Like most other cities, Rochester is generally safe but there are areas that are more prone to crime than others. Potentially dangerous areas exist in the northeast and southwest city neighborhoods. However, there is nothing in these neighborhoods of any particular interest to non-residents so it is unlikely that the average visitor would encounter these areas. Use common sense and situational awareness and crime will not be a problem.
The suburban areas of Rochester generally enjoy a low crime rate.
The presence of the University of Rochester Medical Center means the Rochester area enjoys access to very high-quality health care. If you need medical assistance, there are several local hospitals:
Unity Hospital
Highland Hospital
Strong Memorial Hospital
Rochester General Hospital
print media
The local daily newspaper is the Democrat and Chronicle (http://www.democratandchr...). 75 cents daily, $1.50 Sundays. On Thursdays, they publish a special section called Weekend with extensive entertainment listings for the next several days. The D&C also publishes a free weekly magazine, Insider, geared toward young adults.
The local alternative weekly is City Newspaper (http://rochestercitynewsp...).
places of worship
Rochester has many places of worship of different religions and denominations. The Interfaith Chapel at the University of Rochester sits on the banks of the Genesee River; it houses servicesof different religions and denominations. There are many others to be sure in Rochester as well as surrounding towns and suburbs
Here are a few of the many worship places within the Christian Community; If you're looking for a lively Protestant church in the heart of downtown, Bethel Community Fellowship on 321 East Avenue and Broad Street which seats a good number of worshipers. New Song Church, which meets in an auditorium at Monroe Community College because it lacks a building of its own, offers a very modern and youth-oriented service. Both of these churches are popular with college students.A bit down the street from Bethel, you'll find a more traditional service at Asbury First United Methodist Church 1050 East Ave., recognized for wonderful formal music.SSpeaking of music, Pearce Memorial Church features many musicians from the Roberts Wesleyan College community. Take 490 way out west to the North Chili exit, and follow the signs right for Roberts Wesleyan. Tucked almost in the heart of downtown, Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word is a cozy place 597 East Avenue. Walk across the street afterward for lunch at the Spot.Also downdown, next door to the Geva Theatre is St. Mary's catholic church. This church has beautiful architecture to behold. Across the street is the Universalist church which also is interesting to visit. A popular Catholic Church, St. Pius X, is located on 3000 Chili Avenue, which is the western continuation of Main street take the expressway to avoid lights; it's between the airport exit and Chili Center.St. Stanislaus on Hudson Avenue preserves Polish culture and european architecture.A few miles west of downtown, visible from 490, is an exhuberant Spanish congregation: Iglesia La Luz Del Mundo, 200 Child StreetAlso within the Christian community are two messianic congregations: Petah Tikvah on Doncaster and Shema Yisrael. If you follow 590 North up to the Webster exit, turn right at the first street. Shema Yisrael is on 1326 North Winton Rd.Other houses of Christian worship include, Baptist, Christian Science to name just two.
Within the Jewish community there are more than a dozen welcoming synagogues and communal services available within a few miles of downtown: If your hotel is in Henrietta, check out Temple Beth Am, a conservative congregation on 3249 E. Henrietta Rd which has interesting modern architecture. The largest conservative synagogue is Temple Beth El on South Winton Road. The largest Reform synagogue is Temple B'rith Kodesh on 2131 Elmwood Avenue in the Town of Brighton which is adjacent to Rochester and minutes from downtown. It too has very interesting design. Temple Sinai is a reform congregation on Penfield Rd. also a hop and a skip on East Avenue from downtown. It has a beautiful sanctuary with a wall of glass looking out to the natural beauty outside. Beth Sholom , Rochester's largest modern orthodox and zionist synagogue, is located at 1161 Monroe Avenue, near downtown. Light of Israel, Rochester's only sephardic minyan, is presently located within Beth Sholom at 1161 Monroe Avenue and welcomes all. It preserves the distinctive beauty of ancient mizrachi mideast worship. Chabad 1037 S. Winton Rd is located in the heart of Brighton at 12 Corners and has branches at the University of Rochester and in Pittsford.Other Synagogues are: Congregation Etz Chaim reform in Fairport, about 15 minutes from downtown, Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel Conservative,on East Avenue, Temple Beth David Conservative; Beth Hakneses Hachodosh Orthodox, Temple Emanuel Reform and there are others.The Jewish community is also served by Kosher food restaurants :Abba's Pizza, locate in Chabad, Geula's Cafe at the Jewish commnity Center 1200 Edgewood Avenue, the Jewish Home 2021 Winton Rd S, Malek's Kosher Bakery1795 Monroe Avenue, Lipman's Kosher Market 1482 Monroe Avenue and several grocery stores such as Wegmans on Monroe Avenue and Tops on Clinton Avenue.Beth Hatvilla, the mivkvah, is located off Monroe on St. Regis.For more information on Jewish Rochester, contact the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Federation or Jewish Bureau of Education.
There are also Hindu, Islamic, Bahai communities in Rochester.
broadcast media
When a blizzard arrives, or other significant news hits, Rochesterians turn en masse to radio station WHAM, 1180 AM. George Eastman himself came up with the catchy call letters for Rochester's 50,000-watt clear-channel station. It remains the local gold standard for school closings and other emergency information. In calmer times, WHAM runs a lineup of syndicated and local conservative talk programs, including Rush Limbaugh from 2PM-5PM.
For the morning drive-time, locals who want some strong radio with their coffee turn to WFXF, "The Fox", 95.1 FM, and listen to long-time radio personality Brother Wease, the outspoken morning host who doesn't shy away from the tough topics. Some of Wease's former colleagues from his many years at WCMF 96.5 FM are still on their morning show, known as the Break Room. Those looking for less intense morning fare go with the WHAM Morning News, or Tony Infantino on WRMM, Warm 101.3 FM.
WGMC, Jazz 90.1 FM, is one of the last remaining full-time jazz stations in the country, although on the weekends they mix in some ethnic flavor.
For specific genres of radio:
National Public Radio: WXXI 1370 AM
Classical: WXXI 91.5 FM
Jazz: WGMC 90.1 FM, WJZR 105.9 FM
Country: WBEE 92.5 FM
Easy listening: WRMM 101.3 FM
Oldies: WLGZ 102.7 FM
Classic rock: WFXF 95.1 FM, WCMF 96.5 FM
Modern rock: WZNE 94.1 FM
Top 40: WPXY 97.9 FM, WKGS 106.7 FM
Urban: WDKX 103.9 FM
College: WITR 89.7, WRUR 88.5 FM
Alternative: WBER 90.5 FM
talk
Rochester is part of the "Inland North" dialect region of the United States, with only a few minor local variations. There is, though, one language issue that separates Rochester from the rest of the Finger Lakes region: American Sign Language. Rochester has one of the highest populations of deaf people per capita in the United States, and as such sign language is not an uncommon sight around the city. It's not a given that you'll see ASL being used if you visit Rochester—unless you drop by the Rochester School for the Deaf, or the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology—but you never know.
For deaf people, few cities in the world are as accommodating as Rochester. Most businesses, especially in Henrietta and Brighton, are accustomed to working with deaf customers and often have teletype machines and dedicated TTY phone numbers. Open-captioned films are regularly shown at the local multiplexes in particular, at Regal Henrietta, and many major events will be interpreted. At RIT, nearly all events have both captioning and interpreters. Wherever the event is held, a quick phone call is often all that is needed to ensure the presence of an interpreter.
If you encounter a deaf person but don't know sign language, do not shout. You can raise your voice slightly, but it's most important to speak clearly and directly, being careful not to hide your mouth with your hand. If all else fails, find a piece of paper and write back and forth. If an interpreter is available, be sure to address the deaf person, not the interpreter. The deaf person will watch the interpreter, but you should be looking at the deaf person and listening to the interpreter.
Libraries
Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County
This is the main library for the county, and the biggest of the branches. It's split between two buildings on opposite sides of South Ave; there's a tunnel connecting them.
Libraries are your best bet for public Internet access, unless you can find a Wi-Fi hot spot elsewhere. Fortunately, the city and its suburbs have an excellent network of libraries, the Monroe County Library System (http://www3.libraryweb.org). There are a total of eleven library branches in the city, and more than twenty in the suburbs.
Note that if you want to check out any materials, there's a $30 annual membership fee for non-residents of the county.
Contact
The area code for Rochester and the surrounding area is 585. You don't need to dial the area code locally.
Despite Rochester's strong technology base and highly educated citizenry, you won't find much in the way of public Internet access. Perhaps that's because so many residents have access right in their homes. For public access, your best bets are coffee houses for Wi-Fi connections and libraries for public terminals and Wi-Fi. There are very few, if any, dedicated Internet cafes.
The area's main post office is actually south of the city, in Henrietta: