Rochester is located in Upstate NY, just over an hour from scenic Niagara Falls. Previously known as "The Flour City" due to the mass amounts of local flourmills, Rochester is now called "The Flower City" for the growing seed and nursery businesses. Rochester is one of the most industrially driven cities in the nation, with the start of companies, such as, Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, as well as a major office building for the Xerox Corporation.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que 99 Court Street (585) 325-7090 www.dinosaurbarbque.com

Sticky Lips BBQ 625 Culver Road www.stickylipsbbq.com

Simply Crepes 114 South Avenue, Rochester (585) 428-8300 7 Schoen Place, Pittsford (585) 383-8310

On a bright early Saturday morning, my twin sister who was visiting me from Ohio decided to check out Jitters Cafe to get a refreshing taste of their hot chocolate, I decided to tag along. As we walked inside Jitters, you could smell the coffee being roasted, hear soft music playing, and see the unique atmosphere. As my sister and I were about to order our hot chocolate, we leaned onto the counter and noticed that the bottom of the counter was filled with rocks as part of the decorations. Seeing through the glass window below the counter, there were variety of pies, bagels, scones, muffins, and cookies. I was drooling for a lemon poppy seed muffin, so I ordered one and it was delicious! Jitters used to be known just as the coffee cafe but now Jitters recently added a bar inside the cafe. My twin sister and I were very curious to see what the bar looked like so we walked around Jitters. We looked in the back room, pass the ordering section, we could see the lights being dimmed knowing it is the bar where booze and wines are sitting on glass shelves along with a pool table, a dart board, two televisions, several booths, and high chairs with high tables.

277 Alexander Street Monday-Friday: 11:30am-2:00am Saturday: Noon-2:00am Sunday: 5:00pm-2:00am (585) 232-2626 http://theoldtoad.com/

55 East Ave (south-west corner of East & Alexander) Monday - Thursday: 5PM-2AM; Friday: 4PM-2AM Saturday: 6PM-2AM; Sunday: Closed (585) 263-7650 http://montyskorner.com/

Lola Bistro & Bar 630 Monroe Avenue Daily 5:00pm-2:00am (585) 271-0320 www.2taste.com/lolabistro

The Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) is considered one of the finest regional art museums in the country. Its permanent collection of 11,000 works spans 50 centuries of world art including masterworks by artists such as, Monet, Cezanne, Matisse, Homer and Cassatt. Audio guides, special events, and changing exhibitions are offered year-round. While at the MAG, visit Cutler's Restaurant, the Gallery Store, and the Gill Discovery Center, featuring an interactive installation on Ancient Egypt for families.

Genesee Valley Park (GVP) has much to offer. GVP offers a great view of foliage, animals, golfing, cross-country skiing, big open fields for any sport, walking trails, playground, and eight picnic shelters. In addition, there is a creek for canoeing, as well as fishing.

Highland Park, over 110 years old, stands on the ground of a historic Warner Castle. The park has gardens and beautiful flowers to look at where it hosts the Lilac Festival every year in May. The Lilac Festival offers food, crafts, entertainment, and games! There is a little pond used for ice-skating in the winter and an open field for softball where a diamond is provided for public use. Highland Park, is located at 171 Reservoir Avenue.

Rochester International Jazz Festival is one of the largest events held in Rochester. The festival is a nine-day event that features 600 musicians in over 200 concerts. The festival is held at eighteen venues and presented in four series. The festival takes place during the month of June, around the East End Culture District in Downtown Rochester.

The East End District of Rochester is home to many bars, nightclubs, and restaurants. During the summer the neighborhood comes together to celebrate in the East End Nightlife Festival which is also called the East End Music Festival. It happens once a month during the summer. It usually takes place on the first Friday of June, July, and August.

The Lilac Festival is a free festival that takes place annually in Highland Park during the month of May. The festival features over a thousand bushes of lilacs with hundreds of varieties. Besides lilacs there is a wide variety of music, food, and art, which offers entertainment for all ages.

Park Ave is one of Rochester's oldest and most unique neighborhoods. Home to many sidewalk cafe's, boutiques, gift shops, and specialty shops. Each year Park Ave hosts the Park Ave Holiday Open House and the Park Ave Summer Art Fest.

Blue Cross Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena located in downtown Rochester. It seats just over 12,000 people and hosts many sporting events from ice hockey and basketball to cheerleading.

Rochester Area Colleges Alfred State College Alfred, NY Alfred University Alfred, NY Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Highland Park, Rochester, NY Corning Community College Spencer Hill, NY Empire State College Saratoga Springs, NY Finger Lakes Community College Canandaigua, NY Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY Monroe Community College Monroe County, NY Nazareth College Pittsford, NY Roberts Wesleyan College North Chili, NY Rochester Institute of Technology Henrietta, NY Saint John Fisher College Pittsford, NY State University of New York at Brockport Brockport, NY State University of New York at Geneseo Geneseo, NY University of Rochester Rochester, NY Wells College Aurora, NY

May Chef's Day "At the Market" 10am-12pm Saturdays May to October Rochester Public Market Lilac Festival Highland Park Memorial Day Parade Downtown Route

Editor in Chief: Meara O'Connell