Rochester, New York

Laura and I decided to rent a car and take a final Summer road trip to visit my brother, Todd, in Rochester and then spend a few days exploring the Finger Lakes region of New York - neither of us had ever been to the area. We left early afternoon on the roughly four and half our drive and met my brother, an Army Recruiter, at his office and then followed him out to The Genesee Brew House to get a few beers and dinner. Genesee is in the aptly named High Falls part of Rochester and has an roof top patio with amazing views(above photo). Genesee built the Brew House into an existing building on their brewery property a few years ago - the food was great and they offered Brew-House-Only beers as well as beers from their "craft" brand Dundee. Already impressed with Rochester Todd then took us to the Park Avenue neighborhood, an area roughly comparable to Ohio City or Highland Square, which had beautiful houses and tons of places to eat and drink - Laura and I actually returned the next afternoon and had an amazing lunch there.  We stopped one more place, closer to home for a few drinks, and then crashed at my bro's place.

This is the view looking slightly left of the first photo - the tall building is the Kodak World Head Quarters.
Todd, Laura and I - the magic hour up on the roof.
Genesee is the perfect brewery for Laura and I - a combination between some super cheap beer and some great craft beer.

Laura on the roof - used my flash to light her against the setting sun.
A diptych - Todd's classic Cream Ale and my Brew House special stout.

No photographer is going to go to Rochester and not visit the Geaorge Eastman House & International Museum of Photography and Film. When we woke up the next morning that is indeed where we went. We first caught up with a tour of the house proper - the above photo is of Eastman's(do I have to say founder of Kodak?) living room. Every morning he had an organist play to wake him and while he read the paper and ate breakfast - why didn't I think of that? The house was interesting but the museum was amazing. In one gallery was the The Gender Show - I have never seen so many beautiful prints all in one place - and some by the absolute masters. Laura and I were blown away - anyone interested at all in printed photography should try to see it. In the other gallery was a technology show - featuring a small slice of the Museum's collection of cameras and photography related equipment - highlights for me were the O-Series Leica, Steiglitz's camera and some super cool color Brownies. 

Drive-In-Theater projector at the Eastman House.

Before heading back to the Park Avenue neighborhood for lunch we parked downtown near the Kodak Head Quarters and took a stroll across the pedestrian bridge at High Falls. Its a really cool historic area where Rochester got its start when there were a myriad of mills on the Genesee River making flour.  

Being the nerd that I am I had to photograph the Kodak building - even though they really have nothing to do with film anymore - the film part of Kodak is owned by its UK pension fund - long story - look it up.
We then hit the road towards the Finger Lakes - more on that tomorrow.