The George Eastman House

Last weekend, Andrew and I took another day trip to Western New York. This time we decided to check out Rochester. The only thing I knew I wanted to do was visit the George Eastman House and Museum. I spent the afternoon there, took a tour, and wandered around on my own with whatever time I had left. I was under the impression that I needed to take a guided tour in order to see the house, but that wasn’t the case. I was able to wander freely after our tour ended and I had such a nice time. The next time we find ourselves in Rochester, I’ll certainly be wandering around on my own so that I have ample time to spend in whatever part of the house or museum I please. There was one exhibit in particular that I regret not getting to see before the Museum closed.

This chest was a gifted to George Eastman by Tsar Nicholas II.

The tour ran long, so once it ended I only had about an hour until the museum closed. Although it pained me to not explore the house more thoroughly, I hadn't yet seen the gardens. It was late September and the leaves were just starting to change, so I was very glad to see that the flowers were still blooming. In its heyday, the house had nine gardens, but nowadays the foundation only keeps a few of them maintained. The crowd outside had dispersed at this point, so I had most of the gardens to myself.

I finally have a photo of myself courtesy of a self timer and a conveniently located balustrade.

After the GEM, we drove up to Ontario Beach Park and walked around as the sun was setting. Even with the choppy water and chilly, windy conditions, it was a quiet and peaceful stroll along the breakwater. I took a second round of photos here that I'll publish in a dedicated post. We grabbed a quick dinner and headed home after that. Even with "only" two things in the books, it was just nice to get out of town. I was so happy to be able to photograph places that I don't see every day, and I love the overwhelming excitement of being somewhere new.