<p>I have read countless reviews saying how dull the city is. I was wondering how,exactly, is the city of rochester? Do people walk around? Are there restaraunts and cafes? Any daily activities going on?</p>
<p>xxduplinsxx… As a resident of the city for the last three years, I’ve found Rochester to be a lot of fun. There are a lot of museums, minor league sports teams, a great music scene, great parks.</p>
<p>The truth is, it all depends on what you are looking for. I like that I can go to a professional production for an affordable price where I know I’ll be able to find parking - I’m going to see ‘Wicked’ this weekend with my wife. I like that I can drive 5 minutes from my house and be in a park with lots of acreage and miles of hiking trails. I like that I can go see some of my favorite musicians live pretty frequently, including at the Eastman School of Music - the last group I saw in Rochester was Guster.</p>
<p>A former co-worker of mine moved to Rochester from a big city on the west coast and made a good point - Rochester may not have as many offerings as a city like LA or NYC, but what we do have is affordable and accessible, and he found that he was actually doing more in the city of Rochester than he was in LA for that reason.</p>
<p>If you are looking for a big city, Rochester may not be your place. But in the last three years I have found Rochester to be anything but dull.</p>
<p>And my D is very excited that this year’s entertainment for Dandelion day is OK Go. And the concert is for UR undergraduates ONLY.</p>
<p>And the Park St area near downtown (and to which UR provides shuttle service) is the full of boutiques and very interesting cafes.</p>
<p>D favors the coffee/tea shop across the footbridge from campus for people/scenery watching and just plain hanging out. She says it has excellent chai. Starbuck’s on campus is also a popular hangout. And the library commons–which has booths, tables and comfy chairs, wireless, a cafe with really good organic baked goods (Connections) and is altogether unlike what most people think as a library. </p>
<p>One thing is remember–River Campus is not exactly in downtown Rochester. It’s kind of off in its own little nook, away from most of the town. Because of that and because students tend to be busy during the day, students really don’t hang out anywhere except on campus during the week. And I think that’s true of most college campuses.</p>
<p>Rochester… dull??? Well this isn’t NYC, but the city isn’t dull, and for its size Rochester is actually very impressive. </p>
<p>Having the nation’s top music school brings downtown to life for most Rochester students. The Eastman School of Music & the newly renovated Kodak Theater offer world-class performances on a weekly basis. As stated above, these shows are cheap and outstanding! (NYC caliber performances for 75% less the NYC price).</p>
<p>Rochester is also the home of many minor league teams: Rochester Red Wings (Twins minor league baseball), Rochester Amerks (Florida Panthers minor league hockey), Rochester Rhinos (soccer), Rochester Knighthawks (lacrosse), Rochester Razorbacks (basketball)… the list goes on! </p>
<p>Also, Buffalo is just a hour and 20 minutes away, therefore giving you an NFL / NHL option. Perhaps your team will face the Bills / Sabres this year? Class councils will occasionally sponsor bus trips to these events.</p>
<p>Rochester night life is really great too. Check out the night life post: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-rochester/903427-parties.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-rochester/903427-parties.html</a> </p>
<p>Rochester hosts many festivals throughout the year too. My favorites include the Park Ave. Festival, the Lilac Festival (every May) and the Rochester Jazz Festival.</p>
<p>Popular bands frequent Rochester too. You should know that Rochester, NY, is home to the University of Rochester, Nazareth College, St. John Fisher, Brockport (SUNY), Robert’s Wesleyan College, and RIT, so there are a LOT of students in this region. These schools are always having bands come to their campuses, so if there isn’t a band at U of R, you’ll find a concert downtown or at another campus. In the past 5 years I’ve seen Ben Folds, Third Eye Blind, Dave Matthews Band, Guster, Eve 6, The Spin Doctors, Reel Big Fish, Cartel, OAR, Taking Back Sunday, The Format and a bunch of other bands in Rochester, NY.</p>
<p>Rochester is also near Lake Ontario and its beaches (10 miles north of campus), Rochester has at least 2 Rock Wall facilities for climbing, multiple movie theaters, multiple malls, the Erie Canal bike path for biking/rollerblading/running, SOOO many beautiful parks to explore, etc.</p>
<p>Food off-campus is incredible (I’ve posted this elsewhere on this forum). Rochester has a multitude of restaurants featuring dishes from all over the world. Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean, to good old fashion Dinosaur BBQ!!! Park Avenue is a 5 minute drive from campus (or a free shuttle bus trip) and has a very “College Town” feel. Restaurants, diners, and coffee shops are numerous and delicious. The variety is unparalleled for a city of it’s size. The Eastman School of Music, and corporations such as Xerox and Bausch & Lomb bring a very artsy and sophisticated crowd to Rochester, which has helped to draw such great restaurants. Also, Rochester is home to the greatest supermarket chain in the United States - WEGMANS. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on campus or at an off-campus dining site, you will certainly find it at Wegmans. There are 3 Wegmans super stores within a 15 minute drive (or free shuttle bus) from campus. The food options off-campus are tremendous and accessible.</p>
<p>Rochester doesn’t seem so “dull” now, eh? It’s great to be in city with such culture and diversity that’s this small. Small = no crowds, no traffic. To top it off, the prices for entertainment are reasonable.</p>
<p>Rochester is not Boston, the ultimate college city - where I live - but it is not a suckhole either. Having spent the day at UR and eating last night downtown, I’d say the campus is compact but with excellent facilities and is both close to downtown and isolated. The ride is about 10 minutes max. </p>
<p>The school is the same size as where I went and is arranged in a similar way, so you see people and thus at least recognize most everyone fairly quickly - except grad students, especially if you’re not in the science buildings much. A school of this size will largely provide its own social life over time; we’re talking 5k undergrads, not 1500. As you get older your social world may move into circles that extend more into the city. You may also have an internship in the city, because Rochester is a real city with big corporations and a government, etc.</p>