Hello from Rochester: A excellent Getaway for Stressed Out Torontonians (and Other Urbanites)

Two days ago I took the Cat fast ferry from Toronto to Rochester and arrived well-rested after a 2.5 hour boat ride in the Port of Rochester, a scenic Rochester suburb called Charlotte. I was greeted by Patti and Carrie from the Rochester Visitors connection who had helped me with my itinerary and were kind enough to show me around.

It had been raining all day and Port Charlotte greeted me with grey skies and deep-hanging clouds. But the first thing I noticed as we drove towards downtown Rochester was the number of green spaces and parks. We drove straight through a number of nicely manicured neighbourhoods and Patti showed me some of the splendid parks systems that Rochester has to offer. We drove straight through Genesee Valley Park, designed by illustrious landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead who also designed Central Park in New York City.

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We then headed to Highland Park where each May the City holds the each year Lilac Festival, when more than 1,200 lilac bushes of distinct varieties and colours burst into bloom. Driving straight through gorgeous neighbourhoods with large villas and broad front lawns we made our way to Cobbs Hill Park which is placed on a hill and holds a water reservoir with a fountain. The unique thing about Cobbs Hill Park is that there is one spot in this elevated green zone from where you can perfectly see the skyline of Rochester away in the distance, past the lush green neighbourhoods that stretch in front of downtown.

After exploring some of the broad parks of Rochester as well as the gorgeous Victorian-era Mt. Hope Cemetery, we slowly made our way downtown on East Avenue, a historic road with widespread mansions. One of Rochester's illustrious home-grown entrepreneurs is George Eastman, the founder of the Eastman-Kodak Corporation, which to this day has its headquarters in Rochester. Eastman was a great benefactor to the city and donated the most part of his wealth, estimated at billion in today's dollars, to distinct medical, cultural and educational institutions throughout the city. We briefly stopped at his home, the Eastman House, an elegant 50-room Colonial Revival Mansion surrounded by formal gardens.

Following the Eastman House, which also contains the International Museum of Photography and Film, we crossed over to University Avenue to the Neighbourhood of the Arts, or also referred to as Artwalk. This is a stretch of road down University Avenue which houses studios, galleries, art and aged retailers in a neighbourhood of post-war apartment buildings, multi-family Victorian mansions and charming cottages.

The award winning Artwalk features sidewalk imprints, artistic benches, tiled light poles, sculptures and bus shelters all the way from the George Eastman House towards the striking neogothic building of the Memorial Art Gallery. Every September this neighbourhood hosts the Clothesline Art Show.

After Artwalk we headed down Main road into the downtown area. I got a look at the Eastman Theatre, home of the Eastman School of Music, one of the top music schools in the country. The Eastman Theatre itself is an moving building, curved and classically styled, it is indubitably cut off on one side since a neighbour of George Eastman demanded an exorbitant price for his property, and rather than giving in to these demands, Eastman plainly decided to stop the building at the property line.

Our next stop was the Browns Race and High Falls Area: one of the city's newest entertainment districts. Rochester was once known as the Flour City for all the wheat milling that occurred along its River. Today, the Brown's Race area is a national register historic district. The area sits above the Genesee River, right next to the thundering High Falls. The Pont de Rennes bridge is a pedestrian bridge, connecting the east and west side of the city, and is named after Rochester's sister city in France.

Many of the old industrial structure have been renovated and are now occupied by ad agencies, tech associates and engineering firms. The streets in the district have cobble-stoned pavement and highlight historically styled road lighting. There are a number of entertainment places in the area, together with the Triphammer Grill, which has a patio area overlooking the falls. Beside this bistro is an old water wheel, testimony to this area's milling history. It's a very atmospheric place and an example of a thriving conversion of an old industrial area into a modern entertainment district.

The Kodak headquarters are not far away from the High Falls area, and our tour continued past a number of the downtown streets. As a true architecture buff, I marveled at how many of Rochester's historic structure have been preserved. There are whole blocks that have an intact 19th century road front, some with cast iron architecture. There was no time to eye the architecture in detail, that would have to wait for my second day in town. But needless to say, I knew I had found a city that had preserved a lot of its architectural patrimony that would require further exploration.

We crossed into the city's west end and passed by a illustrious tavern called Nick Tahou's House, which is the home of the "garbage plate": a plate full of hamburgers, fries, and a variety of other heart-attack inducing delicacies. This route took us past a gorgeous modern townhouse amelioration that, surprisingly enough, holds recently built subsidized housing. We then made our way towards Susan B. Anthony's house. Anthony was a daring public activist who insisted on voting possession for women and was arrested in 1872 for voting in the presidential election, moving the law. Her house was a congregation for many of her activist friends, together with the illustrious suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Rochester's history includes other illustrious activist, the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and both Susan B. Anthony and Federick Douglass are featured in sculptures in a diminutive park just down the road from the Susan B. Anthony House.

We then took in the Corn Hill neighbourhood, an area with tidy historic homes that hosts the Corn Hill Arts Festival every July. The next stop on our itinerary was the Strong Museum, ranked one of the top 10 children's museums in the United States. It holds the National Toy Hall of Fame and many world illustrious collections of toys, miniatures, dollhouses as well as the world's most widespread variety of dolls. The entrance area features an authentic 1950s diner still in execution and an aged carousel.

Crossing the city again into the east end, past tree lined avenues with moving homes, we headed surface of town to a quaint Rochester suburb called Fairport, placed on the Erie Canal. On the way we passed straight through the wealthy suburb of Pittsford, which is the location of the Oak Hill Country Club where the 2003 Pga Championships were held. On our way to Fairport we drove past St. John Fisher College which is the location of the Buffalo Bill's training camp. Fairport itself is a gorgeous diminutive hamlet with gorgeous storefronts, a river walk and public docking facilities. We caught a glimpse of the Colonial Belle, a 2-deck sight-seeing boat that cruises the Erie Canal.

From Fairport we went back to Pittsford, whose quaint historical center is also placed right on the Erie Canal. Pittsford has a number of retail market and restaurants that are built around an old lumber mill and it is the home of the Sam Patch, an excursion and charter boat that is a replica of an old canal packet boat. Both Fairport and Pittsford reminded me of Niagara-on-the-Lake with beautifully restored architecture, colourful overflowing flower baskets, and a variety of shopping and dining opportunities.

Well, after this widespread sightseeing agenda it was time to go for dinner. We headed up towards the Lake Ontario beach and into gorgeous Irondequoit Bay. The name for this large bay of water is from the Iroquois Nation and means "where the two waters meet." The Native Americans once used this bay and the incoming Irondequoit Creek for canoe voyage to avoid the high falls on the Genesee River. At the southern end of the bay is a large attractively styled new bistro called Bazil's which features casual Italian cuisine.

Although the bistro is fairly new, the place was indubitably packed, and the first thing we noticed was the chandelier in the front entrance hall which is made fully of wine bottles. We waited for about 15 minutes and then had a great dinner in the bay-side dining room area. I enjoyed the dinner which was capped off by the largest and most tasty funnel cake I have ever seen.

After this long day of sightseeing Patti and Carrie dropped me off at the Holiday Inn Express where I had well-deserved night's rest since other round of sightseeing would await me in just a few hours. My first day in Rochester had left me with a number of impressions:

- the large expanses of green spaces within the city

- meticulously manicured neighbourhoods with moving well-kept homes

- any vibrant entertainment districts, together with the historic High Falls area

- one of my favourite spots: the outdoor art caress of ArtWalk

- the historic structure of the downtown core

- and the gorgeous bayside dining at Bazil's.

I admit I didn't know much about Rochester before I got there, but the scenic ability of its suburban and downtown neighbourhoods definitely struck me. Combined with favorable passage to water sports on the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario as well as to a huge variety of sports activities together with golf, hiking, biking and skiing ust minutes from the downtown core, I realized why Rochester's catchword is "Made for Living".

Hello from Rochester: A excellent Getaway for Stressed Out Torontonians (and Other Urbanites)

Dolls House Furniture - excellent For Stimulating Your Child's Imagination

Dolls house furniture can right away bring more happiness and joy to your microscopic girl's childhood years. Other than being able to play with her own doll, your microscopic girl will also love creating a home for her high-priced dolls. By collecting furniture and keen them nearby her microscopic house every now and then, she can make her first dream home come true.

Types of microscopic furniture

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Different types of microscopic furniture are easily ready on the market. Victorian, traditional, and modern pieces of furniture can enhance the motion of your child's play house. You can even buy her furniture for the surface - conservatory, garden, tennis court, stable, or even a swimming pool. By filling every area of her doll house with unique furniture, you can stimulate her imagination and give her all things that she needs to originate a luxurious microscopic world.

Try looking for dolls house furniture that is close to real-life designs. The more realistic your child's furniture collection seems, the more she will enjoy playing with them. Kitchen appliances, bathroom accessories, and bedroom furniture all help to make her dolls house look like a real home.

Pieces of furniture for dollhouses are also ready in dissimilar materials and designs. Some of them are made from plastic, while some of them are made from wood or porcelain. You can even purchase custom-made furniture for your kid in order to make her microscopic home seem more extra and unique.

Collecting microscopic furniture

Encourage your child to get dissimilar kinds of miniatures. After all, this small thing can also turn out as her time to come hobby. By collecting furniture for her play home, she can scrutinize keen worlds she has never been to before.

If you are a huge assembler of doll house furniture, you also have the option to turn your collection into your family's heirloom. By passing down excellent pieces of furniture from one generation to another, you can weave your own family's history and make it as unique as it can be.

The magic of imaginative play

The best way to nurture your microscopic girls growth involves the need to stimulate her imagination. Instead of allowing her to spend the whole day watching television or playing video games, you can engage her in the therapeutic effects of play. By playing with her dolls and arranging their furniture, she can ultimately reach a world that is beyond the limits of her imagination.

Now that you know more about dolls house furniture, you realise that you can use these playthings to motivate your microscopic girl as she puts her creative ideas to good use. Just watch her absorbed happy microscopic face as she redesigns the layout of her furnishings yet again.

Dolls House Furniture - excellent For Stimulating Your Child's Imagination

Bunk Beds - looking the excellent Bunk Bed for Your Child's Bedroom

In order to keep a child's room as spacious as possible, to allow room for play and fun, parents must buy clever furniture that's fun and functional. As adults, we're used to having bedrooms big adequate to fit a queen or king bed, plus dresser and nightstand. Most kid's bedrooms are normally smaller and cramming them wouldn't be fair at all.

Enter the multi-faceted bunk bed that often combines a bed and warehouse in the same space that a normal bed would take up. If you have more than one child, it gets even better as a space saver and adds to home entertainment for pretend play. So, when you're budgeting for your child's bedroom furniture, keep in mind the money you'll save by not having to purchase additional play accessories that will only crowd your child's bedroom.

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Beside the "cool factor" of kid's bunk beds, there are some practical benefits to choosing a bunk bed. First, potential bunk beds can last your child from age three on straight through to college. Since most bunk beds can be down-stacked into two twin beds, your child can begin enjoying his/her new room even if they are still not old adequate to carry on climbing up to the top bunk. As your child grows, you can stack the twin beds into the bunk bed formation, thereby freeing up indispensable floor space for a desk. Second, you can sleep two in the same number of space that you would normally be able to put in a twin bed. Third, if you buy a potential bunk bed you will have no issue re-selling it when your child is ready for something else.

Futon bunk beds are perfect to maximize your space. They are great in kids' rooms, guest rooms and dorm rooms. Futon bunk beds feature a twin size bed on top and a full size futon on the bottom. The futon on the bottom can be converted from a full size bed to a couch, giving you great flexibility while maintaining ease of use. They also come in distinct styles and finishes (just turn their covers to get new looks for your room). Loft bunk beds, too, are great space savers and work best for sleepovers and families with two or more children sharing a room.

What is the best age for your child to use a bunk bed? Most bunk beds are favorable for children five years and above, but it also depends upon the child. As long as your child is old adequate to safely climb the bunk bed ladder, you can get a bunk bed. normally the climb up to the top bunk is a piece of cake, but initially the climb down can be somewhat daunting. As long as you are close by to reassure your child there's no problem.

Kids learn fast and mastering the bunk bed ladder will come speedily and even give your child a sense of accomplishment. Not only that, but the top bunk is a well cool place for a kid to be. These days, kids have so many toys and distractions that hinder their imagination (think television and video games), so anyone you can do to spark their imagination and get them active can only be a good thing. Pretend play gets more fun and creative with a themed bunk bed (a castle or dollhouse or your child's beloved character).

For a safe bunk bed, check to make sure the stock is Astm (or American community for Testing Materials) protection certified. For the consumer, it means any bed purchased from a manufacturer that follows the Astm guidelines will have sturdy, secured guard rails and the positioning of the guard rails is such that puny heads are too big to get caught between them, thus avoiding strangulation, and puny hands and feet are too small to get wedged between them, thus avoiding broken bones. Also, guard rails are crucial in preventing mishaps and falls from the top bunk.

For a change, climb atop your child's bunk bed and marvel at a distinct perspective to life - simple and honest - just like that of a child's.

Bunk Beds - looking the excellent Bunk Bed for Your Child's Bedroom

Six Steps to Creating the excellent Dollhouse

Each dollhouse is its own unique creation. None will be exactly like another, nor should it be. Nevertheless, there are definite steps to the process that, if followed, will help each to come to be a harmonious and balanced whole. Of course, rules are made to be broken, so any of these tips may not apply to your single design. Just be aware of the purpose behind these guidelines. That will ensure that your unique ideas work in harmony with the theory of balance and design.

1. Be aware of the purpose and function of the dollhouse.

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Before you ever begin dollhouse construction or even planning, it is important to make an allembracing evaluation of the project. Who will own the dollhouse? Will it be a toy or a display item? Where will it be located? How much space is ready for its display? What are the interests of the dollhouse owner and how will these interests be incorporated into the design? What will the style and era of it be? If the style is eclectic, what allembracing theme will tie the private rooms together? Be sure that you narrow the focus of the project before you begin.

2. rule the structure and style of the dollhouse.

Choose a scale for the miniaturization. The most coarse scale in the United States today is 1:12, where one inch of dollhouse equals one foot of a full-sized home.

The most popular choice is to buy a kit. This will give you all the precut pieces significant to build the model of your choice.

If you rule to form the dollhouse yourself, rule which construction materials you will use and how large the complete product will be. Now you will need to draw the layout. Dollhouse layouts are can be created on paper or with the help of software. From a simple shareware agenda to AutoCad, many programs are now able to give you a three-dimensional layout of the dollhouse before you begin.

3. form the interior of the dollhouse.

Keep in mind the form and function of the dollhouse as well as the architectural style when planning your interior decorating. As with the outside design, be sure to lay out the interior thought about before you begin decorating. rule on a cohesive theme for the interior, but form each room individually. Draw up a floor plan on the same scale as the outside shell. Be definite to mark out existing architectural features such as doors, windows and any special elements. Choose a focal point for each room and form the rest of the room around that focal point.

4. Pre-wire the dollhouse for electricity before furnishing the interior.

Lighting can be an enchanting part of your interior form plan. Be sure to wire the significant electricity before adding any other interior features. In this way, the wiring can be hidden behind paint, wallpaper and flooring, creating a much more realistic look.

5. Decorate the interior of the dollhouse.

Follow your interior form plan but leave yourself room for inspiration and imaginative creativity. Expect this to be an ongoing process, not something completed in a weekend. Enjoy the process of shopping for just the right furniture, flooring and all the slight details.

6. rule who will live in your dollhouse.

Some dollhouses are left empty, functioning strictly as form showcases. However, adding a few doll occupants will give yours a feeling of warmth and life. Take your time choosing on the exquisite doll occupants.

Six Steps to Creating the excellent Dollhouse