Cake!

 
Wonderful and brilliant
So we would not give a picture of the actual cake, but we wanted to share Tanya Foster's page.  Early in our planning, we knew we wanted her to do our cake.  She's also a great person to work with and bounce ideas off of.  


Wonderful and hilarious
Cakes come in all shapes and sizes.  For ones that make you scratch your head, try this . 

Kids at play

So you are a late sleeper by genetics, but your little one is not?  No fear, Rochester has plenty for occupying kids and adults.  We've asked around and found a few spots:

 Strong Museum of Play

A very fun place containing exhibits for kids to explore and to tinker.  Two surprising parts are the year-round Butterfly Garden (entrance fee) and the arcade area (free with admission).

The children's reading section of the libraries, especially in Penfield, contain nice spaces to catch a few daydreams between pages.  Search for branches at the Monroe County Library System

A few websites (such as KidsOutandAbout) and local newspapers (such as the City Newspaper) contain excellent information on event calendars and places to go.   

Have fun and we hope you have a great time in what ever you choose to do.

Bring on the high chairs?

No, we're not moving that fast, or planning to...yet anyway.

We would like to give advance warning for parents of little tykes.  If the little ones would like to eat at the reception table, please bring a booster seat or two. (The reception venue sadly does not carry any seat accommodations for smaller folk.)

If you could consider it, please let us know if either you would appreciate the loan of a booster seat or if you could bring an extra to share.  Thank you so much for the both us!

Shopping

Rochester Public Market

Okay, shopping has advanced since the photo above, taken of the Rochester Public Market close to its first market in 1827.We love visiting there for a quick bite or all our groceries.  The list below also contains some popular spots for shopaholics:

Rochester Public Market: downtown Rochester

Marketplace Mall: Henrietta mall

Eastview Mall: In Victor, NY lies Rochester's super-size mall. To put in perspective, we took Min's parents there, and in 3-4 hours, Min's mom only covered a quarter of the mall.

Waterloo Outlets: In Waterloo, NY, a  sizeable place for those seeking a deal

Shh.. it's BB&B and Amazon

The answer to the top 10 question is: Bed Bath & Beyond and Amazon.

By the way, we only need 1st place for the blender award:

Blender at BB&B

But 2nd place is welcome to the crock pot award:

 

Slow cooker at Amazon

Standard disclaimer.  We are saving up for painting the outside of the house.  The neighborhood school bus stop has been tortured seeing the samples on the side of house for months now.  Votes have been cast and counted (ok, 2 really large votes stuffed the ballot), but here's a picture, if you'd like to weigh in.  (Please contact Min at minfang.chiou@gmail.com for more information.)

Awards or no, we will be thrilled to be celebrating in your company on September 8th.

Places to eat

Think you'll get the munchies?

Breakfast at Balsam Bagels

 If you feel like doing your own exploring but not drive very far, from Staybridge hotel head across the river to the University of Rochester side and either go up to South Wedge neighborhood (small, local eateries) or go down to the Henrietta area (largely chain establishments).

We have so many favorite places to share.  Many of the spots below are within 20 minutes drive of the Staybridge hotel.

Barbeque

• Dinosaur Barbecue: Eat great ribs and take in the motorcycles in downtown Rochester
• Sticky Lips: Eat delicious barbeque at local restaurant in Henrietta

Cafe

• Boulder Coffee: Catch live music while sipping caffeine in the South Wedge
• Starry Nites: Catch live music while sipping caffeine or alcohol in the ArtWalk area

Dessert

• Chocolate and Vines: Sample the finest chocolate while playing pool in the ArtWalk area

Quick food establishments

• Balsam Bagels: Rochester bakery with great bagels, sandwiches and soups
• Donuts Delite/Salvatore’s Pizza: Irondequoit pizzeria and donut shop, a fine diner stop
• Empananda Stop: Only open during Public Market hours, but fantastic empanandas.  Breakfast is represented here.
• Astoria: Great Greek Food.  Open late and neighbors to a barbecue place
• Mings: Min's mom and dad-approved Chinese food

Restaurants

• Elmwood Inn: Comfortable neighborhood tavern in Henrietta
• The King and I: Thai food in Henrietta
• Napa's Wood Fired Pizzeria: Wood fired thin crust pizza in the South Wedge
• Shiki’s: The finest sushi Mike and I have eaten

Events around town

The weekend of September 8th is a jam-packed weekend.  No, we don't intend to give wake-up calls at the crack of dawn, but there are some amazing events in Rochester that we would join you in, if we weren't running around.

First Friday: Our very favorite is the First Friday art events.  As in the name, Rochester artists open their studios on the first Friday of every month.  Browse many studios or dig deep in a conversation at one studio, it's all your pick.  Our friend, Cody Krull, is having a grand opening in the Hungerford Building.  Please say hi to him for us.

Clothesline Festival: Some of the best artists in town come out to display their wares.  The big event is held at the Memorial Art Gallery on September 8th through 9th -- worth bringing your walking shoes.








Cyclocross: For any bike fans, this could be a fun event to watch on Saturday, September 8th before the wedding.  It's close to where we live and we've missed watching it by a day for past 3 years.  Please report back if you go.

Local Information, Guides

We'll post some information soon on specific locations we visit and enjoy, but the list below contains a few guides to the area.  Of course, feel free to contact us if you have questions about what to do in Rochester.

City newspaper: Read great local talent and get event listing for the week

Finger Lakes Region: General area information, including the wineries in and around the Finger Lakes.  (The picture contains a shot from Keuka Lake where Mike's family as occasionally rented homes for staycations.)

RocWiki: A publicly edited guide to Rochester

South Wedge Area Guide: A gritty and trendy neighborhood north of the wedding site

Park Avenue Area Guide: A trendy neighborhood north and east of the wedding site