Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published February 28, 2019.

Where are you originally from? How did you end up in Rochester at this time in your life?

I’m from Baldwinsville, a suburb of Syracuse. I studied communications at Alfred, then moved to Rochester for an internship at an ad agency. I knew nothing about Rochester when I first moved here. I found an apartment on Garson Ave, the second floor of a house with a roommate, and I lived there for six years. It was my first experience living in a city. It’s like living in any village though, just dropped within city limits. It helped me to have no preconceived notions about the city and just experience it on my own terms.

If you had $100 and two hours to kill in Rochester, how would you spend the money/time? 

I’d go online and do some research on upcoming events and places I haven’t been, then spend the money on something I haven’t done before. Maybe a new restaurant, show, or museum. Something in a part of the city that I haven’t been to yet, outside of my usual neighborhood circles. I’d like to see more of the city as a whole.

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support?

JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation)—my daughter has Type 1 diabetes. We’ve learned a lot since she was diagnosed, and we’ve volunteered at their gala a few times. They do great work, on the local and national level, to find a cure and make the disease easier to manage.

What's the best place to get a garbage plate? 

Dogtown—it’s delicious. I get a white hot plate with mac salad, home fries, meat sauce, and onions. The more the merrier. Any food you want to throw together in a pile, I’ll try it.

What's your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather?

We try to get out and travel, but we don’t always. We usually crank the heat and bundle up. I try not to get cabin fever, but it’s easy to lay back, hibernate, and not do anything. It’s important to get out of the house for awhile and go places, though.

What's your favorite Rochester memory?

My first date with my wife, Shannon. We went to an Italian restaurant where Unter Biergarten is now, and then we went to Java’s afterwards.

What makes Rochester unique? 

There isn’t that much of a separation between city, suburbs, and country—you can live in one and be a citizen of all three. Get out and see what’s out there, no matter where you live. You’re a citizen of the whole area, so act like it.

What do you think could be improved? 

There are many efforts from many directions to address our city’s problems. I think it’s important to remember that it’s too small a city to say “oh, that’s not a problem in my area, it doesn’t affect, me, so that’s on them to fix.” Everyone needs to help each other. Help can go both ways. We need to act like we live in the same place.

People are starting to realize that you don’t have to move out of the city when you have kids. It’s easy to think of the problem of Rochester’s city schools only on the macro level, but when you meet the people who are actually educating your child, it changes your perceptions.

If Rochester was a person, who would it be? 

Someone who’s newly retired—you had the corporate era, the industrial peak, and that’s all gone away. Now they’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their life. Part of them wants to go back to work, but the rest of them is excited for what’s next. And they’re graying a bit.

How did you end up living in the North Winton Village and becoming such a big promoter of the neighborhood? 

When we were house hunting, we were en route to a showing in Irondequoit and decided to stop in at an open house on Humboldt Street. We fell in love with the house, and moved there in 2013. We just saw the North Winton Village neighborhood getting better and better.

I wanted to tell people how great the area was. I was asked to run a Facebook page for the North Winton Village Association and to help with a website. I also started a Twitter account to promote the area about 10 years ago. I wanted the account to have more personality, so it feels like me. I share about the North Winton Village and Rochester in general.

What do you appreciate about living in the North Winton Village?

I love how easy it is to go anywhere from here. There are trails easily accessible, like Tryon Park, Ellison Park, and Corbett’s Glen. We border Brighton and Irondequoit—everything is right there, whether you’re heading downtown or to the suburbs. You can do anything anywhere. It feels reachable from North Winton.

What's it like to be the human behind the North Winton Village Twitter account?

I’m just trying to get the word out. I work in marketing by day, so it’s something I have a lot of experience doing. I put my name on the account, and some people have criticized that the account is too much of my personal voice. I’m just trying to amplify the good in the neighborhood. And I spread the news when bad things happen, too. I’m not trying to speak for everyone who lives in the neighborhood.

What are some of your favorite online encounters you've had while wearing your NWV Twitter hat?

I love when people contact me about wanting to live in the area. I learn a lot through running the account. There are lots of great online people who live in the neighborhood, and they share lots of knowledge about the history, art, restaurants, and buildings in our area.

What advice would you give to people who are new to Rochester and looking to get to know the area?

Go out for a drive with no goal. See what’s out there; see where the roads connect and highways come in. It’s not a place where you’ll get so lost that you’ll never find your way. Sometimes getting lost is a good thing.

And remember, there’s always something new you haven’t seen in Rochester. Go somewhere you’ve thought about going but have never been. It’s worth it to take the time to get to know what’s available.