I found out about Drinking Liberally last fall when I was taking a class at Writers & Books. I was downtown, and it made a nice cap to the night. Having lived in Manhattan, it never bothered me to be downtown, but I’ve noticed one thing about Rochester since I moved here 16 years ago, originally to Ravine Avenue in The Tenth Ward. This is a city of drivers. With the exception of downtown during business hours, nowhere, except in parts of Brighton on certain days, do you see large numbers of adults walking. Running or jogging maybe, but not walking. I found that out quickly in the Tenth Ward. Walking home alone from a friend’s on Driving Park Avenue, I was totally alone - late. It was creepy, and considering the five homicides on my block in the 18 months I lived there, dangerous. That’s one of the things I miss about NYC. No matter what time it was, there were always people walking on the sidewalk, and considering that half of them didn’t own cars, it was perfectly normal. It gave a sense of safety in numbers. Even in the bad ol’ ’70’s and ’80’s, you had the feeling that if the s**t hit the fan, someone would call the cops. In most parts of Rochester, no one would know. It was the beginning of another thread, transportation. In Rochester, public transportation is largely a subsidy for the poor. “Normal” people don’t use it, at least not late at night. So anyone walking alone is suspect. Still, as lazy as I’ve been about drinking with liberals since my class ended, I’d be less likely to attend a suburban bar. It just wouldn’t seem exciting to drive the Outer Loop to sit in some Towne Lounge. Unless, of course, it was Murph’s Irondequoit, my walking Local. Excelsior.

At the risk of breaking rules (I didn’t know; I don’t remember), here is a post I just blurted on another thread.

Ok; here’s a way to address this and another thread the dj and I have been discussing, however obliquely. Anyone interested in the Rochester Subway is welcome to attend a screening of our DVD and a talk by the filmmakers next Tuesday, March 27 at Lutheran Church of Concord, 485 Holmes Rd, between Long Pond Rd and Fetzner Rd., south of Ridge Road West in Greece. The evening will be free of charge and is sponsored by The Association of University Women, Greece Branch, which I understand is a strong, unbending branch. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. with light refreshments and fellowship (I assume University and Non-University men will not be turned away), followed by a short business meeting before the program. The trick for Liberals on this page will be to find a local tavern for OUR fellowship. Hint: the Co-Directors prefer Ale. Excelsior.