Gotta be honest here. Used to be one of my favorite day spots on the water in Rochester, but tonight wasn't the best experience. The world famous calamari was undercooked where the breading was soft, not crispy. Caesar salad was standard. Steak special was decent, slightly overcooked, but the flavor was there. Asparagus was overcooked. Mashed potatoes were delicious. Service was just ok. The vibe shifted when we mentioned the calamari situation, she offered to re make it, so that was nice. However...When the steak was delivered overcooked, I didn't even want to mention that. Didn't want to sound like a bully, so we ate it. Server offered us dessert while we were in the middle of our entree and dropped the check when we declined. One of the greatest views in Rochester...that never disappoints. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Fried Calamari - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

What a glorious day to be on the lake again. This place is always so good. The empty plates- sorry- the food was so good- we devoured it. Portabella stuffed with crab Meat and the shrimp scampi entree. Cold beer and a Happy Gilmore for me. Always, fast and friendly service with the best location! Thanks to Amber who took such good care of us I will be back many times this summer after my beach time at Charlotte read more

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Stopping in from out of town. Service was a little bit of a sh*t show. We had 3 different people come to our table asking if anyone came over yet. I'm not sure who our server ended up being, but she was good. Food was okay, not good enough that I would come back though. Caribbean Crab cakes 7/10 My second crab cake ever. Not bad, but not my favorite so far. Good crisp on the outside. Can't tell if it's real or fake crab meat but leaning more towards fake. Chipotle mayo is super mild, barely any chipotle flavor really and you can't taste it much when you eat it with the cake, but it's good on its own. Black and Bleu salad 6/10 Ok. Kinda bland and plain. The lettuce was a little soggy. Not super refreshing. Steak was cooked fine, but it was fatty and hard to chew and also very tiny, only 6 small slices. Probably the worst salad I've ever eaten. read more

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This is the first time that we've ever had a bad experience here. Our food took almost an hour to arrive and at first our waitress brought the wrong food. Our order arrived about 15 minutes after that and missing hot sauce in hubby's burger and my dressing for my salad. 15 more minutes go by and my drink arrives without the requested hot sauce and dressing.... 10 more minutes for those to arrive and food was cold and mediocre. Didn't see waitress again until the check. Never asked how things were etc. We didn't complain, just paid the check and left. Hoping this was just a bad night, but will think twice before returning. read more

Really nice atmosphere. Good food. Got the fish fry with fries and coleslaw. Liquid Sunshine drink. Husband got the pelican cheeseburger with fries. Music is good, not too loud that you can't hear the people at your table. Service friendly. Top is a bit revealing for me. But server is quick and welcoming. read more

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Fish fry slapped. Views immaculate. Zero pelicans though :-(. - Rochester Mountain Lion read more

Pelican's Nest is touristy, water-front dining at its best. Set right on the banks of Lake Ontario, we had an amazing view of the water, the boats, and the seagulls while enjoying our meal. Service was great. Our waitress greeted us promptly. She brought out some waters and gave us the chance to peruse the surprisingly large menu. I was expecting just burgers and chickie nuggies with a large cocktail menu, but there were salads, wraps, and several seafood options available. I ended up going with a cheeseburger and fruity cocktail that packed quite a punch. Mom ended up getting a different burger and a different fruity drink. Both burgers were perfectly pleasant. Cooked to order, with warm and crispy French fries. Is it the best burger I ever had? No. Is it the worst? Also no. Our party of two ended up paying 70 in total (including tax and tip) for a solid B+ burger in an A+ casual, waterfront atmosphere. It's tourism dining at its most fun. read more

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If I could give a ZERO, I would. Where to begin... well, we sat for about 25 minutes before anyone came over to even drop a menu. There was plenty of wait staff, just doing, whatever, other than their jobs. Our waitress was particularly terrible as she stood 3 tables away talking to her friends rather than waiting on paying customers. Once our order was taken, it took 45 MINUTES for our appetizer to arrive, and that was only because my wife complained to the manager who had the dish prepared on the fly. I doubt the waitress ever put the order in. About 25 minutes in after the order was taken, I had to literally stand up and yell to get her attention away from her friends to ask where our order was. Her reply... "I wish I knew". I could go on but this would turn into War and Peace. Bottom line, skip this dive. Music from the 70's playing, old and worn decor, absolutely atrocious service with a GFY attitude. The ONLY saving grace is that the food was pretty good. But you'll turn another year older before you see it. Keep driving and head over a couple of blocks where some good places are. read more

I haven't been there in years and honestly, not sure i ever ate a meal there, but recently went on a Sunday at 6PM with VERY low expectation after reading so many bad reviews. I PLEASENLY SURPRISED! There was no long wait, drink were not melted, definitely had some alcohol in them and the food was just great. I got the live music and beautiful views i wanted. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Half pina Colada and half strawberry daq. YUM! - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

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While it is lovely to be able to sit by the water, the food quality has certainly diminished over the years. I always loved their Cobb Salad, but this time is was mostly a pile of greens with some extras. Not horrible, but definitely not worth the price. The wait staff is mostly young, but they do a great job and you can't beat the $5 beers. I also enjoy the cocktails. However, I will not be returning because of the state of the restrooms. The woman's room was so disgusting and dirty and my husband said the men's room was the same but with the added delight of lots of flies. If the restrooms are like that, I think the kitchen can't be much cleaner. So I'm sad because it's such a great location, but I just can't get past the state of the restrooms. read more

I'm going to be generous by pointing out that our visit was at the very end of the season, so a lot of menu items were unavailable. No points deducted for that. However...all doors locked when we arrived. Waitress had to let us in. She appeared to be the only person working, so service was painfully slow. Food was ok, but they didn't bring out what we ordered. Chicken tenders were actually Dino nuggets. There was a MOUSE running around. It was a comically bad experience. The views, however, were fantastic and I can't blame the server for being the only person on duty. She did her best under the circumstances. Maybe it's better during peak season, but we were not impressed. read more

I am finally giving up on ordering food here again. It is ALWAYS sub par yet quite pricey. Pelican's IS good for lake front cocktails and decent live music, but that is about it. Recently was there and their $19 chicken wings were not even just okay. Didn't finish them, or anything else our group of 4 ordered. We had 2 apps and 4 entrees - none finished due to the fact that they were not good enough to want to finish. Also, they don't have free refills on soft drinks. I ordered a diet soft drink and was asked if I would like a refill. I was charged for both drinks. I can't remember the last time I was at a restaurant that did not offer free refills on softdrinks. To sum it up - definitely a good place for drinks outside (drinks are reasonably priced) to enjoy nice weather, and they often have good entertainment. Just pass on the food. read more

This is for a review of drinks only. While walking on the Genesee River Trail, we came upon this oasis. We wanted to stop and rehydrate a bit before heading back to our car on Boxart St. Turns out this was all a mirage. We should have left and went back to the other waterfront locations near Lake Ontario for a drink when we saw the cocktail menu only contained sweet concoctions. This is a big indicator for crap being served. Also, one of the specials board advertised Frose for $10. I inquired about this and the bartender said, "You mean rose?" I said, "No, frose. It is right there on the menu." She then said, "I don't know what that is and you wouldn't find another bartender in this establishment who would know how to make that." I said that is is usually just a frozen rose. She said she could make that, and I declined. She looked like she watched some Bravo television shows, as I do, and if you don't know what frose is after watching VanDer Pump Rules or Real Housewives, I don't know who you are. My stepdad went with the summer lightening, or something like that. It was basically pink lemonade and vodka and he commented it was ridiculously sweet. My mom went with a bourbon mule and I went with a Jameson mule. Both were served in a plastic pint glass. We were sitting at the bar, so I would have expected a copper mug. They were not good. My stepdad said the men's restroom was one of the most disgusting bathrooms he has been in. The women's restroom had a corner full of dead flies in it. This seems like a bar for the partiers that do not have taste in drinks and want to sit by the water. read more

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Visited on a Saturday afternoon at about 3:30 for a late lunch/early dinner. Not impressed. It was quiet. However, staff wouldn't even acknowledge the 6 of us who were waiting for a table. After 5 minutes passed, I asked the staff if we just sit somewhere or would they seat us. She said she'd be with us in a second. She appeared not to be doing anything. But it is what it is. Then she said- you can sit anywhere. Service was really slow. Unbelievably slow. It took beyond long to order drinks and food. When food did come at 5pm or shortly after, it wasn't something I'm rushing back to have. Fish fry was outright untasty. My son said the wings were good but very small. My friend's said their burgers were good. And the salad one friend had. The drinks were very strong. Views were amazing. I liked the calmness of the restaurant, but it was so slow. It was not at all busy. I'd not recommend this place. read more

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We entered the restaurant, and my husband, who is almost blind, didn't see the steps and had a very bad fall. Not one of the employees came Ober to ask how he was. Then I ordered the nachos. There was hardly anything on them, just the cheapest queso sauce (which tasted so.bad I couldn't eat it) covered with lettuce. I gave them back after eating 3 or 4 of them. The waitress just said 'I'm sorry, that's how they are!' Didn't offer to take them off the bill. So instead of leaving my usual 20 dollar tip, I left 5 dollars. This used to be my favorite restaurant. I will never go back again. read more

The pelicans nest is best known as a cool bar spot on the water and that's what it is. The crowd during the day is calm and at night is a little rowdy. The service and staff are nice and typically quite quick. The view is nice being on the water. However the food is or great over priced and poor quality. Everything is fried from being frozen and does not tastes like generic jar sauce or food. read more

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Chicken was so dry, I needed to drink water to get it down (this was a salad)! Further, the waitress didn't think it was important enough to come back to see if we all needed more water or drinks. She did bring the checks (of course, we had to tell her we wanted separate checks, why didn't she ask?). So she came back with the separate checks and after waiting for 5 mins or so, hoping she would come to our table so we could pay, we all decided to go up to where she was. Horrible service. 3 out of 4 of us said we would never come back. Looking at the river though was nice. One last thing, absolutely WAY OVERY PRICED. read more

A long-awaited return trip! Beautiful weather, service, beer, and food is back. We got there shortly after 11:30 and they filled up fast. Many seniors, older than us, on a Wednesday, walkers lined up by the door to the deck, but all young in spirit. We had a great server and we're pleased that the calamari is still the best in town. So glad it's almost back to normal. read more

We tried the new drink specials for the holiday weekend, Sailor and Blue Hawaiian and heard about the frozen wine slushes which we will try next time!! read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

went to celebrate a birthday. wanted to order a CHEESEBURGER ( server told us it is an extra $1.50for cheese ) on a CHEESEburger????? Asked if we could get steak on nacho platter ,( yes for another $11 ) What? for 4 oz of meat? ordered prime rib was told there were no mashed potatoes. Ok can we substitute fries? , yes. We got the meal with mashed potatoes. Guess we didn't need to order fries. PR was not rare it was well done. chicken salad wrap was mediocre. Shrimp scampi was lacking serious flavor. Soda was flat .Sorry PN won't be back for dinner read more

The parking lot is not great because too many people coming there and lot didn't provide enough which is we all need to park somewhere that far away from the restaurant. The waterfront is gorgeous especially at nighttime. I love it!!! The waiters are great and very friendly. Food & drinks were amazing! I actually enjoyed without feeling greasy in my stomach at all! Impressive!!! I love their sauce for crab sandwich. It was delish!!! They have music at nighttime and kids friendly as well!!! I would recommend 5 stars if they have a better parking lot space. For food, I would recommend 5 stars!! It's good for people who are seafood lovers!! read more

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Went down to the Pelicans Nest With my old homie and his son. We waited like 20 mins for seating. We wasn't in a rush. However we ended up with no refills and 40 mins of waiting for 2 chicken wraps and a burger. Smh, Hibachi wouldve been the move for lil bros Birthday. Atleast the buffalo chix wrap was good. Kinda slow all around but could tell the restaurant is a good spot, Loved the water. read more

I went today got the "meat" of the day ribeye. The cook couldn't cook a medium to save his life. He can only do rare and well. Even the 2nd was poor attempt at medium. Still not proper. Never saw manager so really couldn't complain. They gave no comps on the meal. They recycled the potatoes and warmed them up so they were cold. The old fashioned I got was the best part. Chef can't cook. Asked for mushrooms which came with first cooked and seasoned. Second time just hit a can mushrooms dump into a dish. In word dinner crap. Management didn't bother to care., when a $36 entree was sent to the kitchen. Don't expect anything if they mess up your my. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Uncooked unseasoned mushrooms, cold potatoes and a poor attempt at ribeye cooked to medium. - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

Wouldn't even give this establishment 1 star honestly. The worst service I've ever experienced. Sat at the bar for our first round while we waited for our table, that was fine. We were seated, server took roughly 10 minutes to come and greet us, understandable if it's a busy Saturday night. We ordered 1 appetizer, that took 50 minutes to get to our table, our food an additional 45 minutes after. No service whatsoever, we were actually going to the bar to get drink refills. We also had to ask to speak to a manager, the manager was completely unprofessional and very rude. They ended up refunding our table for the appetizer. The manager couldn't be more unbothered and didn't even apologize for anything, all she did was make excuses because 1 cook called off which is understandable, but our meals weren't even correct and the bill wasn't accurate either. Tables that sat at the same time as us, had their empty meals sitting in front of them without being cleared for over 45 minutes, and tables that sat AFTER us were halfway done with their meals by the time we had received our meals. I asked again for the manager and was told very rudely by a server that she was busy and couldn't come to talk... but once I had gotten up to leave, she came to our table and asked if we were paying out bill... I will never recommend this restaurant ever in my life, do not waste your time or your money. read more

Avoid.... The waitress started out by Arguing with us over the price of a fish fry as my husband's menus said $16.99 and my menu said $17.99. By the way Hubby called prior to us going and asked what the price was & the owner told him $15-$16. She was obviously very unfriendly and had no personality. We waited a while "45 mins" for our food. We were the 2nd couple in the place. Do they were not busy either. The cook brought it out, asked where it needed to go. She told him to put it down. She took our food and disappeared for another 10 minutes. The battered fish fry was less than mediocre greasy & over fried. The Salt potatoes were over cooked had no salt or butter on them and had a very funky taste. The food was just plain disgusting. And so wasn't the cleanliness of the restaurant, floors, window sills & windows are filthy also. read more

We have been coming to Pelicans Nest for years. They've hit their high notes and their low notes over those years. I say this because I looked at the ratings, and comments folks have posted haven't been encouraging but we needed to have at least one Pelicans night this summer. Glad we did. It was tonight, 8/30/24, and the weather was perfect. We were quickly seated on the deck and our new favorite server, Bianca, came over to start our ordering process. Drinks were brought quickly, order was taken and food delivered timely. Who could ask for anything more? We can! How was the food? Calamari was tender and Pelicans Shrimp was juicy and scrumptious. I had the fish fry with a crispy crust on the haddock and flaky haddock to enjoy. My wife had the crab sandwich and was equally satisfied. Now, prices have jumped up a bit but with all that food we took half of it home. In my mind a bargain. Don't just depend on reviews by folks who may have been less than pleased. Go and see for yourself. read more

We stopped by here tonight as part of the City Walk tour. They were supposed to be serving calamari, quesadilla and fish tacos from 7:30 - 8:30. At 8:32 a small plate of calamari came out that was barely enough for 4 people even though there were more than 30 people that was part of the group. After 10 min a very small plate of quesadilla came out. We never saw any fish tacos. I was very disappointed in their service. I did not get any calamari so I can't rate the quality. The quesadilla were cold and very bland. Overall I was extremely disappointed and have no interest in ever going back to this place. read more

Normally that overall rating of 2.5 stars would send me running in another direction but since I didn't all I can say is "folks, have another drink, settle in, and enjoy". It's a sad fact that waterfront places generally aren't the same places in which one finds fine food or drink but Pelican's Nest isn't really trying to wow you with either. On a sunny day, it's a packed bar and a wait for a table on the water-adjacent deck and from there you can watch people enjoying themselves on the waters of Lake Genesee. What exactly is there to not like? The uber-casual, party-hearty atmosphere of Pelican's Nest makes a perfect venue for consuming food most frequently chowed post 2 a.m. on a stomach filled with booze. My friend had been talking up Rochester's "Garbage Plate" since my arrival and when she found the equivalent on the menu here I knew it was time to give this upstate NY "must" a sample. The Pelican Plate ($12) is their name for the traditional garbage plate with your choice of hamburger patties, hot dogs, and/or chicken fingers. The whole mess sits atop perfectly prepared fries and (go figure) macaroni salad and is then topped with onions, hot meat sauce, and brown mustard. An extra $1 and they'll throw cheese on there too. Is it good? Does a bear sh*t in the woods? Two of us shared this delightfully disgusting and yet somehow perfect plateful and I was positively sated. I blame the macaroni salad. Who knew such gems were to be discovered in the Rochester area? Beautiful homes for under $300/K as well, but I digress. If you're having a bad time at Pelican's Nest look to yourself for insight as I could find absolutely nothing wrong - booze, food, service, or setting - with what was being served up here. On a nice day, Pelican's Nest is a fun place. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Pelican Plate ($12) is really just upstate NY's iconic "Garbage Plate" branded differently. The original drunkie fare. - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

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We met up with friends from college for dinner and wanted a restaurant with outside seating. Upon first look , it is a cute restaurant on the water. From there, things go downhill. There were 6 of us all together, 2 couples and 2 singles. We ordered drinks, mostly wine and beer. One person wanted one of the frozen drinks. When the waitress returned, we were told their blender just broke. While asking some questions about the menu, we were told they no longer do the steak or the porkchop. Back to the menu for the guys, who decided on the ribs. When we are ordering, the waitress informs them not to order the ribs as they are very dry. Finally, we decided on appetizers and meals. The food is mediocre at best. Nothing horrible, but nothing great either. Since some of us travel 2 hours to get together, we typically order coffee at the end of our meal. When we asked for coffee, the waitress again told us that we didn't want their coffee as it was watered down. Before some had even finished eating, another staff member swooped in to clean the table. She never asked if we were finished and took a glass of wine that was not finished. We received our checks and left at least a 15% tip. Before we could get up, the waitress came back and asked if there was anything wrong with the service since we did not leave her a big enough tip. To say we were shocked is an understatement!!!!! While walking out, we asked to see a manager or owner, and surprise the manager was the person cleaning off the table before people were finished. Her response to the above issues was that she would talk to the waitress. This was a Monday night, and they were not that busy to have all these issues. Cute restaurant on the water, but food and staff could do with a lot of improvement! We will not be returning!!! read more

Great place right on the Ontario beach. Drinks amazing and salmon really tasty. Staff friendly and always pending on your needs. Great music. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

I went for lunch with a friend Smelled like a swamp. Went to use our 50$ gift card ,they said there was 3 cents left on it We had never used it before. Asked to see when it was redeemed,she said couldn't show us that. Was very rude and unprofessional. Refused to let us speak to the manager. Will never return and tell everyone else Not to go there. read more

We've been here a lot over the years. The place never really changes. Location: Good spot on the water, but parking can be bothersome. We typically ride the motorcycle as they have parking right up front for bikes. Can be a pain if your bike gets blocked in. Service: Good and eh... we were told it was an hour wait for a table, but wandered outside and counted 10 empty tables. Not sure if the wait was due to lack of servers?? So we went out front to under the tent and found a table right away. Took a while for the server to get there but she was attentive! Bar is always super busy and it takes a while to get served. Food: It's ok. It's bar food. Wings are good. I haven't really had one of the dinners in a long time so I can't speak to that now. Love that they have live music! The band on Sunday was great! Small dance floor but people make the best of it. I really only go for the music :) read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

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I was there with a group for a birthday lunch on August 28, so we were splitting the bill. I ordered something that was not represented correctly on the menu , which had something on it that I could not eat I asked our server who was wonderful ,if I could have something else he was very helpful and brought it as soon as possible. He came over later and said that he would take it off the bill, when the bill came, it was not itemized that it was still on. It just showed the four items that we had ordered. However, the dollar amount seemed high but we paid it . later on,I realized it was not taken off the bill but it was not on a line item showing it , so I called and spoke to a man that identified himself is the owner of the restaurant "Sully"... He said he would look into it and call me back. He never called back and I've called back twice and he's not returned my messages that I've left . I would not go back again .our server was fabulous and went out of his way to say he would take it off, but it was not taken off and the owner could care less that we were overcharged by one hole entrée he's never gotten back to me I would not go there again and I would not recommend it. A manager came over to check on the situation like she didn't believe what was going on. I would not go back to this restaurant and would not recommend it with this kind of service... read more

Service is a DISGRACE. 3rd time giving this place a shot. Every time it's 2/3 full and our server gives us water and then disappears for 20 min. Just abysmal. Food is average at best. Not sure what the deal is, but they need some help. read more

I am SO impressed with Pelican's Nest after having dinner there this weekend. In previous years I've had not too great experiences. Not sure what changes they made but the food was fresh, hot, and delicious. Our waitress was also very friendly and attentive. Not to mention their veggie burger is great. And be sure to try some of their chipotle mayo or special ranch sauce they have. Can't wait to have more nights on the water here this summer. read more

So I went to pelicans nest Friday evening at around 8pm. My boyfriend ordered a burger and fries which he didn't really like and I ordered chicken wings which came out looking like this. I can't even tell you how disgusted and shocked i was looking at these chicken wings. The sauce tasted like straight mayo , the wings looked boiled, And the calamari in the background was so hard i could bang it on the table without it breaking. The waitress did ask if I wanted these redone, but i completely lost my appetite And I still spent almost 80 dollars on trashy food even after they took the wings off.... Please just drive past this place. read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

When I first got here, it looked pretty busy. We sat at the bar to wait for a table. The bar was slammed but the bartenders made sure to acknowledge us even though she was in the middle of helping others. That was very appreciated! The host was sweet and sat us under 15 minutes. Our server William was amazing. He was super friendly and attentive. He made sure to keep checking on us and made sure we had everything we needed. In most restaurants, I always feel like a pain for asking for a ton of things and always feel rush or forgotten about at most restaurants. William definitely made my first experience here great. The food was good. The calamari was great. The strawberry daiquiri didn't have much flavor but the whipped cream on top mixed into the drink made me order another one. The restaurant seems a little outdated but the staff are all super friendly. 5 stars for William and I will be back again. Thank you William for a great night out! read more

Waited over an hour for food to be delivered. It was room temp as waitress forgot it in kitchen. Then had to wait for them to redo it order was wrong. Now we're starving and Manager wouldn't budge about just taking it off the bill. The only thing wrong the first time was waitress forgot to deliver our order. Will NEVER go back! read more

Wonderful seafood bisque. I also loved the lobster risotto. The black & bleu salad with steak was good. The lettuce could have been kept colder but the steak was awesome. The location is right by the water. Fun to watch the boats dock in to have lunch. Beautiful place for a date. The service was above and beyond! read more

Our waitres Sandra was superb; very polite and attentive. The reason for my rating is due to the hygiene. The bathroom was filthy, urine all over the floor of both stalls, smelled terrible.. Out table and chairs were sticky. I mean no offense but the whole establishment needs a thrurough cleaning! read more

Pelican's Nest Waterfront Restaurant - PLEASE update your menu! The plastic is ripped and rough and the font print is barely legible. - Seafood Near Me - Rochester, New York

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