It was once again on my journey list to Jetblue back to Rochester . The focus of this trip was: to cover the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment with a celebration at the Susan B. Anthony Park; see what Rochester had to offer in the way of being a travel destination; and explore the Erie Canal from Rochester to Syracuse. Here, I will concentrate on the Rochester portion.

Having seen the Rochester Erie Canal suburbs of Fairport and Pittsford, it was time to get to the culture district area of Rochester and check into the Strathallan Hotel. I was in one of their suites with a full kitchen, two full bathrooms, living room area and bedroom that were probably larger than some apartments in Manhattan. There was a structure that separated the bed area from a couch that faced a television. The walk in closet was large enough to fit a crib and enough places to put your clothing.

With a location on East Avenue, sites such as the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, Memorial Art Gallery and Rochester Museum & Science Center were within walking distance. However, Esther and Eunice may be spring chickens, but I'm not. I totally took advantage of their free shuttle which will take you up to three miles away from the hotel and pick you up as well...as long as a shuttle is available. Haitham, one of the drivers, seemed to be shuttling me all over. I totally thank him for that! www.strathallen.com

I took the opportunity to relax in my room before going off to dinner with the editor of one of the newspapers that I write for, Empty Closet. I heard loads of kudos about a restaurant called Pier 45, located on Lake Ontario in a section called Charlotte. The weather was fine for sitting outside with the view of the lake and stayed long enough to witness the sunset. We met the owner, Joe Floreano as well as most of the staff when they saw Esther and Eunice at my table.
I ordered Spring Pea Soup with crab meat, a house salad, and Striped Bass. The bass was served with wild rice and broccoli. Dessert involved a peach cobbler with a scoop of peach sorbet and a scoop of freshly made whipped cream. I also got to taste a small malted milk shake. I must say that the food and view was so worth going there.

An hour was certainly not enough time to visit the Public Market. I got there in the morning and talked with many of the vendors, especially those that were either making or growing their products. That's not to say that there wasn't a variety of both local and out of state fruits and vegetables to choose from. I had subsequently found out that the Public Market won an award for the best Public Market in the country.

One guy grew herbs and the most popular was catnip. He had various teas as well, that he combined. Heirloom tomatoes was the love fruit at one stand. I had the opportunity to do a tasting of various colors and sizes. Not all green, yellow, orange or red tomatoes taste the same. With outdoor and indoor areas, you could purchase meat products. One butcher who raises pigs was selling pigs heads. Esther and Eunice certainly thought it was odd.

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 was the 90th anniversary of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. What better way to celebrate but at the Susan B. Anthony House and Susan B. Anthony Square, here in Rochester. Deborah Hughes, Executive Director of the Susan B. Anthony House was on hand to open the ceremony as politicians Louise Slaughter and Sandra Frankel delivered speeches and proclamations.

There are four buildings dedicated to this Susan B. Antony complex. The house itself is a museum with items that were donated by her family. A tour of the home is offered for a small fee. A second building abuts the house and used as a Visitor's Center complete with a gift shop. Behind this center sits a Carriage House...more like a replica. It is used for exhibits as well as lectures and Tea. I suspect that the tea idea emanates from the two bronze statues in the park; that of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass having tea and most likely discussing what would be the 19th amendment. The fourth building, btw, is across the street from the house and used for the administrative offices.

Esther, Eunice and I found this most darling place to have lunch. It's called La-Tea-Da! located at 258 Alexander Street at the corner of Park Avenue in an old purple painted Victorian home. This tearoom and parlour is owned by Maureen Becker, whose title is "Lady of the House".

It appears that if you are going to have an afternoon tea you might as well play the part. Various old hats are provided to set that Victorian mood. However, it's the young girls who get the whole "dress up" experience with dresses, boas, hats, etc. Needless to say, children's tea parties are one of Maureen's mainstreams. Play date for mom's brings them and their daughters for lunch and tea. That's not to say that grown ups, including some men, don't flock to La-Tea-Da! for a fabulous afternoon, where one should expect to spend at least a few hours enjoying both the teas and delicious morsels of food. Waitstaff are referred to as "Nippies". Your table is set with a large tea pot as the centerpiece and you are equipped with a bell to ring when you require the assistance of a Nippy.

Maureen purchases the loose teas and bags most of them. I think that it makes it easier to clean out the pot. Black, English, White, Green, Herbal and an entire category dedicated to Rooibos, my favorite. This is a "tea" that derives from a honey bush and usually from South Africa. I had the pleasure of sampling the Roobois "teas" of Belgian Chocolate, Red Mango, White Palace Marzipan, and Florida Orange. As for the food, what could be more richer or tastier than Blueberry Soup? Hey, that's even more antioxidants! Add a sampling of salads and a croissant of turkey, cranberry and gouda. Yummy!

When it comes to desserts, a scone with Devonshire Cream (her most delicious version) and jam, is the one that stands out and goes with the tea experience. It is not your ordinary scone. Maureen has created a more warm and moist recipe that looks and tastes as if a slice of biscuit-y cake is being served. La-Tea-Da! has a veranda option for dining outdoors with a view of a lovely garden below.

As for Esther and Eunice, they said "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its tea."

I would have walked off the calories from La-Tea-Da! but it was just a bit too far to the George Eastman House. Eastman, as in Eastman-Kodak, the film industry. The house, located at 900 East Avenue, officially named as the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, lends itself to a three part either self-guided or instructive tour. First there are rooms on the main level that house exhibits and collections. Walk to the rear and you begin to view the home itself. It continues upstairs to view the bedrooms and then out to the gardens.

Dinner was at the Park Avenue Pub at 650 Park Avenue. Rustic and home-y restaurant. I started with their Risotto of the day, which was with crab meat. An onion salad, was not what one would think it to be. They take a whole Vidalia onion and stuff it with cranberries and couscous before baking it. I was trying to share it with Eunice but she began belching just looking at it. Oh, well. Both Eunice and Esther excused themselves from the table when my chicken entree arrived. Dessert was not turned down by neither as I ordered a triple chocolate bread pudding. Yum!

This particular Saturday evening, dinner ended at 10 p.m. and the restaurant became a karaoke bar. I sang two songs and thought I heard Esther and Eunice clucking along. Afterward, I got a driving tour of the area's night life. Park Avenue and downtown East Avenue were packed with people, young and old, gay and straight, and various ethnicities.

I great night's sleep at the Strathallan and we're off to breakfast at Jine's, located just down the block from Park Avenue Pub. I had the Orange Marmalade French Toast. Eunice was eying one of their varieties of Eggs Benedict dishes but was ward off by the person eating it. I explained that she thought it might be a relative. They will come along with me to explore some of the Erie Canal.

Plan Your Trip

Visit the NYC Tourism at http://www.nycvisit.com to learn about attractions and destinations to explore during your visit.