We took a short walk on this trail and couldn't believe how far this trail goes! This is quite a…read moregreat spot for a walk. Many people and traders on ships cane through here years ago. So much history here we didn't know about! Don't forget to stop for a bite to eat at Hose 22 for a nice lunch it has out door seating as well as inside.

We started the morning of a one-day visit to Rochester by biking 8 miles out from the downtown area…read moreon the Genesee Riverway Bike Trail. As a bike trail, we were rather disappointed.There are some interesting points along the way (nice view of the city, a short span through a waterfront residential area, a great view of their main bridge, the University of Rochester, and some nice park areas), but overall we found that path's difficulty (mainly due to uneven paving, cracks, ill-repair and nearness to highway at one point) to outweigh the touristic value. We got some fascinating views of the Canal, which I wouldn't have wanted to miss. But it is one of those trails we will probably never go on again. Perhaps it is better if you start it out of the city instead?

Liberty Pole is an ever changing Rochester landmark and piece of public art. I was just doing some…read morereading about the Liberty Pole on the Landmark Society's website and didn't know it was built by the same guy who did the mushroom house in Perinton: https://www.landmarksociety.org/liberty-pole/ This is a great meeting spot for the city in a central location, flanked by gorgeous and historical buildings. Watching this part of town develop over time has been and will continue to be something to behold. Stop by if you're visiting!

Liberty Pole Plaza is a downtown feature that holds holiday memories for many Rochestarians. During…read morethe holiday season, the Liberty Pole twinkles at an annual "tree-lighting" ceremony. In the warmer months, the plaza is a great spot to sit and enjoy lunch from a nearby vendor during the workday. Liberty Pole Plaza is also the home to concerts and other gatherings. After the war, poles were erected in communities to commemorate those struggles and celebrate patriotic pride. Rochester's first Liberty Pole was built on this same spot in 1846. When it was destroyed in a storm, the new one went up in 1860, standing proudly at 102 feet tall with a large wooden ball and weather vane.

A rotating restaurant, offices and now an art space. Whatever it is if you can make it to the 21st…read morefloor do it, DO IT! DO IT at sunset for sure, I haven't had the pleasure of a sun rise but I bet it's spectacular.

Your typical office building. There's and M&T Bank branch with after-hours ATM access, a pretty…read moredecent restaurant called The Stock Exchange which is open early and closes at midnight, a dry cleaner, and a convenience store. The best feature is that its right on the river. All entrances are fully handicapped-acessible. A portion of the former SKYWAY includes connections to Reynolds Arcade and the Crossroads Building. The Sister Cities Parking Garage is accessible via elevator. A recent renovation has really brightened the place up!

Seating for 13 on the van, you can join other friendly travelers or reserve the whole thing. The…read moretour is a great mingling of education and adventure in a wonderful clean, comfortable and intimate setting.

Saturday afternoon fun! Buy your ticket and hop aboard for Flights N' Bites (or whichever Portage…read moretour you're considering). Drinks, food, adventure, and new friends - everything is included. Important to understand- you don't NEED to gather a group or plan ahead to enjoy Rochester's food/drink scene. I loved how you just reserve a seat and take "flight". We were celebrating our anniversary, another couple was celebrating a birthday, others were simply exploring... We started with private tour/tasting @ a distillery, sipped yummy hard cider flights, and enjoyed craft beer tasting at a microbrewery - with snacks along the way. in addition to being very gracious hosts, Jeff & Susan (owners and guides), showed us historic places, beautiful wall art, and shared some unique Rochester history. The bus was comfy & spacious, with places to keep our purchases. With a built-in adventure and safe driver, a Portage Tour would be a perfect girls night, afternoon with out-of-town guests, or birthday celebration (and you don't need to pedal. lol.). Highly recommend for Rochesterians & out-of-town guests alike.

Love the movie line up. They usually have great movies to watch.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!read more

Such a cute theatre with historic charm. Feels a little bit like stepping back in time. Love that…read morethere's a cafe and not just consessions. The rooms are small but cozy. The screen is a little smaller than the chain theatres, and theres no fancy reclining seats, but this remains an important Rochester staple. There is a small parking lot with limited spaces by the entrance in the back.

Greece Historical Society Museum is a great resource & gift / book shop that occupies the old…read moreLarkin-Beattie-Howe house built in the 1850's. It is very active in preserving and sharing local history which includes Charlotte, Manitou and the Underground Railroad. They host great public events, publish several informative publications, changing museum exhibits and provide accessibility to its archives and artifacts.

This review is for the Strawberry Festival held June 16, 2014. There were six vendors offering…read moresamples, problem is, only four of the six had anything to do with Strawberries. Come on, you can do better than that. Of the four offering strawberry themed samples only one stood out and I will post his pictures first. The Society had a great idea of providing a ticket with each vendor on it and directing each person to visit each vendor to get the ticket stamped. The cost of the ticket was just $6.00 and I think that was a real deal! Please have more vendors next year.

highly recommend the COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT Genesse is a…read morefantastic brewery and restaurant downtown has some good spots; it's also quieter than you might imagine... overall i'd go back, no doubt!

If only it were not so cold here up north in winter, I'd be moving here already. I had the most…read morewonderful time during my summer vacation, with the most genuine kind locals.

To know Rochester, NY is to love Rochester, NY. Given that I spend my working days writing love…read morenotes to businesses around our fair city, I thought forced quarantine would be a nice time to reflect and share with the community how lucky I feel to live here every day. Will I be able to accurately and succinctly encapsulate my feelings? No clue. But I DO know that being unable to experience the full breadth of Rochester's panache has left me with some thoughts on what makes us, us. I love the way Rochester ticks. I love the feeling of a perfectly imperfect Rochester day. Stopping by the market on a sunny Saturday to ravage a Flour City Bread pastry. A run around Cobbs Hill Reservoir that's just an excuse to admire the city's dogs for an hour. Swearing at people in the East Ave Wegmans parking lot. Coffee and chats at Ugly Duck or Fuego. Mimosas at Roam. Board games at Starry Nites. A show at Blackfriars. Selfies with South Wedge murals. Accidentally drunk at Swan Dive. $5 movie Monday at The Little (and chilly walks through that little Little alleyway.) A zip trip out to Chili to see my parents and grab noms from Leaf & Bean. And, of course, staring out at the Genesee River from the brewhouse roof, wondering how many more days there are until Kolsch season. I have a million more examples that I'll spare you for now, and instead invite you to think about your best, most *Rochester* day. What did it feel like? Did it smell like lilacs? Or hops? Or coffee beans? Or Parcel 5? Maybe, but also maybe not. The building blocks of my best Rochester days always have and always will stem from the community I've shared them with. The thing that gives Rochester its special tang is it's access to whatever community of people you might be looking for or needing at any moment. For me, it's been the ROC theatre community, social media and marketing communities, my family and friends, and, of course, the generous and supportive Yelp community that I've come to love so deeply. Wherever community lays for you, I know you must be missing it hard right now. I am right there with you, and while I am no longer counting the days to Kolsch season (IT IS HERE, Y'ALL), I am counting the days until I can see Rochester in its full glory again: filled with various communities of people doing the best they can to make a meaningful life in our small NY oasis. I see you and I love you and I hear you, and I take comfort in the fact that we're all in this together. (As for 30 Church Street, the building for which this Yelp page is associated, ALSO five stars! The kindest security guards, stunning architecture, and convenient parking in the Sister Cities garage across the street. BOOM.)

There's a lot of history with in Rochester. Some of the countries most successful companies were…read morefounded here. And a long with that were the many people who came from other lands to make Rochester their home. Here's a mural that was painted a few years ago on the corner of Lyell and State.

Someone around here has psycho-kinetic powers because they knew the instant I created this listing!…read moreIt's awesome that I added this listing to Yelp about a week ago, and within 2 days of doing so, someone had reviewed it. Way to get in there before me! I'm impressed and I tip my proverbial hat, although I don't wear a hat. Anyway. But it's a glorious old building in the heart of Rochester, with some decent food options inside. It has its own security and doorman and such, and a lovely floral plant-filled area inside, sort of like a courtyard in the middle of a towerblock. The popular hipster Yelpy place inside is Sapori, which doesn't impress me, but it's hella cool to have such a trendy sandwich shop inside such a lovely old NY State building. I say that because the feel of the place could only be NY State, or perhaps somewhere like Cleveland. It's extremely North East. The building is like what Manhattan buildings would have been like in the 50s. I love it. Like Icona Pop, I love it. Now I'm at the peak of my powers, I'll quit this review.

This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Rochester. It also has a hidden gem - one of the…read moremost expansive and impressive atriums around. From inside and out, there's absolutely nothing that isn't short of spectacular! The first floor has retail which includes a tailor, an optometrist, and much more. It also has quite a few sculptures and art pieces. Entrances off of State Street and Main Street lead to the atrium. The atrium itself has another hidden gem in the form of Sapporo's cafe, which will be covered in a later review. Ferns and hostas proliferate throughout this multi-story extravaganza. You really feel like you're in a whimsical garden while walking through the space. Being that it's mostly professionals in the building it's nice and quiet. A perfect spot to read a book or simply have a seat and relax. No matter the weather, you'll leave this space feeling brand new. It's truly remarkable.

I stopped in while in the area about 40 mins before they closed to see if I could take a quick peak…read morearound and they were super accommodating and had a tour guide give me a brief tour with high level talking points. Even with the abbreviated version of the tour I learned so much!! It was so nice to see how they restored the house to match the photos and to see and feel the tour guides passion while giving the tour. I'm glad I made the last minute decision to go, it was such a unique to Rochester experience.

Small quaint little home of Susan B Anthony. It is well maintained. This is a piece of American…read moreHistory. It's in a neighborhood that's a bit run down and feels unsafe. Private parking available as well as street parking.