First time at Buffalo!

[hondo in seattle]

On 8/10/2023 at 9:43 PM, Araiza Curse said:

Born and raised near WNY. Traveled the world a bunch, and even around a lot of places in the US. WNY will always be were it started, but I’m also honest about the area. It’s an old industrial city, maybe not as bad as Detroit or Cincinnati, but it’s definitely not worth roaming around. Great food and great people, but other than Niagara Falls, I wouldn’t waste much time sight seeing. 

 

I may not be a world traveler like Araiza Curse, but I have been to 20+ countries and 47 states and think his take is a bit harsh.

 

It's true that Buffalo is not one of the great cities of the world.  But it does have things to offer.

 

As mentioned, if you're into architecture, Buffalo's got sights for you to see including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses (including the one in Derby).

 

If you're into pizza, a lot of pizza connoisseurs rank Buffalo highly.

 

If you're into Buffalo Wings, you must do a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar even if the place itself is underwhelming.  

 

If you're into history, you can see where Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as president.   There's also, I believe, a marker where is predecessor, McKinley, was shot.  

 

If you're a football fan, seeing a Bills game in person is something truly special.  

 

I've hosted friends and relatives from both France and the Philippines in Buffalo.  Of course, Niagara Falls was the highlight, but we found other spots & activities that they enjoyed.  

The next time I'm in Buffalo, I'll probably visit the Penn Dixie Fossil Park because my son and I both like paleontology and I've never been there.  

 

(On the other hand, I haven't been there in a long while, but I do tend to think some Buffalonians over-rate the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.  It's okay, nothing special.  I just googled best art museums in the US/World and it didn't make any of the lists I looked at - not to my surprise).  

 

 

[Gonzonzo]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:53 PM, hondo in seattle said:

 

I may not be a world traveler like Araiza Curse, but I have been to 20+ countries and 47 states and think his take is a bit harsh.

 

It's true that Buffalo is not one of the great cities of the world.  But it does have things to offer.

 

As mentioned, if you're into architecture, Buffalo's got sights for you to see including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses (including the one in Derby).

 

If you're into pizza, a lot of pizza connoisseurs rank Buffalo highly.

 

If you're into Buffalo Wings, you must do a pilgrimage to the Anchor Bar even if the place itself is underwhelming.  

 

If you're into history, you can see where Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as president.   There's also, I believe, a marker where is predecessor, McKinley, was shot.  

 

If you're a football fan, seeing a Bills game in person is something truly special.  

 

I've hosted friends and relatives from both France and the Philippines in Buffalo.  Of course, Niagara Falls was the highlight, but we found other spots & activities that they enjoyed.  

The next time I'm in Buffalo, I'll probably visit the Penn Dixie Fossil Park because my son and I both like paleontology and I've never been there.  

 

(On the other hand, I haven't been there in a long while, but I do tend to think some Buffalonians over-rate the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.  It's okay, nothing special.  I just googled best art museums in the US/World and it didn't make any of the lists I looked at - not to my surprise).  

 

 

 

Well, I returned to Buenos Aires last week and I want to tell you that the trip that I have dreamed of taking for years was much better than I had imagined.

I was lucky to see the victories against the Raiders (getting to know Highmark was very emotional moment) and the Comanders (it seems like the game was away but there were many more Bills fans than the Comanders fans). I went to breakfast at Tim Horton's, to dinner at Anchor Bar, on Monday after the Raiders game I went to Niagara Falls and did Maid of Mist...really everything was spectacular.

 

I can say about the sport that at first it was difficult to follow, because being the first game I saw in my life, I didn't have a trained eye and I only saw a lot of people trying to hit each other in a very small space, hahaha.

After a while everything becomes "slower" and is better understood. By the game with the commanders everything was clearer in my head.

 

About Buffalo, it's incredible and it makes me very happy to see how fanatic the people of the team are. It is impossible to see more than 3 people in a row and none of them have anything from the Bills. Even when I was in NYC I saw more Bills fans than Jest/Giants fans.

 

The people in Buffalo/NYC/Wash and Phila (I went just to take a photo with the Rocky statue and climb the iconic staircase) were all very friendly and even took the time to repeat things to me when I didn't understand English, I mean, almost always, haha.

 

Many thanks to everyone who participated in this thread and who helped me put together the trip and special thanks to NC-billsfan! who invited me to the pre-match tailgate with the commanders (I couldn't go because I couldn't find the parking lot) and ExWNER who came up to greet me in the stands.

 

Vamos los BILLS!!!!

[hondo in seattle]

Really happy you had a great time and got to witness Bills fandom at two lopsided victories.

 

And I'm glad you got to see all the Buffalonians decked out in Bills colors.  I've been to 30 of the NFL's 32 cities and can honestly say that I see more people with hometown gear in Buffalo than anywhere else.  

 

Tim Horton's, by the way, was started by a hockey player who played for the Buffalo Sabres for a while.  Though the chain is now owned by a Brazilian conglomerate.  

 

Vamos los BILLS!