What's in a reputation?
Rochester has a bad reputation, and in some ways, it's for good reasons. First, it has one of the highest violent crime rates (per capita) in the country. It has a high poverty rate in certain neighborhoods. It has VERY cold weather in the winter and hot weather in the summer.
But I LOVE it here. I might not love it so much if I hadn't ventured elsewhere for a while, but now that I'm "re-discovering" it, Sean and I are both thrilled with this city and the many gems that it has to offer.
There are a lot of people who live in "cool" cities with great reputations, including New York, Boston, and Chicago, and it's a lot more exciting to talk about those places than it is to talk about Rochester (the "other" city in New York that barely gets a mention most of the time). But despite the reputation, we are happy here.
On the other hand, I know of people who have moved to the cities with better reputations, such as New York, and been miserable (I'm sure the extremely high cost of living doesn't help).
So what's in a reputation? Is it worth living somewhere because of the reputation? Or is it better to find a place that you love and embrace that factor as one worthwhile of calling a city "home"?
But I LOVE it here. I might not love it so much if I hadn't ventured elsewhere for a while, but now that I'm "re-discovering" it, Sean and I are both thrilled with this city and the many gems that it has to offer.
There are a lot of people who live in "cool" cities with great reputations, including New York, Boston, and Chicago, and it's a lot more exciting to talk about those places than it is to talk about Rochester (the "other" city in New York that barely gets a mention most of the time). But despite the reputation, we are happy here.
On the other hand, I know of people who have moved to the cities with better reputations, such as New York, and been miserable (I'm sure the extremely high cost of living doesn't help).
So what's in a reputation? Is it worth living somewhere because of the reputation? Or is it better to find a place that you love and embrace that factor as one worthwhile of calling a city "home"?
Hi Emily, stumbled on your blog and just love reading about your re-discovered love of Rochester! My husband and I grew up here in Rochester, then I moved away to Manhattan for 5 years, and didn't realize how miserable I was until I re-met my husband and moved back home - wow, Wegmans and a real home! Anyway, we ventured out to Victorie the other day, a new Belgian restaurant on East Ave., it was amazing - I am recommending to all my friends in Rochester :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Emily! So glad you're enjoying it. Stop by often! I love your blog, too - you are inspiring me to try my hand at being creative ;) Thanks for the recommendation... I've never tried Belgian and definitely want to!
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