PromoTheRobot Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 ]For over a century Buffalo, New York was a key player in powering America through the industrial revolution. Its natural wonders, like Niagara Falls, and its strategic location along the great lakes made it a powerhouse for the growing American empire. Don will get passed the gates, crawl into the dark tunnels and climb on top of its crumbling mega-structures to get a glimpse at Buffalo's glory days. Just east of Buffalo he'll unearth the ingenious engineering behind the Erie Canal. Among the sleeping giants of silo city, Don will explore the behemoth structures that line the Buffalo River-the concrete grain elevators. And Don gets exclusive access to a 100 year-old powerhouse, run by Nikola Tesla's ingenious invention. Next, he'll cross the icy waters to see how hardy men brought fresh water to Buffalo. And he'll head into the hills outside the city to see a mysterious Castle built by the pioneers of modern health and wellness. Finally Don will enter the abandoned and crumbling ruins of the city's Central Terminal. It's a dangerous and exhilarating behind-the-scenes look at America's forgotten city [/i] PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 PTR Thanks for the heads-up. That looks seriously cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realist Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Gonna have to DVR that, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Wifey and I like that show. When we saw the previews for the Buffalo episode, it looked pretty cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks for the heads-up. That looks seriously cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 Thanks for the heads-up. That looks seriously cool. Ditto.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFanNC Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 TV show offers a behind-the-scenes look at Buffalo Niagara’s historic landmarks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Very cool show! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhg Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Very cool show! Agreed. Was very cool to see so much stuff packed into one hour. Left me wanting more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Watched it and enjoyed. Makes me wish I could have seen Buffalo in it's glory years. I'm suprised nothing was shown from the old Bethleghem Steel Plant in Lackawanna. Anyone know if anything is still standing from that enormous operation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 (edited) Watched it and enjoyed. Makes me wish I could have seen Buffalo in it's glory years. I'm suprised nothing was shown from the old Bethleghem Steel Plant in Lackawanna. Anyone know if anything is still standing from that enormous operation? Pretty much all of it - still as it was when they shut down the blast furnaces 25 years ago - only now completely deserted, save for a small wind farm... I believe the abandoned facility is now owned by ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based global steel conglomerate - they keep threatening to rehabilitate and develop the site, but that promise hasn't resulted in any activity for at least five years now. Given the amount of toxic waste buried there and all the infrastructure that traverses the property (RR rights-of-way, high-tension/high-voltage power-grid facilities, etc.), I still think the best use of the site is for a new stadium - right on the water's edge, on a major thoroughfare (Route 5) less than a mile from the NYS Thruway, and a spit from downtown BuffTown. WNED did a documentary on it (last year, I think)... Buffalo's Voices of Steel A couple of other good Bethlehem sites... The Steel Plant Museum (You get a great perspective of the enormity of the site and its location from the aerial photo on this site's home page) And, if you're really interested in Buffalo in it's 'heyday' and the city's rich history... The Buffalonian Rushing the Growler Forgotten Buffalo Buffalo Architecture and History . Edited June 28, 2011 by The Senator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Awesome stuff! Thanks so much for sharing Senator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Awesome stuff! Thanks so much for sharing Senator. Agreed. Next time I am in Buffalo I am going to check out that forgotten Buffalo tour. I am proud to have lived in Buffalo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Agreed. Next time I am in Buffalo I am going to check out that forgotten Buffalo tour. I am proud to have lived in Buffalo I've done Forgotten Buffalo tours twice and they are a lot of fun. Note that FB tour guide Marty Biniasz was in the Off Limits epidode on the Central Terminal. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I wanted to watch that.. Have to see if I can find it on demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I've done Forgotten Buffalo tours twice and they are a lot of fun. Note that FB tour guide Marty Biniasz was in the Off Limits epidode on the Central Terminal. PTR I also highly recommend taking any one of their tours if you have the chance... Link - Forgotten Buffalo: Past Tours What I like about Marty and his business partner 'Airborne Eddy' Dobosiewicz (aka 'Maxwell Truth') is not only their passion for the City of Buffalo (they are prime advocates for the revival of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood, Central Terminal, and the tremendous growth and now nationwide recognition of Buffalo's Dyngus Day celebration), but that they also 'put their money where their mouth is' - Eddie bought a run-down, boarded-up former tavern (Strusienski's) on Paderewski Drive with plans to renovate, Marty's wife is the great-granddaughter of Mary Bayliss Olshei (Buffalo's Olshei Foundation) and is currently championing the preservation of Polonia's 'Bork cottages' and together they bought the old Union Stockyards Bank Building (most recently BofA) at the corner of Broadway & Fillmore as HQ for their recently-formed Dispensata Corp., a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Buffalo's 'Polonia' neighborhood and community. Both are great guys and both serve as guides for the Forgotten Buffalo tours. Marty's a bit more reserved (used to be with WNED-TV) while Eddie's more of a comic, often seen bopping around the Broadway Market when not drinking pivo and eating pierogi at the Pikuzinski's R&L Lounge or engaged in his Offbeat Cinema project, FB tours, or other endeavors... Na Zdrowie!!!!! "Good people drink good beer." - Hunter S. Thompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 I also highly recommend taking any one of their tours if you have the chance... Link - Forgotten Buffalo: Past Tours What I like about Marty and his business partner 'Airborne Eddy' Dobosiewicz (aka 'Maxwell Truth') is not only their passion for the City of Buffalo (they are prime advocates for the revival of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood, Central Terminal, and the tremendous growth and now nationwide recognition of Buffalo's Dyngus Day celebration), but that they also 'put their money where their mouth is' - Eddie bought a run-down, boarded-up former tavern (Strusienski's) on Paderewski Drive with plans to renovate, Marty's wife is the great-granddaughter of Mary Bayliss Olshei (Buffalo's Olshei Foundation) and is currently championing the preservation of Polonia's 'Bork cottages' and together they bought the old Union Stockyards Bank Building (most recently BofA) at the corner of Broadway & Fillmore as HQ for their recently-formed Dispensata Corp., a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Buffalo's 'Polonia' neighborhood and community. Both are great guys and both serve as guides for the Forgotten Buffalo tours. Marty's a bit more reserved (used to be with WNED-TV) while Eddie's more of a comic, often seen bopping around the Broadway Market when not drinking pivo and eating pierogi at the Pikuzinski's R&L Lounge or engaged in his Offbeat Cinema project, FB tours, or other endeavors... youtube.com/watch?v=Mt9DBfAUq20 Na Zdrowie!!!!! "Good people drink good beer." - Hunter S. Thompson Ed grew up in my neighborhood by St. Stan's. He was a few years older but I was in the same class as his younger sister Christine. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 (edited) Ed grew up in my neighborhood by St. Stan's. He was a few years older but I was in the same class as his younger sister Christine. PTR Ah, then you will probably like this story about 'Airborne Eddy' and the interview as well... Showing faith by returning to the ’hood Interview - A Paderewski Save Strusienski is Lottie Pikuzinski's (the lady making the pierogi) maiden name - her family owned the tavern. She became a Pikuzinski when she married Ronnie, the brother of local soccer legend Rudolf Pikuzinski - father of former Buffalo Blizzard star and Buffalo Sports HOF member Rudy Pikuzinski. Small world, they say - in fact, there's probably only a few 'degrees of separation' between us. I was baptized at St. Adalbert's, but my grandfather lived right near St. Stan's - Detroit & Peckham. The house is gone now, along with most of the block, and most of the surrounding blocks. Of the few decrepit homes remaining on each block, most are boarded-up and slated for demolition - stripped by neighborhood junkies and crack addicts of the metal siding, copper plumbing, and anything else of scrap-value. About half the ones that haven't been torn down or condemned, along with the vacant lots surrounding them, can be purchased for $1 under the city's Urban Homestead Program - if you're willing to rehabilitate them and live there for at least 5 years. (I've often thought about going down to City Hall with a double sawbuck and buying an entire block! ) That's why I think it's so great that Ed and Marty are so committed to that section of Buffalo. . Edited June 30, 2011 by The Senator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Ah, then you will probably like this story about 'Airborne Eddy' and the interview as well... Showing faith by returning to the ’hood Interview - A Paderewski Save Strusienski is Lottie Pikuzinski's (the lady making the pierogi) maiden name - her family owned the tavern. She became a Pikuzinski when she married Ronnie, the brother of local soccer legend Rudolf Pikuzinski - father of former Buffalo Blizzard star and Buffalo Sports HOF member Rudy Pikuzinski. Small world, they say - in fact, there's probably only a few 'degrees of separation' between us. I was baptized at St. Adalbert's, but my grandfather lived right near St. Stan's - Detroit & Peckham. The house is gone now, along with most of the block, and most of the surrounding blocks. Of the few decrepit homes remaining on each block, most are boarded-up and slated for demolition - stripped by neighborhood junkies and crack addicts of the metal siding, copper plumbing, and anything else of scrap-value. About half the ones that haven't been torn down or condemned, along with the vacant lots surrounding them, can be purchased for $1 under the city's Urban Homestead Program - if you're willing to rehabilitate them and live there for at least 5 years. (I've often thought about going down to City Hall with a double sawbuck and buying an entire block! ) That's why I think it's so great that Ed and Marty are so committed to that section of Buffalo. . I also toyed with the idea of buying a city-owned lot along the Buffalo River. I may be weird but I find "Silo City" to be awe-inspiring and would have loved to see that view from a lot I owned. I took the Polonia tour with Forgotten Buffalo last year. It was a true blast from my past. I hadn't stepped inside St. Stan's church in over 30 years. They did a nice job renovating it. But the neighborhood, or what is left of it, is a shell of what I remember. I literally lived doors away from the church, on Fillmore, then later on Wilson. The Wilson house is an empty lot now. I was friends with the family who ran Rutecki Funeral Home. My earliest jobs included washing hearses and filling in as a pallbearer. That tour covered many familiar haunts like the Broadway Market and Central Terminal. Most of the gin mills on that tour I used to drink in...underage. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marv's Neighbor Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 Agreed. Was very cool to see so much stuff packed into one hour. Left me wanting more. About 15-20 years ago, WNED did a fund raising type video called THINGS THAT AREN'T THERE ANYMORE." The theme of the show was all the Buffalo landmarks and buildings that have beeen lost for various reasons over the past 50 or so years. Of course, they included; The Rockpile, and Offerman Stadium, Shelton Square/Erie County Bank, Laube's Old Spain, the Crystal Beach Boat etc. The AUD was not included because, at the time, it was still standing. I found a VHS copy on EBAY a couple of years ago, but don't know if WNED still sells them? If they find out it's in demand, maybe they'll repeat them? You're right about wanting to see more. I've been on the Fire Boat and in/out of Central Terminal but who's ever been to the top of the Electric Company building? Too bad he didn't show it at Christmas! Hopefully they'll do another program, or two, because there is a lot more to see and talk about! It was very entertaining, and I would like to see more. Had I not seen the "heads up" on this Board, I could have easily missed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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