ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester diners described 2020 in a single word Thursday to ring in the new year.

For patrons of Jay’s Diner in Henrietta, 2020 was…

“Unbelievable,” Gary D. Thomas Sr., of Rochester, said.

“[A] disaster,” Andrew Gill, of Albany, said.

"Turbulent," Elaine Johnson, of Henrietta, said.

“Stressful, very stressful,” John Chatman, of Rochester, said.

It was a challenging and difficult year for many…

“Just seeing the way our elected representatives failed us over this last year,” Gill said.

COVID-19 brought many struggles.

“Just trying to get through this whole pandemic and everything has been a struggle, for a lot of people,” Thomas said.

...like being stuck at home.

“I love my wife and children, but (laughs) the most stressful thing is going home to them every single day. They can be stressful, as I know I can be stressful too,” Chatman said.

But it also wasn’t all bad.

“I’m the president of my fraternity now,” Tristan Turner, of Rochester, said.

There were new beginnings...

“We did have the birth of our brand new grandnephew in Chicago,” Johnson said.

And fresh starts.

“We got married. Yeah, that would be the highlight,” Pedro Galan, speaking of his union with Gill, said.

And with 2021 here, diners are hopeful for things to come.

“I discussed with my wife already about paying for our next cruise, our next vacation, right now. That’s how excited I am. So I’m looking forward to that kind of relief,” Chatman said.

Not just for the pandemic to end...

“Just try to make the most of every day," Galan said. "Not take for granted we can do what we want.”

But hopes for society, too.

“I just hope we can become more cohesive with each other, and stop being at odds with each other, and realize we probably have a lot more in common with each other than our differences,” Johnson said.

Happy New Year, Rochester.