Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published December 6, 2019.

Where are you from? How did you end up in Rochester?

I’m from Genesee County, I grew up in Byron Bergen, a very small farm town. From a young age, I knew I wanted to leave. When we went to Geva for a field trip, there were actually street lights, crosswalks, sidewalks, and stop lights! It was so cool to see the architecture, the buildings, and people going to work and moving quick. I knew I was more of a city person. 

For college, I went to RIT and absolutely loved it. When I graduated college, I could have gone anywhere, but we have such a strong marketing and advertising community that I wanted to stay. I love the community and there are so many opportunities in my industry here.

What is your favorite part of living in Rochester?

There’s always something to do, and such a variety of things to do. I like going to the events tab on Facebook and seeing hundreds of local events. I also appreciate that Rochester isn’t just one niche thing, it’s everything. There’s something for everyone. It’s a cliche, but it’s so true. 

I can walk tons of places from where I live. I love seeing the old buildings in Rochester, the iconic skyline, driving out of the city and coming back in. I get this feeling like, “Wow! I live here.” It’s actually really beautiful.

Another thing I love is the local music scene. Something Else and Cut Me Up Genny are two of my favorite local bands to go see. I’ll go dance for hours at Flour City Station and dance my butt off. We don’t get a lot of large artists coming through Rochester, but it’s pretty cool to see big followings develop for local bands.

What are some hidden gems you've discovered around Rochester?

Turning Point Park is somewhere I didn’t know existed until about two years ago. I was like, “This is Rochester?!” It’s so cool and quiet out there. We have a lot of accessible hiking trails. We also have new pop-up restaurants in town, and new trendy food places to check out.

There are tons of little neighborhoods and parks. One of my favorites is the little neighborhood garden behind the Public Market, tended to by the neighbors. It has beautiful flowers and is such a nice, organically occurring place that’s a result of people coming together and putting effort into it.

What's the most unique or interesting event you've attended in Rochester?

Rochester Cocktail Revival is one of the coolest things ever. It’s such a unique thing. Craft cocktails are not an art you would think of. But here in Rochester, we value the mixologists in the area that hone their craft and make really cool things. 

What are some of your favorite local nonprofits to support? 

One that I’ve volunteered with is Flower City Pickers at the Public Market. They collect unsold produce and food that’s salvageable or non-salvageable and they redistribute it to area shelters that can serve it to the community. The rest gets sent to compost. They collect thousands of pounds of food a week, and are always looking for volunteers on Saturdays!

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

I’d go to Lamberton Conservatory, then get a big fancy dinner at Good Luck.

What's your favorite neighborhood in the city? 

The Wedge. My aunt lived in the Wedge in the 80s/90s. I’m close to the Wedge in my part of Park Ave, and my aunt thought it was such a dangerous area. I tell her now how comfortable I am and how the neighborhoods have become safer. The Wedge has a ton of hidden treasures, like Hedonist and Cheesy Eddie’s. And the Wedge’s creativity is very visually appealing.

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

I love Dogtown--their veggie burger and baked beans make for a great plate. 

What is your personal coping mechanism for cold/gray weather? 

Even though it’s cold, sunny days are a nice reprieve. They instantly put me in a good mood. On dark and gloomy days, I get myself ready and organized. I also read a lot, sometimes at different coffee shops, where I can get comfy and pretend it’s not 10 degrees outside.

What's one memory that captures what Rochester means to you? 

I’m the oldest of three and my mom stayed at home with us growing up. She’d take us on little field trips, and our big trip every year was visiting the Strong Museum. Strong is a perfect example of what Rochester is. There’s so much creativity, innovation, and growth. Everything they produce is focused on play and staying young and youthful. That’s what Rochester is all about now, we’re not the stodgy old Kodak city anymore!

What makes Rochester unique? 

There aren’t many cities where people want to get the city logo tattooed on him. There’s so much pride here. People have so much love for what the city is. There are a lot of people willing to work their asses off to make this city more incredible every day. It’s cool that a lot of people’s side hustles are bringing attention to Rochester and highlighting what Rochester has to offer. 

I saw the city for what it was and wanted to build my career here, and use the tools the city gave me. I’m pretty successful in my career, happy with where I am, and Rochester provided me with that. If I had gone to Boston, I don’t know if I’d be as happy as I am now.

What could be improved about our city? 

A lot of people are very comfortable in their neighborhoods and what they know. They aren’t really willing to go to different areas. Rather than saying “oh I live in Park Ave, I’m going to keep going to Park Ave restaurants,” we need to realize that there are other neighborhoods. It might seem like an inconvenience to get there, but there are many different things to offer. Our communities need to be less segmented. 

The way people network and choose who they talk to could be improved, too. People seem to only network for professional gain, like to get a client, a job, or to make a sale. Outside of that, you can network just to expand your friend group! I wish people were more excited to meet new people from other walks of life. We fall into a comfortable zone of people in our communities and miss out on what other people have to offer. Start a conversation with someone sitting next to you at a bar! It doesn’t have to be a forced meeting with an agenda. Some of the best memories I have are candid conversations with people in line for a port-a-potty at an event! You remember those unexpected interactions.

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

Look at the Facebook events page, pick something, and just go. Whether it’s in your realm or not, just show up. People will be welcoming.