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Moving to Rochester, New York
Locus
Trust MeThe seaRegistered User regular
Trust MeThe seaRegistered User regular
My wife will be starting a new job in Rochester, New York this summer, and we’re going to be moving up there from New York City at the end of June. There are several issues that we need some help with:
1. Finding a place to live. Although my wife has some cousins who live near Rochester, and another cousin who moved away from Rochester not so long ago, we are generally unfamiliar with the city and its suburbs. Are there areas of the city or suburbs we should avoid, and are there areas that are particularly desirable? My wife’s job is pretty much in the heart of Rochester, so we’re looking for something no more than a 30 minute commute away from the downtown area. Are there any resources we can use to find a place to live in the Rochester area (other than Craigslist)? I suspect we may need a broker to help us find something that we like. If so, are there any brokers that anyone can recommend?
2. Getting our stuff to Rochester. We’ve decided that we’re going to hire movers to get our stuff to Rochester, because neither one of us feels like moving all of our furniture. Are there any New York City-area movers that anyone has used before and could recommend?
3. Getting my cat to Rochester. This is Hieronymus:
He is a very nice cat. Unfortunately he hates being in his carrier. He generally spends the first 30 minutes howling like a banshee and making everyone who hears him think we are torturing him. Then he inevitably quiets down. Not because he’s finally settled down and gone to sleep, but because he has started to hyperventilate. So I need to find a way to make the six hour drive to Rochester without A) killing the cat, or
going insane. Any recommendations for how to transport him would be appreciated.
4. Getting around Rochester. Being city-dwellers right now, neither one of us owns a car, so we will have to purchase at least one (and probably two) cars when we get up there. I know it snows a lot up there, and my wife has expressed a desire to drive a large vehicle of some kind (either a minivan or an SUV). I generally prefer smaller cars, so I was wondering if the winter weather makes it necessary to own a larger car, or if purchasing snow tires for the winter months would be sufficient.
5. General living in Rochester advice. My wife and I know almost nothing about Rochester, except that it gets cold and dark in the winter. We will take any advice we can get.
Thanks for the help!
1. Finding a place to live. Although my wife has some cousins who live near Rochester, and another cousin who moved away from Rochester not so long ago, we are generally unfamiliar with the city and its suburbs. Are there areas of the city or suburbs we should avoid, and are there areas that are particularly desirable? My wife’s job is pretty much in the heart of Rochester, so we’re looking for something no more than a 30 minute commute away from the downtown area. Are there any resources we can use to find a place to live in the Rochester area (other than Craigslist)? I suspect we may need a broker to help us find something that we like. If so, are there any brokers that anyone can recommend?
2. Getting our stuff to Rochester. We’ve decided that we’re going to hire movers to get our stuff to Rochester, because neither one of us feels like moving all of our furniture. Are there any New York City-area movers that anyone has used before and could recommend?
3. Getting my cat to Rochester. This is Hieronymus:
He is a very nice cat. Unfortunately he hates being in his carrier. He generally spends the first 30 minutes howling like a banshee and making everyone who hears him think we are torturing him. Then he inevitably quiets down. Not because he’s finally settled down and gone to sleep, but because he has started to hyperventilate. So I need to find a way to make the six hour drive to Rochester without A) killing the cat, or
going insane. Any recommendations for how to transport him would be appreciated.4. Getting around Rochester. Being city-dwellers right now, neither one of us owns a car, so we will have to purchase at least one (and probably two) cars when we get up there. I know it snows a lot up there, and my wife has expressed a desire to drive a large vehicle of some kind (either a minivan or an SUV). I generally prefer smaller cars, so I was wondering if the winter weather makes it necessary to own a larger car, or if purchasing snow tires for the winter months would be sufficient.
5. General living in Rochester advice. My wife and I know almost nothing about Rochester, except that it gets cold and dark in the winter. We will take any advice we can get.
Thanks for the help!
Locus on
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Posts
1)
Avoid: 19th ward, any street name that's a letter (Avenue D, E, etc), really anything near the gennessee river (there are a couple of ok areas near it, but mostly bad). Sadly although Rochester is a beautiful area the urban areas are all pretty much places you don't want to live. There are pockets of greatness downtown, but it's always a better choice to live further out and commute in.
There's a great little victorian apartment neighborhood near culver and park ave (generally called the park ave area) that's trendy and nice, and that's close to the city. It's probably the nicest area that's super close to downtown. http://goo.gl/maps/t7qP3
If suburbs are ok, the east side is where it's at for desirability. Webster, Penfield, Perinton, Fairport, Pittsford, Victor, and Brighton are all very nice suburbs. Victor and Pittsford are especially upscale for the most part. The western end of Webster has some older less good places, but the main areas of webster are fantastic. There are some apartment complexes in some of those suburbs that are sub-par, but they should be obvious in comparison to the others.
If you like being able to walk to a lot of places in your immediate vicinity, I really recommend looking at the park ave area, and Fairport. Fairport is further away but has a really great walking village (and has my favorite bar, the Fairport Village Inn).
Get a broker. I don't have one to recommend, sadly, but it will be worth it. Picking apartments when you can't visit really sucks.
2 and 3) can't really help
4)
Rochester gets a lot of snow, in general, and while when I first moved there the road crews were extremely good, they degraded each year thereafter. It's *really* important that you have a car that can hold its own in slippery conditions (and you should see if there are any places nearby that teach winter driving tips). Many small cars are actually great in the snow. Honda Civics, for example. When I first moved there, I wouldn't have said that you should look for something with AWD, cause really learning snow driving and getting a decent car with snow tires is enough, but honestly Rochester winter road maintenance has degraded to the point that I would generally recommend AWD for anyone without previous significant winter driving experience. A subaru might be a great compromise between the two of you.
5)
For the eastern US, Rochester gets very cold in the winter. Make sure you always keep an emergency kit in your vehicles just in case (blanket, coats, hand warmers) because if you find yourself stranded, it might be a really cold wait for a tow.
Don't go to the 19th ward at night. I'm not fucking kidding. Anywhere I said to avoid? Just don't go there if you can avoid it, ever. If you can't, just be safe. I am being a little overzealous in this, but while the nice areas of Rochester are basically crime-free, the bad areas are *bad*.
GO TO WEGMANS. Almost all people who have lived with a Wegmans will swear by it for the rest of their lives. Don't screw around going anywhere else, just go to Wegmans. Learn it, love it
The local "greasy horrible food" is the Garbage Plate. It looks awful, but after a few beers it's fucking delicious.
Go to Abbot's custard. It's a local chain, and is wonderful. Dibellas Subs used to be a local chain but is now expanding across the country. Doesn't matter, go there anyhow. Delicious sandwiches
Go to the summer festivals! They're fantastic
WINE! Rochester is extraordinarily close to the Finger Lakes wine region. There's a bajillion wineries around there, and most have tastings if not also tours.
I could probably come up with more things, but I really should get back to working
First, the good news is that you are moving out there in the Summer. That's great! Summers there are gorgeous. Take advantage of the lakes and the outdoor activities. Make a trip to the Finger Lakes and check out the wineries.
Now the bad news. From October to May, you will not see the sun. I am not kidding. It can snow literally everyday for weeks straight. You don't necessarily need a big car, but having four wheel drive is advantageous. You will learn to drive carefully in snow; I only had one weather related accident in three years of having a car there.
The cost of living coming from NYC will be significantly lower. You want to avoid living directly downtown because it's not in the greatest shape. I lived near a stretch of restaurants and bars called Park Avenue right next to downtown that was plenty safe and pretty fun. I did use a real estate agent that had an office on Park Avenue. Pittsfield is probably the nicest suburb.
Be prepared for some culture shock. I almost lost it when I heard a woman trying to get her boyfriend to try an exotic drink at a Mexican restaurant. It was a margarita. rocwiki.org was a great resource while I was there. Go to Dinosaur BBQ! Also, try a garbage plate.
As for the cat, I would suggest talking to your vet about that since it sounds like he has some pretty severe travel anxiety, even for a cat, it's possible there's a medical solution for a short-term move.
Like beer? http://www.rohrbachs.com/
Like little cafes? http://www.magnoliascafe.com/
Like wings? Ask around once you meet some people, but Rochester is a mecca for wings. I could come up with a list of places to go for wings, but that could be a thread of its own.
There's actually a lot I miss about Rochester. We left mostly due to the things I hate about New York State, which since you're already a resident of NYS that won't really be an issue.
People aren't lying when they tell you about the snow. I live in the greater Syracuse area and holy egads, just, what the fuck.
Also it goes from 10 to 80 to 14 to 60 to 30 to 90 in the span of a week. And there's no spring, it seriously went from 30 to 70 in a week. Then back down to 30, then to 90, and now it's sitting at 80.
Fucking upstate NY.
Pittsburgh still had wild weather fluctuations, but it's much more mild.
The things I mentioned hating are all due to Monroe County property taxes, the NYS tax code, and some other law-based things. The things I miss are all the "living" things. I had settled in to the point where I had go-to restaurants for most types of food, had my favorite bars, and other hangouts, and the summers... aw man the summers. Rochester summers are awesome. Festivals, food, wine, beer, and the lilacs!
We'll definitely be careful about where we look for apartments/houses. I guess I'll have to do some research into brokers to help us find something we like.
The number one thing my wife is looking forward to is Wegmans. I've never been there so I have no idea what all the fuss about, but it's good to know my wife isn't crazy. And thank you also for all the food recommendations. We'll have about a month until my wife starts her job, so we'll hopefully get to spend that time exploring the area and all its eateries.
Unfortunately I am well aware of the winter weather situation, though it's helpful to know in advance that the maintenance situation is not great. I used to live in a cold, snowy, dreary place so I'm mentally prepared for not seeing the sun for six months.
Winter Driving:
Big isn't as much of a help as people think it is. Even AWD isn't that much help once you're moving. If she gets this makes sure she understands that AWD does absolutely nothing to help you stop. Since most accidents involve hitting something while you're already moving....this is a thing.
Traction control on the other hand is bloody awesome. Any newish car will come with this and I would suggest it.
The biggest thing to understand is that any sudden changes are bad. Slamming on your breaks is just about the worst thing you can do in those conditions. So is turning sharply or gunning the accelerator. Be gentle, flow with the snow, or rather don't cause your tires to lose traction by asking for too much.
I've been driving a little Honda Fit the last two years and had no issues with the snow. (Yes, I just said we've had mild snow those years. This may still have involved driving through a storm that had snow on the roads reaching my undercarriage but it was only once!) Small cars can be perfectly fine in the snow.
I didn't go into "winter driving tips" just because there are many threads on it in this section already in the history, and really it deserves its own topic
anyways...
Seriously. Especially if you guys aren't "drivers" right now. AWD is the most you need, and SUV's actually take a longer distance to stop vs. a Subaru.
The only thing I'll add is that if you're buying winter tires, realize that actual *WINTER* tires are not meant for driving on in the not-Winter. Ideally, don't drive on them if it's above freezing, but don't freak out if you put them on because you think winter is starting then drive on them for a few 50 or 60 degree days. My point is, don't drive on them year-round.
To this end, you might want to consider three possible tire options:
1) Get all-season tires. This will probably lead to some "excitement" on bad days in Rochester, especially, as someone mentioned, if you and your wife aren't driving enthusiasts. Meaning you're familiar and comfortable with traction, its limits, and how road conditions will change its limits.
2) Get winter tires and swap them on and off of your wheels twice a year. This isn't a bad option, but it's a bit more hassle than option 3 can be. If your car has larger wheels, like say 17"+, those tires will be expensive. Which brings us to option number...
3) Get 15" winter tires AND an extra set of basic, 15" steel wheels. Fifteen inch tires are cheaper than larger tires, so if your car comes with 17"+ wheels, buying 15" wheels + 15" tires may be the same cost as 17" tires alone. Also, you mount the winter tires on the "winter" wheels once. Also it's pretty trivial to change between wheel/tire sets yourself, while unmounting and remounting twice a year will have to happen at a shop.
(note that my talk about 15" wheels and the relative cost of 17" tires is based on small sedan wheel and tire prices; I don't know if the math holds for larger vehicles.)
1. A 30 minute commute will be almost anywhere. Even during "rush hour" there is almost no traffic unless there is an accident. You're looking at something approximately in this circle:
In terms of specific places you should live, it's going to depend on what you value and how much you can afford. If you want to live within the city limits, I'd recommend staying east of the river unless you have a specific reason/area you're thinking about to the west. Under no circumstances should you live on Lake Avenue (seriously, I served as a grand juror once, and almost 90% of the violent crime that came in took place on Lake Ave). Pittsford and Fairport are the stereotypical well-to-do areas, but every suburban town is going to have an area like that if that's your thing. Penfield has the nicest Wegman's, IMO. Rental brokers aren't really something you see here compared to New York. You can surely find something you'll like just through craigslist or some other free search (zillow, etc.), but if you really want to be hands off, Northnagle Realtors is a probably the biggest local agency and they can hook you up with some rentals. There's also the obvious players (RE/MAX, etc.). Housing is dirt cheap, so you can probably afford to buy, but if you won't be here long the taxes almost certainly make it not worth it.
2. I don't know anything about New York, but uship.com is an interesting site where smaller (or maybe larger) moving companies bid on jobs you post. We got a guy named Terry (profile fastmove). It was literally just a guy with his trailer but it was the cheapest and most pleasant move I've ever had (DC to Rochester).
4. You absolutely need a car. Two if you ever want to do something at the same time, though if don't both commute to separate places or are otherwise apart often, it may be possible to just have 1 car and use a taxi for the rare occasions. Public transportation is absolutely terrible. Lake effect snow is the worst in terms of driving conditions. Contrary to popular belief AWD is not what you should be looking for. Yes, it will help you get out if you're stuck, but it absolutely will not help you stop, and that's the real danger. It's very rare that you're in a situation where you actually can't move, and if you are, you probably shouldn't be driving. If you're not really a frequent driver anyway, you should definitely get snow tires and a car with traction/stability control (naming depends on the brand, but it's a feature that detects over/understeering and automatically applies brakes/gas to balance you out and prevent fishtailing). You can take a class, but the most important advice is to simply not go fast if the snow is bad enough that you feel uncomfortable.
5. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. Night life is going to take some real adjustment if you're into any kind of party scene, but there are enough passable restaurants around to keep your palate satisfied for a while. There are tons of great parks and trails around. The canal is a nice spot for running/biking. The Little Theater is a nice lower-budget cinema. Lots of local bands/ensembles (for a city of this size). Basically it depends on what you're into, but in general you can find something to fit the craving you have, you just may not have as many choices (or as good of a choice) as you will in New York.