[78-L] Rochester

[Cary Ginell]

I had a great time in Rochester. Decided to stay in a bed-and-breakfast instead of at the Radisson in order to save money and experience a little more of the "real" Rochester. My wife came along since she wanted to visit UR and also to take a side trip to Niagara Falls after the conference. We stayed in probably the only white-owned home in a black part of town about 2 miles from the Genesee area. The 1912 house featured an Edison phonograph stocked with Diamond Discs, with another 20 or 30 or so shoved into drawers of a sideboard in the dining room. The owner allowed me to cherry pick six to take home with me for which I paid a nominal sum. Included among them was "Linger Awhile" by Fletcher Henderson, one of only a handful of black dance band sides available on the label. All the rest were dance band, minstrelsy, marches, and lighter fare. I also got discs by the Georgia Melodians, Congo Four, Mike Speciale (all dance bands) and one Vernon Dalhart. The folks at the Bop Shop were nice enough to ship them home for me along with some items I purchased there. Also went to the Record Archive where ARSC members were greeted by a sign saying "Welcome ARSC" at the door. They were extremely friendly there - the shop is very eclectic. I was able to find a 10-inch LP of pro-Communist pro-Labor folk songs by Joe Glazer as well as a double-disc 78 set on Banner (the post-war NY label) of songs from HMS Pinafore sung in Yiddish by an all-female cast. (for the collector who has everything). With my ARSC discount, each came to only four bucks. 
 
Since we had a car, we were able to explore the city - we took a driving tour along the Genesee and saw a lot of UR. Also took a fascinating tour of the George Eastman House, had frozen custard at Abbott's (a must!) and ate at the Dinosaur BBQ, Ming's Noodle (#2), and Pizza Stop. A group of us (Steve Ramm, Dave Jessup, and Mark Cantor) walked to the High Falls near downtown. Another great side trip was a visit to Wegman's Grocery Store, a veritable food marketplace with tasting stations everywhere and fresh deli and bakery stations. I had a fabulous canoli, freshly made, for just $1.75. My wife visited the Susan B. Anthony House and visited the cemetery where Anthony and Frederick Douglass repose. On our way out of town we found the memorial to Eastman where his ashes are buried, in a courtyard right on the site of the Kodak plant. 
 
I developed an ear infection which my plane flight had aggravated, so after the conference, our B&B host recommended an urgent care walk-in facility at St. Mary's Hospital, which was open on Sunday morning and only a few blocks from the B&B. Treatment was quick and effective so that I didn't experience any pain on my flight home. With the great breakfasts he served us I figure we probably saved at least $70 a night over what the Radisson was charging. We learned a lot about Rochester from him and enjoyed our stay immensely. 
 
In Niagara Falls we took the "Cave of the Winds" tour, which allowed us to get close enough to Bridal Veil Falls to be drenched (they supplied us with ponchos and slip-proof water sandals), walked across the bridge to the garish and tacky Canadian side only to be besieged by throngs of people waiting for the summer fireworks to start (I'd say that half of the people there were from India!) and nearly get trampled by a stampede of Japanese tourists literally running for the border on our way back. While on the NY side, we were able to wtiness Nic Wallenda practicing in a parking lot for his Niagara Falls tightrope walk next month. (Apparently he is upset that he will be tethered to the high wire for his own protection).
 
Before leaving for home, we stopped in the little town of LeRoy (est. 1822) to visit the quaint Jell-O Museum (it had to start somewhere, I guess). We like oddball museums of this sort and it was very well presented. (Did you know there was once  coffee-flavored Jell-O?)
 
Looking forward to Kansas City next year. 
 
Cary Ginell