Walking the City

Today I had to take my car into the city to get worked on. And since I didn't have a vehicle to get around in,  I decided to walk it. I know there are a lot of great things to see in the city, and since I had all day it was the perfect time to take advantage of it.  My starting point would be Park Ave. Everyone talks about it.  It's kind of the hipster part of Rochester. There are little shops and eateries along the way. But I made a quick stop at Arena's, a nice florist and gift shop. They carry very nice high-end home decor and a few other items like teas. Very nice and worth a walk through.

After that, I stepped out on to East Ave and of course went right instead of left. As I walked down the sidewalk I was taken by the smell of food, and having not had breakfast I followed it a few doors down. I came across a place called Orange Glory Cafe. The smells that emanated from this tiny little space were intoxicating, partly because I was so hungry and mostly because it just smelled good. Little did I know what was waiting inside.  They weren't open yet but they still invited me in and the girl behind the case showed me their selection of Veggie Burgers. "Veggie burgers! Oh great" I thought to myself. I'm hungry and this is it? Now I'm all for a veggie burger, but I have to be in the mood for such a thing. And usually, they're not THAT great. Being that I was hungry and didn't know the lay of the land, I figured it wasn't going to kill me and they were so friendly that I asked what kind they had. She got to the third one and I stopped listening. Not because I was grossed out but because when she got to that one and said "curry" my salivary glands went into overtime! I had the Curried Cauliflower Burger. OMG, it was fab! And the curry was not spicy at all.  Great blend of  flavors. It had roasted peppers, curry, a blend of other spices and came on toasted whole wheat bread. What a nice treat and it filled me right up. Orange Glory I learned is only open weekdays from 11a-3p. They do mostly catering on weekends. My tummy was happy. As a matter of fact as I write this I'm craving one. It's Sunday!!! Must wait...

After that tasty treat, I headed over to Park Ave. My first order of business was to try a much recommended cupcake from the much recommended Sugar Mountain Cupcakes.  It was a tiny little place that also has a tea house called La-Tea-Da Tea Room & Parlour. Cute,  quaint and delish.  All the cupcakes looked beautiful. I had the Dulce de Leche cupcake. The guy behind the cupcake case informed me proudly that the "leche" takes five hours to make. Well, hooray that someone took the time! I devoured it as I walked on to my next destination.

As I walked on I passed eateries, hair salons, lots of hair salons and a couple of cute shops. Then I came to Parkleigh boutique. Huge place, had lots and lots of gifts, coffees, soaps etc. But my favorite part was the "candy counter". Glass cases that showcased truffles, candy, petite-fours. Dozens of small bits of sugary goodness. And I was full! Ugh, it would have to wait til next time. So I wandered around a bit more while I finished my sample of one of the local coffees from Keuka Lake (one of the Finger Lakes). Yummy! 











So after that I wandered around the neighborhood, surely you don't want to hear every detail about every house in the area. At that point as I was passing the Rochester Museum and Science Center  I noticed they had an herb garden and a smaller garden off to the side dedicated to someone. So I went over to see and take some pics. Very cute and peaceful. I walked around for a bit took some pics and at that point realized my phone was running out of juice. 33% on the battery?! (At that moment I missed my blackberry).










Ok, I had to think where I could go and recharge my phone. One of my workmates had suggested I go to a place in the city called Java's Cafe, since I loved coffee so much. So I made my way back over to East St. See the city of Rochester itself, in a very convenient way, is small enough that you can get anywhere by walking in a good amount of time. Java's happened to be over by the Eastman School of Music (Rochester's Julliard I presume). I found it and went in. This place was totally right up my alley. It was Artsy, hipster and welcoming all at the same time. Everyone behind the counter had a cool look to them, tattoos and funky hair. And the coffee?...superb. I sat people watching for a couple of hours. I love people watching. You can tell so much about a person by watching them. At that point the mechanic called and let me know my truck was ready. So I made my way out and over there.




It was a great day of sightseeing so-to-speak and I got to see a big part of the city. Rochester really has so much to offer contrary to what people think. Of course it isn't one of the most popular cities out there, It's a bit old and a little run down, but its beautiful in its own right. From a West Coaster's eyes it has a beauty that we didn't have back home. There is a lot of history, architecture, nature and more here.

Until the next adventure...