An Homage to City Magazine
Stack of City Magazines over all the years
The genesis of this guide, the Underrated Guide, began in 2022, as a way to showcase the microcosm of gourmet eateries, unique music acts, and the plethora of craft cocktail bars, history, and community in the city of Rochester, and to create a sense of belonging in this city that was foreign to me. Like many others, I left NYC in 2020 and moved up to Rochester at the height of the Pandemic.
At the time, the December winds in Downtown Rochester were cold and icy, and the city felt empty. In Rochester, I found refuge, a strangely beautiful landscape, historic buildings, and one of the most gorgeous waterfalls I had ever seen as it wound across the Rochester scenery to Lake Ontario. Probably a laughable comment for those who despise this city, but at the time, Roc was an oasis to this lowly wanderer who was searching for home.
I fell in love with this city the moment I stepped foot into the downtown skyline, but I was missing something. I missed art, music, and the energetic nightlife of NYC. For over a year, I thought that life was beyond my reach here, and I pondered whether this was the place I would settle and let some moss grow on this rolling stone.
City Magazine features trending and hot topics, in this issue, the magazine focused on the legalization of THC in New York in 2021
My luck changed when I discovered a small stack of printed zines placed carefully inside the Little Theater on the East End. At that moment, it dawned on me that I was staring at a free public magazine, freshly printed, and with themes, stories, and importantly (to me) musical performances that were vastly sprawled throughout the region. Flipping through the crisp pages, I began to see Rochester through a brighter light, and I saw a city that thrived on culture, arts, food, and beverages, much like the places I had found in New York, New York. It was the influence of Roc City Magazine that proved to me that Rochester was a city like no other. I came to understand that it is a scrappy city that maintains originality, community, and that the city beats to its own vibrant drum. It is small and unique, and its size holds it accountable, driving and influencing expression and creativity on par with cities of greater size.
Image of a winter issue of City Magazine
Over the last five years, I have followed City Magazine, reading their intimate stories about local artists, talented musicians, authors, flavors, lore, Finger Lake wineries, festivals, films, photography, and more. Month after month, and day after day, I see a team that unequivocally works to capture the essence of the Greater Rochester, and bring from mind to passage to print the brilliance and genius of Rochester, New York.
I have learned that in Rochester, the service industry is the pulse of this big-small city, but City Magazine is truly the heart, delivering the nourishment of the local scene to our souls. It is a monthly joy to read through the carefully crafted words of many fantastic writers. In sum, for all who have read this far, it is vital to support local Rochester media. You can pick up a copy of City Magazine for free at most places around the city.