If in Roch:
Dinosaur bbq and sticky lips both have really good food. Both are in the city, Dino is downtown, Sticky lips is off of Culver rd. I would recommend trying Dino at least. Monroe ave probably has the most bars. Jeremiahs has really good wings, they are on Monroe. Park ave has alot of little shops and restaurants without a huge bar scene. Jine's is on Park, good Greek food. Its better in the summer though. There are some clubs near the corner of East ave and Alexander, but they suck. Buffalo is much better if you are into that thing. There is a good British pub on Alexander in the same area. Authentic food and drink. The Anchor bar is on East, which is owned by the same family that invented the chicken wing (Buffalo wings to you). Don't bother with it, go to Jeremiahs. The original Anchor bar in Buffalo is worth it.
Rochester is known for the film business, Eastman Kodak, Xerox, etc. The George Eastman house is near the corner of East and Culver. Its a really uppity part of the city. There is a film museum inside, as well as a tour of the house (mansion).
You could also check out Charlotte (pronounced Shar-Lot, I don't know why either). It has a beach, the port of Rochester and a bunch of bars, restaurants and dives. It's going to be dead this time of year though.
Anything from Buffalo to Syracuse gets an ASS load of snow. I doubt most of you know just how bad the winters are in upstate NY. Not so much the cold, but the snow and the wind. Don't get stuck in a snow storm.