Buffalo, New York, I believe, is under-appreciated for all that it has to offer. Buffalo is not just chicken wings, or what you see as you drive by on I-90. If you go off the expressways and go in to the actual city you will find that it actually has a lot of character that is often overlooked and possibly unknown.
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| House on Delaware Avenue |
Buffalo's location is of geographical importance. It is located at the western terminus of the Erie Canal, a major transportation link between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, built in the 1800s. The importance of the canal decreased over the years with the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the building of substantial highway systems. However, much of Buffalo's older architecture reflects its glory days of the canal. Go into the centre of the city along Delaware Avenue you will see some of the large stately homes still standing from that era.
Even today, it's location is significant. It sits at the point where Lake Erie flows into the Niagara River. Across the river is Canada. Fort Erie, Ontario to be exact. The Peace Bridge which crosses the river acts as a main crossing point between Canada and the United States, not just for travellers, but also for the transportation of goods between the two countries.
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| Albright-Knox Art Gallery |
Buffalo has numerous cultural offerings. There are many art galleries in the area. The
Albright-Knox Art Gallery is the largest and best known. It has an excellent collection of modern and contemporary art. The main building is beautiful in the beaux arts architectural style.
Kleinhans Music Hall is the home of The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Shea's Performing Arts Centre presents many theatrical productions and concerts.
Buffalo has an extensive system of connected parks and parkways. Many of them were part of an original plan developed in the mid-1800s by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
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| Walter V. Davidson House |
Buffalo is the home to some amazing architecture. About 80 buildings in the city are on the National Register of Historic Places. There are a number of examples of art deco architecture among them the Buffalo City Hall and the Buffalo Central Terminal. A number of examples of the architecture of
Frank Lloyd Wright are also in the city.
The sports teams of Buffalo cannot be overlooked. There are the Sabres the National Hockey League team that plays in HBC Centre. The Buffalo Bills that play for in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bisons ..... As well, with a number of colleges and universities in the area there is a well developed sports program at the college level.
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Elmwood Village
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As already alluded to, Buffalo does have good shopping. There are numerous malls around the city. The Walden Galleria is the largest on the east side of the city just off I-90. As well, another shopping area is on Elmwood Avenue. Many interesting shops are found there, as well as numerous eateries and cafes.
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| Chicken wings |
Of course Buffalo is known for its chicken wings. There is the Anchor Bar, that is renowned as the home of the chicken wing; however, the dish is not exclusive to this restaurant. You can find a variety of cuisines available in Buffalo. A
Taste of Buffalo, an annual two-day food fair, is held in July (July 11-12, 2015). It is an opportunity for many of the local eateries to show off their best.
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| Winter storm November 2014 |
Yes, there is the weather. Winter has been known to not favour Buffalo. However, the major snowstorms are a time to show the strong sense of civic spirit in the city. Where else would you find local citizens volunteering to shovel out the stadium of their hometown NFL team so that a game could be played?
Buffalo deserves more than a drive-through on an expressway.
It is easily accessible by car from many areas of the US northeast and Canada. It is served by the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Amtrak has a station in Depew just to the east of the city.
