It’s funny, when I know I’m going to minor league parks, I have this mindset that I’m going to be going into the tiniest dregs of civilization, and expecting to be the only Asian guy on their planets and expect to be treated with discrimination and prejudice. Although such horrible treatment has never happened to me before (although almost in Jackson, MS), there’s kind of a general standard that is associated with the minor leagues.
That being said, it wasn’t until this trip got closer did it really dawn on me that Rochester is actually kind of a big deal of a city. It’s not like a name I hadn’t ever heard of before like Zebulon or Fort Mill or Aberdeen; Rochester was a name that I knew as one of the more notable cities in the entire state of New York that seemed to flourish and exist outside of the general perception that NYC is the center of not only the state but the entire planet.
As for Rochester itself, it was easily the high point of the this entire trip, as far as anything non-baseball activities went. There were plenty of decent places to eat in and around the city, it’s proximity to Lake Ontario gave us something to do, and Rochester is also home to Genessee Beer, where they had an excellent and quick brew tour as well as the mandatory tasting room.
It also helped that Rochester’s ballpark was easily the best among the four new ballparks seen on this trip too.
