Driving by Rochester

I realize that for a number of people who live in Rochester, bashing the area is kind of a past time. As someone who has lived here his entire life, I definitely have a certain fondness for the city though. I'm proud to work at a company that still maintains a downtown base (despite the fact that I have to pay for my own parking ...). Are there things wrong with Rochester? Of course. All cities have issues. At least we're not Buffalo though. (This is where I put my hand up for an e-high five.)

Now that I live in Brighton and now that some of my friends live on the west side of Rochester in Gates, I frequently take I-490 whenever I visit them. This leads to one of my new favorite things: Taking in the city of Rochester as I drive by. I've loved the Bridge That I Refuse to Call Freddy-Sue (stupid hipsters) since they built it. I've developed the bad habit of trying to look down Exchange Boulevard trying to spot the Democrat and Chronicle building. And there's something cool about taking in Frontier Field in the winter (even if it's just for that quick driveby moment). I've driven through other, bigger cities and there's obviously grander scenes to take in ... but this one is ours.