View our other publications:
Fresh mountain air eases through the windows, ushering in the kind of calm that makes for a perfect nap. But I only close my eyes for five minutes before a beckoning in the distance shatters my peace. The shouting gets closer: “AUNTIE TAY!” I giggle as my five-year-old niece, Mae Mae, sprints toward my bedroom, repeating my name the whole…
1.01.2026
If you’ve spent a winter in Rochester, you know the struggle. The gray skies linger, the wind bites, and sunlight becomes a rumor. By February, even the hardiest locals start daydreaming about someplace warm, vibrant, and lively. Luckily, such a destination now exists right in the city—and you don’t even have to pack any bags. Easy Sailor, a tiki-inspired bar…
1.01.2026
(585) photographers Michael Hanlon, Renée Veniskey, and Tomas Flint Who doesn’t love a good stiff drink on a snowy January evening? The photographers at (585) sure do. Each was asked to pick his or her favorite cocktail in the Rochester area—their go-to, ride or die. . . their hygge drink of choice. Of course, it’s hard to pick just one…
1.01.2026
Trudging through the snow during a Western New York winter is better when your destination is fireside. An old-fashioned bonfire can feed your soul when you’re longing for sunshine and warmer weather, and outdoor relaxation can help break up the monotonous feeling of cold, dark, and wet days as exposure to daylight and sunshine is reduced mid-winter in the (585).…
1.01.2026
There’s a raw honesty to a farm-to-table restaurant in January.  For nearly two decades, chef Art Rogers has transformed the bounty of our region into something extraordinary. His restaurant Lento, tucked in the Village Gate Square, has become the unofficial embassy of the Finger Lakes agricultural scene. The menu reads like a roll call of farming’s local celebrities—duck from the…
1.01.2026
Dr. Keisha N. Blain is an acclaimed historian, Brown University professor, and best-selling author. Her new book, Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights, tells the stories of Black women who were at the forefront of movements for social change, including several whose place in history is being unveiled for the very first time. Fannie Barrier Williams,…
1.01.2026
My husband, Mike, and I moved into the historic DeLand House in the village of Fairport in October 2018. The home we left behind, a perfectly nice 1970s colonial in Perinton, had all the basics most people look for: central air, reliable electricity, and decent plumbing. Our “new” house, built in 1856, greeted us with quite the opposite: knob-and-tube wiring…
1.01.2026
Volcanic soil is rich in minerals that can nurture plants. For one innovative and dedicated husband-and-wife team, that fertile soil can also be turned into handmade pigments, and those pigments can be turned into stunning works of art. Hayley Dayis and Alexander Fals of Foraged Pigment Art occupy a unique place in the contemporary art scene. The couple splits their…
1.01.2026
Lift Bridge Yarns is more than just a yarn store. It is a hub for the fiber arts community to gather, a rare third space where people come to connect, converse, and create. Lift Bridge began just four months before the pandemic hit, founded by two friends, Dawn Verdugo and Jessie McNaughton. The store sits along the Erie Canal in…
1.01.2026
Back to Archive

Tiki traditions live on at Rochester watering holes

A kid who bootlegged rum with his grandpa during Prohibition and then raveled the seas looking for adventure. A savvy Californian with an eye on trends and a missing leg he attributed to shark attack (it was tuberculosis). A carved idol roughly resembling a man with a garish grin who, on beaches long forgotten, loved …

The beachcomber

I love the short hair! Where do you go? Thank you! You know, I randomly just wander into barber shops. What happens is, I wake up one day, and being this creature of habit and planning I am, I think, “I want to be bald-headed today. Right now, immediately, I don’t want any more hair.” …

Talk the talk and walk the lock

Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park 1575 Rooker Dr., Port Byron 776-4601 paththroughhistory.iloveny.com   After a hundred years without a canal, Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park restores the culture that surrounded the waterway and gives us a taste of nineteenth century living.  In 1819, Bucksville, New York, saw the first boats wind …

Growing food

The Commissary  250 E Main St.  263-6954 www.rochestercommissary.org   If you have an interest in the culinary arts, the Commissary will soon offer an outlet to develop your passion. Scheduled to open in the spring of 2020, the food-based incubator will cater to those with an interest in developing businesses within Rochester’s culinary industry. Headquartered …

Wining and dining on the banks of the scenic Erie Canal

On a warm summer day in July, there’s nothing quite like sitting by the canal in Bushnell’s Basin. Better yet, having lunch or dinner with a cocktail or glass of wine alongside the 200-year-old waterway on the patio of Richardson’s Canal House—a building that predates the canal itself—is prime location for anyone who relishes history …

Wasted away again on Lake Ontario

Marge’s Lakeside Inn 4909 Culver Rd. 323-1020 margeslakesideinn.com    With Seabreeze to my back, I climb the stairs to a small Caribbean-style bungalow standing in stark contrast to the residential properties lining the strip. Fran Beth, Marge’s seasoned owner, sweeps the floor and tells me they just got back from their annual trip and “I …

Subscribe to our newsletter