City Magazine

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Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, as the saying occasionally attributed to visionary artist Brian ...
11/21/2025

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, as the saying occasionally attributed to visionary artist Brian Eno goes. But what about a performance that centers the venue itself almost as much as the sounds?

That’s half the fun of the concert series Ambient Church. The shows blend live audio with highly ornate lighting presentations and take place inside sacred spaces around the Northeast.

One of them is Asbury First United Methodist Church on East Avenue, which will host the “celestial music pioneer” Laraaji for an event this Sunday, November 23.

Read Patrick Hosken’s full story online [link in comments]. 🔗

REVIEW | “Hamilton” at RBTL 🌟“At this point, what more can a review of any production of “Hamilton” say that hasn’t alre...
11/20/2025

REVIEW | “Hamilton” at RBTL 🌟

“At this point, what more can a review of any production of “Hamilton” say that hasn’t already been said about the beloved hit musical? Nothing...except that the production playing now in Rochester is perhaps the best-timed “Hamilton” to date.”

Read David Andreatta's full review of “Hamilton,” which runs through November 30, online now [link in comments]. 🔗

Shiny apples may get all the glory in New York State, but cabbage remains foundational to local agriculture. The state i...
11/19/2025

Shiny apples may get all the glory in New York State, but cabbage remains foundational to local agriculture. The state is one of the largest producers of cabbage in the United States, with more than 10,000 acres harvested. Farms across the New York collectively yield nearly 15% of the country’s total cabbage — only California produces more. 🥬

In our November issue, Patrick Hosken dug into the crop’s importance, along with the distinct smell and a certain famous slaw recipe. Read it on stands and online now [link in comments]. 🔗

Last week, a federal court threw out a lawsuit challenging Rochester's Sanctuary City policy. But what, exactly, does it...
11/18/2025

Last week, a federal court threw out a lawsuit challenging Rochester's Sanctuary City policy.

But what, exactly, does it mean to be a Sanctuary City in 2025? Gino Fanelli broke it down in our October issue — along with why the Trump administration filed a lawsuit to begin with.

Read the full piece online [link in comments].

Steaming baskets of pillowy dumplings, carts filled with ready-to-order dishes and families gathered around a table over...
11/17/2025

Steaming baskets of pillowy dumplings, carts filled with ready-to-order dishes and families gathered around a table overflowing with small plates — these are just a few defining characteristics of traditional dim sum.

For a city filled with myriad culturally diverse restaurants, Rochester has limited options for traditional Cantonese Chinese cuisine. Spin and Savor, which was recently opened on Monroe Avenue by local restaurateur Peter Sun, may change that — instead of a rolling cart, there’s a long, bi-level conveyor belt wrapped around the dining room, the first of its kind in New York State to transport dim sum.

Read Meili Shepard’s full story, with photos by Abby Quatro, on stands and online now [link in comments] 🔗

The same headline has been resurfacing for years: wine is in trouble. These stories are nothing new, but part of the cyc...
11/13/2025

The same headline has been resurfacing for years: wine is in trouble. These stories are nothing new, but part of the cyclical nature of the beverage industry (and humanity in general). History always repeats itself.

Recently, the articles have been fast and furious — quick to cast blame, suggesting younger consumers are the cause of a wilting industry. The truth is: things aren’t great, but the cause is multifaceted.

In our November issue, Maiah Johnson Dunn explores the state of the wine industry — read the full piece on stands and online now [link in comments].

On an unassuming street in downtown Rochester, just a block away from Louise M. Slaughter Station, sits a design lover’s...
11/12/2025

On an unassuming street in downtown Rochester, just a block away from Louise M. Slaughter Station, sits a design lover’s treasure trove — DL Home & Garden. 🏡🪴

The store boasts 11,500 square feet of furniture, art and decor and, since it opened in 2014, has become a staple for both the interior design community and design-savvy homeowners in Western New York and the Finger Lakes regions.

Read Haley Chouinard’s full story, with photos by Roberto Lagares, online now [🔗 in comments].

Founded in 2002 by Ed Schram, Artists Unlimited casts actors with a broad range of abilities — ranging from Down syndrom...
11/11/2025

Founded in 2002 by Ed Schram, Artists Unlimited casts actors with a broad range of abilities — ranging from Down syndrome and blindness to autism and mobility challenges — in its high energy, family friendly musicals. The group specializes in spotlighting actors with developmental disabilities who may otherwise not be considered for roles in musicals and also puts on free annual choral and dance concerts.

In September, Artists Unlimited secured a permanent rehearsal space — a renovated former dance studio at Studio 44 on Dewey Avenue. It’s where they’ve rehearsed “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which runs through November 15 at the Greece Central Performing Arts Center.

Read Katherine Varga’s full story, with photos by Natasha Kaiser [link in comments]. 🔗

A recent Gallup poll found that just 54% of American adults self-identified as drinkers, a new all-time low. And as sobe...
11/10/2025

A recent Gallup poll found that just 54% of American adults self-identified as drinkers, a new all-time low. And as sober-friendly and non-alcoholic options expand, a new kind of Third Place is emerging around town.

Shelley Elkovich and her husband, Jeff, found a former vanilla extract factory on Rochester’s northwest side this year for their business, For Bitter For Worse.

AltBar, founded by Bob and Meg Hartman, began in 2021 as a series of pop-ups featuring NA beer and wine and zero-proof spirits. The duo opened a brick-and-mortar bottle shop on East Main Street in June 2024, followed be a full bar in October.

Read Patrick Hosken’s full story in our November issue, on stands and online now [🔗 in comments] — and tune in to Connections with Evan Dawson at 1p to hear more. 🎧

As the government shutdown hits day 38 — officially making it the longest one in U.S. history — many local hospitality b...
11/07/2025

As the government shutdown hits day 38 — officially making it the longest one in U.S. history — many local hospitality businesses are stepping up to care for those in our community who have yet to receive any SNAP assistance, almost one full week into November.

We’ve compiled a running list of spots offering aid, whether you want to help somehow or could use assistance [LINK IN COMMENTS] >>

Did we miss something? Email [email protected], we’ll add it! 📝

Rochester Community Players celebrates a century this year, making it the oldest community theater group in the city (an...
11/07/2025

Rochester Community Players celebrates a century this year, making it the oldest community theater group in the city (and the second-oldest in New York State).

Rochester native Mimi Kennedy, who has since found great sitcom success (on CBS’s “Mom”) and film work (“Midnight in Paris”), got her start on stage with RCP in 1960 as a 12-year-old in Agatha Christie’s “Spider’s Web.”

Kennedy returns to Rochester this weekend to speak about her memoir at Writers & Books on November 8 and as honorary chairperson of the “Centennial Soirée” gala for RCP on November 9 at the Century Club on East Avenue.

Read Patrick Hosken’s full piece about 100 years of RCP — link in comments. 🔗

Glazed & diffused 🍩 Ridge Donut Cafe is only one of two shops in the area still making donuts by hand “the old fashioned...
11/05/2025

Glazed & diffused 🍩

Ridge Donut Cafe is only one of two shops in the area still making donuts by hand “the old fashioned way.”

But a commitment to tradition, a workforce spread thin and a public fanbase that made the third-generation, family run business a local household name has led to a current state almost as complex and complicated as the baking process itself.

Full story in the November photo essay by Roberto Felipe Lagares, on stands and online now. Link in comments. 🔗

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