East Rochester



East Rochester is a village in suburban Rochester, in the Finger Lakes region of New York. While it's often overshadowed by the more picturesque villages around Rochester, it's a tight-knit community with few big chains and a lot of little gems waiting to be discovered.

Get in
Despite the prominent presence of the train tracks through the village, no train stops here any more. You'll need a car if you're going to visit East Rochester.

The most convenient access from the southeast and northwest is Interstate 490. Eastbound, take exit 24 for Commercial Street. Westbound there is no exit 24; take exit 25 and cross 31F to get to Commercial Street. Either way, you'll find yourself on East Rochester's main commercial strip.

From the southwest, State Route 153 comes from Pittsford, going through the western portion of East Rochester toward western Penfield. From the east, State Route 31F is the best option; it forms the southern border of the village. From the northeast, Five Mile Line Road (perhaps via State Route 441) intersects with Linden Avenue, which runs through the northernmost part of the village.

Get around
East Rochester can be very difficult to get around by car. The CSX train tracks divide the village, resulting in a lot of dead ends as only two roads actually cross the tracks: Washington Street (State Route 153) and Lincoln Road. You'll need to make your way to one or the other if you need to get across. Just to make things more interesting, the main drag, Commercial Street, is discontinuous; West Commercial ends at Main Street, only to pick up again as East Commercial on the other side of a business complex.

In short, navigation is a pain if you don't have a route mapped out in advance. Make sure you have a good map.

Eat
East Rochester is sometimes considered the Rochester area's "Little Italy", with over half the residents having some Italian ancestry. As such, there are a couple of very good Italian restaurants in town.



Drink
While East Rochester isn't necessarily known as a destination for nightlife, West Commercial can get a little lively during the evenings, thanks to Lemoncello's jazz lounge. It's still one of the very few suburban places you can find live music every night.

Sleep
There are no hotels, as such, in East Rochester, although there is one just north of the village and several others in surrounding areas.



Go next
Fairport is just a short trip down Route 31F, as is Pittsford (New York) along Route 153. Penfield is just to the north, or you can take I-490 into the city of Rochester (New York), just a few miles away.