Interview by Emily Hessney Lynch.

Published June 28, 2019.

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

I’m from a small town called Napier, New Zealand. They’re known as the art deco capital of the world. I worked at newspapers and traveled in New Zealand and Australia for awhile, then applied for a Rotary scholarship to go get a master’s. I was traveling in Scotland when I found out I got it!

I got my master’s at Newhouse at Syracuse, then went back for a second master’s (though I never finished my thesis). Gannett came recruiting on campus, and Jim Memmott offered me a job as the Sunday Features Editor for the D&C. A friend of mine from New Zealand came to visit, and we went to a bunch of bars. He hit it off with a girl, and that girl ended up being the best friend of my future wife!

What were your first impressions of Rochester when you moved here?

When I was living in Syracuse, my friends and I used a service called “rent-a-rig” to go up and visit Niagara Falls. On the way back, we got lost along the lakeshore. I think we might have ended up on St. Paul eventually? It was gray and overcast, and we saw Kodak belching smoke. We all were like, “Who would want to live in a place like this?!”

Later on, a friend at Syracuse was from Rochester, and we’d all go visit and hang out at her parents’ place when they were out of town. I got to know the Anchor Inn and Marge’s, and met some interesting people. My opinion of the place improved.

When I moved from Syracuse to Rochester, I arrived by bus on a gray, rainy day. A copyeditor from the D&C picked me up at the bus station, and I asked him what he liked about Rochester. He said, “Everything.” He had a theory that Rochester is a very accepting community, partially because the city had wealth and could afford to be accepting. There’s also a large deaf/hard of hearing community, and if things like that bother you, you just go somewhere else. 

Towards the end of my first six months in Rochester, I was able to start renting a room in a house on Irondequoit Bay. You can have a fire inside in the winter, or walk out on the ice and it starts to crack. It’s a nice lifestyle.

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

Our unofficial goal at Rochester Insider was to get people out of their ruts and into other people’s ruts, so finding and sharing hidden gems was a big part of that. We used to publish things like “10 Hidden Gems” or “101 Things to Do this Weekend” One of the hidden gems was the Lobster Trap in Fairport, next to a gas station! Their frozen lobster bisque is so good. There’s a public access secret sidewalk up by the lake. My friend has a house near there, and you just accept people are going to be walking by and you’re going to be out on your porch waving at them. I love biking on the Erie Canal. There’s an access point at South Clinton, and it’s a good ride from there to Burgundy Basin, and then you can stop at Pittsford Dairy for ice cream. A good chunk of the trail is shaded by trees, and it’s a great way to spend 3 hours.

RIT is a hidden gem in its own right. It’s the largest college in Rochester with over 19,000 students. We have companies coming out of there like Datto. It’s a fabulous campus for riding, biking, and walking. Programs like RIT’s College of Art and Design are deeply rooted in the community. Students get exposed to Rochester’s value proposition and want to stick around.

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

I’d either go to Genesee Brew House, Dinosaur BBQ, or Tap and Mallet with friends. Taking out of towners to Genesee Brew House to have a beer on the roof always blows them away. We could go on a Harbor Town Belle cruise. There’s never a shortage of places to go!

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

Finding a new craft brewery and trying a flight. I’m a big fan of The Little, so I try to catch a movie or two there every winter. When school is in session, though, I’m very busy and basically only get one day off a week. I’ll go to museums and art exhibits; the MAG’s Monet/London Bridge exhibit was phenomenal. 

There’s a great sledding hill at Sommerville Presbyterian Church, and suicide hill in Durand Eastman Park is notorious—though I don’t know I’d recommend anyone trying it! You take a path through the tries and then fly over a bridge over a culvert. If you didn’t hit it just right, you could break a leg.

What makes Rochester unique? 

There’s a real sense of place here. I would describe us as bifurcated based on age. The older generation sees Rochester as industrial, commercial, middle class, and everyone has a job. The younger generation sees us as an exciting place with lots of startups and opportunities. The older group is settling into a sense of malaise, while the younger group sees Rochester as full of potential. Rochester is a good place to try things. 

What do you think could be improved about our city? 

There’s a gap between the have and the have nots. The City School Board debate is interesting. In New Zealand, there are local advisory boards that have steered people down the wrong path. Things have gotten worse in the city schools in the 31 years that I’ve lived here. 

Things that should be a no brainer—like using empty lots for gardens—take a long time for us to get on board with. It takes a long time to catch on because of the bureaucracy. 

Some of the really good things we have, Rochester basically had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do. Like tearing down Silver Stadium to build Frontier Field—officials had to get funding and basically force the City’s hand. Meanwhile, they were overconfident about a soccer stadium. It basically comes down to whether or not people are willing to take a leap of faith. There’s too much short-term thinking and not enough long-term thinking. For example, we could create a training program, like for apprentice arborists for the City Parks & Rec department. It would create trained professionals who would later have jobs, pay taxes, and buy homes in Rochester.

What's your favorite garbage plate place?

I like the original Nick Tahou’s version, and enjoyed Irondequoit Hots before they closed. Now I really love the Red Fern compost plate. It always has to be one burger and one hot dog (definitely a white hot), for the variety.

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

Take advantage of all the festivals in summer, try to get to one a week. You’ll see a lot of Rochesterians, and can ask local vendors for recommendations. Find the walking, hiking, and biking trails. The Lakeshore Trail is great—you can take it all the way to the Appalachian Trail! Look for one-off events where you’ll get insight into Rochester that you wouldn’t normally see. For example, the Landmark Society does a lot of great ones, like condo living in downtown Rochester, East Ave mansions, and their Halloween ghost walk. Make sure you’re aware of interesting speakers coming to town. I got to see Kurt Vonnegut speak twice through the Arts + Lectures series Rochester used to host!