on Gregory Street, has an auditorium that hosts some of the
area’s top touring bands as well as local functions.
The South Wedge has many relatively new businesses with young owners around
the corner of South Avenue and Gregory Street, like Equal Grounds
Coffee House, HeadzUp Hats,Mise
en Place Market, Thread, and Lux Lounge.
Frequent customers of these shops are likely to end up on a first-name basis
with the owners, who are often behind the counter.
From South and Gregory, head down South Avenue to Highland Park,
home to the annual Lilac Festival and hundreds of the fragrant
bushes that it’s named after. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted –
the landscape architect behind New York’s Central Park – and is filled with
thousands of flowers, trees, and shrubs. The nearby Highland Park neighborhood sits on a one-time horticultural nursery, and its residents share
strong sense of community; porches act as informal meeting grounds, and the
sidewalks always seem to be in use.
Several neighborhoods in the southeast quadrant are named after the main
streets that are central to their development. From Highland Park, head north
on Goodman Street to the Monroe Avenue neighborhood, which is sometimes divided
into Upper Monroe and Lower Monroe; both have
specialty stores, quaint eateries, and an alternative nightlife scene.
Continue north on Goodman Street to the Park Avenue neighborhood, which is a blend of boutique shopping, fine dining, unique cafes,
and upscale apartments and homes.
Take Park Avenue away from downtown, to Culver Road. Across 490 you’ll find Cobbs Hill Park, and the
adjacent Cobbs Hill neighborhood.
This large residential area is filled with many homes along tree-lined streets.
Cobbs Hill Park and neighboring Washington
Grove are the cornerstones of this neighborhood. Residents and
visitors can find walking trails, basketball courts, a reservoir, and sledding
hills here.
Drive north on Culver Road and take a left on East Avenue, which is lined
with many historic mansions, some of which have been converted into apartments.
The East Avenue Neighborhood is also home to the Rochester Museum and
Science Center, which has a planetarium, and
several exhibits for kids and adults.
Many of the city’s museums and galleries lie in the Neighborhood of
the Arts, along University Avenue. A short trip down Goodman Street or
Culver Road will get you there. The George Eastman House is a
museum devoted to the history and study of photography, and its Dryden
Theatre screens contemporary and historically significant, films. The Memorial
Art Gallery on University Avenue has numerous exhibitions throughout
the year, and is a premier museum in the region. Village Gate on Goodman Street is an indoor mall located in a refurbished printing plant.
Inside are restaurants, business offices, and specialty stores like the Bop
Shop, which sells an eclectic mix of CDs and albums on vinyl. The
neighborhood is also home to ARTWalk.
A stroll or drive down University will reveal a variety of public sculptures;
even the bus stops have been reimagined into works of art.
Northeast
North of University Avenue is the North Winton-Browncroftneighborhood, named after its two main streets with Merchants Road
cutting diagonally across. This area has a stable population of homeowners.
Shops here are destination points for many area residents, including the Ravioli
Shop on Winton Road, which sells freshly made and packaged pastas,
sauces, and bread.
Travel west along Clifford Avenue from Culver Road to the neighborhood known
as 14621 – its zip code – which covers nearly one-sixth of the
city. This vast area has seen waves of immigrant populations. Several ethnic
food stores serve the community and are destinations for those outside the
neighborhood. Hartmann’s Old World Sausage and Meats, on North
Clinton Avenue, is a German butcher shop that sells traditional German and
Austrian sausages, as well as other assorted meat and food products. Wojtczak’s Bakery on
Hudson is known for its rye bread and many other baked goods.
On the western side of the neighborhood, along the Genesee River, is a
smaller neighborhood sometimes referred to as Seneca-Ridge. This area is filled with
well-maintained, single-family homes along wide streets. Nearby is the Seneca
Park Zoo on St. Paul Boulevard, and SenecaPark,
which includes a three-mile forested, river gorge, with plenty of hiking trails
and open fields.
South 14621 is the Rochester Public Market located in theMarketviewHeightsneighborhood. The
Public Market is a large outdoor marketplace featuring goods from local farmers,
bakers, and butchers. Get to the market by traveling south and east along
Portland Avenue, Central Park, and North Union Street.
Downtown
Surrounded by the Inner Loop, a circular portion of highway
490, downtown Rochester, like many cities, has lost many of its retail stores.
But it is still an important regional center, with office buildings and
government headquarters. There is a growing interest in downtown housing, with
more than 3600 people living in new condominiums, Victorian townhouses, and loft
apartments in converted industrial buildings.
Many of the city’s cultural institutions are here as well, including Geva Theatre on Woodbury
Boulevard, the Strong – National Museum of Play next to Manhattan
Square Park, and the Eastman Theatre. These host some
of the city’s finest opportunities for live entertainment and interactive
learning.
The St. Paul Quarter, a few blocks of St. Paul Boulevard
north of Main Street, includes several nightclubs, restaurants, and live music venues. Tapas 177 Lounge serves
food with a Latin flavor; with live bands and DJs, Tapas attracts music fans
and dancers alike.
Just south of Main Street you’ll find the East End, a prime
nightlife destination. The area around the corner of East Avenue and Alexander
Street includes numerous dance clubs, bars, and shops. The Little
Theatre is an independent movie house that also offers live music in
its cafรฉ. Daisy Dukes is a country-themed nightclub on East
that comes complete with a mechanical bull. Just off East Avenue is Java’s,
a coffee shop that’s open late and often has live music.
Nearby is the High Falls area, which was once a large
industrial site in the city along the Genesee River, and now is an area in
development where the falls are visible from a bridge overlooking the water.
Take State Street back toward Main to Frontier Field, which
is home to the Rochester Red Wings baseball team. Downtown
offers a range of high end restaurants, like Max of Eastman Place, to more quaint eateries, like HealthGarden on State Street, where $5 buys a heaping plate of freshly cooked vegetarian and
West Indian food.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2008.
