![Rochester is a great city for off-road cycling. The City's Bicycle Master Plan Project will seek to elevate Rochester to full 'Bicycle Friendly Community' status with the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Communities Program. [PHOTO: from Tobo's Flickr stream]](https://www.rochestersubway.com/images/photos/rochester_genesee_riverway_bike_trail.jpg)
Something outstanding is happening in our community—Rochester is catching Bike Fever. Over the past decade or more Monroe County and local municipalities have been steadily making investments in existing off-road trails and in new ones, especially around our colleges, universities and along the river and lake shore. You may have noticed some new ones near you. Bicycling Magazine even placed Rochester on their list of America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities
this year. Albeit at #50, but hey, it’s a good start!
Posts Tagged ‘Rochester NY’...
Rochester’s Bike Master Plan—It’s Not Just for Cyclists
Sunday, August 29th, 2010Tags: Bicycle Magazine, bike lanes, bike plan, Butterhole Seneca Park Trail, Chuck Thomas, city planning, El Camino Trail, Erie Canal Path, Erik Frisch, Frank Regan, Genesee Regional Off-Road Cyclists (GROC), Genesee Riverway Trail, Genesee Transportation Council, Greenway Trail, infrastructure, Monroe County, New York, Ray LaHood, Regional Trails Initiative, Rochester, Rochester Bicycle Master Plan Project, Rochester Cycling Alliance (RCA), Rochester Environmental News Examiner, Rochester NY, transit, transportation, Transportation Secretary
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 3 Comments »
Two Upcoming Subway Tours… and a Dinner Party??
Sunday, August 8th, 2010
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunities don’t come along very often—that’s why they’re referred to as such. So clear your calendar, put the dog out, and grab your coat and hat… preferably a hard-hat.
After our subway excursion was squashed last Spring, many of our readers feared that they had missed their last chance to see the inside of the Rochester subway tunnel with their own eyes (and smell it with their own quivering noses). But this Summer the stars have aligned. Here come not one, not two, but THREE rare opportunities to go inside Rochester’s seldom seen subway… legally!
Oh, and did I mention, a lucky few* will get to enjoy cocktails and a catered dinner party INSIDE the tunnel? Yummy! Okay, here we go… these may be your final chances to experience the Rochester subway tunnel…
Tags: Anderson Alley, BBoy BBQ, Broad Street, Clifford Street, Dinner in the Ditch, Erie Canal, Erie Canal Aqueduct, FUA, Genesee Aqueduct, Graffiti, Graffiti Convention, Legal Wall, New York, Rick Rivers, Rochester, Rochester Canal District Plan, Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo), Rochester NY, Rochester's Historic Canal District, South Avenue, St. Joseph's Neighborhood Center, subway tour, The Rivers Organization, World Canal Conference
Posted in Events, Rochester News, Rochester Subway, Urban Exploration | 2 Comments »
Summer Subway FREEBIES! Free Rochester Wallpapers
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
I’ve never shared this with anyone before… but I have a disorder. I’m an excessive wallpaper changer. I’m in therapy (and doing a little self-medicating) but still, I have a hard time keeping one background graphic on my computer desktop for more than a day or two (at most). Maybe I have ADHD? Or maybe I just need a life. I CAN’T HELP IT! I just get bored staring at the same image for too long. I tear through so many wallpapers I’ve had to start making my own…
Tags: abandoned subway, abandoned subway tunnel, abandoned tunnel, City of Rochester, desktop backgrounds, desktop wallpaper, downtown Rochester, Erie Canal Aqueduct, free stuff, Freebies, Genesee Aqueduct, Genesee River, Graffiti, history of Rochester, Main Street, New York, NY, old photos, old photos of Rochester, pc wallpaper, photo, photography, Rochester, Rochester history, rochester images, Rochester NY, Rochester panorama, rochester photos, Rochester Subway, subway tunnel, trolley, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Freebies, Rochester Images | 11 Comments »
Think Before You Defend Rochester’s Inner Noose
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
A recent story in the City Newspaper, “Glamming Rochester’s Gateways” 
One letter
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Tags: Alaskan Way, Buffalo, City Newspaper, downtown Rochester, FDR Drive, highway, highways, I-490, infrastructure, Inner Loop, James R. Boehler, Kensington Expressway, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Seattle, transportation
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 15 Comments »
Happy Independence Day!! Err, wait, are you legal?
Sunday, July 4th, 2010On this July 4th weekend I thought it fitting to share a stunning factoid with you: the Border Patrol station in Rochester, N.Y. apprehended more than 1,200 people who did not qualify to be in the United States in 2007…
Tags: Amtrak, Border Patrol, Canada, Fourth of July, immigration, Independence Day, July 4th, New York, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester NY, transit, United States of America (U.S.)
Posted in Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
Today, June 30, in Rochester History: Final Day of Subway Service.
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010On this day, June 30, 1956 in Rochester history…
Service on the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway (the “subway”) ended. According to several accounts, the public came out in force to bid farewell to the Rochester subway and an extra car had to be added to handle the crowds. Fifty members of the Metropolitan New York Railway Association held a chartered fantrip, and people crowded platforms and overhead bridges all along the subway route to get their last pictures…
Tags: Canal Boats, General Motors, history of Rochester, Interurbans & Trolleys, New York, NRHS, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway photos, Rochester Transit Corporation, Rowlands Loop, this date in Rochester history
Posted in Rochester History, Rochester Images, Rochester Subway, Train/Railroad Stuff | 2 Comments »
Beyond the Motor City — at the Dryden Theater, June 28
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
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On Monday June 28 at 7:00pm you are invited to a FREE screening of PBS’s eye-opening film, BLUEPRINT AMERICA: BEYOND THE MOTOR CITY. The documentary is touring cities across America to raise questions—and seek answers—about the future of transportation in America. Can we build the “infrastructure of tomorrow” today? Can the cash-strapped and car-dependent cities of the so-called Rust Belt become new models for fast, clean, public transit? The links and similarities between Rochester NY and Detroit MI are glaringly obvious—and I think you owe it to yourself to see this film.
Tags: America, Beyond the Motor City, Detroit MI, documentary, Dryden Theater, Empire State Future, film, infrastructure, mass transit, mass transportation, movie, New York Museum of Transportation, PBS, Reconnect Rochester, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Rail Transit Committee, Rochester Trolley & Rail Corporation, RRCDC, transit, video
Posted in Events, Transit + Infrastructure, Urban Development | 1 Comment »
Rochester: A City of Quality (1963)
Saturday, June 19th, 2010
In light of some of recent civic developments in our town over the past few months (high speed rail, transit centers, new theaters, etc.) I thought it appropriate to pull this old film out of the archives to take a look at the history of Rochester through the eyes of some good old-fashioned propaganda. Rochester: A City of Quality is the title of a film made in 1963 by Rochester Gas and Electric. The film presents Rochester in the most glowing light possible through a narrative that is clearly a product of Cold War industrialism. In one section the narrator declares “Rochester has made peace with the automobile”. And in another, “Change is necessary to keep competitive in industry as well as cities. If you don’t change, change will change you.”
Tags: film, history of Rochester, Jam Handy, Jam Handy Company, movie, New York, old photos of Rochester, Rochester, Rochester history, Rochester NY, video, vintage views
Posted in Art + Culture, Rochester History, Rochester Images, Video | 2 Comments »
Worst Public Speaker EVER Award, Goes to Me
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Tonight was the City Council’s final public hearing and vote on whether or not to release a portion of Mortimer Street (in the heart of downtown Rochester) to the transit authority to build a 26-bay bus terminal. I used the opportunity not to denounce the bus terminal but more so to point out that the City of Rochester has no transportation plan. Also to sharpen my public speaking skills, which, after tonight I realize can only get better. I stumbled, I was shakey, I lost my place several times, and my mouth was so dry my tongue kept making this annoying clicking sound with every syllable. But, I delivered my message and that’s what counts. Anyway, here is the text of my statement:
Tags: bus station, bus terminal, Genesee Transportation Council, Mortimer Street, New York, Rochester, Rochester City Council, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester NY
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 7 Comments »
RGRTA Pushes Ahead with Bus Terminal
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
According to an article
Let’s be honest, this is more than just a project…
Tags: bus station, bus terminal, Genesee Transportation Council, Mortimer Street, New York, Rochester, Rochester City Council, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester NY
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 27 Comments »
Chris Luckhardt… Pro-Photographer. Canadian. Rochester Subway Explorer.
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
Back in January I stumbled upon a Flickr photo collection
Originally from Stratford, Ontario, Chris Luckhardt’s creative exploration has driven him from New Foundland to Pheonix in search of forgotten places—strangely spiritual, places we’re not ‘supposed’ to go. I contacted Chris to find out a little more about these photos and what enticed him to visit the bowels of downtown Rochester…
ROCHESTERSUBWAY.COM: Hi Chris, I noticed you have a couple of nice shots of the abandoned Rochester Subway. How often do you visit the subway tunnel? Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your photos?
CHRIS: Sure, thanks for the feedback! I’m the organizer for the Toronto Exploration Society
Tags: abandoned subway, abandoned subway tunnel, abandoned tunnel, Canada, Canon, Chris Luckhardt, Cleveland, Cleveland subway, Detroit, Dinosaur Bar B Que, Flickr, Lee Plaza, Manchester NY, Michigan Central Station, Motionblur Studios, New Foundland, Phoenix, photo, photography, Photomatix, Photoshop, Rochester, Rochester Historical Society, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, Toronto, Toronto Exploration Society, Trotting Park, urban exploration, urban explorers
Posted in Art + Culture, Interviews, Rochester Subway, Rochester Subway Stories, Urban Exploration | 6 Comments »
21 Stories for Scouts
Friday, May 21st, 2010
If you happened to pass by Main Street on Friday afternoon you would have seen crowds of downtown workers staring up at the sky. That’s because more than 70 members of the local business community were dangling from the First Federal Building as part of a fundraiser organized by the Seneca Waterways Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Participants each raised $1,000 to earn themselves the opportunity to rappel down the exterior of the 21-story, “flying saucer” capped building at 28 East Main Street. Proceeds will be used to support urban programs of the Boy Scouts.
Tags: Boy Scouts of America, Del Newquist, downtown Rochester, First Federal Plaza, flying saucer building, fundraiser, Main Street, New York, Over the Edge, Paul Baker, Rochester, Rochester NY, Seneca Waterways Council
Posted in Events, Rochester News | 1 Comment »
‘Google Transit’ Tames Rochester’s Baffling Bus Schedules
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
If we’re being 100% honest with each other I have to tell you I used to pee myself with fear at the thought of having to ride Rochester’s bus system. Not because the buses are dirty—they’re actually some of the cleanest buses I’ve ever been in. And no, I’m not afraid of the “people” who ride the bus—some my best friends
Traveling to and from downtown wasn’t the problem. All I had to do was find a bus stop and hop on—it’s a straight shot. But if I had to get anywhere involving a transfer (which, in Rochester, is pretty much everywhere) then I was lost. How in the world would I know which bus to transfer to once I got downtown? And how long would I have to wait? Would it be quicker to walk? How do I know if this is the most direct route? How much time do I have to leave myself to catch the 7 o’clock show at the Little? AAAAAAH! Forget it! I’ll drive.
Not so fast… There’s an app for that…
Tags: Broad Street, bus, Exchange Street, Fairport, Google, Google Transit, Google Transit Layer, Irondequoit, London Tube, mass transit, mass transportation, New York, public transportation, Regional Transit Service (RTS), Rochester, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester NY, Tunisia
Posted in Transit + Infrastructure | 5 Comments »
Hey It’s Lilac Time in Lilac Town
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Stop everything… do you smell that? No sir, I showered yesterday so it’s not me. That lovely aroma you just caught a whiff of is coming from Highland Park. Oh yeeeyah, since 1898 Springtime in Rochester means more than just flowers. Flowers are for pansy-ass towns. Here in the R-O-C we do LILACS. So grab your old lady and your Kodak—we’re taking a trip to the early days of Rochester’s Lilac Festival…
Tags: Ellwanger & Barry Children's Pavilion, Frederick Law Olmsted, Highland Park, Highland Park Reservoir, Lilac Festival, Lilac Queen, lilacs, New York, old photos, old photos of Rochester, photo, Pinnacle Range, Rochester, Rochester NY, Trolley and Bus Passes, vintage postcard, vintage views
Posted in Events, Rochester History, Rochester Images | 6 Comments »
RGRTA’s Transit Center as seen from ‘A Town Square’
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010Howard Decker is new to Rochester. He moved here last Fall after spending much of his professional life designing transit systems from Chicago to Houston to Washington DC. He is a lifelong historic preservationist, an FAIA, architect, urban designer, and former Chief Curator of the National Building Museum. As a self-proclaimed “transit-geek” he is now spending time familiarizing himself with, and blogging about Rochester and working with groups such as the RRCDC and Reconnect Rochester
Buses and Subways and Trains, Oh My
A Town Square (May 4, 2010) — Our home place here is in the midst of considering a change to its transit system. As usual, Rochester is the perfect case study of how cities can screw themselves up with the greatest of ease. My newly adopted city, like so many of its sister places, has made a vast litany of urban gaffes over the last century, and we are about to see yet another. Let me explain.
In the early 20th century, Rochester had a system of streetcars and interurbans and even a subway, all of which provided transit options to citizens. In those days, say the 1920s, the population of the city was quite a bit larger than today, though the region was much smaller – sprawl was only just getting started.
By the mid 1950s, everything was gone. Streetcars gone. Interurbans gone. Subway gone. Left on the roads? Cars, and buses. Retail was headed out of town, following all those who began to sprawl. Downtown’s fate was sealed…
Tags: A Town Square, bus station, bus terminal, downtown Rochester, Howard Decker, New York, Reconnect Rochester, Rochester, Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA), Rochester history, Rochester NY, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, RRCDC, streetcars, transportation, transportation center
Posted in Opinion, Rochester History, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
Upcoming Lecture: John Robert Smith
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Rochester is buzzing with talk about new downtown development, new transit stations, high speed rail, and downtown circulators. But how do these pieces fit together? Cities across America are using transportation investments like these to transform themselves in a big way. And, if we play our cards right, we too can join the list of revitalized American cities.
On May 10, 2010, John Robert Smith
This event is presented by the Rochester Regional Community Design Center. Get event details and ticket info…
Tags: John Robert Smith, lecture, Memorial Art Gallery, New York, Reconnecting America, Reshaping Rochester Lecture Series, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Regional Community Design Center, RRCDC, transit, transit-oriented development, transportation
Posted in Events, Transit + Infrastructure | No Comments »
More Discussion with WHAM 13’s Evan Dawson on the Cost of High Speed Rail
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Yesterday I wrote to Evan Dawson from WHAM News 13 in an effort to find out why he chose to compare HSR to the Rochester/Toronto fast ferry in his recent article, High Speed Rail: Fast Forward, Not Fast Ferry… Right?
Tags: Amtrak, economic stimulus, Evan Dawson, Fast Ferry, federal stimulus money, Greyhound, high speed rail, New York, Ray LaHood, Rep. Louise Slaughter, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester NY, Trailways, WHAM
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 1 Comment »
WHAM 13’s Evan Dawson: High Speed Rail = Fast Ferry
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
Last Friday (April 9, 2010) Louise Slaughter held a press conference at Rochester’s Amtrak Station along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to officially announce the arrival of High Speed Rail to Western NY. In addition to the track improvements made possible by $151 million in federal stimulus money, Slaughter said Rochester’s outdated Amtrak station will receive modest updates to the building and platform. She also announced that Amtrak, Greyhound, and Trailways (who were in attendance) were committed to building a new multimodal station as a separate project. Also in attendance was WHAM 13’s Evan Dawson [[email protected]]. Dawson asked some tough questions. For example, “Who will subsidize the project?” Good one Dawson. Hey, does WHAM have any openings? I’d like to apply.
So this past Monday Dawson posted his commentary, High Speed Rail: Fast Forward, Not Fast Ferry… Right?
While I applaud Dawson’s quest to find answers to certain outstanding questions, I take issue with his use of metaphor. And since WHAM doesn’t allow user comments on their site anymore, I had to send him this email in order to let him know how I felt…
(more…)
Tags: Amtrak, economic stimulus, Evan Dawson, Fast Ferry, federal stimulus money, Greyhound, high speed rail, New York, Ray LaHood, Rep. Louise Slaughter, Rochester, Rochester Amtrak Station, Rochester NY, Trailways, WHAM
Posted in Opinion, Rochester News, Transit + Infrastructure | 8 Comments »
RochesterSubway.com Quoted In Today’s Democrat & Chronicle
Sunday, April 4th, 2010
Today’s Easter Sunday edition of the Democrat and Chronicle featured fairly extensive coverage of the Broad Street Improvement Project and future plans for the subway tunnel. Three articles and a short video dominated the print and online versions of the Local section and gave RochesterSubway.com and ReconnectRochester.org some much appreciated press. The story below is from the D&C and includes comments from myself (Mike Governale of RochesterSubway.com) and Tom Grasso, who’s canal rewatering plan will likely wash away any chance of ever using the old subway tunnel as a rail corridor again…
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Tags: abandoned subway tunnel, Brian Sharp, Broad Street, Broad Street Tunnel Improvement Project, Democrat & Chronicle, Democrat and Chronicle, New York, Rochester, Rochester NY, Rochester Subway, subway, Tom Grasso
Posted in Rochester News, Rochester Subway | No Comments »
Graffiti: Rising Up From Rochester’s Underground
Friday, March 26th, 2010The story of the Rochester Subway is not complete without at least mentioning Rochester’s deep-rooted hip hop culture. If you’re less than familiar with Rochester, I assure you, this shizzle is fo’ real. The “Flower City” has street cred, and our abandoned subway tunnel has long been used as a canvas to show off some of our best underground talent…
Tags: abandoned subway tunnel, art, artist, Beyond Gotham, Cab Calloway, Carlos Perez, Chuck Mangione, Clifford Avenue, Day26, Dejilon Studios, Eastman School of Music, Evak FUA, Famous Urban Artists, Flower City, From Up Above, FUA, Garth Fagan, Ginuwine, Giovanni McClain, Graffiti, Graffiti Convention, hip hop, Jodeci, Juse One, Making the Band, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, New York, North Clinton Avenue, P-Diddy, Que Mosley, rapper, Rochester, Rochester NY, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Tupac Shakur
Posted in Art + Culture, Interviews, Rochester News, Rochester Subway, Video | 9 Comments »
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