<p>ticklemepink -- Dino BBQ is a Syracuse barbeque and ribs joint. The original was started in a biker bar on Franklin Street. They have since opened restaurants in Rochester and in New York City. I don't recall a "garbage plate" being featured on their menu, but perhaps they added one to the menu in Rochester. Rochester is the only place I've ever had that particular delicacy (but never at Dino BBQ).</p>
<p>Nick Tahou's is the big "Garbage Plate" place, but as some previous posters said, not located in a place I would be at certain times of the day/night. A lot of greasy spoons have their variations of the idea (even my office cafeteria does!). Dinosaur, on the other hand, is in a better place by the arena and the library in downtown...</p>
<p>Thanks for all the cool suggestions!</p>
<p>I'll be there for four days, since I'll be flying in from the West..I'll definitely check out all those restaurants, since I'm already used to going to fancy ones anyway :) Plus, can't miss the cool, fancy supermarkets, lol!
(Only fancy one I've been to is Whole Foods)</p>
<p>My sister actually goes to Syracuse so I'll try to get her to drive over so I visit some of the previously mentioned sights thats a bit out of the way...</p>
<p>Any suggestions on decent hotels/lodgings? To be honest, I haven't even booked yet, I've looked around a few but haven't decided on any yet..</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help and all the great responses!</p>
<p>Mormanti: If your Sister goes to SU then she is well acquainted with Wegmans and Dinosaur BBQ. </p>
<p>I only wish we could get a Wegman's or TJ's near me. I heard that Wegman's has a deal with Price Chopper (poor poor imitation) not to come to our area. Sigh...I just visited my first Trader Joe's in NJ a few weeks ago and I am still eating off of that experience.</p>
<p>Haha, a woman I know from our small town went to a trade show in Rochester with her DH a few years ago and said to me "well, what is Rochester to me anyway but Wegmans, Krispy Kreme, and the Olive Garden?" Her DH likes to eat and those are 3 places we do not have in our area.</p>
<p>Oh and a few years ago I had to go to a concert at the Eastman theater that my D was in. I stayed at the Clarion Riverside in a riverview room. It was beautiful but in DT Rochester and not exactly near the RIT campus. If you are renting a car no problem but if you are relying on a taxi maybe something closer to the campus would be better.</p>
<p>It's too bad that you can't visit at the beginning of May instead of April. You could then see the Lilac Festival which is beautiful. A visit to the Finger Lakes is worth while. Canandaigua would be an easy ~one hour drive and there are some nice restaurants there. You might even be able to take a ride on the paddlewheel boat that tours the lake, not sure when those trips begin in the spring. The lake itself is beautiful and simply doing the drive around it is a lot of fun. A stop in Naples for a tour of the winery there is a nice break.</p>
<p>We have two favorite restaurants in the area and they're quite different. Joey B's in Fairport and a great diner on Rte. 15 in Henrietta not far from the Marketplace Mall. We also are big fans of Wegman's. We have a Whole Foods here in Toronto, and as great as it is, I'd trade it for a Wegman's any day. Wegman's is not only a great place to shop, it is a very good employer and is known for being wonderful to its employees and the community.</p>
<p>I'm a native and I think that Rochester is one of the greatest places to be. It's not a big city like on the scale of our downstate neighbor that people confuse Rochester with but I think that it has everything that you need. Although parts of the downtown area (which the U of R and RIT are nowhere near) are dangerous there are classy parts where many college students make their homes. There are sports teams and all sorts of festivals through out the year and we get major concerts here (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band were here last week). All in all, Rochester is a great "city." And Wegmans rocks!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the info!</p>
<p>Makes me want to attend RIT that much more..heck I'm pretty much sold on the idea :)</p>
<p>For those who are familiar with the area, how far away is Pittsford to Rochester area?</p>
<p>Don't know about Pittsford, but if you are in the Rochester area over the summer months, check out the Sterling Renaissance Faire, a few miles from the charming harbor town of Oswego. (My D had a summer job there as a character actor, and spoke fluently underclass English dialect in VERY hot costumes! Fortunately, she was tried for witchcraft daily and dunked in a pond. There were also jousts on horseback.)</p>
<p>Interestingly, Oswego was chosen by Eleanor Roosevelt to house many orphans rescued from Nazi labor and concentration camps in World War II. There's a small but moving Holocaust Museum in this tiny harbor town, assembled by these people who wanted to thank Oswego for sheltering them during the war years. Read about it in a book called "Haven" by Ruth Gruber.</p>
<p>Pittsford is suburban Rochester, about 20 min. ride from U of R.</p>
<p>Ah, the Sterling Faire...always love their "Shakespeare in the Mud"..my favorite was "Muckbeth"......</p>
<p>If you're looking for good restaurants in Rochester, Charlie's Frog Pond on Park Avenue is great for breakfast or lunch, and Aladdin's in Shoen Place in Pittsford has good Mediterranean food and overlooks the canal (which hopefully by now is not still drained!)</p>
<p>I'm crying . . . I miss Wegmans soooooo much (lived in Buffalo; sibs still there so I get my fix from time to time.) I have a Whole Foods near me but I'd gladly trade it for a Wegmans. For my money, Wegmans alone is a reason to go to RIT or to any school anywhere near one!!)</p>
<p>And yes, go to the Pittsford Wegmans if possible. It's the mothership!</p>
<p>Pittsford to the city is about a 10-15 minute trip. That with or without taking the highway.</p>
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<p>Rochester is wonderful. My family never intended to stay at first, but for over twenty years now it's become home. Gorgeous locale, no megalopolis sprawl, great schools, warm, friendly people, innovative businesses, community engagement, very manageable winters, culture/history... try it, you'll like it!</p>
<p>My son is a first year student at RIT and loves it. We usually stay at the Hampton Inn in Henrietta. Its nice, clean and they have delicious fresh chocolate chip cookies every night.</p>
<p>Have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and RIT Inn - both are fine. There are a lot of hotels in Henrietta within 2 miles of RIT. If you're going on an accepted students weekend book early, but you shouldn't have any trouble.</p>
<p>My d is at U of R. We usually stay at the Country Inn & Suites in Henrietta. Lovely little place, good sized room, nice pool, good value, relatively inexpensive. Straight shot down the road to the mall, which I understand is very close to RIT. A little further to U of R.</p>
<p>D likes Rochester, but this winter has been the pits!</p>
<p>Ditto what's been said. Daughter loves UR. Has found her way around the city. </p>
<p>Hampton Inn in Henrietta is 10 min. from shopping area in one direction, and 10 min. from UR in the other direction.</p>
<p>My husband and I are UofR alum and our daughter is starting there this fall. We also have family in Rochester, so visit alot. The city is a nice medium sized city and nothing is really more than a 15-20 minute drive away. We recently stayed at the Del Monte Lodge and Spa in Pittsford, a nicer place than we've been before in roch. Also, the new Cheesecake Factory is a plus, if you are willing to wait. Last time we went there we put in our name, then hung out in Wegmans for an hour just taking in the amazement that is Wegmans.</p>
<p>I'm sorry but Rochester does not have very manageable winters. Quite the contrary. When you live in Rochester, by the time March rolls around, you'll be so sick of winter that you'll be keeping track of the amount of time left till spring break by the day and hour.</p>