Buffalo better than Rochester...

[chuckster]

...if you believe this article below. I can't believe that The Buffalo News would run crap like this, seeing as we get beat down so much by other national media.

Let the Emailing begin!!


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See Rochester and feel better about Buffalo

8/24/2004
By MARY KUNZ

Feeling down about Buffalo? Worrying about our unemployment, our struggling schools, our rain? Here's something to think about to make ourselves feel better: Rochester.

Sure, even if the drive there down the Thruway is drab and dangerous, we've always been fond of our neighbor to the east. We've enjoyed rivalries, but they've been mostly friendly, and Buffalo has borrowed Rochester's snowplows and blues musicians. Spot Coffee spilled over into Rochester. So, for a while, did Artvoice.

But now, let's be honest, Buffalo needs a whipping boy, someone to make us feel that we're not the most pitiful kid on the playground.

And Rochester fits that role perfectly.

Why? Because at the moment, they're worse off than we are. Their economy held up longer than ours, thanks to Kodak and Xerox. But now it's dying an uglier death than ours. And we're ahead of them, because we hit bottom some time ago, and now we're pushing off.

Cheering up already, aren't you?

Grit your teeth sometime soon, and take that boring drive to Rochester. Check it out. A friend and I have been going there every few months for five years, and we're stunned at what we see. Rochester is fading like an old Kodacolor photograph. The city's blue downtown Thruway signs have bleached to a kind of gray. Some are falling off their signposts.

They have beggars on the streets in Rochester. One guy has stood for five years on a highway ramp holding a sign reading: "Will Work For Food." On a recent Friday, he was joined at another intersection by a slender, denim-clad blond. Her sign read: "Help My Family."

If Buffalo parties like it's 1999, Rochester parties like it's 1929.

Buffalo thinks our construction projects take forever. One long road in Rochester, an artery that runs past the Kodak plant, has been choked up with cones for five years. Perhaps because of stresses like these, Rochesterians are in a perpetual state of road rage. Even pedestrians! One guy was walking in the street. We tried to give him room, and he yelled: "Pick a lane, @#*(&!"

And this was on a Friday. During happy hour. What are they like the rest of the week?

We found that Edward's, the upscale restaurant we'd hoped to visit, had closed, its owner blaming Rochester's economy. So we went to a Japanese restaurant. There was no sushi.

"The sushi bar is being remodeled," the waiter said.

Formica was coming off the table. A screen flashed blurred photos of patrons grinning and brandishing chopsticks. Blurred photos. In Rochester. Then the cook set a pile of onions on fire in the middle of the hibachi grill and said: "Mount Fuji!"

For shame. Fuji should be a dirty word in this town.

Now for the sweetest part: Rochester gets more rain than we do. Everyone there is even pastier than we are.

They dress even worse than we do, too, maybe because they're so down in the dumps. At the Japanese joint, we saw backward baseball caps, shapeless gray T-shirts and baggy prison yard jeans. Not only that, but we saw Adam Sandler and Michael Moore clones out together. They went Dutch.

And gas was $2.30 a gallon.

See? Next to Rochester, we're not only west - we're West Coast. Driving back through that Williamsville toll barrier, you'll feel like you're coming home to San Diego. Compared with Rochester's problems, Buffalo's don't seem so bad. As the saying goes: "I once complained that I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet."

Feels good, doesn't it?


e-mail: mkunz@buffnews.com

[D.Mal #18]

Where the heck was this woman getting gas that it was $2.30?? Right down the street from where she is talking about all the construction, gas is $1.94!!
It's easy to pick on an entire city by citing two bad incidents.
Looks like someone was having a bad day and needed someone else to pick on to make themselves feel better. She even said it herself, Buffalo needs a whipping boy.
Wow, that's sad when they don't have anything else going on in Buffalo that's more news worthy than to run a story picking on another city.
Is Buffalo really better off than we are? I don't think so. I've seen the same things in Buffalo that she picks on Rochester for having.
In a time where we need to pull together as a nation and stand united, to have someone like this trying to seperate one city from another is just childish.

[Haftalax]

Responding to this article would kind of be like telling your little brother or sister to shut up while the adults are talking.

Buffalo really needs a shot in the arm for their confidence and if picking on Rochester makes them feel better, so be it.

We in Rochester will go about our daily lives not really giving a whole care and a half what people in Buffalo think of us.

I mean seriously isn't that like West Beirut picking on Beirut saying their streets have less crumbled buildings than Beirut's do ?

Personally, I think a lot of the people that usually would have driven through or around Buffalo will just as soon jump on the Ferry headed to or from Toronto.

By the way, if the view on the drive to Rochester is boring or depressing, Take 104 or 33 moron. I don't ever remember reading that the New York State Thruway cut through the pristine areas anywhere in New York State.

Knabber da somebody take care of my light work please

[KhawkCruisin]

They may have been taking the gas prices from AAA: Click Here and scroll down to the appropriate city. 2.30 is still high, even for preimium.

I was very upset when I read your piece in the Buffalo news, to the point where I had to voice my opinion.

First of, are you so unadventurous or set in your ways that the only way you go to Rochester is via the Thruway? Well, if you are then you are missing some wonderful things. Take a drive by way of Route 104 the next time you come to our town. One of the first towns you'll run into is Lockport. Check out the Lockport Caves and Underground Boat Ride. This is a man-made tunnel (from the 1800's) that was originally meant to channel water to supply power to the factories which are about 50 feet above the tunnel. Today, it's a cave tour that takes you along the watery path of yester-year via boat.

Still a few miles down the road from Lockport, enter the very historic village of Childs, NY and the Cobblestone Village. It is a wonderful part of western NY history. When you're there stop by Tillman's Village Inn. Here is a great place to enjoy lunch and even visit the Cobblestone Museum which is within walking distance from the Inn. It has been rumored that even George Washington stayed at the Village Inn at one point.

Like a lot of cities in the US Rochester does have its share of unemployment. But, according to the US Department of Labor (Bureau of Labor Statistics - www.bls.gov) Rochester's unemployment rate in January 2004 was at 6.5%. As of June, 2004, this rate has dropped to 5.6% (http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ny_rochester.htm). Buffalo started the 2004 year with a 7.4% unemployment rate (http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ny_buffalo.htm). As of June 2004 Buffalo's unemployment rate is at 6.6% which is 1% more than Rochester.

So although the Big Yellow Mother, Kodak, and Xerox have taken hits recently (and that has hit close to home, as my father was recently asked to retire from Kodak after 33 years) we still aren't that bad off economically. Rochester is home to several growing companies. Paychex which coincidentally was founded by Tom Galisano, the same Tom Galisano who saved the Buffalo Sabers last year is a growing company who is in the March 8 2004 Fortune Magazine named one of "America's Most Admired Companies". In addition to that, Wegmans, who's home base is Rochester, NY was been in Fortune Magazine for 7 consecutive years as one of the top 100 Best Companies to work for. In the January 12th Fortune Magazine, Wegmans is ranked 9th on the 2004 list, the company's highest ranking ever. CooperVision who is a world leader in contact lenses calls Rochester it's home and is growing on a fast pace. Let's not forget CooperVision's competitor, Bausch and Lomb. Do you wear contact lenses, or know somebody who does? Chances are, your using one of these two companies products.

Moving on to the construction issues. I'll gladly take the construction on Lake Ave near Kodak as the end justifies the means and should be completed by next year. By the way, this road leads to Charlotte, which The Breeze, the Rochester/Toronto Fast Ferry docks daily. So, can you please tell me what is that strange, sickening smell outside of Grand Island? It's unavoidable, distinct, and has been there for years. Oh, and there's that strange smell near the HSBC Arena as well. Least we forget the eye sore of Nabisco Plant!

I can remember visiting my grandmother and grandfather in Buffalo for Thanksgiving. We would get all bundled up and go downtown to see the retail stores holiday decorated windows. And in the morning, would have fresh baked strudel and pastries and the best pizza ever from the Balistreri's Bakery on Niagara Street. Now, neither one are in Buffalo. The retail stores with their window dressing look drab and unwelcoming. One place I was never allowed to go when I was younger was near Chippewa Street, Buffalo's equivalent to the Red Light District at one time. Sure, Chippewa is cleaned up now and is even considered a hot spot but where did all the shops go downtown? One more holiday tradition no longer practiced. Balistreri's moved to Orchard Park Rd because of a family dispute, from what I hear. And now, I just read that Interstate Bakeries will close down their Wonder Bread Bakery in October which will put 150 union workers out of work because the work will now go to a different location in the Northeast. This bakery has been there since 1923!

So, regardless of your article, I'll still keep Rochester close to my heart and call it home.

[MacRazor]

Just knew this was gonna wrankle some feelings.

At first glace it looks like a slam against Rochester but in MY interpretation it was more of a slam to both cities. I actually got a chuckle out of it. What does it all mean in the "grand-scheme-of-things?" Bupkis! Obviously there must be something in Rochester that has her going there on a regular basis for at least 5 years! Consider that and the fact this person happens to be one of the top dogs at the BN (editor in cheif I beleive). I'm sure she has the $$ to travel to more interesting places than Rochester. Don't get so bent folks, e-mails en-masse wont do squat IMO. Just laugh it off, it's easy to do...I'm from Buffalo!!!

Mac

[LadyHawk]

Way to go Jen. Y'know as a teenager I couldn't wait to leave here. Once I did however I realized that here is a pretty great place to be. I have to make that trip to Buffalo more frequently now than in the past (thankfully he makes the trip this way more!). Take the thruway for speed but venture from it for beauty. Buffalo has the same problems we do, maybe the writer just doesn't want to admit it. I'll take Rochester anyday - besides we have two great lacrosse teams which means we get our sport almost year round. Your article was great Jen.

[chuckster]

Originally posted by MacRazor
Consider that and the fact this person happens to be one of the top dogs at the BN (editor in cheif I beleive).

The author of the article is NOT the editor-in-chief. She is merely a columnist and lifestyles reporter.

[KhawkCruisin]

Originally posted by chuckster
The author of the article is NOT the editor-in-chief. She is merely a columnist and lifestyles reporter.

So another Jan Wong! LOL

[DJKHawkfan]

Funny, this from the same paper that published at article about SUNY Brockport and it's diversity.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...18/1052364.asp

[monkeysack420]

wow i haven't seen anger like this in a post since the JOHN Kerry swiss chesse incident. Here is my 2 cents I love both cities there I said it Buffalo is great and so is rochester. I like them both. I live in Buffalo but I have had NO problems with Rochester.(except for my car dying there) Hey roch cha cha don't take it personally not all buffalo people are a$$e$.

[MacRazor]

Originally posted by chuckster
The author of the article is NOT the editor-in-chief. She is merely a columnist and lifestyles reporter.

My bad. Musta confused her with the other one that pops a column in once a week in the City/Region section!

Mac

[REM]

Yes, Rochester is a sink hole but boy...I sure do like having to pay 50 cents for the privledge of entering Buffalo.

[Meathead]

What really chaps my ass is the fact that every time I visit Buffalo I have to pay $3.50 to get back into Canada!

[raphilly]

LOL, Meathead... now you know how Pennsylvanians feel, coming home from a trip to New Jersey.

R.A.