If you dig around in the archives around 5 years ago I posted the exact same question (I couldn't find it, sorry) for when I had a business trip up that way. Lots of great recommendations but I can't quite remember the details of where I went.

I had a lot of fun in Rochester. The Garbage Plate is... interesting. There was an IMAX theater that had Batman Begins (wow, was it that long ago!?) that was pretty cool. Lots of great stores and shopping areas. Also, there's a store called Beers of the World that's in the little plaza off the beaten path. The selection is INCREDIBLE if you fancy trying tons of different imported brews organized by country. I spent a kings ransom in there buying individual bottles of rare & exotic beers. That was also the first place I found that carried Dogfish Head beer and I immediately fell in love with all of their brews.

Let's set up an S&T! We've got a few Goodjers in the Rochester parts, and the last ROC S&T we held was totally fantastic. I'd definitely be up for drinks or dinner or something along those lines.

Skip Dino BBQ (Sticky Lips is better -- yeah, I said it), and check out the Eastman House, which is half photography museum and half historic house of Old Crazy George Eastman. (Just don't say anything untoward about Mr. Eastman in earshot of the curators... I once called him "eccentric" audibly and had an indignant marm descend upon me like I'd smashed a window.)

Also, if it's not too cold, you might really dig a walking tour of the second oldest garden cemetery in the country, Mt. Hope, where Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglas and George Selden (among many other notable names) are all buried. Sounds a little creepy, I know, but it's a stunningly beautiful place.

More recommends:

If you or the SO like boardgames/card games: Millennium is a must. Personally, I prefer Baldo's down on Monroe, but it's a smaller shop and not quite as visitor-friendly as Millennium is. Millennium is total boardgame geek heaven.

If you or the SO are into anime: Go check out Hammer Girl Anime, which is right around the corner from Millennium. I went to college with the owners (actually we were all in the same anime club together back in school), and they've set themselves up a pretty sweet shop with all things Japanese, from plushies to manga to figurines to Pocky, etc. (complete with one of the only Initial D machines on the East Coast. Score!)

If you're an architecture buff: Go hang out on Main Street and check out the Powers Building . It's like a mad genius built it.

If you like theater: The Geva is playing A Christmas Story, which I've heard is pretty good.

If you want a nice quiet romantic dinner: Check out Portofino's or Domenico's for Italian. For Mexican, gotta be the Blue Cactus Grille out in Fairport. For Japanese, Tokyo Restaurant (no website that I know of). For a more exotic experience, Abyssinia (Ethiopian).

And for a really lovely Thursday night dinner or weekend lunch (they don't serve dinner on the weekends), go to The Rabbit Room, where Sleipnir and I got married. Food there is AWESOME, and the top two floors are art galleries with some really fun, funky stuff.

If you want a nice quiet cup of coffee, stay away from Spot or Java's, no matter how much they're recommended. Both are infested with rude college students and smelly hippies who will try to invite you to their neighbor's rave (true story). Boulder Coffee is okay, but they don't seem to know how to make a latte properly there. Starry Nights is my personal pick, although for espresso and gelato, I go to Oriens', a tiny, authentic Italian sidewalk cafe out in Gates/Greece.

If you're a beer fan, check out Custom Brewcrafters, which does tours at their Honeoye Falls location. Their beer is featured in a lot of bars around town, but it always tastes best at the home base.

If you're looking for a nice park, Mendon Ponds is my fave. I got engaged there! Great for hiking, etc. But if you're looking for something more "strollable" (read: with paved pathways), Highland Park -- where the lilacs are, although they're all hibernating now -- is your best bet.

For nice "walking around district", check out the South Wedge. For art, nowhere else but the Memorial Art Gallery. And for impromtu adventures, pick up a copy of this week's City and see what's shaking around town.

Though you just have to ignore the often rather snobby people that store attracts.

When was there an S&T at Rochester? I completely missed it...

I was pretty unimpressed when I ate there. It wasn't bad, but not particularly outstanding. I second the Sticky Lips recommendation over Dinosaur. I think they've got better ribs. I'd not recommend Abyssinia, as it was surprisingly greasy, and not a great representation of good Ethopian cooking, imho.

I think Katerin named pretty much everything that exists in Rochester.

If you like planetariums, the current star show, Cosmic Disasters, at the RMSC Planetarium is quite good, and they have a showing Saturday early afternoon. I haven't seen the giant-screen films currently on offer, so no advice on those.

If there's anything Katerin missed, check the local wiki: http://rocwiki.org/

(And I checked this thread specifically to ask if it wasn't required that we had to recommend going to the grocery store. It really sounds like a strange thing to recommend, but high-end grocery stores are few and far between outside this area, I guess. I certainly regret being forced to shopping at someplace like a Food Lion when I'm out of the area on vacation.)

Maybe we should have a S&T Rochester sometime soon.

Furiously programming all of these into my GPS now. Thanks for the help everyone!

Real, abandoned warehouse or loft rave or lame in the neighbor's basement rave?

This is very important, I only have so much suitcase room.