Samantha Brown's 'Places to Love' features Genesee Valley

Kevin Oklobzija//January 20, 2022//

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Samantha Brown’s Places to Love (Sunday, 11 a.m. on WXXI-TV) includes a visit with Rochester artist Shawn Dunwoody (provided photo).

The sights, sounds and people of the Genesee River Valley will be featured in Samantha Brown’s “Place to Love,” which airs at 11 a.m. Sunday on WXXI-TV.

The third episode of season five of the show explores the Grand Canyon of the East in Letchworth Park, including the waterfalls and Autism Nature Trail. There’s also a visit to Linwood Gardens and participation in Community Paint Day with Rochester artist Shawn Dunwoody.

Brown said her top three experiences on the visit to Upstate New York:

» Dining at Borikén Restaurant in Mount Morris, where chef/owner Melanie Alvarez brings Puerto Rico’s flavors, customs, traditions and culture to the Genesee Valley.

» Exploring the Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, where costumed interpreters in restored historic buildings breathe life into an authentic 19^th-century country covering over 600 acres.

» Experiencing spirituality at The Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, home to some 24 contemplative monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. It is here that Brown and the audience receive profound advice from Father Isaac for how to handle our time of isolation and contemplation during this pandemic.

“I absolutely loved the overall restorative feeling of being there,” Brown, in a news release, said of the visit to the region. “It’s a rural setting of immense beauty that brings about a much-needed sense of calm, and yet the people have an engaging energy of hope in what they are doing now and for what’s about to happen next.”

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