The episode commences with an introduction to a special event, celebrating the ten-year retrospective of Explore Rochester at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center. The host expresses gratitude towards Steve Carter and Justin Doucet for their involvement and the opportunity to conduct nearly fifty-five interviews, capturing the essence of Rochester through the perspectives of various contributors. Each interviewee shares their insights and experiences relating to their photographic contributions, reflecting on the evolution of the city over the past decade. Key themes include the significance of community, the artistic vibrancy of Rochester, and the role of individual contributions to the city's cultural landscape. The discussion encapsulates a sense of pride and collective memory, highlighting the transformative journey of Rochester through art and collaboration.

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Well, that music means it's time for another episode of Just Can't Not.

And this is a special episode featuring part one of the live interviews that were done at the Explore Rochester 10 year retrospective at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

So before we start, just want to thank Steve Carter and Justin Doucet from Explore Rochester for having me out at the event.

It was an amazing night.

We did almost 55 separate interviews over the course of the evening, and it was a really special night to see where Rochester has gone through the lens of so many photographers over the course of 10 years.

So thank you to them.

Thank you to Blue Seas from Roko for having me as well.

And if you do go to the gallery, make sure you check out the recordings that are on the wall.

You can put the headphones on and listen to that while you look around the room at how Rochester has progressed.

But we're also releasing this as a podcast.

So episode one of this group of three episodes has 21 short interviews with different contributors from Explore Rochester.

So hopefully you enjoy this one.

Come back for episodes two and three.

We'll see you then.

And definitely go check out the retrospective through early May at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.

Enjoy the episode.

My name is Lewis Russell.

Tell us about the image that's on display at ROKO today.

My image is an office picture of my dad, and he's standing in front of the Frederick Douglass Susan D.

Anthony Bridge.

He was, I think, the lead project designer, engineer, excuse me, on that project.

I think he would probably correct my title, but he was the.

He was the top guy for that project.

So it's something of his legacy and something that makes our family really proud.

How has your perspective changed since you took this photo?

My perspective has changed.

I think as time goes on, I realize how special everyone's contributions are to the city.

You can see my dad's contributions to the city.

You can see Steve Carter and Justin Doucet and Leah Stacy and everyone in your contributions to the city.

I think over the past year especially, I feel like I've networked and met so many artists and creatives here, and I think that speaks to the general theme of Explore Rochester.

Everyone's kind of making these amazing connections.

So how has our city changed since then?

Good question.

Well, in regards to that photo, I think that there was some actually work that had to be done on the bridge and things like that.

So things are always changing in the city, whether it be businesses opening and closing, maintenance being done on public infrastructure and stuff like that.

Awesome.

So it's got to be really exciting that that's something that you can show everybody as well.

Oh, 100%.

We're super proud of my dad and the work that he's done for the Department of Transportation.

Appreciate you.

Enjoy the night.

Thanks so much.

You state your name, please.

Sure.

I'm Jerry Symanski.

Tell us about the image that's on display at Roco.

Well, I was really happy to see that the folks getting the exhibit together picked my cloud picture.

This is one of my favorite images I've ever taken.

I snapped it from the parking lot of the College Avenue United Way.

I looked up, and I just was like, oh, my gosh.

It was sunset, but this was a cloud in the east, and it was this dark cloud with this bright, fiery center.

And I just happened to have my big camera with me, and I was like, oh, my gosh, this is great.

So it was one of these sort of miraculous moments.

How's your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Well, it helped me, along with all the other cloud photos that I take, realize that we live in a place where the sky is constantly changing, and we are so lucky to have a dramatic meteorological world around us.

So it's just sort of part of this realization that Rochester is really a special place in a particular special location.

How has our city changed since you took that picture?

Oh, well, lots has changed in the space that I took it outside of, which is outside of the Lilac Library, which at the time was still part of the ODD alliance, and so now it's part of the Rochester Rainbow Union.

It's now the largest circulating LGBTQ library in all of New York State.

So right there at that particular spot, right when I took that, a whole bunch has changed, and it's changed for the good.

And I know you're really proud of the work you do with that.

Tell us about the organization briefly.

Oh, sure.

And I've been the librarian there for over 20 years, and I have a huge, dedicated staff, and we circulate materials, and we have researchers, and it's just been an amazing, amazing thing to be part of.

That's awesome.

Thanks for swinging by, Jerry.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

State your name, please.

Emily Pum.

Tell us about the image that's on display at ROKO today.

Yeah, so I believe I'm a Year six contributor.

My photo that was chosen is of Mount Hope Cemetery.

Yeah.

I at the time was working for Partners in Napier, an advertising agency in Rochester, and an assignment they gave me was to take pictures of iconic Rochester spots.

So I happened one day to take a beautiful picture of Mount Hope Cemetery during autumn.

So the leaves are definitely, you know, a fantastic array of different colors of green and orange and yellow and red.

And apparently I was just told by Justin in blue that it was one of the most liked or most popular pictures that Explore Rochester has ever had, so.

That's cool to hear.

It was very cool to put that picture out.

I was a year into living in Rochester.

I'm originally from Buffalo, but Rochester always held a great place in my heart.

And I always had a feeling that Rochester was more of my city than Buffalo.

So to be a year in put a picture on the Explore Rochester Instagram is my experience of Rochester and then have people love it and appreciate it.

I actually had a couple people reach out for a print of it.

Yeah, it was just a beautiful celebratory community event, so.

So how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Well, yeah, I'm just so grateful that Rochester has become a place where there's not just things that I love to do or places I love to go, like Mount Hope Cemetery, but there's also so many people that I love.

I have so many amazing communities that I'm a part of in Rochester.

I help run a community called the Rochester Conscious Community, where we do events like ecstatic dance and authentic relating and cold plunging every week.

And, yeah, I just.

I have a ton of people that love me in Rochester and I love them right back.

And I'm so grateful that the city has given me my family.

My chosen family.

I was gonna say, how has the city changed in your perspective since you took that picture?

I can't really speak to the city as a whole.

You know, politics have been so up and down the last five years, but I know for me personally, Rochester continues to be, year after year, just a place where I see people really vulnerably leading community, hosting amazing events, putting their hearts out there in their art and their music and their small businesses.

And I see such a vibrancy in that community, more so than other cities of similar sizes.

So shout out to Rochester for being fucking awesome.

Sorry.

Thanks so much for coming over and telling us about what you brought, and hopefully you can swing by and we can do something soon in the studio.

Sounds good.

Thank you.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

My name is Tor Savant.

Tell us about the image that's on display at Roco today.

The image on display at Roco is one of the High Falls Bridge, one of my favorite places to go to watch the sunset.

So how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Well, since I was going there, it's definitely begun.

Became a lot more populous.

I think a lot of people have come to express their joy for the sunset as well.

And while I appreciate it, I've had a lot of time and now I need somewhere else to go watch the sunset.

So from your perspective, how.

How has the city changed since then?

But what I will say is that in a lot of ways, the city has definitely changed for a necessary reason for folks to open their eyes to the more wonderful experiences and adventures that Rochester can turn into when we all come together.

Well, appreciate you for bringing positivity to Rochester.

Everywhere you go.

Taurus, you're a good guy.

Thanks.

Cheers.

Please state your name.

My name is Tracy Schumacher.

Tell us about the images on display today.

My image is of a bouquet of flowers at Sunscape Farms in Penfield.

So I know your photo was relatively recent.

Has anything changed, like, for you and the way you see the city in the last couple years?

No, I think Rochester is a beautiful city, and I thought so then and I think so now.

And I feel like seeing all these photos in this beautiful display just remind me of that.

Yeah, I think that's part of the thing for me is I see the positivity.

Yes.

And events like this, it's easy to get jaded with all the things that happen all the time.

You know, with labor strife and with everything else going on.

I think events like this can bring positivity when sometimes we get mired in the negative things that are going on.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

And seriously, those bouquets of flowers at Sunsgate Farms in the summer are always a favorite thing for me in the summer, and they still are.

So tell us about Sunscape Farms for a second.

Seems like you love going there.

Oh, yeah.

Well, Sunscape Farms is a wonderful farm.

They.

I think they do most of their farming out in.

In Greece and where they also have a farm stand.

They.

They have a wonderful stand with fruits and vegetables.

They have a csa.

If you're in Greece, you can go cut your own flowers, which I tend not to do because they do a perfectly good job without it.

And they just sell big, beautiful bouquets of flowers in Penfield.

That's awesome.

Well, thanks for coming over.

Tracy.

Appreciate what you do for Rochester.

Thank you.

State your name, please.

Scott Pukos.

Tell us about the picture that's on display at Roko today.

So they really surprised me with my picture.

I work at the Little, so I was like, is it going to be a picture of the Little?

I have one in my cat.

The great cats be.

I wonder, is it going to be my cat?

No, it's me at the Memorial Art Gallery with the Kusama Infinity display.

So if you don't remember that there was a bunch of reflective globes in a room that you could only spend one minute in, it's a really cool thing.

So it's a picture of me taking a picture of my reflection through one of these globes.

So it's really kind of trippy and artistic and fun too.

So that's a very skewed perspective.

But how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Oh, so I was year 10.

So I took this picture about a year ago.

So of course, a lot can change in one year, but I guess not too much has changed.

Although, as I mentioned, they were reflective and kind of real artistic.

So I felt reflective on my life and career and creative, I guess, dreams when I took it.

Like it really, you're only in that room for a minute and you just feel so many things.

So I guess not too much has changed.

And yet everything has changed in a way.

Right?

That's life.

So anything specific?

I know it's only a year, but anything that you've seen the city change that you've really paid attention to over the last year or something you see coming soon?

Yeah.

Well, I think one big change that was also in my week was I work, like I said, I work at the Little.

I have an office at wxxi, who is an apparent subsidiary relationship with the Little.

So I have office in the High Falls.

So one of my favorite walking areas is the Pont de Renny Bridge, which when I submitted it was still under construction.

So now it's back open.

People can walk around in it.

One of the, I think, the hidden gems of our city.

One of the best walking spots, one of the best views of the Falls.

Of course, an easy way to get to the Genesee Brewhouse as well.

So it's nice to see that change and evolve.

And I think that's continuing too, as there's going to be a national park there.

I believe it's national, so that's one thing that I'm excited for.

One change that I Think is real positive.

It's got to be a great way to spend a little bit of time in the middle of the day occasionally when you get a chance to see Rochester from the perspective of the wonders of nature right in our backyard.

Yeah.

How many cities have a waterfall in the middle of downtown?

It's really amazing.

It's a real, it's a real gem.

It's one of the spots when someone's visiting.

I'm like, we got to go to the falls.

We're going to get some Genesee beer and we're going to celebrate this beautiful city.

Awesome.

Thanks for coming over, Scott.

Yeah, thanks for speaking to me.

State your name, please.

My name is Jacob Kornfield and tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today.

So the image on display is a photo that I took actually maybe a few months after I started my business here in Rochester called Game Night Rock.

And it's a photo of one of my favorite props at Radio Social, which is a business that I've worked for for a really long time.

And they've continued, continue to support me since the start.

And it's really cool because I took my whole Explore Rochester week to talk about starting my business and all the different locations that helped me get started.

And it's really cool.

Radio Social was the first though.

That's.

That's awesome.

Can you tell me how your perspective has changed since you took that picture?

Yeah, it's actually kind of crazy thinking about like how far I've come from that first time.

I like took that photo and I've learned a lot.

I think that's my only thing.

It's.

I keep on thinking back about when I took that photo and it seems so long ago and I feel like I've like grown up so much.

I don't even know if my perspective has changed, but I feel like I've changed and I've learned, I've learned a lot since then.

So from Rochester perspective, how has the city changed since then?

I think the city has become more of a community since then.

Actually when I first started I was very, you know, it was very kind of quiet and it took time for people to kind of come out and accept it.

And now it's like it's my full time job.

So I feel like the community in Rochester has grown over over the last four years.

So what's your favorite game for Rochester?

Game Night.

Oh, favorite game.

Man, you can't ask a gamer a favorite game.

It's impossible to choose.

Let's See, I think for me, Sellers of Catan was the game that got me into board games.

So it's.

I have to pick that one.

That's what I normally tell people.

Is it my favorite game?

Probably not, but is it.

Does it mean the most to me?

Yes, absolutely.

Shout out to Euro style German gaming.

Oh, yes, absolutely.

Thanks for coming over.

Yeah, thank you.

Can you state your name, please?

My name is Lisa Capagrosi Schneider.

And can you tell me about the image that's on display at Roko today?

Certainly.

All of my images feature my bicycle.

So it's a pose in front of a vintage, vintage sign.

It says, no parking allowed here in Montgomery Avenue off of Main Street.

And the alley is very narrow.

So it just kind of caught my eye because I was wondering what kind of goofball would have parked there that would have warranted that sign.

So taking a fun picture like that, how has your perspective changed since, like, the time you took that picture?

Well, I think I.

And now with all the things that are going on in the world, I think my drive for biking is more centered around mental health.

It kind of helps me deal with things that are going around in this world that I barely recognize.

Yeah.

So following up on that, like, how is this city changed in context of biking since then?

Some big changes.

I recall traveling to cities.

Boston.

Our son lives in Boston.

And they had awesome protected bike lanes, and I was very excited when we got some here.

I love the green lanes that go around strong and they're protected and safe and looking forward to seeing more of those.

Yeah, me too.

I had a chance to interview somebody from Reconnect Rochester, and I just love the passion of people who bike, both for necessity, for pleasure, and to really explore Rochester in a real way.

Well, yeah, it makes a big difference.

I fell in love with Rochester, really, when I got out of the car and onto my bike.

Just seeing things up close really makes quite a difference.

That's awesome.

Thank you so much for coming over.

You're welcome.

Can you state your name, please?

Alicia Peterson.

Tell us about the images on display at Roco today.

Yes.

So I am a huge Danielle Ponder fan.

And so one of the pictures, I mean, the picture that was selected was one of her hometown shows before she started performing more outside of Rochester.

So how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

I think that I look for more color when I look outside side And I think what I like more about that picture, even though she's featured in it, I'm focusing on the light show that she had in the church.

That's awesome.

Yeah.

And it's, I mean, what an exciting time.

Like, we're getting to color coming back in Rochester right now.

Yeah.

How has the city changed since you took that picture?

I think there's a little bit.

There's a little bit more color coming in.

The gray, there's still a lot of gray, but especially with the arts, they're a peak of color and there's hope and there's messaging in the arts.

Not just music, but imagery, movies, all of the arts.

No.

And it's such an important thing too.

And I think when everybody gets to see the different perspectives, it makes you a better person for Rochester and it hopefully just makes everybody better together instead of separate.

Exactly.

Well, thank you so much for coming over.

Thank you.

State your name, please.

My name is Tiffany Nicholas.

And can you tell me about the images on display at Roco today?

So my photo is a picture of Rush Reese library at the University of Rochester.

It's where I did my undergraduate degree and really helped me fall in love with the city.

So how's your perspective changed since you took the picture?

So I took that picture, I think, when I was, I mean, in college and I contributed when I was 23.

So I have a fully developed frontal lobe, which is very exciting.

What an amazing accomplishment.

I know.

Thank you so much.

But apart from that, I think I feel like anytime you're in college, you kind of have like those rose colored classes where you're like, oh, everything is amazing.

And I think since graduating I am at odds with my alma mater a little bit, especially given some of the decisions they've made recently regarding the student protests and stuff like that.

But I still look back pretty fondly because it's where I met a lot of my really great friends that I still am really close with today.

But yeah, mixed emotions I think won't on the other side.

So from graduating, how have you seen Rochester change since then?

I don't know if it's Rochester that's changed or I've just become more attuned to it.

I feel like this greater sense of community and kind of like the little niche sub pockets of it have kind of made themselves a lot more present.

I have gotten into like watching movies a lot, so I've met a lot of people through the little theater and going to museums and all of that stuff.

So I, I don't know that it's changed a lot, but I've been able to be more in touch with it.

So what's your favorite movie you saw at the Little recently?

Ooh, it wasn't at the Little, but I saw Nora, which was the best picture winner for the Oscars, and that was a favorite of mine.

Okay, so you did like it?

Oh, yeah.

Awesome.

Hey, thanks so much for coming over.

Thank you.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

My name is Lonnie Mazeroski.

Tell us about the images on display at Roko today.

I have on display a photo from Seabreeze, the amusement park.

It's right by my house.

The photo was taken when I was running a field trip with my fifth graders in Brighton.

So how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

When I took that photo, I was just a teacher running or running my kids at this field trip.

I now run the field trip.

So every time I'm there now, I think about, hey, remember that photo I took that I really loved?

And I love getting to see it again?

How has Rochester changed since you took the picture?

That's such a loaded question.

I know, right?

We can talk about, like, politically, how it's changed, but I kind of don't want to talk about that.

I want to say a positive.

I think I'm a member of the queer community and the art community, and I think that our community has grown bigger because people feel more comfortable coming out and seeing some awesome queer art, and I think that's really awesome.

Absolutely agree.

Any favorite exhibits or favorite artists you want to shout out?

My art buddies would be Anna Voss of Anna Parade.

Tiffany, I think she just did an interview with you.

She has a business called Waffly Original, and her stuff is awesome.

Very cool.

Thanks for swinging over.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Can you state your name, please?

Yeah, my name is John.

And can you tell me about the image that's on display at Roko today?

Of course.

Yes.

So my image is actually with my daughter Fiona, and she's standing at one of the glass displays at the Seneca Park Zoo looking at the sea lions.

And the reason I took this is because my tour for the week was about glass.

And so this was a reflection on how glass is used.

That's awesome.

How has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Honestly, I don't know how my perspective has changed.

Certainly.

My daughter was 4 at the time.

She's 6, so I think she sees the world in a much different way now.

Anything you've noticed about Rochester different since then?

Again, I Don't know how to answer that.

I was very new to Rochester when I took the photo.

Now I've been here about four years, so my appreciation for Rochester has really grown with the way that I've interacted with it.

Anything that you love participating in in Rochester now that you learned about here?

Since I moved here, I've started contributing as a freelance writer to City magazine.

So that's helped me get to know a lot of the people, a lot of the businesses, and a lot of the neighborhoods really well.

So what's your subject you talk about in City?

A little bit of everything.

I've written stories about glass.

I've written some of the Rochester 10 Profiles.

I wrote a really great one recently about Chris Fanning from writers and Books.

Fascinating guy, isn't he?

He's really, really great.

I hope to see him tonight.

Tons to say, and hope you enjoy the rest of the night.

Thank you.

And can you state your name, please?

Vanessa J.

Cheeks.

Can you tell us about the picture that's on display at Roko today?

So the picture I have on display is one that I took while doing some community service during the city clean sweep with two of the members, the board members of the Rochester association of Black Journalists.

We were out on Monroe just picking up trash.

So since you took that picture, how has your perspective changed since I took that picture?

When I first took it, I think I was in a place where I thought it would be nice to include.

Encourage people to give back to their community any way that they could.

I still think that's very important, but my perspective is now that it.

It should be mandatory.

I think we're in a position in this country and in our lives that any way you can give back, even if it's like picking up a can on the side of the road or donating to your local food pantry, is something that we absolutely must do.

So how has Rochester changed since then?

I think that the community is ready to rise to the occasion.

So that, to me, is how.

How things have shifted overall.

Yeah, it's nice to feel positive amongst everything else sometimes.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And if you can do that, like I said, even in a small gesture, it's.

It's a great feeling, and it's also much needed.

So what's the favorite weird movie you've seen recently?

Vanessa?

So I don't know if it's a weird movie.

Okay.

But I love the Chronicles of Reddick, and so I just finished re watching them start to finish.

There are rumors they're gonna do a fourth and so if you're not familiar with Pitch Black, with the.

With the Chronicles of Ridicule in general, they're just really good monster movies.

Really good action sci fi movies.

There's blood, there's death, there's a guy who's just gonna kill them all.

But even though he's like, bad, he's not evil.

So he.

Do you still love him?

Great Vin Diesel films.

Great Vin Diesel films.

The right kind of bad.

I'll shave my head just for you.

Please.

Can you state your name, please?

Brianna Milan.

And tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today.

Yeah, my picture was a really, actually random photo when I was in the main on Mercantile getting morning coffee.

And it had a message of it's a wonderful day and I'm a very positive person.

I'm called Sunshine a lot in my group.

So, like, that kind of message is just something that I felt like sharing with my.

With the.

With the audience that week.

Shout out to Rococo at Roco.

How has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

You know, days are still wonderful.

I think there are plenty of lows as well, but the wonderful days really make up for it.

How has Rochester changed since that.

Since then?

Rochester, I mean, every city evolves.

And I think Rochester has its own evolution.

It's in the middle of.

And we roll with the punches.

Things get harder.

Sometimes things get easier.

I think we're in a place where things are getting a little harder.

But honestly, tonight is even an example of people, how easily Rochester can come together.

I see so many people here, so many people I know but didn't know, like, had even contributed.

And just knowing that community still exists, no matter how hard it gets.

Tell me about something that made you happy recently.

I'm sorry, say that again.

Tell me about something that made you happy recently.

That made me happy.

Something that made me happy.

I got dresses for a pageant I'm competing in in April.

Awesome.

I'm competing in Miss Auto Alternative Buffalo.

And my dresses came yesterday and they all fit.

That was probably.

That made me super happy.

That's awesome.

Kill it in the Queen City.

Yes.

Yes, absolutely.

I'm originally from Buffalo.

Same.

Okay.

Go Bills.

Cheers.

Yes.

All right.

State your name, please.

My name's Kobe Beach.

Tell us about the images on display today.

So I took a picture of a marina up in Irondequoit, about early spring, right before the summer started.

And it's a place where I spend a lot of time in my summers and a place that I don't think A lot of people like to explore.

How's your perspective changed since you took that picture?

My perspective has changed since viewing the Instagram of people after me.

People do a lot of really fun things in Rochester, and there's so much to do here and it's never explored enough.

And for Rochester, how have you seen it change since then?

I've seen it change in my own mind.

I've moved from the suburbs downtown to Park Avenue, and I've learned to explore it way more and to enjoy what it has to offer.

So what's your favorite place to go eat on Park Ave?

I don't want to be cliche with Verns because that's always a top choice.

But right now it's Ardor park, right by Dead Redpecker.

I think that's our new favorite spot.

That's awesome.

Thanks for coming over.

Yeah, thanks a lot, Chris.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

My name is Lucky.

Luck.

And tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today.

I have an image of the Wet Pow Lau temple in Rush, New York.

And it's beautiful and it's from year 10.

Oh, so not that long ago.

So has anything since then changed your perspective for Rochester or changed your perspective in your mind?

I think as time goes on, it just becomes more and more of a nirvana for me.

It's more of a place of rest and recoup and it's just a really great place, place to recharge and I don't know, it just keeps being more and more peaceful for me, I think, as I age.

And it's also just a fascinating place.

And you don't have to be in the temple, you can just hang outside and it's such a calm place to be.

Tell me, have you been to the food festivals, the summer food festival?

Yes, yes.

I grew up down the street from here and my parents love that place.

We would have just walked there all the time.

And the community is so welcoming.

So it's so great to learn and just absorb such good energy and be a part of their festivities.

Yeah, I love it.

Tell me about.

Do you have a favorite dish from one of those?

They have this rice dish.

I don't know if I can say it pronounced it correctly, but it's like this little sticky rice.

You know what I'm talking about?

Have you tried it before?

Oh, absolutely.

Is it with the sausage?

The sticky rice and the sausage, yes.

But sometimes I pick around it because I just.

I'm obsessed with the rice, so I just get doubles of it so sticky rice is the best.

Shout out to Laos Sausage.

Shout out to the whole team over at Wat Palau Bhutatam.

Yeah, thanks for coming over.

Of course.

Thank you for having me.

State your name, please.

My name is Marcus Cooper, but many folks know me as M.

Coop or Coop.

Tell us about the image you have on display today at Roko.

So the image I have on display is an image of what we used to call the legal walls, probably still termed that, but the legal walls behind Village Gate, adjacent to the train yard, a place that I kind of grew up at.

I went to School of the Arts not far from Village Gate and Memorial Art Gallery.

And, you know, it was a place that we hang out, hung out at when we were young.

So we had free periods at Soda.

We had, you know, when you got a little bit older, you got to leave campus a little bit earlier in the daytime.

And so a place that we would often go, we would skateboard there.

We do a little bit of writing.

I wasn't a graffiti artist, but I dabble a little bit.

And, you know, I would just admire the trains and all the artwork that was in that area when I was young.

So how's your perspective changed since you took that picture?

I appreciate art even more.

You know, I was an appreciator of art then, and.

And I would say more so now.

I think those were pivotal experiences in my life and that they brought me into the space.

And then now I just feel like my love of and my appreciation of art in all genres has only grown since then.

So how has Rochester changed from then, from your perspective?

I feel like Rochester, you know, depending on who you are, where you come from, maybe your background can be a little bit more difficult than it was then.

I mean, honestly, it just depends on, you know, circumstances.

You know, Rochester's a little bit more gentrified than it was then.

Rochester, you know, the wealth gap has gotten a little bit bigger.

You know, Village Gate was a little quieter then.

There wasn't all the businesses that are there now then.

But, yeah, Rochester has changed tremendously in a lot of ways for the good and in a lot of ways, not so good.

So on the positive side, tell me about style.

Tell me about your style.

Seems like you have a very purposeful way of portraying yourself.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I appreciate the compliment and the kind words.

Thanks.

My style, you know, I love heritage fashion.

I love workwear, traditional workwear.

I love, you know, like, military surplus from back when.

And so really just like, putting all those things together.

But all from, like, the lens of, like, you know, hip hop and skate culture.

You know, that's, you know, what, you know, formed or informed my.

My identity in a lot of ways.

And so it's always kind of taken from that lens, but, you know, certainly incorporating things that I've, like, come to appreciate.

I love thrifting, you know, secondhand and the sustainability behind that.

And then I would also say, you know, I'm always, like, trying to look for good quality materials.

Wool, cotton, you know, natural materials in general.

So shout out to chore coats.

And thanks so much for coming over.

Appreciate you having me.

Thank you.

State your name, please.

Hey, my name is Japheth Elliot and tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today.

I actually didn't even remember what image I submitted, but Blue Cease was able to help me out with the pamphlet.

It's like a skyline of Rochester, some nice shadow work.

And how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

I mean, Covid was happening and I was actually kind of just embracing more of an art side of the photography.

So just going on daily strolls and I feel like the city has remained the same, but things have definitely gotten better.

Anything specific about Rochester that you feel changed?

I would say things have gotten nicer as far as like, you know, getting a job or sustaining yourself, at least from my circumstances.

But I think we have a lot more work to do.

You know, especially the art scene is pretty cool.

We have a lot of talented artists, musicians.

I think that we should just come together and keep creating beautiful art.

Well, and I gotta say, even from the time I met you, it seems like you're continuing to get more and more confident and getting engaged with the scene.

I really appreciate what you do, man.

Thank you so much, Chris.

Hey, thanks for coming over, man.

Alrighty.

Can you state your name, please?

My name is Evan Lowenstein.

And can you tell me about the image that's on display at Roko?

I'd love to.

So it's a photograph of a downy woodpecker alighting on my hand at Menden Ponds Park.

And so many Rochesterians know that Menden Ponds is a special place for getting up close to birds.

And I would love to try the elusive task of getting pictures of fast moving birds.

And this one day, a woodpecker landed in my hand, which is very, very rare.

Normally it's just chickadees and a few other species.

I think the reason it landed in my hand is I had pecans that day and it couldn't resist those.

I guess it's like M and Ms.

For birds.

I mean, who can resist a good pecan anyways?

Yeah, I was low on seeds, so I brought the pecans.

And I could not believe my eyes when that woodpecker landed in my hand.

So I was able to get a shot of it.

And that's the one that was selected for the show, which is very cool to see.

That's awesome.

How's your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Well, it reminds me that birds are a source of peace and comfort for me.

They're amazing creatures.

They're innocent creatures.

They're fragile creatures in some ways, but also very strong in other ways.

But I can rely on them to help me keep my chin up no matter what's going on in the world, which is harder to these days.

So what has.

What have you seen change in Rochester since then?

So it's about three years ago, I suppose at this point it was year nine.

But I.

I'm very optimistic about what's going on in Rochester.

I'm an urban planner by training and I'm an ardent urbanist.

Live in the city, work in the city, do everything in the city.

Rode my bike here tonight.

So, see, I think some of the things that are happening in Rochester over the last three years are very encouraging.

Some things still frustrating, but on the whole, I'm very encouraged by what's going on with the city.

And what is the bird that you are hoping to see in the near future that maybe you don't see often or just one you're excited to see as spring is starting to happen in Rochester?

Well, one great thing about Rochester is it's leafy enough and has enough trees and nature to attract a lot of birds.

So even in my very urban homestead, I see lots and lots of birds.

And I'd have to say one of my favorites is called the Northern Flicker, and it lives in trees and it just has a lot of character and a lot of personality.

They actually reproduce and nest in a tree in my backyard pretty much every year.

So just watching all the silly antics of the mom and the babies every year is always a treat.

That's usually in the summer, but they show up early summer and a source of joy for many months of the year.

That's awesome.

Really appreciate you coming over, telling us about birds and contributing to explore Rochester.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Cheers.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

My name is Mike Weston.

And tell us about the images on display at ROCO today.

The image that the Explorer Rochester team picked for me was one that I took about five years ago.

Had an opportunity to be in the Rochester Red Wings clubhouse.

Wasn't supposed to take pictures while I was down there, but it's hard to resist.

And so while we were sitting there in the dugout, was able to snap a picture of the, of the helmets as they're getting ready to go on the field.

So got a nice grip of nine helmets.

Everyone in their lineup ready to go.

That's awesome.

Can you tell me how your perspective has changed since then?

Well, I think my perspective's changed a little bit that I had an opportunity to share.

I had was a chaplain of the Rochester rated Wings at the time.

So I had an opportunity to not only help connect and support guys while they're here in Rochester and their families, but then also help them fall more in love in the city.

So my favorite thing to do was not just support them, but help them find places to eat, places to.

To hang out, what to do in their spare time.

And so the Explore Rochester page was always something that we would be able to point them to.

To say this is a great way for you to fall in love in the city while you're here.

So missed having an opportunity to point those guys to that as much on a regular basis but still love the city.

And how has Rochester changed since then?

How has Rochester changed since that photo?

I thought about this a little bit ahead of time.

It's a tough question because like you're in, you're engaged so much, right?

You're.

You're giving people advice, you're telling them where to go, you're telling them what to enjoy.

But from that perspective and somebody who's really engaged and trying to make things better, you know, it's sometimes, sometimes you're too close to see it, but when you take that step back.

Yeah, I, I think the way Rochester has changed is like it felt for a period of time, people were real cynical about Rochester.

And if you hop on any Facebook page, those people are still there and they're ridiculous because there's so much going on in Rochester that's good that there's a lot of positive vibes happening here.

There's a lot of people that love the city and if you don't like what's happening here, it's cuz you got your head in the sand.

So I love the hope and the beautiful things that are happening in the city.

And I think this community is a great.

And can you tell me about one of the places that you told people they had to go while you were working with them?

Oh, one of the places I told everyone they had to go was the Genesee Brewhouse.

So the opportunity to have a great meal.

Get a garbage plate while you're sitting in there.

Probably trademark, sorry, Nick Tahoes, but get a plate and then have a greatest view of the city that you could possibly have looking over the waterfall.

So that was an easy one to tell people to do is like, Genesee Brewhouse is a place you got to get everyone to the first time they're in the city.

Short walk, but a hugely different perspective.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

All right.

Thanks for coming over.

Thanks, Chris.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

Oh, should I put these on?

You can if you like.

I don't know.

Headphones are fun.

Okay.

Are other people putting them on?

Yeah.

Okay.

This is the fun of doing, like, recording when we don't have a lot of time to set up is it's a constant interesting experience.

So.

State your name, please, for the record.

Audrey Sample.

And can you tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today?

The image that was chosen is of a wildflower meadow at White Haven Cemetery, which is where my little sister Nora is buried.

It's a green burial cemetery and a bluebird sanctuary.

So it's a completely natural wildflower meadow, and nobody who's buried there is embalmed or anything.

So, yeah, it's one of my favorite places in Rochester.

What a wonderful thing.

Yeah, it's.

It's probably the only thing like that in this room, I would imagine.

But it's very special to see it, and I'm excited to buy it.

Yeah, that's.

I mean, what.

What a touching thing to have something that is honest and a place that is trying to give back to.

Yeah, definitely.

Definitely.

How has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

I think when I took that photo, I was in a different space with my grief.

And even when I posted that photo on Explore Rochester, I think I had a desire to have other people see me and understand my grief almost in a way where I felt like I had to, like, prove my pain to other people versus now that I've become part of different grief communities, I feel like my perspective is just about sharing and connecting with other people as opposed to having to.

To maybe justify what I've been through and how it's shaped me how have you seen Rochester change since then?

I feel like conversations about grief are more common, whether that's about, you know, grief, like losing a human or grief in terms of everything happening in the world right now.

And I feel like there's also, you know, these different pockets of intentional communities where these kinds of conversations are more acceptable and easy to find and locate.

So if somebody's looking to find a group or find somewhere to talk about these things, where's a place they can go to learn about that?

Yeah, there's different Death Cafes in Roch, or sorry, Death Cafes in Rochester, which are a really unique opportunity to connect with strangers about anything related to death.

They're free and open to the public or for myself this summer I went to an adult grief camp called Experience Camps in Pennsylvania a few hours away.

And that was a really incredible experience for me for the first time to, like, meet other people who had also lost a sibling.

So, yeah, those.

Those are few of a wide network of resources.

Awesome.

Well, thank you so much for sharing and I appreciate you coming over and talking.

Thank you.

Cheers.

State your name, please.

Derek Durizio.

And tell us about the image that's on display at Roko today.

Yeah, so this is actually a funny story.

I was out with a friend from high school.

We had never hung out before, and we were walking around at the base of what was called Chase Tower at the time, and I had the idea to just ask the security guard if we could go up and take photos on the roof, which was a new concept, you know, like ask for.

What's the phrase?

Ask for permission and not forgiveness.

Yeah.

Or vice versa.

Yeah, I mean, it can work both ways, though.

Sometimes asking just opens a door you didn't expect to be open.

Exactly, exactly.

So in the spirit of Explore Rochester at the time, the security guard was super cool, real chill dude in his late 20s named Sean.

And he's like, yeah, I'll take you guys up, whatever.

I have nothing else to do.

And so, yeah, we got up on top of the roof at sunset and yeah, it's crazy.

There's this little platform in the middle of the roof that you can see within the skyline if you look closely.

And yeah, ultimately it was just a mind blowing experience as far as asking for permission.

I bet that applies in a lot of areas of life.

So how has your perspective changed since you took that picture?

Yeah, so I think by and large, I'm a lot less dramatic.

You know, this was, what, nine years ago?

So I was 18 or 19 coming out of high school.

And I don't say dramatic in a necessarily negative way.

More so it was like everything just had so much meaning to it all the time, including things like this photo.

And so overall I've mellowed out a lot.

I can still appreciate moments like that, but they're fewer and farther between.

And I think I often have some nostalgia for it, hence why I'm here.

And I mean, that's, you know, pretty early on in the Explore Rochester run.

How has Rochester changed from your eyes?

That's a really good question.

It's funny, I feel like just in this past year there have been a lot of pop up groups and communities which are sort of taking the Explore Rochester mission of introducing people to people and people to place.

But it's more activity focused or more hobby focused.

Listeners might have heard of hopefully choir or mukduck studio or Rochester conscious community.

There are a lot of sort of subgroups blowing up.

So.

So it's a little bit less artistic in some ways.

Right?

And now we have reels which we're all sick and tired of, but we love so much in other ways.

And so it's.

It's different but good new things are happening.

That's awesome.

Hey, I really appreciate you coming over over and tell us about your picture.

Hope you enjoyed the night.

Thank you for having me on.

I appreciate it.

Cheers.

This has been a presentation of the Lunchadore podcast network.