Tell Us Your Top Travel Tips for Rochester, NY
Corruption was included in the “Hack Your City” section. Rochester, New York may not be as big as Pittsburgh or Prague – it should even have the same name as Rochester, Minnesota – but this is my hometown. So when reader Chris Clemens (creator of New York travel blog Exploring Upstate ) asked me to release Hack Your City out of Rochester, I swallowed it like a drunken Red Wings fan eating a trash can . Rochesterians, I need your advice for visiting and living in the better half of Buffalo.
Every Monday onHack Your City, we ask readers for the best tips about the city: driving tips, restaurant tips, entertainment, and any other tips for visitors and locals alike. Then, on Thursday, we present the best comments. We work in the USA and around the world.
Rochester got rich as an inland port on the Erie Canal – a damn cool hack – and all the locals know how the Genesee River mills gave Rochester their first nickname – “City of Flour.” Later, Xerox, Western Union, Bausch & Lomb and Gannett were born in the city. But all of these companies have gone or fallen into disrepair, and in the past few decades the city has had to look for a new direction. (Thanks to Wegmans for only moving to the suburbs.) Tell this expat how things are in Rochester?
What is underestimated? Which places deserve a few more discerning visitors? What are the best alternatives to tourist traps and mediocre city favorites? What do you like most there, the highest taste?
How should a visitor approach the city? What position should they take? What local traditions, behavior, and laws should they be aware of? How can they get along with people? What problems does the city solve? When is the best time to visit and what special events are worth attending?
How does it feel in the long run? Residents, what do you love and hate in the city? What advice can you give to other residents? How do you drive to work and where do you look at people? What mistakes do new residents make – what are the common misconceptions or incorrect pronunciations? Where do you go if you want to go out of town for a day or a week?
Finally, how has the atmosphere of Rochester changed over the past few years? What should someone know – maybe the editor of this column, if he hasn’t returned for a long time?
Leave your tips in the comments below and we’ll present the best of them. (If you agree with someone’s advice, add an extra detail, we love that!) Then come back Thursday for a new post with highlights.