I love this event and I'm so glad they were able to do again. Looks like more people are taking…read morenotice too. Not only is it free and a chance to see some amazing color at the end of winter (a time of year that can a look a little drab), but even the food and venders are reasonably priced. I just got a large slice of pizza from Salvatore's for $4 and a bag of popcorn from Doc Popcorn for $3. A nice lunch for a Friday afternoon. I love walking around and finding all the little details that Airigami has included in their installation, it's like a life sized look and find. There is also a small store, with a photo booth ($5 for a keepsake photo). Just like last year they have created some events to tie into the exhibit, including an Enchantment Under the Sea Dance--with a nod to Back to the Future (2015--get it?). The dance is sponsored by Yelp Rochester. There will also be another popping party this year, where participants will get to pop the balloons (with golf tees I heard) and discover prizes inside the balloons ($10 a ticket). Can't wait to come back later this week with my family and my good camera. I always love seeing the creative things Airigami can do. They also do custom installations for meetings, conventions, parties and even weddings--in fact they created a piece at the Rochester Makers Faire for the NYSCATE Convention at the Convention Center back in November, which was really fun to watch them build. I hope this event continues to grow.

Balloon mania! Great temporary exhibit that is fun and very clever. The creativity is awesome -…read moreit is amazing what they can do with balloons. This is the second year we have gone to this exhibit in the Sibley building. Kudos to all of the sponsors of this event!

Home town of the Pen Fields Five. Oh wait…read more If you ever come up on a field full of pens you may be here. It's a really nice rural butt suburban area to the east of Rochester. I meant to say "but" but my phone decided it prefers the word "butt." It takes after Daddy. Really though, Penfield is one of my favorite parts of the region. And one of my favorite people in the region looks here. I meant to say "lives" but "looks" is accurate too. Hottie. Actually two of them. One of them is a Yelper. Hi bae. There aren't too many good food options around here. For that you should go down to Henrietta. But there are lots of cute girls and a really good YMCA. And some nice Farms. But not Funny Farms. Just because I grew up on one doesn't mean I go looking for them.

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.

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).

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.

The Rochester abandoned Subway was once the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway or the…read moreRSB. You can still find some tokens around, they were used for a one way ride. The light rail transit line operated from 1927-1956. It was mostly constructed from the bed of the old Erie Canal. Two miles of the route through downtown was constructed in the cut and cover tunnel that became broad street and was the only underground portion of the tunnel. The above portion is now 490 and 590 interstate. Today, the underground section that is abandoned has become an area for homeless to take cover, a place to explore and a canvas for local graffiti artists. The city officials have made numerous proposals for repurposing the tunnel from filling it in to restoring and creating a transportation museum. I always enjoy seeing the area that was once a common way to commute, that now smells like urine :)

This is a lovely town that has many lovely little gems hidden in it. It's a great place to explore…read more I love coming here. You can find something new every time you visit.

This is a historic district in Rochester, NY, that spans about 30 sites total. It is well preserved…read morewith a Visitor Center if you would want more information. However, when I visited the center was locked up tight. This site sits on the Genesee River and has some amazing vantage points of High Falls. This is the site of where there was once a hydroelectric power plant completed in 1815. Many of the buildings have been reused and are still in use today. Others are shells of their former self that lend to the aesthetic of the area. Walking tours are available, there are many informational plaques around the area that you could do it yourself. This is also where you will find entrance to the Pont De Rennes Bridge and a short walk from the Kodak Tower.