Rochester this week

That's only a 4-hour drive from me! Now to see if I can take time off ...

You should try to get your hands on a garbage plate while you're there. (Nick Tahou's of course.)

Hey, that's my neck of the woods.

I'm already travelling to Buffalo to listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson on Wednesday. I'm wondering if also going to a talk on Thursday would overfill my nerd excursion allowance with the family.

Man, PZ, you're always so busy. Busy like a bee. In fact...

http://www.kobrascorner.com/beezmyers.png

Whee! See you Thursday. Beware: you may be competing for attention with our mens hockey team, which will be playing in the NCAA Division I semi-finals that night.

Will there be conversation over pint glasses afterwards? We've got better beer here than the Aussies, I promise.

Assuming I can find the theatre, I will be there!!

Hey, that's my hometown! But I don't live there anymore.

I second the suggestion to get garbage plate at Nick Tahou's, just to sample to local cuisine, or to go to Country Sweet for some wings, assuming you can find one that hasn't gone out of business.

90 minutes away from me... I'll be there...

And let me second truthspeaker's suggestion of a garbage plate at Nick Tahou's... heart-stopping, greasy goodness! Been too long since I've had one myself.

Was looking forward to you talk at Iowa State on Thursday :( Hopefully you can fit us into your schedule some time soon!

Celtic, you're actually thirding Catch10110's suggestion.

Is Nick Tahou's still there? Alright, I Googled it and it's still there, with a 4 star review. While you're at it pick me up some Sal's Bird Sauce...my Wegmans stopped carrying it 'round these parts.

I'm a student there, and I will be there PZ! Thanks for coming.

Yay! PZ is coming to my place of employment! I'll have a bar of dark chocolate-covered bacon for you PZ.

Nothing against Nick Tahoes, but that's a bit off the beaten path. Just a half-mile down the road is MacGregors, a taproom with over 100 beer choices. PZ, don't let the organizers talk you into eating or drinking anywhere else. You can get a garbage plate replica practically anywhere around here, usually called a "trash", "Dumpster" or "Rochester" plate. Country Sweet has gone SERIOUSLY downhill, FWIW. The wings have shrunk to pigeon scale.

BTW, RIT has a 5-year old NCAA Div. 1 men's hockey team that has miraculously played itself into the Frozen Four, so GO TIGERS!

Not to ignore the other very good suggestions for places to eat, but I know you like your beer options (having seen lots of photos on this blog). Since you'll be at RIT, just south of Downtown Rochester, there's a good beer+food option called The Dinosaur BBQ. Best beer selection I've seen in Ro-cha-cha, and basically a hop north from RIT.

Also downtown is a fairly authentic English pub with actual English people working at it, plus another very good beer selection (including a cask ale or two if you happen to like that sort of thing). It's called The Old Toad. Wish I could be there!

Here's a campus map for people coming to RIT:
http://facilities.rit.edu/campus/maps/general/general.pdf

Webb Auditorium is in Bldg. 7B. Ask any student where the art school is if you need pointing out.

Parking is 100% free at RIT, and reserved parking spaces are not enforced after 5 p.m. (I just verified that with the parking office). That means you can park in any lot, in any space, so long as it isn't a handicap space or fire lane (duh).

Is anyone interested in a meet-up of pharyngulites before the gig?

Well... as it turns out, I had to check my calendar and noticed that my daughter's elementary school is doing "Author's Tea", where the students show off their writing and artwork samples that evening... obviously that takes precedence (on a side note, one of my daughter's writing samples is an essay called "why I love space" that talks about the big bang, the hubble space telescope and the solar system, and on the cover she has a picture of the solar system, with a tiny little circle drawn on the edge with the label written: "Pluto - NOT a planet, a Kuiper Belt Object". She's 8. I admit to swelling with pride.)

Oh well... guess I'll have to catch PZ in Syracuse later this year...

Arrggghh! A correction, Webb Aud. is in building 7A, NOT 7B. Can't believe I goofed on that. I hang my head.

We Rochesterians and Rochester ex-pats sure know how to crawl out of the woodwork when our hometown gets mentioned, don't we?

Now I'm hungry for white hots.

Would you believe liquor stores in Minnesota have started carrying Genesee Cream Ale, for $7.99 a six pack? I did a double take when I first saw it. The swill I drank in high school being sold as an upscale regional brew? I had to try it to be sure. Yep, same old swill. It was weird drinking it in my living room instead of at Cobb's Hill after the park closed.

"Oh, Rooooooooochesteeeeer!!!"

"Yes, boss!"

"Where is my violin?"

"I wish it was on a slowboat to China!"

OMG! That's where I live!! PZ, while the Old Toad is nice, the best pizza in town is at this little chill bar called Acme. This place is amazing.

But forget the city proper. You should go to Lovin' Cup! It's a wicked cool restaurant/bar that's right near RIT, so you'll already be practically right there. You will absolutely love it to pieces, I guarantee it. Try the "Yard of Ale" :)

Too bad you won't have the time to swing by Ithaca (90 mins. from Rochester) on Friday and speak at Cornell (or IC)... it's going to be in the 70's and quite lovely here, and this town is simply wonderful when the weather is nice.

Brian @ 5:

no competition. RIT has the 1st off, and plays Bucky on the 8th.

The swill I drank in high school being sold as an upscale regional brew?

It's the same price as Keystone Light here in Buffalo and it tastes about the same.

I'll chime in that Loving Cup is nice, for the reasons eveedream mentions, but they only have about 8-10 beer taps. Still, MacGregors is just a little further down the road. Hmmm, 10 taps, or 10^2 taps. Mmmm...beer...

Listen to Bostonian, he gives good advice...Tahoes is a dump, Dinosaur is great, as is The Old Toad, plus the Toad has the BEST selection of single malt scotch within 150 miles, if not more.

Speaking of which, how the book's comming?

Mike, that's true, but what beer Lovin' Cup does have is great and the food is fantastic, and I'll be honest, I know the staff :) MacGregors is good too but for some reason every time I've been there it's been super busy.

In terms of lots of great beer in the city you'll want to hit up Tap & Mallet. Always tons of great beer on tap, crazy good selections, and they have really good food as well.

Yup, Tap and Mallet is an excellent place to eat and drink. Better food than Mac's, good service, constantly rotating beer selection, nice atmosphere. Loving Cup does have good food, good service, and a decent, if limited, beer selection, and is the closest to RIT.

PZ, no matter what, greet any suggestion to go to TC Rileys, right next to Loving Cup, with a sneer of contempt. They have 30 taps of nothing but US rice water, terrible food and lousy service. This is based on a half-dozen visits last summer. My golf league (actually a drinking league with sticks in hand) eventually banned TCR from our list of post-match dining options.

To: Mike in Ontario at #13 above

Is anyone interested in a meet-up of pharyngulites before the gig?

I'd love to meet up. I'm a long time lurker/admirer of all things Pharyngula. I'm coming from farther than 4 hours away because I happen to have the time off and--why not?

I'll also be looking for a reasonably priced nearby motel to stay that night. Any suggestions?

You're right Mike. Rileys is pretty lame, which is sad because the interior is so nice with big old comfy booths. But it's a waste of time.

To "Google accounts name at #29", a Google search for "hotels Henrietta NY" turns up a whole bunch of things, including a Days Inn and Super 8, so you should be able to find something. It's a college town, after all. I'd love to meet up too!

Aaaaaaah I am going to rit for college in September! But right now I live in Oregon. Curse you pz for not waiting for me

To eveedream @ #30:

Thanks for the motel info. I wouldn't have thought to look under Henrietta, NY instead of Rochester.

I'd love to meet up too!

I don't know how I got that crazy Google accounts name at #29, but you can email me privately at Peggesis@aol.com so we can arrange a meet-up.

long time lurker hoping i can get my homework done so i can come see this. if there's a meet up afterwords i would definitely be interested in that.

Henrietta is the way to go as RIT is in Henrietta.

I use to live in Rochester, hope you like it there.

PZ, there's a good chance I'll be able to make your talk, and I'll probably be bringing Carl Buell, the illustrator who did several of your header illos, (plus illustrations for Carl Zimmer's recent book on evolution, "The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution.")

I know he'd like to meet you, and I'd like to see you again too.

Accommodations: there's a Radisson Inn on Jefferson Road that is walking distance to campus. It's pricey, but convenient. There's also the RIT Inn and Conference Center, which is several miles off-campus, but has a frequent and free shuttles.

Meet-up: I was wondering if people would like to gather at about 7:00 or 7:30 at the Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop that is in the Student Alumni Union (bldg. 4 on the RIT map). We could meet, chat, nosh, and walk over to Webb together.

Anyone interested in meeting can call me during the day at 585.475.7200.

Nice to see you're hitting NY. What are the chances of you ever hitting SU or Cornell?

@eveedream Acme is a must every time I'm back in Rochester. Fantastic pizza AND wings. And beer.

THE Rochester, New York? I haven't lived there in 20 years. I could go for a cheeseburg on a roll from Schaller's right about now. How many Pharyngula readers are from the awesome area of western/central New York and southern Ontario?

To Mike in Ontario @ #36:

I didn't go for the pricy Radisson but reserved a room at the Days' Inn about 5 miles away. (I've since seen a couple of reviews of the place on line and hope I'm not in for an adventure there--something about stains and lice. Other reviews were positive, though. I'm taking my chances.)

Meet-up: I was wondering if people would like to gather at about 7:00 or 7:30 at the Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop that is in the Student Alumni Union (bldg. 4 on the RIT map). We could meet, chat, nosh, and walk over to Webb together.

Anyone interested in meeting can call me during the day at 585.475.7200.

Will do! Also, my cell phone number is 419.356.7924.

Peg

I got my B.S. at RIT (Biotechnology '91)!!! Great place - I loved my program. Make sure you hit Nick Tahoe's for a garbage plate (if no one's recommended it yet)!!!

@ Peg, and others: I'll make sure to be at the scoop shop at 7 sharp. It's the one place EVERY student can direct you to if you're lost.

To Mike in Ontario, NY @ #42:

I'll make sure to be at the scoop shop at 7 sharp. It's the one place EVERY student can direct you to if you're lost.

Sounds good. I'll plan to be there at 7, too. Now, how big is this scoop shop? Will I need to go around shouting, "Hey, Mike-in-Ontario, where are you? Who are you?"

Oh no! Crazy family chaos! I can't make it anymore :( You guys will have to give us all a good summary of what went down.

You know, it's too bad PZ isn't staying on for Friday night too since there's the giant Buzz radio station Singles Mingle party event (which just happens to be at RIT this time). Great for people watching! Fly the Trophy Wife out too for a hell of a good time!

#36

Meet-up: I was wondering if people would like to gather at about 7:00 or 7:30 at the Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop that is in the Student Alumni Union (bldg. 4 on the RIT map). We could meet, chat, nosh, and walk over to Webb together.

I'm an RIT student so I'll be there, and will hopefully bring some friends along .

#43

Sounds good. I'll plan to be there at 7, too. Now, how big is this scoop shop? Will I need to go around shouting, "Hey, Mike-in-Ontario, where are you? Who are you?"

It's just a big open room with a B&J's counter on one side. Look for the Sentinel (a huge metal sculpture, you can't miss it) and walk past it to the South into the v-shaped entranceway - the B&J's is straight through those doors.

I'll be wearing a brown t-shirt that says "The Move - Brontosaurus", and a doofy-looking grin.

"I'll be wearing a brown t-shirt that says "The Move - Brontosaurus", and a doofy-looking grin."

I'll be the pudgy 50-something woman in the purple turtleneck wearing sensible shoes. And black slacks.

Damn! Why did I just notice this now, when it's a 4 - 5 hour drive and I have 1 hour to make it. And the time machine is in the shop!