The Underrated Guide, etc.

Cat Clyde set at the Skylark Lounge in Downtown Rochester, NY

Welcome to the Underrated Guide, a travel blog, a letter to the void, an experience enhancer, and a thought child conceptualized during the years of the Great Covid-19 Pandemic in 2022.

To start, the Underrated Guide pays homage to the low-key factions of our greater society—the underdogs who often go unnoticed but who thrive nonetheless in the ether of the universe. When we think of entertainment, great food, vibrant culture, arts, and nightlife, our minds are propelled to think immediately of Western cities, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, London, Paris, etc. There are very few times that we stop to consider what the medium-sized cities have to offer, or that thrills can only be had in larger metropolitan regions.

The inception of the Underrated Guide was built on the vision of following a journey into those other cities, the ones less traveled, more affordable, and still thriving without the chaos of a major city. Through this journey, we start to wonder, how often do we seek excitement in the second or third cities? The type of vibrant cities where wanderlust travelers heading for the “big cities” miss the rhythmic beat of an underlying scene known only to locals, those with the insider knowledge of what makes the vibe the place to be. As we all know, it takes time, it takes effort, but to immerse yourself in the path less traveled means getting your shoes dirty, kissed with pollen, pricked by thorns, and at times losing your way on the journey that is life. However, this is where the edge of the road doesn’t always make sense. It poses a personal challenge: find clarity or fall off the deep end. It is the journey that few embrace.

If you are still reading, then you are probably like-minded and ready to explore the new horizons, and to immerse yourself in the new realm of entertainment that begins here at the Underrated Guide.

Currently, this origin story begins in Rochester, New York, a third city with a vibrant music and art scene ranked in the top 15 in the U.S., and a food scene that embodies a microcosm of elite gastronomical eateries deserving of recognition from the upper echelon of society. These are spaces and places that maintain their freedom of expression, freedom from two-week wait times, and from the hype of the newest fad, trends that (let’s be honest) are overpriced, and that you don’t always get what you pay for.

The journey, for the most part, evolves around Rochester, but will expand through time and space. If you’re a fan of exploration, then this is for you. If you love cuisine, entertainment, travel, road trips, wine, cocktails, and seeing through the looking glass into the lesser-known, then this is for you. If you just want something to read that is not the mainstream media influencing despair and destruction from inside the doomsday device that you are now likely holding in your hand, then this is for you.

Thank you for embarking on this journey, truly, from the bottom of my heart. Enjoy my guide.

- Andy Gold, Founder of the Underrated Guide