During the last year, I have had conversations with friends where we toss about ideas of what would make Rochester a more vital, interesting, fun place to live.

My friend Sara mentioned this: There are many universities and colleges in a 30-mile radius of Rochester - which means that there are tens of thousands of college students. Unfortunately each of these schools live in its own universe, making it seem as if we aren't a college town, which in reality we are.

Why don't we build apartments in the High Falls area for college kids who would appreciate living in a city environment? Make sure that there is ample transportation back and forth to their respective schools.

Pretty soon there will be bars, pizza shops, boutiques, coffee shops, etc. springing up downtown. (The Eastman School dorm near the Eastman Theater is a good example of a thriving area; because of the dorm, bars, pizza joints, and coffee shops all thrive in that couple-of-blocks area.)

From my friend Jim: Why not have a rapid-rail service between Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse? Think of what a powerhouse these three sister cities would offer job and entertainment wise. Think how great it would be to hop on a fast train to Buffalo and be there in 45 minutes to see a concert, go shopping, or go to your job, and to have people from our sister cities coming to Rochester to do the same.

The last idea: Many large cities around the world have towers - the CN tower in Toronto, for example. Why don't we build a beautiful tower downtown? Unlike the 80-story towers in large cities, ours would only have to be 25 stories high. From that height, one could look north and look out over Lake Ontario, look southeast to the Bristol Hills. We have beautiful scenery; heck, Rochester looks like a city in the middle of a forest from 25 stories up.

At the base of the tower there could be statues of the numerous individuals that have put Rochester on the map and give us our rich history (Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, George Eastman, Chuck Mangione, and Cab Calloway, to name a few).

There could be a cafe at the top for Rochesterians and visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee while contemplating the world below.

ANDREW DUNNING, ROCHESTER