Take a walk with me....

The Bronx will always be my hometown, but Rochester is my home. Throughout the 9 years I have been here, I have truly come to enjoy all this place has to offer. We made the decision to live in the suburbs, as I wanted some breathing space, amongst other reasons, but I drive into the city practically every day. Mind you, this takes about 10-15 minutes to get into downtown Rochester, a little longer to get to the neighborhood that I enjoy hanging out in, the Park Ave. area. It reminds me a lot of certain places in Brooklyn, and is an absolutely gorgeous area of the city. If I were to consider becoming a city dweller again, this is where I would want to move. My fav coffee shop is here, and it has some of the most gorgeous homes in the area.

So put your walking shoes on as we take a brief tour...


So here is where we start:


Park and Berkley, my main hangout.


















The houses and other buildings in this area are beautiful, and most have a hefty price tag. Renting an apartment in this neck in the woods can be pricey as well, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. Many of the homes go back to the first part of the 20th century.

















Like I said, it is one beautiful place to walk around in.












Of course, once your done walking, a nice place to eat and drink always helps:

Jine's is one of my favorite places. It is a Rochester institution.













Feeling Mediterranean? Sinbad's is your place...













Abbott's is another Rochester institution, and I have yet to find a better custard anywhere. They even have a shop in Tokyo, if I recall. (Hey Julia, dontcha miss this stuff down in the hinterlands of Jamestown? ;-) )






Still have a sweet tooth? Try stopping by Steever's...



























.....and if you feel the need to get a new body orifice, or become a walking piece of art, we can satisfy that urge as well.........


Well, there you are for now. More walking tours to follow.

19

Two nights ago, Mrs. Nighttime and I celebrated 19 years being married. It has been a long road, and while we still have things to overcome, we are working together on this. Going through the medical crisis that I did puts particular strains on a marriage. Almost dying twice is not an easy thing to deal with for both the person going through it, and the person who is caring for them. Such is the case with me.

Nietzsche remarked that "Whatever does not kill us, makes us stronger." There is a great deal of truth to that, though when it comes to marriage, it can have the opposite effect. The trick is learning to crawl your way back. Joseph Campbell remarked that "Marriage is an ordeal." It is a shared one, to be sure.

The other night however, was a time to put those things aside, and just enjoy things for what they are. We were looking for a good restaurant to go to, some place we have never been before. A friend of the wife suggested Esperanza Mansion, on the east side of Keuka Lake. It was a great suggestion. The food was terrific, we had a great bottle of Pinot Noir from Ravines Wineries, a Keuka Lake winery. The view from the northeast end of the lake was wonderful as well. (As you can see here.)

Some other shots from the restaurant:





This is the view to the west side of the lake.










View from the restaurant veranda, looking southeast. This is smack in the middle of farm country, as well as wine country.











Petunias on the veranda.













Inside one of the guest dining rooms. The mansion is also a hotel/B&B.












Rear view of the mansion. I was not able to get a view of the front veranda, as the grass was soaked from a rainstorm that we rode into on the way there. Lots of lightning and downed trees on the road. It was a 90 minute drive there, but well worth the effort.