I was just approached by my company with an opportunity for a huge promotion. The position has been my first goal since I started and there is no way I decline the position either financially or how it would set me up for the rest of my career with my company and beyond. The only downside is I have to move from Boulder, CO to either Rochester or Buffalo, NY.

I am really excited about the opportunity but am trying to make the best out leaving one of the best places in the US to live to move well...to upstate New York. The position is field sales and my territory would basically be in Buffalo/Niagara to parts of Rochester and anything south into Northern PA. The job obviously requires tons of driving but they hook it up with a new car every 50K miles.

Now I need your opinions on the best place for a social, 24 year old young professional to live. I love the typical downtown bar/restaurant scene, I go to a lot of concerts, I play lots of golf, love doing the mountain and outdoor things in Colorado, would like a casino near by for live poker and am also considering going back to school to get my masters while I work.

I have no friends or family in the area, no girlfriend so it will pretty much just be me. Is Rochester or Buffalo going to be my best bet? Also where specifically should I be looking for apartments preferably with a good number of young professionals?

I'd commute from colorado.


what, use willy's jet and it won't be so bad imo

You don't want to live in Buffalo

Move to Rochester, not Buffalo.

well at least you can stalk Alex Morgan all you want

Hi. I have lived in the Buffalo area my whole life. As far as the bar scene goes, there is A big strip of bars right in the heart of downtown Buffalo called the chippewa strip. Lots of local colleges in the area(UB, Buff State, Canisius, Niagara U, Erie CC), so the nightlife is pretty good. Bars are open until 4am, and the strip has numerous different types of bars/clubs.

If you plan on buying property, the holusing prices are very low, but taxes are pretty high.

Seneca Niagara Casino is about 20 minutes North of the city, and there are a couple over the border, but nowhere close in quality if you are talking about poker.

There are tons of excellent courses just over the border in Canada, and a few nice ones in the area, but most courses are middle of the road as far as price/quality goes.

If you travel a little bit South of buffalo there are some really nice places for hiking/camping/outdoor experiences. Zoar valley and the Alleghany mountains are two examples.

I went to college in Rochester, and I can speak from experience, NO COMPARISON TO BUFFALO. The crime rate alone is enough to keep you inside in the evening.

If you have any questions feel free to hit me up, I will answer any questions you have, the best I can.

Congrats on the promotion

oh yes, and we do have Alex Morgan!

I went to the U of Rochester. Rochester>Buffalo unless you just want to get season tickets to follow shitty sports teams. From Buffalo it's not far to Casino Niagara, from Rochester it's an hour and change there and about 90 minutes to Turningstone.

Plus if you move to Rochester you can finish your Edward 40Hands sessions with this:



No really, that's what Rochester is famous for foodwise. There are good wings, ridiculously good subs (Rochester does this better than most places I've been), decent pizza, and one pretty funky sushi joint that is quite solid, but there's a reason everyone in upstate NY is fat.

I have been back several times to visit, including this past February, but I don't really know where the best and trendiest places to live in the ROC are right now. If you end up going and you need help on this front, PM me and I'll make some calls.

My condolences, and GL.

 

Originally Posted by sean614

Just went up to Rochester this weekend, first time ever visiting, thought it was awesome. Im 25 btw, and where I was there were a ton of people our age (park avenue section). They had a really cool bar scene too. Thoroughly enjoyed myself, although doubt id survive all that snow

I'm moving from CO so I can handle snow although it is way more in Rochester and doesn't melt. I was looking at a few places on Park Ave and it actually seems like a livable area with some younger people.

Zander appreciate it, and I'll definitely let you know. Again Park Ave. looks like an alright spot but you can only tell so much browsing an online review. I can make the best of less than ideal situations and I really have no problem meeting people, I just don't want to end up in the middle of some shitty location in Suburbia when I could atleast be walking distance from some good bars and a younger crowd.

How close is U of Rochester to the Bar scene?

Grew up in Fairport(suburb of Rochester). Lived in 2 sep rentals on Park Ave. Park Ave S is mostly huge houses split up into 6-8 apts.

This is what most of the houses look like:


The opposite end are more brownstone type walkups and apt over shops/bars


Park Ave is a cool place to live in the summer(Park Ave Fest was this past weekend- I think sean614 went), Lilac Festival....tons of festival type stuff. Other 9 months...meh. For one thing you hafta move your car daily in the winter(ie M/W/F park even side, for plowing). You'll rack up a ton of parking tickets and park 3 blocks from your apt. But if you're primarily working outta Buff, its about 1 1/2 hr drive. No one commutes to Buff from Roch.

I haven't lived there for 20 yrs tho. You know you're approaching Buff/Roch tho by plane, as the entire sky is grey.

 

Originally Posted by littleze

that garbage plate looks fucking awesome

i agree

michlad giving helpful advice up in this bitch. hi!

Id rather live in a buffalo than in Buffalo.

Cant give any helpful advice on Rochester, Ive only been there once and it was about 16 years ago for a hockey tournament, but Buffalo is the dreariest place Ive ever been.

 

Originally Posted by cdmalgee

In the summer, Western NY is beautiful. It's tough to beat finishing a day/round of golf with a Zweigle's White Hot and a Blue Light. You can keep it in the winter. Yuck.

If you're a big city person, you're going to prefer Buffalo. Rochester is a really nice city that has anything you're looking for out of a big city with a lot less crime/drugs in the open/homeless/etc. I'd go Rochester for that reason - it's still just an hour and 15 minutes down 90 if you're trying to see pro sports, go into Niagara (on either side), etc. Better golf in the Rochester area, too. (Including Oak Hill where you can see an Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Champ., US Am every few years). Plus, if the city of Rochester would ever get their shit together, they'll get the fast ferry up and running again, and it's quicker to Toronto from Rochester than it is from Buffalo.

 

Originally Posted by BigGunX

Rochester is an awesome town with a lot of culture. Buffalo is awful.

Lemme know if you have questions. My wife is from there and I'm very familiar with the city. I think you'd enjoy it.

Well I just spoke with my would be regional manager and he said most of the work would be done around Buffalo and Tonawanda. The previous sales rep lived in Rochester but he put 60-70K miles a year on his car, I wouldn't pay for gas but that's something else to consider, because thats a lot of driving. I'm looking at some places in downtown Buffalo and it looks like this Rocco Termini guy has got his shit together and is building some really nice luxury lofts in downtown Buffalo and is looking to turn the town around as much as he can. I know Buffalo is a dump but 60K/year in a car could be pretty brutal.

Nothing is finalized yet and I'm flying out to Cleveland for an interview early next week, but I'd set it at about 96% right now. Still really don't know what to do, sounds like I would definitely enjoy Rochester more but I really like the idea of being close to Toronto and living in a downtown atmosphere. Sigh, definitely going to miss Colorado either way.

you will hate it...

 

Originally Posted by zander

This is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.