I've always believed that there are many artists whether Actors, Artists,Singers, etc., that are…read morenever discovered but continue to do their work with great pride. And right here in Rochester are many. Graffiti and Murals have always been one of my favorite joys in photography. I've done 2 videos on Graffiti and Murals in the city. One was by Black artists in the city, the other was by Spanish artists. Rochester has many great "unknown" artists!

Rochester has a ton of cool wall art/graffiti/street art. The one I specifically saw was in the…read morealley way left of Roll'n'Yen Thai Rolled Ice Cream on South Avenue (no idea if this is part of the Wall Therapy project but it was great to look at and looked to be in this realm of art). I love cities that proudly display art with very powerful and bold statements. They are beautiful and fun to look at and make a destination a little more memorable. Graffiti can sometimes be seen as vandalism or a nuisance but it's hard to deny how wonderful it is when it is objectively obvious that the artist who created it has unique talent (vs. a random scribble on the wall that look like it took 2-seconds to do).

When I heard the Bubble Man passed, I was crushed…read more Even though I don't live in Buffalo anymore, everytime I drove or walked past that Allentown/Elmwood intersection and I saw those bubbles coming from his window, it brought me joy and excitement. He became a part of the Buffalo identity...the Bubble Man and Buffalo became synonymous and intertwined. Apparently his name was Chuck. In my heart, Chuck will always remain the bubble man. I never met him, but I know him, his bubbles, and they will always be a part of Buffalo culture to me. Thank you for what you did for our city and all the joy that those bubbles have given us!

When you're walking on the street on a sunny or dreary day and you realize there's bubbles floating…read moreup towards the heavens, you stop for a second and take a look and try to find where they're coming from, truly being present in that moment, no matter what's going on in your life. When you find the source you watch as the bubbles live their short, but sweet life dancing around the air and you smile. A true Buffalo icon- the bubble man sparking genuine joy in the hearts of passerby's, making a bad day bright and a good day even brighter. You will be so missed Chuck, the best of the city of good neighbors. Cartoon in the Buffalo News by artist Adam Zyglis

Really beautiful waterfall by the road, you have to park off to the side and walk to it to see. Not…read morealways worth stopping because of its location by the road

Wonderful waterfalls in Ithaca NY. We put our kayaks in at the southern end of the lake near the…read moremarina and paddled two miles to the falls. If you hug the eastern shoreline there is less boat traffic. You will come to a small point that juts out with some cottages/houses on it. Go around that and the falls will be in your left. It is very shallow. You can also see the falls from the road.

Alchemy Works is pretty cool. I'm not a practicing Wiccan, but I do love their selection of herbs,…read moreseeds, and plants. I love the idea that plants have different properties or powers (for example, I use white sage for smudging rituals in my home after illness, big arguments, or in other places that I feel need to be rid of negativity). I've ordered black flower seeds (I have yet to plant them, but how cool would it be to accent your garden with black flowers?) and white sage seeds from Alchemy Works. I think that the black flower seeds must have gotten lost in the mail, because it took more than 2 months to receive them! The white sage came within about 2 weeks. The prices for seeds are very reasonable, and Alchemy Works offers seeds that aren't easily found (white sage is often harvested irresponsibly from the wild, with entire hillsides being ripped out, plus, its growing area of the Southwestern United States is often threatened by wildfires, so seeds aren't easy to find). I'll continue to order from the Alchemy Works web site and grow my own white sage responsibly. It's nice to be able to find cool seeds, plus incense, oils, and "supplies for magick," if that floats your boat, all in the same place.

While I haven't visited the store personally I have ordered seeds from Alchemy Works online, in…read morefact, I just got my seeds today. I ordered Belladonna, Henbane, and Mandrake seeds. Each seed packet has a custom-printed label with the botanical and common name of the plant, as well as growing instructions for that plant. Included also was a two-page document on how to germinate, grow, and cultivate Mandrake. If you're ordering online like I did, a word of caution. It took a full month from the date I placed my order until I received a confirmation e-mail stating my seeds had been shipped. An e-mail I sent to admin@alchemy-works.com went unanswered. I'd have rated Alchemy Works 5 stars if not for these two inconveniences.

Tourist trap but we are tourists and took the bait It could…read morehave been so much more but lack of upkeep made it just a little off. Interesting concept. The kitchen worked but most of the rest did not. Not worth the money either but we did it. Very difficult to get any decent pictures especially with the crowds there

Total tourist trap! It's cool to see tho and since we were tourists, we had to get trapped hahaha!…read moreIt's a bit pricey to go in but it's something to do, even tho it's a quick walk thru! Cute!

I featured our local Love Canal as an example for a high school presentation on the importance of…read moretaking care of our ecosystem (I also used the Chernobyl disaster, ha). Love Canal's history is thick and ugly. You can do a quick google search if you want to read all about it, but I'll give a summary: Originally intended to be the "perfect urban area," William T. Love purchased the land and quickly abandoned his project in the span of ten years. After that the area became a landfill. Hooker Chemical eventually comes along and purchases the land in 1947, and proceeds to dump all sorts of chemical waste into the canal. Something like 21,800 tons of chemicals would sit in the canal as Niagara Falls entered a population boom. So, the Niagara Falls School Board approached Hooker Chemical, acquired the land they were dumping wastes into, and had two schools (93rd Street & 99th Street) built, along with low-income family residences. Construction would drill into the chemical drums buried here, and toxic wastes would escape when rainwater washed through them. Twenty or so years later, Lois Gibbs is a local mother who is concerned for her son's poor health, learns that her and her neighbors' homes are built atop chemical waste. She faced many barriers in attempts to expose the awful conditions in which they were living (ignored by city officials, even the mayor stated there was nothing wrong). Eventually Jimmy Carter declared a federal health emergency and sent officials to remedy the site. At that point the 99th street school had been demolished. Hooker Chemical & the school board refused to accept liability. The federal government eventually had residents relocated, and demolished most of the homes on the land. Today, Love Canal is a grim reminder of what costs we pay when dealing with chemical companies, and that it's important to know your history. The area is essentially a ghost town, with a small handful of homes still standing (some families refused to move during the evacuation). This place is creepy. Recently I decided to take a little drive through the area, and a couple of the streets have road blocks that prevent you from driving down them. You can drive down 100th St. (a completely barren road), turn down Wheatfield Ave and check out the couple of houses that still stand on 101st St. (that's what I did). The space that I assume was the dump site seems to be completely fenced off. Frankly, I think I prefer to stay outside of that fence. Day 15

The GAR Circle is just a little plot of burial land and green space located within Oakland…read moreCemetery. The initials, GAR, stand for Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marines and certain members of the Revenue Cutter Service formed after the American "War of Rebellion," as it is now referred to in certain texts, but more commonly known as the "Civil War," yet in certain Southern States as the "War of Northern Aggression." Hard to believe, but one needn't look far to find that arguments, bitterness and deep feelings about it persist even to this day. Be that as it may, the GAR Circle stands a burial and memorial plot maintained in good and inspiring order by the Oakland Cemetery Association, the American Legion, Order of Odd Fellows and numerous devoted volunteers. It's often overlooked and forgotten by local residence, and indeed the GAR itself was disbanded in 1949, but GAR Circle still stands as reminder of hardships, losses of life and general tragedies that for many years tore this country apart. In all honesty, it isn't much to see. The value is in what it stands for and what it means as is best stated in the motto of the GAR, "Lest We Forget!" and the purpose being "If a Nation forgets its heritage it forgets everything."

Update: Bay Vista Taqueria is the food truck…read more Fun last Wednesday of the season 9/25 food truck rodeo Music was a little loud for my liking. They could've used a few less speakers to project the noise. Wide variety of food trucks-30-40. The service at the truck I chose was fairly priced and delicious If I remember the name, I will edit my review.

Sammies -n- Sweets food truck from Spencerport, NY is AMAZING! We enjoyed their fare at a local…read moreNativity Night in Caledonia. The service was prompt and piping hot on a very cold night. We had combo #3 which included a red osier beef sandwich, Mac salad, drink and dessert. The beef on weck was served perfectly roasted with juicy meat and a delicious roll. The carrot cake was rich with a creamy cream cheese frosting! I'll definitely be following them to see where they pop up next!