You may remember an article I posted more than a year about new plans for an Aldi store in Irondequoit on Hudson Ave. At that time I suggested the building should front the street/sidewalk, instead of being set back behind the parking lot. I thought the result would have been a development that would be more accessible to people who might choose to walk in off the street.
My suggestion was met with all kinds of wisdom from the project architect who has since set me straight. I now understand why it is better community planning to put your buildings in the middle of parking lots…
You might have stepped out of your house any day this month and thought to yourself, ‘Self, it’s kinda cold out. Maybe even colder than normal.’ If you did, you’re correct , it was the coldest month on record. If you did not, then please consult your doctor.
From local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
Some of you may know that there is a shiny, new-ish, giant Wegmans in Rochester. It’s over at East and Winton. Savvier readers may know about another grocery store nary a block away (but clearly on the wrong side of the tracks!). That’s right, there’s also a Tops. In addition, it has come to my attention that there are plans for an Aldi across the street on the site containing the old Roly-door building and Jim’s. For a city with few urban grocery stores, there’s food for everyone over here…
I just returned from a trip to Strong Memorial Hospital to visit Debbie, a cyclist who was seriously injured and taken by Mercy Flight to Strong after being hit and left to die by a drunk driver near Palmyra last week.
Debbie is recovering satisfactorily, but is badly hurt and clearly in pain. Her nurse says she asks if she will be able to ride a bicycle again. The answer is “yes, but not tomorrow.” She was clearly touched and pleased to have a visitor and to know that we care…
Did you hear, last week Rochester earned a spot on a top ten list of most creative cities? It’s true. From local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
This week’s photo takes us back to March 21, 1976. That’s glam rock legend David Bowie (center) being arrested on drug charges by undercover cops at the Americana Rochester Hotel on State Street after a concert at the War Memorial. This rare “behind the scenes photo” was passed among the RPD for decades and this week a copy of it found it’s way onto eBay for an asking price of $25,000 $20,000. Get your bids in now – the auction ends tomorrow morning. [Read more about the Bowie arrest here ]
From local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
Last week, Carnegie Place was largely destroyed by fire. Its life spanned some of the most crucial and drastically changing times in Rochester’s history. I had a chance to stop by after the fire and take some photographs of a building I have always enjoyed; in a part of town that was vibrant and still is the heart of the arts movement in Rochester…
This week Eric Mamajek, an astronomer at the University of Rochester discovered an object—either a planet or a failed star—with a ring system 200 times the length of Saturn’s. Mamjek’s discovery is blowing the minds of astronomy geeks worldwide.
From outer space, to local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
Tucked away in a remote corner of downtown, facing the back side of the Geva Theatre and surrounded on all sides by parking lots, stands this unassuming brick house. In downtown Rochester there are several lonely buildings like this one, still hanging on long after its neighbors have all been read their last rites.
I admire old little structures like this. Maybe it doesn’t have a glamourous story to tell. But it’s stuck it out for the last 150+ years – from Rochester’s boom, all the way through the toughest times this rusty city could throw at it. Whenever I’ve visited Geva Theatre I’ve taken notice of this one and wondered if it would find new life…
Today’s RocLink photo was taken by Chris Seward on April 3, 2010 in an abandoned building in Lockport. Chris says the three-story building was brimming with antique motorcycles and parts. According to this article the bikes made their way here from Kohl’s Cycle Salvage shop on the north side of the Erie Canal. The Mr. Kohl died in 2002, and the motorcycles were left here until the building crumbled around them.
And now, from local development to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
You may have heard FSI Development of Rochester has purchased the empty lot at 186 Atlantic Ave (a.k.a. The Gleason Lot). Here at RocSubway we’ve fantasized about filling in this empty lot for quite some time. And although it’s not our original vision, the actual plan may be even better than how we dreamed it – primarily because it involves a local brew.
FSI is planning to build a brewery and tasting room on the southeast corner of the site to lease to Three Heads Brewery of Honeoye Falls. Damn, why didn’t we think of this…
The image above was created by Tristan O’Tierney last October in the Rochester Subway. Tristan attached a common kitchen whisk to some string, put some fine grade steel wool inside the whisk, lit the wool on fire, and then swung the whisk around for a 30 second exposure. The result is perhaps the most beautiful version of spin art we’ve ever seen.
From local development, to just plain news of the weird, here are your RocLinks for this past week…
Exciting News! Rochesterians voted and won the Hyped for Halftime / Hype Your Hometown contest sponsored by Pepsi! So many Rochesterians love their hometown that they got out and voted – as they did with the Pepsi Field of Dreams contest in 2012. I guess this means that Rochester really loves Pepsi. We are not Atlanta, Coke need not apply…
Sorry for the Tina Turner reference… it was all I could think of to describe the enormity of this big wheel. I’m talking 25 foot and 12 tons just under 20 ton*!! Um, ok so who are these hooded dudes, and just where do they think they’re going with our giant wheel? These strange photos were taken late Tuesday afternoon by Tom Dubois and Peter Simpson…
Happy Holidays! In this month of consumerism I thought I’d bring you a small update on some exciting retail changes coming soon or already open in the city of Rochester…
Being called one of the most innovative reggae bands out there today , Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is rocketing into 2015 with momentum. The group’s previous album In These Times earned a spot on iTunes “Best of 2012” list. And their new album, Steady debuted this fall at #1 on the Billboard Reggae Chart, iTunes’ Reggae Chart, and Amazon’s Reggae Chart. Cider Magazine called it, “one of the best reggae albums ever made.”
Without a doubt, Giant Panda has become one of Rochester’s hottest musical exports…
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After the Erie Canal was rerouted south of downtown Rochester, the Rochester
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