A few months ago we interviewed the local artist known only as Spaceman. You’ve seen the iconic images on the streets of Rochester. Now you can own them (and contribute to two great causes). Proceeds gathered from the sale of these stickers, prints and t-shirts will go towards Spaceman’s efforts to clean up waterways in the Genesee Valley; including the Genesee River and surrounding tributaries. Spaceman also requests that a portion of the proceeds go to RocSubway for the upkeep of the site. Thanks Spaceman!
But don’t wait. Quantities are EXTREMELY limited so grab this stuff while it’s here.
It was 37 years ago today when the greatest photo in RPD history was taken. David Bowie was in town on his 1976 World Tour. After giving a performance at the War Memorial Arena on March 20, Bowie was arrested in a hotel suite in the early morning hours of March 21. Three others were also booked including James Osterberg, or Iggy Pop, the “godfather of punk rock.” This infamous mugshot was taken when the rockstar returned to Rochester and pleaded “not guilty” to the felony drug charge in Rochester City Court. This was the story printed in the Democrat and Chronicle the morning of March 22, 1976…
I’ve given myself a photo assignment for 2013. Pick 13 subjects, and take 13 snapshots of each. Simple. We started last month with 13 mailboxes. This month I turned my lens on what I thought were some of Rochester’s most intriguing storefronts. These images were taken on the city’s east side, from Monroe Ave up to East Ridge Road…
When I first moved to Rochester’s Swillburg neighborhood thirteen years ago, my favorite place to eat was Highland Park Diner. I remember this Rochester Landmarks poster, by Richard Margolis, hung over one of the booths there. I used to stare and study those landmarks all the while shoveling Aunt Bee’s Homestyle Meatloaf into my face. Ah, my first taste of Rochester. Today I own that poster, and I’ve now been to all but one of the 38 landmarks on it. It’s a great feeling!
Now you can get your hands on a copy of this Landmark poster from the RochesterSubway.com Gift Shop, and start checking them off your list too. Can you name all 38 landmarks? No peeking! The answers are after the jump…
I took a few hours to have some fun this week at The Strong, National Museum of Play. They’ve got a killer exhibit going on right now, through May 12. A history of transportation built entirely out of LEGO! I haven’t geeked out this bad since Norm Abrams came to Chase-Pitkin for a “This Old House” book signing. Check this out…
I don’t know why, but I really like the number 13. Some people go out of their way to avoid 13. Not me. In fact, I’m about to embark on a yearlong project for 2013. I’m going to pick 13 random subjects. Take 13 snapshots of each. And we’ll see if we can paint a portrait of Rochester.
Let’s start with the seemingly mundane mailbox. Most of these snapshots were taken near Sea Breeze…
GardenAerial is a non-profit organization working to transform the High Falls gorge, including its industrial structures and trails, into a multi-use, public green space. Full disclosure…I serve on the board of the GardenAerial. I jumped at the opportunity to support this organization because I believe the High Falls and surrounding area could be great assets for this city, but they are woefully underutilized. We’re working to change that. And here’s a tremendous opportunity for you to help right now…
“It’s one of the eeriest, strangest places I’ve ever been.” That’s what Chris Seward said of this little known spot on the University of Rochester campus when he took these photos. The Merle Spurrier Gymnasium opened in 1955 as part of a women’s center and the Susan B. Anthony women’s dormitory. Spurrier housed this 25-yard-long, six lane swimming pool. According to a 2004 Campus Times article , the pool has been closed ever since the women’s gym facilities were moved to the Robert B. Goergen Athletic Center in 1982…
Yesterday, the archival photo blog, Shorpy , shared a great photo of the Babcock family from Rochester NY. The image is one of a collection of 38 photographs by Ralph Amdursky for the U.S. Office of War Information. The series shows how the Babcocks, a “typical American war worker’s family,” lived in 1943 during the height of WWII…
Having kids has made me see the holidays in a different light. I find myself thinking about my own childhood and all the stuff I used to look forward to each December so I can do those same things with my own kids. Like when my dad would pile us all in the ’78 Caprice Classic and we’d cruise around to find the best—and most ridiculous—Christmas light displays in town. I know I know, not a very eco-friendly ritual; but most of us are gonna do it anyway. So last week on Facebook, I asked you where your favorite local light displays were. You answered. And I’ve begun mapping them all out in one convenient location so you don’t have to spend countless hours (and fuel) driving around Rochester trying to find them yourself…
Rochesterians love to brag about how many cool things were invented right here in Rochester. The automobile, the automatic voting machine, fuzzy pipe cleaner, The Simpsons LEGO couch gag, Jell-o… hold up… what? You didn’t know the Simpsons LEGO couch gag was a product of Rochester? It’s true…
“These people cannot drive in the snow. I went to the beach today and it smelled like sh!t. I loooove Wegmans. Why’s the TV on R-News?”
If you’ve uttered any of these words, then you might be a Rochesterian. Maybe you’re visiting from out of town and finding it difficult to converse with the natives. No worries. Let Dave Maslyn and Andrew Specksgoor teach you how to speak our language in 2 minutes and 11 seconds…
Imagine it’s 1965 and your parents bring you to the big city of Rochester, New York to take in the sights and do some shopping in the world’s first indoor urban shopping mall, Midtown Plaza . It’s thrilling! All the people! The lights! The sounds! The experience is setting off fireworks in your little 6 year-old brain. What better way to remember this extraordinary day from your childhood than with a warm, six-inch high… fleshy colored…… What the #&@! is this?
Maldives is a country like no other. A Shangri-la of breathtakingly beautiful turquoise reefs, beaches, and palm trees. It is composed of 1200 coral islands off of the Indian sub-continent, of which 200 are inhabited. But this amazing country is in danger of disappearing.
On July 19th at 7pm, Greentopia | FILM and The Little Theatre will be co-presenting the Rochester premiere of The Island President…
The song is Patience by Guns N’ Roses. The man behind the guitar is Dave. I’ve seen Dave playing on the side of this I-490 service road in downtown Rochester for years. Today I finally got out of my car and spent a few minutes with him. He’s a real good guy. Stop and say hello if you see him…
Meet local rapper “Bricksonion”. Brick first started rapping when he was 13, but didn’t take it very seriously until he was about 23. Now he is known around town for his music , and for operating Rochester’s first mobile recording studio.
If you’re a snow bunny like me, this winter had been pretty darn cruel until today. Over the past 24 hours Rochester got nearly as much snow as it’s seen all season—and it landed just in time for the 2012 Lakeside Winter Celebration at Ontario Beach. We weren’t able to stick around for the wagon rides and the snow sculpting contest, but I did catch the good part—THE POLAR PLUNGE! If you got stuck at home digging out and missed the action, here’s a short video…
If you’re looking for something to do with the kids while they’re off from school for the holidays, grab your conductor hats and head out to the Garden Factory [map]. They’ve got a 60’x20′ model railroad on display thru the end of the month that you won’t want to miss.
A few weeks ago I was driving home from my downtown office and happened to have my camera with me. Not sure why but I thought it be interesting to see what I’d capture if I left it on my dashboard for the ride. Now don’t try this at home—distracted driving is not cool. I’m a professional… idiot that is.
Anyway, the results I thought were pretty cool. And it got even cooler with some quick editing and quadruple speed playback. Throw in a mirror effect and some of that dope-ass hip hop music all the kids are listening to… and now we’ve got something worth sharing.
So go ahead—turn down the lights, pump up the volume, and hit it full screen. Let me know what you think in the comments.
If there’s one thing the Great Recession can teach us, it’s that one need not pay an admission fee and tip toe through the great white halls of the Memorial Art Gallery to be able to enjoy fine art. Rochester’s streets are a hotbed of modern artistic expression. All too often we dismiss street art as thoughtless vulgarity or worthless scribble. I say it depends on the frame; and the lens.
Throw on a French beret and grab your monocle. We’re hitting the streets and public spaces of Rochester to broaden our understanding of what art is…
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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
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changed, and highways replaced the railroads, the Rochester subway gradually
became a relic of a bygone era. In 1956 the subway was abandoned and much of
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with the New York State Thruway (I-90). Read more about the history of the Rochester Subway.
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future is written in her past. Let's rediscover it.
![Spaceman artwork now available for you to own. [IMAGE: SPACEMAN]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-spaceman-sticker.jpg)
![David Bowie's mugshot after being arrested in Rochester NY for possession of marijuana. [PHOTO: Provided by Todd Hess]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/david-bowie-mugshot-rochester-ny-01.jpg)
![Rochester Landmarks Poster [IMAGE: Richard Margolis]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-landmarks-poster-richard-margolis.jpg)
![LEGO Travel Adventure exhibit at The Strong, National Museum of Play. Now thru May 12, 2013. [PHOTO: RochesterSubway.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/lego-travel-adventures-01.jpg)
![Concept for a Sunken Garden at Browns Race, High Falls. Rochester, NY. [IMAGE: Bryant Design Studios]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-sunken-garden.jpg)
![A little known abandoned swimming pool at University of Rochester. [IMAGE: Chris Seward]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/university-of-rochester-abandoned-pool-01.jpg)
![The Babcocks, an American family. Rochester, NY. March, 1943. [PHOTO: Library of Congress]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/babcock-family-rochester-ny-portrait.jpg)
![34 year-old Rochester native, Mike Battle, is a Color Modelist on the FOX T.V. series, The Simpsons. [PHOTO: Brooks Stonestreet]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/simpsons-mike-battle-01.jpg)
![Do you know what this is? Hint, it's not what you're thinking. You dirtbag. [PHOTO: Moldville.com]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester-clock-of-nations-mold-1.jpg)
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