I had my eyes on the Finger Lakes Region. I wanted to visit the many waterfalls and enjoy the magnificent lakes. However, I was not able to find a minyan during the summertime (there is a minyan during schooltime in the University of Ithaca). I decided to go to Rochester instead. Rochester is an hour plus drive from the Finger Lakes area and is right by the vast Lake Ontario. In addition, there are minyanim, kosher food, and we were able to find a comfortable VRBO rental in close proximity to one of the Shuls (Congregation Beth Hakneses Hachodosh).

To top it off, the house had a private pool in the backyard. https://www.vrbo.com/3323173

Rochester has many enjoyable attractions not too far. Letchworth State Park is only a 45-minute drive and Niagara Falls is an hour and 25 minutes away. Rochester is a popular city to stop in before heading to the Canadian Border. Right in Rochester there are a few museums, parks and the Genessee River flows through the city.

Lipman’s Kosher Market, near where we stayed, is a bakery and deli. They also sell a lot of kosher grocery products including some refrigerated items and frozen foods (they do not sell cholov Yisrael milk). The local Wegman’s also has a Kosher section. Gavi’s Pizza, run by Chabad of Rochester, sells fresh Pizza on Thursdays though it was closed the week we were in town.

Buried within the Britton Road Cemetery in Rochester is Rabbi Yecheil Meir Bergerman who was a holy man and many people go to pray at his grave when in the area.

We really enjoyed our stay in Rochester. It was a great blend of a city vacation with lots of fun activities in the area.

Posted: March 3, 2024

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