Fast forward or rewind? The dream of high speed rail in Upstate NY is nothing new. Back in 1993 
Author Archive...
Rewind: High Speed Rail Art from 2002
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Tags: Albany, Amtrak, art, Art Deco, Buffalo, Chicago World's Fair, Genesee Transportation Council, high speed rail, highspeed rail, infrastructure, Laura Wilder, Mario Cuomo, mass transit, Niagara Falls, NYSDOT, poster, President Obama, railroad, Rochester, Rochester history, transportation, Vice President Biden
Posted in Rochester Gifts, Rochester History, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
State and Main… Window on the Past
Saturday, April 18th, 2009The intersection at State and Main Streets in downtown Rochester, known as the Four Corners, was once the epicenter of the city. I’m going to let these two photos do most of the talking for me in this article. The photo below is of the Four Corners, looking north toward State Street.
The postcard I’m holding in my hand is from the early 1900’s (maybe 1912-ish). Holding it up in front of the same location in 2009, it becomes a tiny window onto the past.
Tags: architecture, city, downtown Rochester, Elwood Building, Four Corners, Gothic, Grand-Union, Main Street, Neoclassical, New York, NY, old photos, photo, photography, pictures, Powers Building, railroad, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, Romanesque, trolley, Victorian, views, vintage, vintage postcard, vintage views, Wilder Building
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development | 12 Comments »
Designing Rochester
Monday, April 13th, 2009
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being introduced to the Rochester Regional Community Design Center
Tags: architecture, Center City, city planning, design, design charrette, downtown Rochester, environment, neighborhoods, New York, NY, public spaces, Rochester, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, sustainability, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Rochester News, Urban Development | 4 Comments »
Rochester 2020 — Rail vs. Fast Buses?
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
If I said Rochester may one day have a rapid transportation system linking RIT to downtown Rochester and beyond, you might automatically think ‘light rail’. Think again. RochesterSubway.com recently discussed the future of Rochester’s transportation infrastructure with Richard Perrin, Executive Director of the Genesee Transportation Council
NOTE: If you’ve got a question that we didn’t ask in our interview, please leave a comment at the end of this post and we’ll pass it along to Mr. Perrin who will do his best to answer it as time permits.
Tags: Brighton, Broad Street Corridor Master Plan, bus routes, City of Rochester, congestion, Curitiba, downtown Rochester, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), fixed guideway public transportation, future, Genesee Transportation Council, Genesee-Finger Lakes Region, GRI Airport, high-capacity corridors, highways, historical trends, hub-and-spoke system, infrastructure, Inner Loop, Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), interview, light-rail, mass transit, mobility and accessibility, Monroe County, New York, Port of Rochester/Charlotte, Regional Transit Service (RTS), Renaissance Square, Richard Perrin, Rochester Central Business District (CBD), Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester NY, streetcars, suburbs, subway, Transmilenio, Transportation Plan, Travel Demand Management, trolleys, U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), University of Rochester
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 18 Comments »
NY High Speed Rail… I’m With Slaughter!
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
With the latest wave of federal stimulus
Tags: Amtrak, bus, Central Avenue, Clinton Avenue, County Executive Maggie Brooks, downtown Rochester, federal stimulus money, Governor Paterson, Greyhound, high speed rail, intermodal, Main Street, Mayor Patrick Duffy, New York, NY, Renaissance Square, Rep. Louise Slaughter, RTS, Sen. Charles Schumer, taxi, Trailways
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
3 Different Visions for Midtown Tower
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
Okay, I haven’t put the time or effort into crafting my own “vision” for the old Midtown Tower, so I’m not going to be overly critical here. But I’m going to show you two concepts for Midtown that were sent to the city this week for review (and 1 wildcard concept). The first drawing (shown on the left) is from local developers Patrick Dutton and Shane Bartholf. It includes 158 for-sale condominiums with large window openings, common or public use of the former restaurant space on the 14th floor, and mixed-use office and retail on the first three floors. As you can see they’ve also added some shiny (albeit blurry) people to their drawing, as well as a lovely solar-flare effect to make the building look extra shiny…
Tags: architecture, city, concept drawings, design, development plans, downtown Rochester, Harmony Group, Midtown Plaza, Midtown Tower, mixed-use, New York, NY, Patrick Dutton, real-estate, Shane Bartholf, sidewalks, skyscraper, urban planning, urban renewal, urban revitalization, vision
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Urban Development | No Comments »
Missing Person… Help Find Mrs. Ferenc
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
You may have already heard about Mrs. Bernice Ferenc, an 85 year old Irondequoit woman who went missing on February 12, 2009. Well, with my head wrapped up in my blog I had not heard the story—until I woke up Sunday morning and heard a request for volunteers to help in the search effort. Being a resident of Irondequoit, and having a mother myself, I hopped in my car and went to see how I could help. You can help too…
Tags: 85 year old, Bronislawa "Bernice" Ferenc, elderly woman, Irondequoit resident, missing person, Oldsmobile Delta 88
Posted in Rochester News | 1 Comment »
Monroe County Transportation, Highly Satisfying?
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
I asked Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks if our current transportation infrastructure (highways, bus routes, etc.) are adequate to serve the needs and growth of our community moving into the future. I also asked what she thought Rochester mass-transit should look like by the year 2020 and if there was anything she’d like to see changed or improved. Read her response, then please let me know what YOU think…
Tags: bus routes, commute, highways, infrastructure, Maggie Brooks, mass transit, Monroe County, New York, NY, public transportation, Rochester, traffic, transportation center
Posted in Interviews, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 6 Comments »
Subway Confessions: Pennies & Snowballs
Friday, February 20th, 2009
When I was growing up in the late 1930’s my family lived in the Winton Rd. Merchants Rd. area. One of my fonder memories is walking down Winton to East Avenue with my father and younger brother to catch the subway or trolley. The subway ran through the old Erie Canal bed (where I-490 is now), and would actually get going rather quickly. It would sway back and forth as the Conductor built up speed, and we’d hang on to the straps for dear life…
Tags: bridge, Cobbs Hill Park, conductor, cracked window, East Avenue, German American Sports Club Field, I-490, Lexington Avenue, memory, Merchants Road, Monroe Avenue, Mount Read, overpass, penny on the tracks, Rochester Subway story, Sibley's, snowball, trolley, Winton Road
Posted in Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 1 Comment »
Subway Confessions: Mr. B’s Wild Ride
Monday, February 9th, 2009
The following Subway story was submitted to us by Mr. B from Rochester…
“When I was 7 or 8, I would go to the YMCA on Monroe Avenue or the library next door after school. The Subway used to pass under the Monroe Avenue overpass heading downtown. It must have been in mid june in 1955 or 1956. We were looking out the window at the library and the Trolley was parked or stopped under the overpass…
Tags: asphalt, bridge, East Avenue, I-490, James Vick, memory, Monroe Avenue, overpass, Park Avenue, Rochester Subway story, tracks, trolley, Vick Park A, Vick Park B
Posted in Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories | 1 Comment »
The Renaissance Square Dance
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
Last week, Senator Chuck Schumer and County Exec. Maggie Brooks announced that the Renaissance Square project 
will be moving ahead, with or without the performing arts center. $45 million would still need to be raised to build the theater, and at this point it looks like that money would need to be raised entirely with private donations — HIGHLY unlikely. So what exactly are we building? A new bus station (essentially a covered parking lot for buses). New classrooms for Monroe Community College. Oh, and a big grassy area where the performing arts center would have been.
Pricetag? $230 MILLION and 10 years of planning!?
Tags: architecture, bus, bus station, bus terminal, city, Clinton Ave, design, downtown, Greenwich Village, Hell's Kitchen, Maggie Brooks, Main Street, MCC, mixed-use, Monroe County, Neil Bauman, New York, NY, performing arts, real-estate, Renaissance Square, Rochester, Senator Schumer, sidewalks, storefronts, street, urban planning, urban renewal, urban revitalization
Posted in Opinion, Urban Development | 6 Comments »
So… What Will Obama Build?
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
Today was an historic day for America
Tags: bridges, economic stimulus, economy, government spending, green energy, highspeed rail, highway, hydrogen fuel, I-490, infrastructure, light-rail, President Obama, Presidential inauguration, rebuilding America, recovery, roads, train, transportation, utilities
Posted in Opinion, Urban Development | 1 Comment »
What Do You Need A Blog For Dude?
Friday, January 16th, 2009I’ve been working hard to add new and exciting stuff to RochesterSubway.com over the past month. Not the least of which is this handy-dandy Blog thingy. Relax, we won’t be calling it a “Blog” — that’s so 2005. We’ll just call them articles and I’ll be posting them as we have news or stories to share.
Tags: Gift Shop, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway map, Rochester Subway Poster, rochestersubway.com, subway, subway blog, topics, Trolley and Bus Passes, vintage postcard of Rochester City Hall and Subway entrance
Posted in Opinion, Rochester Gifts | No Comments »
It’s A Bit Lonely Down Here… The Rochester Subway on Facebook
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Ever wonder what kind of person it takes to squeeze through a mangled chain-link fence and slither down into the dark, cold, urine-soaked caverns of a an abandoned subway tunnel — all for the sake of adventure and not much glory? Like many of life’s great mysteries, the answer may be found on Facebook
Tags: abandoned subway tunnel, Associated Rochester Subway Expeditioneers, club, explore, Facebook, group, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, subway, tunnel
Posted in Rochester Subway, Transit + Infrastructure | 2 Comments »
Daddy, Tell Me About the Subway.
Saturday, January 10th, 2009I grew up on the south shore of Long Island — about a half-mile walk from a Long Island Railroad station. As a teenager without a car I could leave my sheltered suburban Cape Cod style house, and in less than an hour be smack dab in the center of Manhattan. Not only that, but for just a dollar extra I could reach just about any corner of New York City’s five bouroughs by hopping on a subway car. Can you imagine if New York City had scrapped it’s subway in favor of a highway?!
Tags: automobile, bus, bus-stop, car, city planning, commute, Elmwood Ave, I-490, Long Island Railroad, New York City, Ontario Beach, railroad, Rochester History, sprawl, suburbs, subway, traffic
Posted in Opinion | 6 Comments »
A Timeline History of the Rochester Subway
Friday, January 2nd, 20091825, Erie Canal completed
By 1900 the canal is antiquated; too narrow for modern barges, many lift-bridges downtown tie up traffic, and many consider it an eyesore
1905, funding approved to widen the Erie Canal and reroute it south of the city
Tags: abandoned subway, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Rapid Transit and Industrial Railroad, Rochester Subway, Rochester subway car 60
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
Contributors
Thursday, January 1st, 2009RochesterSubway.com has been digging up stories from Rochester’s past and uncovering new ideas that will undoubtedly shape our community’s future. The following individuals are active contributors to the site but ANYONE—including YOU—may contribute a story (or a rant) at any time as long as it has something to do with Rochester, NY. Submit your story by emailing [email protected].
Tags: Clarke Conde, Joanne Brokaw, Matthew Denker, Michael Governale, Mike Governale, Rochester Urban Exploration Squad, rochestersubway.com, Snoop Junkie, Steve Vogt
Posted in Reader Submitted Stories, Rochester News | Comments Off on Contributors
![\"RochesterSubway.com\"](\"https://rochestersubway.com/images/pixel_white.gif\"){kind=tracking}
