Rochester, New York: The Spirit of the Holidays

Park Avenue, which is nestled in Downtown Rochester, New York and is the conduit for everything historical and modern that a "downtown" area should represent, is hosting a Christmas Holiday Open House on December 1, 2011 from 5pm-9pm.

The theme of this year's event is "The Spirit of the Holidays" and what better place to kick off the holiday season than along Rochester's very own Park Avenue. We haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, and already the 80 or so businesses that make up the Park Avenue Merchants Association are getting into gear. Park Avenue is taking on a look even more vibrant than it already sports, thanks to the area being dressed up in typical holiday fashion with colored lights, Christmas trees, dressed up light poles, wreathes and more.

Plenty to See and Do

Outdoor activities are scheduled to include performances of holiday music, horse drawn wagon rides, chestnuts roasting over an open fire, costumed holiday characters, candy canes and of course a visit from 'ol Santa Clause himself. And that's just for starters!

Whether its ice sculpture (check it out at the True and Touch Salon and at Bark Avenue Dog), or a family sing-along (starts at 5pm on Barrington St), "The Spirit of the Holidays" is an evening of free entertainment and is not only a great way to get into the Christmas spirit but is also a wonderful opportunity to explore downtown Rochester's most historic and colorful areas.

Park Avenue Past and Present

The Park Avenue "neighborhood" extends north to the East Avenue, south to Monroe Avenue (on the north side from Rutgers Street to Route 490), east to Culver Road (the west side from East Avenue to Route 490) and west to Rutgers Street/Vick Park. But for the purposes of the Park Avenue Open House, all activities are on or near Park Avenue, just as the name implies.

For young and old alike, Park Avenue has been a much talked-about place to live, shop and play for decades and shows no sign of slowing down. Some compare Park Avenue to Manhattan's West Village (without the traffic) but with a lot more greenery. Within the confines of several blocks, residents and visitors alike have their pick of a variety of ethnic restaurants, sidewalk cafes, pubs, and specialty boutiques. And what makes Park Avenue even more attractive is that everything is available by foot.

This has been an annual event since 1993 and with some 80 merchants taking part, participating and/or contributing to make "The Spirit of the Holidays" a success, I'm not sure there's enough time allotted during the evening to enjoy everything on hand. But that's o-k, because the Park Avenue Open House may start on December 1^st, but it certainly doesn't end there. Since when does the holiday season just last a couple of hours? Park Avenue will be the place to stroll and explore throughout the month of December.

The Park Avenue Merchants Association touts Park Avenue as the most "stroll-able strip in Rochester" and am I inclined to agree. Don't forget, the "The Spirit of the Holidays" is on December 1^st from 5pm-9pm. You can get more information online at http://www.park-avenue.org/entertainment.html.