May 11, 2026
A state park in the gorge, a walkout, and the Monroe Theatre
Three pieces this week that all circle the same thing — Rochester doing what Rochester does. High Falls is finally getting its state park designation. The May Day walkout brought thousands into the streets in a very Rochester way. And the Monroe Theatre is still standing, still waiting, still worth fighting for. This city keeps surprising me.
High Falls State Park: What Rochester Is Finally Getting in Its Downtown Gorge
High Falls drops roughly 96 feet — taller than the American side of Niagara Falls — and sits in the geographic center of downtown Rochester; this park will finally make it central to city life rather than something you drive past.
Rochester Keeps Showing Up — What the May Day Walkout Says About This City
A 15-year-old at the School of the Arts organized 150 students to march through downtown Rochester on May 1, naming ICE killings, the Iran war, and U.S. military funding as the reasons they walked out.
The Monroe Theatre: Rochester's Sleeping Giant on Monroe Avenue
The Monroe Theatre at 585 Monroe Avenue has been vacant since 2008 — its auditorium demolished, its future undefined, its preserved facade the only thing that survived community pressure.
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