What they are saying about Buffalo

[BILLS02138]

What They're Saying About Buffalo

 

"Walk the tree-lined streets of New York State's second-largest city and everywhere you look you'll see revival. A crowded coffee house full of modern art and bright red walls, a sleek new bar done up in black-and-white where the cool come to play, and the largest collection of theaters in the state outside of New York City. Peruse the local newspapers and you'll see advertisements for gallery openings, for concerts, for film, art and food festivals."

-- Lonely Planet Guide to New York State

 

“The time to visit is summer, when Buffalo gets a glorious payback for its snowy winters with some of the best weather in the nation -- three months of mostly sunny, dry days with temperatures in the high 70’s and low 80’s.”

– The New York Times

 

 

“For the third time in two years, I was back in Buffalo...We’ve developed quite a comfortable routine: Book into the reasonably-priced Hampton Inn and Suites on Delaware Avenue, which always sets out an afternoon tray of tasty cookies for its customers; have at least one good meal along bar and restaurant-lined Elmwood Avenue; and drop by the world-class Albright-Knox Art Gallery.”

– The Ottawa Sun

 

 

“People go to Buffalo for the high culture of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery or the low culture of NFL football. I go for all the stuff in between.”

– NOW, Toronto

 

 

“In Buffalo, we got more than our (money’s) worth. In fact, part of the joy of the visit was discovering world-class attractions in a city not known as an international tourist mecca. Such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, an impressive neoclassical structure on the edge of a park designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted, also the architect of New York's Central Park. Although the setting alone is worth the visit, inside is a collection of late 19th- and 20th-century art that holds it own against almost any museum in the nation outside of New York or Chicago.”

– USA Today

 

 

“Buffalo is an indigenously, intrinsically hip place.”

– Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

 

 

“In an age of cultural tourism, an age in which people are eager to find ways to explore places that are different from other places, places that do not look like the banal Anywhere is Nowhere is Everywhere of the American Interstate, Buffalo has a kind of power, the power of the authentic place.”

– Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker

 

 

“Like the Maid of the Mist boat ride at nearby Niagara Falls, which immerses visitors in the Horseshoe Falls’ spray, the Darwin Martin House immerses us in elements of nature. The horizontal thrust, low ceilings...andoverpowering hearths are major elements of the ‘Prairie Style.’ ”

- The Wall Street Journal

 

“I remember every meal I have ever had, and some of the best of them have been at a little chain of hot dog joints called Ted’s, in the Buffalo area.”

– David M. Shribman in Bon Appetit

 

 

“Buffalo -- yes, Buffalo -- is now walking proud as a hip center of arts and performances.”

– The Washington Post

 

 

“Our visit to western New York's biggest city was blessed with gorgeous weather and mild temperatures, perfect for a stimulating long weekend visiting some of the nation's finest architectural landmarks and a major museum stuffed with terrific modern art.”

– The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey)

 

 

“Buffalo is a vast outdoor museum, displaying the work of many of the greatest architects of the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The homes and public buildings they erected are often breathtaking and always interesting...The architectural treasures of Buffalo are riveting. They must be seen.”

– The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

 

“Looking for a place to visit over a long weekend or a busy sight-seeing tour? Want a sleeper of a location chock full of name-brand architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and parks to die for? Try Buffalo – that’s right, Buffalo, N.Y. Believe it or not, this upstate port on the shores of Lake Erie offers much more than wings, waterfalls, snowstorms and Bills. Architecturally speaking, Buffalo is one of the most diverse and sophisticated cities in the country. If you haven’t been there, you don’t know what you are missing.”

– Old House Journal

 

 

“USA Today launched a nationwide search for a “City with Heart” – one with the energy, excitement and community fellowship that make a one-stoplight town or a swarming metropolis a treasured hometown…The people of Buffalo…managed to be simultaneously proud and humble about their world-class art, architecture and grand urban parks; a great history including two U.S. presidents; and generations of immigrants and their descendants who turn every weekend from May to October into a street festival.”

– USA Today (Upon naming Buffalo “The City With Heart”)

 

 

“Buffalo has an even longer history of architectural distinction than Chicago; you could do worse than to take it as a textbook for a course in modern American buildings.”

– The New York Times

 

“The Albright-Knox Art Gallery should be on everyone’s list to see, for it’s an overwhelming art experience. Small, intimate, and seductive, the museum has one of the most thumping modern and contemporary collections in the world.”

– Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

 

 

“Go for the festivals, but stay for the impressive array of visual arts.”

– AmericanStyle Magazine (In an article ranking Buffalo the No. 8 U.S. Arts Destination)

 

 

“When was the last time you were inspired to explore Buffalo Niagara? If you ever needed a good reason – or reasons – consider this: it’s blessed with outstanding theater, a world class symphony, authentic American heritage sites, extraordinary architecture, nonstop nightlife, a historic zoo and one of the world’s top collections of modern art.”

– Going Places Magazine

 

 

“We were initially interested in coming to Buffalo because of its reputation as a repository of important buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. But the more we learned about the incredible array of late 19th and early 20th century homes here, the more we were convinced that Buffalo was an excellent location for our show.”

– Randall Shuptrine, Producer HGTV’s Restore America

 

“Our last day in Buffalo, we went to the Albright-Knox Gallery on Elmwood Avenue. This was the best thing Buffalo had to offer, even considering the wings. We wandered around the museum for hours, delighted at the whimsical, wacky artwork. We found pieces by Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichenstein, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.”

– The Baltimore Sun

 

 

“Buffalo has a remarkably vibrant and robust theatre community for a city of its size. Ranging from the 3,000 seat Shea’s Performing Arts Center (a 1926 movie palace of real grandeur) where touring productions of Broadway shows routinely perform before record-breaking crowds to the Irish Classical Theatre Company, founded by members of Dublin’s legendary Abbey Theatre, Buffalo theatre is both innovative and an integral part of the life of the community. Visiting artists invariably remark on the quality of the work being done here, the variety of performance spaces and the enthusiasm of the audiences.”

– Zoom Magazine

 

 

“Visitors to this industrial town dotted with factories and grain elevators are quickly educated that Buffalo nurtures a rich heritage and world-class architectural treasures.”

– American Eagle Latitudes

 

 

“A tradition for 20 years, Curtain Up draws theatre lovers to the city’s theatre district around Main Street to toast the contribution of the arts to our lives, to dine, attend the play of their choice and then to sample street parties and music before a fireworks show lights up the sky at midnight.”

– The Tribune (Welland, Ontario)

 

 

“If you care about art and architecture of the past century, a weekend in Buffalo may not be long enough for any dull moments. With cheap flights available, affordable rooms, good food, sassy weekly newspapers, uncomplicated driving, and laughably convenient parking, Modigliani admirers, at the very least, should make a plan.”

– The Boston Globe, Dec. 18, 2002

 

 

“Buffalo is, simply put, a really neat city. During our flying visit of less than 24 hours, we strolled those broad avenues, explored the old Statler hotel, played in the empty fountain basins of the McKinley Monument, studied the mesmerizing façade of the art deco City Hall, watched the Metro Rail streetcars zip along Main Street, looked in the window of the fabulous Shea’s Theatre, and climbed the gangplank of the 610-foot guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Little Rock…That six of us were able to accomplish so much in such a short time – and to enjoy it all despite our diverse range of interests and ages – is amazing.”

– Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator

 

 

“I left Buffalo feeling that its reputation suffers from the state in which it finds itself. Second largest city in New York – that’s a tough gig. Really, Buffalo should be grouped with the other Great Lakes cities rather than the gotham of the East. It compares favorably to Chicago, for example. I’ll take its wings over Chi-town’s hot dogs, Bills fans over Bears fans, the Darwin D. Martin House Complex over the Wright houses in Oak Park, kazoos over the South Side blues…Well, that might be overstating it. But I can stomach a pretty long kazoo solo if it’s played on the way to Niagara Falls.”

– Car & Travel Monthly

 

 

“This year’s Centennial Celebration is essentially an excuse to show off all that Buffalo has to offer, which is a lot: glorious architecture, eclectic restaurants, and excellent museums and cultural offerings.”

– City Paper (Rochester, N.Y.)

 

http://www.buffalocvb.org/media_kit_6.html

[Guffalo]

Great read, I just emailed it to a bunch of people

[BuffOrange]

Great read, I just emailed it to a bunch of people

358223[/snapback]

 

Me too. I'm almost ready to move there now (seriously).

If only there were jobs......

[Montana Mike]

"low culture NFL" ????

[Spun]

Me too.  I'm almost ready to move there now (seriously).

If only there were jobs......

358226[/snapback]

 

There are northern cities that thrive. Buffalo gets a bad rap for it's weather as if that is all Buffalo has to offer. Buffalo is not the only city with a winter. Buffalo's winter is just more dramatic. If, and that is very big if, Buffalo could make that long awaited transition from a primarily factory based economy then a renaissance could emerge.

 

The affordability of Buffalo is jaw dropping. Bob and John's La Hacienda on Hertel has all you can eat spaghetti on Monday and Tuesday nights for about $2-3, great pizza, subs and wings. Incredible!

 

Does Studio Arena still exist?

 

If Buffalonians (in the city) can refrain from hauling off on each other things could be better. Two worlds exist in Buffalo.

[BuffOrange]

There are northern cities that thrive.  Buffalo gets a bad rap for it's weather as if that is all Buffalo has to offer.  Buffalo is not the only city with a winter.  Buffalo's winter is just more dramatic.  If, and that is very big if, Buffalo could make that long awaited transition from a primarily factory based economy then a renaissance could emerge. 

 

The affordability of Buffalo is jaw dropping.  Bob and John's La Hacienda on Hertel has all you can eat spaghetti on Monday and Tuesday nights for about $2-3, great pizza, subs and wings.  Incredible!

 

Does Studio Arena still exist?

 

If Buffalonians (in the city) can refrain from hauling off on each other things could be better.  Two worlds exist in Buffalo.

358241[/snapback]

 

Honestly, I've never really been to Buffalo other than for Bills games.

Grew up in Syracuse, went to school in Rochester. Made some trips to Canada but never thought to hang out in Buffalo.

 

I personally don't care about weather. People's reactions to the weather, the overall ability of people to adapt to driving, and the efficiency of plows is a hell of a lot more imprtant than raw numbers. After being in Philly for a couple of years, I realize that upstate NY handles a foot of snow better than the pantywaists down here react when there's a half an inch. I can barely get to work when it's raining. I don't know if I could deal with people calling soda "pop" though.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Unfortunately, all of the quotes are about what a wonderful place Buffalo is to VISIT.

 

Now, about living there, or trying to start and run a business there...

[SouthernMan]

Unfortunately, all of the quotes are about what a wonderful place Buffalo is to VISIT.

 

Now, about living there, or trying to start and run a business there...

358267[/snapback]

 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth.

 

Reading the quotes and remembering what a wonderful place Buffalo is in the summer and fall makes it even sadder. The local politics and economy have ruined a place that should be a place to grow a career and family, rather than just a place to visit occasionally.

 

You can say blame the politicians all day long, but the finger of blame has to go to the citizens and constituency that keeps electing the same bickering morons who can't even agree on something as simple as a frigging bridge. Wake up Buffalo before it's to late.

[The_Real]

Great read. I felt good about our city for 5 minutes.

 

t-r

[TigerJ]

Unfortunately, all of the quotes are about what a wonderful place Buffalo is to VISIT.

 

Now, about living there, or trying to start and run a business there...

358267[/snapback]

 

 

That is a major problem, of course. The other side of the story is that if the nation is warming to the notion of Buffalo as a tourist destination, that might be a place to start. Tourism is of course an industry of sorts and does provide jobs. Whether tourism has swelled enough to make the building of more hotel rooms yet is beyond my awareness.

[taterhill]

Unfortunately, all of the quotes are about what a wonderful place Buffalo is to VISIT.

 

Now, about living there, or trying to start and run a business there...

358267[/snapback]

yes...so true...but it was a great read

[aussiew]

Too bad we gave all the tourist business to the Canadian side.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Took the words right  out of my mouth.

 

Reading the quotes and remembering what a wonderful place Buffalo is in the summer and fall makes it even sadder. The local politics and economy have ruined a place that should be a place to grow a career and family, rather than just a place to visit occasionally.

 

You can say blame the politicians all day long, but the finger of blame has to go to the citizens and constituency that keeps electing the same bickering morons who can't even agree on something as simple as a frigging bridge. Wake up Buffalo before it's to late.

358308[/snapback]

 

What you say is fine, but don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Please stay if you like cause we (I) love folks with diverse points of view even if they merely provide the comic relief of whining about things. However, it seems to me that a big part of the reason that local politics and the shared economy has problems is because the economic ravages of the 50s onward as created so much whining as a lifestyle for some folks that they are easy prey for politicians who choose to benefit from fear rather than build something neat and new.

 

I am so glad that my wife lured me here in the late 80s, because WNY is simply a wonderful place to live. There is an incredible amount of whining here and local politicians (both GOP and Democrats) take advantage of this to enrich themselves, but even this is a small price to pay for me to have this as a place to enjoy my beloved wife and the family I joined here.

 

A lot of the good things come from the demographics of living here and are not dependent at all on the whiners for their existence so they are here to enjoy. For example, consider the weather.

 

There is no doubt that the weather here really really really sucks in dramatic episodes from time to time. A couple of years back we were treated to WNY having no snowfall really whatsoever through Xmas (I think the official snowfall through the usual lake effect season was actually a couple of inches and if you do not believe this check the record of the US weather service for the winter of 2003-4 (though I may be off by a year cause this is all from memory).

 

However, this time without snow was followed by 80+ inches falling in a week and though eveyone complained because it was bad and there are a lot of whiners here, I took to actually measuring how bad it really was by asking folks how many days of mail did they miss (we had it easy as we missed one, but since lake-effect snowstorms can be intensely localized some in South Buffalo missed 5 or 6 days of mail delivery.

 

Yet, even though episodes can be bad, the moisure of lake effect snows also brings warmth and actually I find the winters in Buffalo where the temperature rarely drops into single digits and only below zero once or twice a year to be much easier on me than growing up in Chicago where the high temperature would not go above zero for a week to ten days in January as the wind came sweeping in off the plains.

 

WNY weather is defined by the spring/fall/summer in addition to the horrible episodes during the too long winter. The spring/fall/summers here are pretty nice, but folks do not promote this and whiners would simply rather B word about this.

 

Again do not believe me because I can easily be some deluded booster but look to outside objective standards.

 

DID YOU KNOW... that for an unprecedented 4th year running that Buffalo is going to be the host to SOLARSPLASH > http://www.solarsplash.com/ < an international collegiate competition of roughly canoe sized solar powered boats where 30+ colleges compete using boats powered by engines with energty collected by their solar cell designs.

 

This event used to be held in sunbelt locations such as Orlando, FL or New Orleans, MS until Buffalo activists working with the US Weather Service data was able to make the case to organizers that:

 

1. The same as Alaska is the land of the midnight sun and gets more sunlight on June 21st than points to the south, Buffalo is one of the most northern US cities and gets more sunlight than the Sunbelt as June approaches, June 21st occurs and then summer retreats. Local climate and wind conditions and other factors makes the Sunbelt warmer almost all the time (in fact to warm much of the year) but in fact Buffalo and WNY gets more sunlight in the summer than many sunbelt locations.

 

2. In addition to Buffalo getting more sunlight, the same climactic effects which produce lake effect snow reverse in the spring, summer and early fall. The land gets much colder than the water in the winter (the water stops around 32 degrees when it freezes. As moisture lade wind goes over the cold land it dumps out lake effect snow from Lake Erie.

 

However, in the spring/summer/fall, the land gets much warmer that the water as the moving waves are limited in how warm they can get (well over 70 degrees but little more). Though continental weater is too large to be impacted and rainstorms are rainstorms, clouds are actually broken up around the lakeshore and Buffalo in the summer (The US weather service talks about what they call the Superman effect where broken cloud cover on the west side of Lake Ontorio cause by unsual wind conditions joins with broken cloud cover by typical wind cinditions berween Lake Erie and Ontario and to the south over around Buffalo to make a perfect "s" of open land through the clouds around the lake.

 

At any rate, SolarSplash came here because of this numerically based pitch and the hospitality of Buffalo and WNY has kept them here for a now record 4 years in a row.

 

Even the complaints about Buffalo weather are based in real episodes of winter trauma but really is promoted and kept alive despite the reality of the weather being quite nice here as much as 8 months out of the year by the whining and by the Weather Channel.

 

Its nice but not surprising to me at all to see these collected quotes because Buffalo, WNY, Chatauqua and even events like the Liliy Festuval in Rochester are really undisovered jewels of great living.

 

Believe me WNY has its problems, but last I checked their were stupid Democrats and stupid GOP leaders everywhere so the dumb political leadership is not something WHY has cornered the market on. The Democratic and GOP leaders have long demolished the Buffalo economy and government and now we are on the verge of getting a fiscal conrol board as the County budget has been demolished.

 

Yet, even this horrrendous deficits have a silver lining a politicians from both the Democrats and the GOP have had to turn over control to local citizens and the grassroots to manage our assets like parks that it is impossible for rich folks to steal.

 

Again, don't simply believe me but look at objective occurences and facts. In case you did not notice, Buffalo had to give up trying to manage its Frederuc Kaw Omlsted designed parks (there is actually more Olmsted designed acreage in Buffalo in Delaware, South, Front, etc parks than in Central Park of NYC) to Erie County. For 40+ years, Buffalo and its Denocratic Party leadership has underinvested in the parks and idiots like Bob Delano (who eventually went to federal prison) allied with political supporters in the labor unions to use the parks workers as their personal lawn service.

 

Erie County government led by the GOP which had controlled both the Executive and Legislative branches for about 4 years wa pleased to "acquire" management of this asset from the City, but really could not do this because it was quite obvious that GOP controlled county parks has no real ability to manage Buffalo's

parks.

 

The irony is that a citizen's not-for-profit the Buffalo OImsed Parks Conservancy had worked with the Central Parks Conservancy in NYC and developed a management plan for Buffalo's Olmsted Parks based on grassroots citizen control rather than GOP or Denocratic Party government control.

 

The County went with this as a mechanizm for getting more control of this government asset under GOP control rather than Democratic control in the City. The end product was that the GOP led fiscal meltdown in the County became public this past year and the County actuallt had to "close" (though this mostly involved putting up yellow police tape and laying off their friends) suburban parks while meanwhile the citizen controlled Buffalo parks not only remained open but actually grew in staffing and programming under citizen control.

 

The contradictory result occured of Buffalo parks being privatized but actual citizen control and feedback (a key to getting the volunteers necessary for events like the MLK park tree-plantings) increased because GOP and Denocratic Party control has been so bad.

 

At any rate, folks can whine all they want about Buffalo because they do not accurately describe the weather or even the economy (its not the Sunbelt for jobs but it isn't bad either- Baghdad is bad and there is no place in America that even comes close to what Saddam created in Bagdad wnd what we are a part of creating today).

 

Buffalo is simply a wonderful place to live if you stop whining and enjoy it.

[kasper13]

What they left out is that the Erie County Legislature just raised the Sales Tax to 8.25% to cover part of their gross mismanagement of Government and that the County Executive is already pushing a minimum 40% increase or in property taxes for 2006.

[Smoker2Buffalo]

That is a major problem, of course.  The other side of the story is that if the nation is warming to the notion of Buffalo as a tourist destination, that might be a place to start.  Tourism is of course an industry of sorts and does provide jobs.  Whether tourism has swelled enough to make the building of more hotel rooms yet is beyond my awareness.

358349[/snapback]

Developing the water front is integral for tourism growth.

 

I wish they'd get their @$$es in motion on that water front!

[stuckincincy]

What you say is fine, but don't let the door hit you on the way out. 

 

Please stay if you like cause we (I) love folks with diverse points of view even if they merely provide the comic relief of whining about things. However, it seems to me that a big part of the reason that local politics and the shared economy has problems is because the economic ravages of the 50s onward as created so much whining as a lifestyle for some folks that they are easy prey for politicians who choose to benefit from fear rather than build something neat and new.

 

I am so glad that my wife lured me here in the late 80s, because WNY is simply a wonderful place to live. There is an incredible amount of whining here and local politicians (both GOP and Democrats) take advantage of this to enrich themselves, but even this is a small price to pay for me to have this as a place to enjoy my beloved wife and the family I joined here.

 

A lot of the good things come from the demographics of living here and are not dependent at all on the whiners for their existence so they are here to enjoy.  For example, consider the weather.

 

There is no doubt that the weather here really really really sucks in dramatic episodes from time to time.  A couple of years back we were treated to WNY having no snowfall really whatsoever through Xmas (I think the official snowfall through the usual lake effect season was actually a couple of inches and if you do not believe this check the record of the US weather service for the winter of 2003-4 (though I may be off by a year cause this is all from memory).

 

However, this time without snow was followed by 80+ inches falling in a week and though eveyone complained because it was bad and there are a lot of whiners here, I took to actually measuring how bad it really was by asking folks how many days of mail did they miss (we had it easy as we missed one, but since lake-effect snowstorms can be intensely localized some in South Buffalo missed 5 or 6 days of mail delivery.

 

Yet, even though episodes can be bad, the moisure of lake effect snows also brings warmth and actually I find the winters in Buffalo where the temperature rarely drops into single digits and only below zero once or twice a year to be much easier on me than growing up in Chicago where the high temperature would not go above zero for a week to ten days in January as the wind came sweeping in off the plains.

 

WNY weather is defined by the spring/fall/summer in addition to the horrible episodes during the too long winter. The spring/fall/summers here are pretty nice, but folks do not promote this and whiners would simply rather B word about this.

 

Again do not believe me because I can easily be some deluded booster but look to outside objective standards.

 

DID YOU KNOW... that for an unprecedented 4th year running that Buffalo is going to be the host to SOLARSPLASH >  http://www.solarsplash.com/  < an international collegiate competition of roughly canoe sized solar powered boats where 30+ colleges compete using boats powered by engines with energty collected by their solar cell designs.

 

This event used to be held in sunbelt locations such as Orlando, FL or New Orleans, MS until Buffalo activists working with the US Weather Service data was able to make the case to organizers that:

 

1. The same as Alaska is the land of the midnight sun and gets more sunlight on June 21st than points to the south, Buffalo is one of the most northern US cities and gets more sunlight than the Sunbelt as June approaches, June 21st occurs and then summer retreats. Local climate and wind conditions and other factors makes the Sunbelt warmer almost all the time (in fact to warm much of the year) but in fact Buffalo and WNY gets more sunlight in the summer than many sunbelt locations.

 

2. In addition to Buffalo getting more sunlight, the same climactic effects which produce lake effect snow reverse in the spring, summer and early fall. The land gets much colder than the water in the winter (the water stops around 32 degrees when it freezes. As moisture lade wind goes over the cold land it dumps out lake effect snow from Lake Erie.

 

However, in  the spring/summer/fall, the land gets much warmer that the water as the moving waves are limited in how warm they can get (well over 70 degrees but little more).  Though continental weater is too large to be impacted and rainstorms are rainstorms, clouds are actually broken up around the lakeshore and Buffalo in the summer (The US weather service talks about what they call the Superman effect where broken  cloud cover on the west side of Lake Ontorio cause by unsual wind conditions joins with broken cloud cover by typical wind cinditions berween Lake Erie and Ontario and to the south over around Buffalo to make a perfect "s" of open land through the clouds around the lake.

 

At any rate, SolarSplash came here because of this numerically based pitch and the hospitality of Buffalo and WNY has kept them here for a now record 4 years in a row.

 

Even the complaints about Buffalo weather are based in real episodes of winter trauma but really is promoted and kept alive despite the reality of the weather being quite nice here as much as 8 months out of the year by the whining and by the Weather Channel.

 

Its nice but not surprising to me at all to see these collected quotes because Buffalo, WNY, Chatauqua and even events like the Liliy Festuval in Rochester are really undisovered jewels of great living.

 

Believe me WNY has its problems, but last I checked their were stupid Democrats and stupid GOP leaders everywhere so the dumb political leadership is not something WHY has cornered the market on. The Democratic and GOP leaders have long demolished the Buffalo economy and government and now we are on the verge of getting a fiscal conrol board as the County budget has been demolished.

 

Yet, even this horrrendous deficits have a silver lining a politicians from both the Democrats and the GOP have had to turn over control to local citizens and the grassroots to manage our assets like parks that it is impossible for rich folks to steal.

 

Again, don't simply believe me but look at objective occurences and facts.  In case you did not notice, Buffalo had to give up trying to manage its Frederuc Kaw Omlsted designed parks (there is actually more Olmsted designed acreage in Buffalo in Delaware, South, Front, etc parks than in Central Park of NYC) to Erie County. For 40+ years, Buffalo and its Denocratic Party leadership has underinvested in the parks and idiots like Bob Delano (who eventually went to federal prison) allied with political supporters in the labor unions to use the parks workers as their personal lawn service.

 

Erie County government led by the GOP which had controlled both the Executive and Legislative branches for about 4 years wa pleased to "acquire" management of this asset from the City, but really could not do this because it was quite obvious that GOP controlled county parks has no real ability to manage Buffalo's

parks.

 

The irony is that a citizen's not-for-profit the Buffalo OImsed Parks Conservancy had worked with the Central Parks Conservancy in NYC and developed a management plan for Buffalo's Olmsted Parks based on grassroots citizen control rather than GOP or Denocratic Party government control.

 

The County went with this as a mechanizm for getting more control of this government asset under GOP control rather than Democratic control in the City. The end product was that the GOP led fiscal meltdown in the County became public this past year and the County actuallt had to "close" (though this mostly involved putting up yellow police tape and laying off their friends) suburban parks while meanwhile the citizen controlled Buffalo parks not only remained open but actually grew in staffing and programming under citizen control.

 

The contradictory result occured of Buffalo parks being privatized but actual citizen control and feedback (a key to getting the volunteers necessary for events like the MLK park tree-plantings) increased because GOP and Denocratic Party control has been so bad.

 

At any rate, folks can whine all they want about Buffalo because they do not accurately describe the weather or even the economy (its not the Sunbelt for jobs but it isn't bad either- Baghdad is bad and there is no place in America that even comes close to what Saddam created in Bagdad wnd what we are a part of creating today).

 

Buffalo is simply a wonderful place to live if you stop whining and enjoy it.

358541[/snapback]

 

I love a good soliloquy...

[Tcali]

What They're Saying About Buffalo

 

"Walk the tree-lined streets of New York State's second-largest city and everywhere you look you'll see revival. A crowded coffee house full of modern art and bright red walls, a sleek new bar done up in black-and-white where the cool come to play, and the largest collection of theaters in the state outside of New York City. Peruse the local newspapers and you'll see advertisements for gallery openings, for concerts, for film, art and food festivals."

-- Lonely Planet Guide to New York State

 

“The time to visit is summer, when Buffalo gets a glorious payback for its snowy winters with some of the best weather in the nation -- three months of mostly sunny, dry days with temperatures in the high 70’s and low 80’s.”

– The New York Times

“For the third time in two years, I was back in Buffalo...We’ve developed quite a comfortable routine: Book into the reasonably-priced Hampton Inn and Suites on Delaware Avenue, which always sets out an afternoon tray of tasty cookies for its customers; have at least one good meal along bar and restaurant-lined Elmwood Avenue; and drop by the world-class Albright-Knox Art Gallery.”

– The Ottawa Sun

“People go to Buffalo for the high culture of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery or the low culture of NFL football. I go for all the stuff in between.”

– NOW, Toronto

“In Buffalo, we got more than our (money’s) worth. In fact, part of the joy of the visit was discovering world-class attractions in a city not known as an international tourist mecca. Such as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, an impressive neoclassical structure on the edge of a park designed by the legendary Frederick Law Olmsted, also the architect of New York's Central Park. Although the setting alone is worth the visit, inside is a collection of late 19th- and 20th-century art that holds it own against almost any museum in the nation outside of New York or Chicago.”

– USA Today

“Buffalo is an indigenously, intrinsically hip place.”

– Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

“In an age of cultural tourism, an age in which people are eager to find ways to explore places that are different from other places, places that do not look like the banal Anywhere is Nowhere is Everywhere of the American Interstate, Buffalo has a kind of power, the power of the authentic place.”

– Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker

“Like the Maid of the Mist boat ride at nearby Niagara Falls, which immerses visitors in the Horseshoe Falls’ spray, the Darwin Martin House immerses us in elements of nature. The horizontal thrust, low ceilings...andoverpowering hearths are major elements of the ‘Prairie Style.’ ”

- The Wall Street Journal

 

“I remember every meal I have ever had, and some of the best of them have been at a little chain of hot dog joints called Ted’s, in the Buffalo area.”

– David M. Shribman in Bon Appetit

“Buffalo -- yes, Buffalo -- is now walking proud as a hip center of arts and performances.”

– The Washington Post

“Our visit to western New York's biggest city was blessed with gorgeous weather and mild temperatures, perfect for a stimulating long weekend visiting some of the nation's finest architectural landmarks and a major museum stuffed with terrific modern art.”

– The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey)

“Buffalo is a vast outdoor museum, displaying the work of many of the greatest architects of the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The homes and public buildings they erected are often breathtaking and always interesting...The architectural treasures of Buffalo are riveting. They must be seen.”

– The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Looking for a place to visit over a long weekend or a busy sight-seeing tour? Want a sleeper of a location chock full of name-brand architecture, vibrant neighborhoods, and parks to die for? Try Buffalo – that’s right, Buffalo, N.Y. Believe it or not, this upstate port on the shores of Lake Erie offers much more than wings, waterfalls, snowstorms and Bills. Architecturally speaking, Buffalo is one of the most diverse and sophisticated cities in the country. If you haven’t been there, you don’t know what you are missing.”

– Old House Journal

“USA Today launched a nationwide search for a “City with Heart” – one with the energy, excitement and community fellowship that make a one-stoplight town or a swarming metropolis a treasured hometown…The people of Buffalo…managed to be simultaneously proud and humble about their world-class art, architecture and grand urban parks; a great history including two U.S. presidents; and generations of immigrants and their descendants who turn every weekend from May to October into a street festival.”

– USA Today (Upon naming Buffalo “The City With Heart”)

“Buffalo has an even longer history of architectural distinction than Chicago; you could do worse than to take it as a textbook for a course in modern American buildings.”

– The New York Times

 

“The Albright-Knox Art Gallery should be on everyone’s list to see, for it’s an overwhelming art experience. Small, intimate, and seductive, the museum has one of the most thumping modern and contemporary collections in the world.”

– Thomas Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“Go for the festivals, but stay for the impressive array of visual arts.”

– AmericanStyle Magazine (In an article ranking Buffalo the No. 8 U.S. Arts Destination)

“When was the last time you were inspired to explore Buffalo Niagara? If you ever needed a good reason – or reasons – consider this: it’s blessed with outstanding theater, a world class symphony, authentic American heritage sites, extraordinary architecture, nonstop nightlife, a historic zoo and one of the world’s top collections of modern art.”

– Going Places Magazine

“We were initially interested in coming to Buffalo because of its reputation as a repository of important buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. But the more we learned about the incredible array of late 19th and early 20th century homes here, the more we were convinced that Buffalo was an excellent location for our show.”

– Randall Shuptrine, Producer HGTV’s Restore America

 

“Our last day in Buffalo, we went to the Albright-Knox Gallery on Elmwood Avenue. This was the best thing Buffalo had to offer, even considering the wings. We wandered around the museum for hours, delighted at the whimsical, wacky artwork. We found pieces by Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichenstein, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock.”

– The Baltimore Sun

“Buffalo has a remarkably vibrant and robust theatre community for a city of its size. Ranging from the 3,000 seat Shea’s Performing Arts Center (a 1926 movie palace of real grandeur) where touring productions of Broadway shows routinely perform before record-breaking crowds to the Irish Classical Theatre Company, founded by members of Dublin’s legendary Abbey Theatre, Buffalo theatre is both innovative and an integral part of the life of the community. Visiting artists invariably remark on the quality of the work being done here, the variety of performance spaces and the enthusiasm of the audiences.”

– Zoom Magazine

“Visitors to this industrial town dotted with factories and grain elevators are quickly educated that Buffalo nurtures a rich heritage and world-class architectural treasures.”

– American Eagle Latitudes

“A tradition for 20 years, Curtain Up draws theatre lovers to the city’s theatre district around Main Street to toast the contribution of the arts to our lives, to dine, attend the play of their choice and then to sample street parties and music before a fireworks show lights up the sky at midnight.”

– The Tribune (Welland, Ontario)

“If you care about art and architecture of the past century, a weekend in Buffalo may not be long enough for any dull moments. With cheap flights available, affordable rooms, good food, sassy weekly newspapers, uncomplicated driving, and laughably convenient parking, Modigliani admirers, at the very least, should make a plan.”

– The Boston Globe, Dec. 18, 2002

“Buffalo is, simply put, a really neat city. During our flying visit of less than 24 hours, we strolled those broad avenues, explored the old Statler hotel, played in the empty fountain basins of the McKinley Monument, studied the mesmerizing façade of the art deco City Hall, watched the Metro Rail streetcars zip along Main Street, looked in the window of the fabulous Shea’s Theatre, and climbed the gangplank of the 610-foot guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Little Rock…That six of us were able to accomplish so much in such a short time – and to enjoy it all despite our diverse range of interests and ages – is amazing.”

– Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator

“I left Buffalo feeling that its reputation suffers from the state in which it finds itself. Second largest city in New York – that’s a tough gig. Really, Buffalo should be grouped with the other Great Lakes cities rather than the gotham of the East. It compares favorably to Chicago, for example. I’ll take its wings over Chi-town’s hot dogs, Bills fans over Bears fans, the Darwin D. Martin House Complex over the Wright houses in Oak Park, kazoos over the South Side blues…Well, that might be overstating it. But I can stomach a pretty long kazoo solo if it’s played on the way to Niagara Falls.”

– Car & Travel Monthly

“This year’s Centennial Celebration is essentially an excuse to show off all that Buffalo has to offer, which is a lot: glorious architecture, eclectic restaurants, and excellent museums and cultural offerings.”

– City Paper (Rochester, N.Y.)

 

http://www.buffalocvb.org/media_kit_6.html

358199[/snapback]

Fantastic---thanx!!!.......

[Live&DieBillsFootball]

Thanks for a terrific read and to Fake-Fat Sunny for the well written diatribe. Buffalo and Erie County have a lot to offer if the politicians would just get their act together.

 

We need new community leaders to step up and get us moving in the right direction. The waterfront has got to be the longest running joke along with the dilapidated grain elevators, new bridges, etc.

 

I hate to say it but even after the cuts in government, we are going to have to come up with tax money to keep the services that make this area great. It really is ridiculous that we had to close the county parks and beaches. The closing of the county dmv offices, and gutting of county road repair crews have added more hassle to our daily lives.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Honestly, I've never really been to Buffalo other than for Bills games. 

Grew up in Syracuse, went to school in Rochester.  Made some trips to Canada but never thought to hang out in Buffalo. 

 

I personally don't care about weather.  People's reactions to the weather, the overall ability of people to adapt to driving, and the efficiency of plows is a hell of a lot more imprtant than raw numbers.  After being in Philly for a couple of years, I realize that upstate NY handles a foot of snow better than the pantywaists down here react when there's a half an inch.  I can barely get to work when it's raining.  I don't know if I could deal with people calling soda "pop" though.

358257[/snapback]

 

Don't know if you've seen this? A good website!

 

Pop v. Soda

 

[Tcali]

Thanks for a terrific read and to Fake-Fat Sunny for the well written diatribe.  Buffalo and Erie County have a lot to offer if the politicians would just get their act together.

 

We need new community leaders to step up and get us moving in the right direction.  The waterfront has got to be the longest running joke along with the dilapidated grain elevators, new bridges, etc.

 

I hate to say it but even after the cuts in government, we are going to have to come up with tax money to keep the services that make this area great.  It really is ridiculous that we had to close the county parks and beaches.  The closing of the county dmv offices, and gutting of county road repair crews have added more hassle to our daily lives.

358725[/snapback]

Yeah--but do you want hassle or do you want more taxes driving people away---decreasing the tax base---and causing the need to squeeze more $ from fewer people.