You're HONEST opinion of Buffalo

[BuffCity]

Okay, I know there are lines of people who love to knock the Queen City, but there are also some out there who like our grand little city. Here is a chance for everyone to vent on Buffalo.

PLEASE NO FIGHTING

For us Buffalo forumers, lets use this as a way to build up our weak points and bask in the strong points, but criticism is something Buffalo kinda needs, so it can fill in the gaps.

be sure to include if you have or have not ever actually been to Buffalo before as well...please.

[JARdan]

hmmm. I was actually thinking about driving down there for the day this summer. I'm in Milton, Ontario, so it's only a couple hours away.

I went there when I was younger when going to Darrien Lake... Wonderland is better! :P

But really, Buffalo is in a good location. Niagara Falls is really close, and close to so many bigger cities.

I'll be sure to include a better opinion once I actually go down there sometime later this summer.

[steel]

This thread has potential to be trouble.

Hopefully people post informed opinions and state if their opinions are based on perceptions rather than actual knowledge and fact.

[ECoastTransplant]

Superior location but suffers from being located in high-tax and high-regulated New York State. Still hasn't fully recovered from deindustrialization. Has made some progress in remaking downtown- has made little to no progress on the waterfront. Terrible elected officials that cater to the unions and not on what is best for the city. Too much patronage in government and not enough money spent in the neighborhoods. Dumb planning mistakes of the past still haunt the city.

A depressed economy and lack of development has actually been a plus. Many historic buildings remain that in other cities may have been demolished for new development. Thus the city is loaded with character and history that it can build upon. The boom years of the late 1800's have given the city an incredible collection of ornate buildings and residences. Just recently turning things around downtown with new loft apartments and slowly the economy is getting better. Once the population stabilizes (I think we're going to see a continued erosion of industrial jobs- auto manufacturing may be next), the city will come back building upon financial services and medical industries.

[NYC007]

What They're Saying About Buffalo

"One late night visit to Chippewa Street will erase any fading dowager image from your mind forever. Young college students fill the city with energy and fun giving it a SoHo resonance."

- Currents (Cleveland, Ohio)

"Buffalo stands apart, less homogenized than many American cities. It eats hamburgers with the rest of us, but also Ted's charcoal-grilled hot dogs and Wardynski's kielbasa, Perry's ice cream and of course Buffalo chicken wings."

- R.W. Apple, "Apple's America: The Discriminating Traveler's Guide to 40
Great Cities in the United States and Canada"

"I love Buffalo. The people here are wonderful, genuine; they look you straight in the eye. It's a wonderful community you've got here, a real artistic sensibility. And wonderful musicians, as well."

- Ian Gillan, vocalist, Deep Purple

“The combination of intimate scale and grand painting and sculpture makesfor sophisticated ambience at the Albright-Knox.”

– Toronto Life


"Elmwood Village is famous for Queen Anne and Victorian Gothic homes, and its Elmwood Avenue bustles with night spots, cafes and shops. Browsers can find everything from vintage clothing at Don Apparel to an extensive fiction selection at Talking Leaves, an independent bookstore with attitude. The cozy neighborhood features international cuisine choices of Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Caribbean and Spanish food."

- Chicago Sun-Times

"Our eyes were opened to a different Buffalo, a city that has at once become vibrant and relevant, while remaining true to its historic roots by preserving its outstanding buildings."

-Welland Tribune

"Shea's was front and center for the 23rd annual Curtain Up!, the official start of the Buffalo theater season. Opening night crowds from 13 other theaters descended on the street outside Shea's for a party that blendedMardi Gras with Oscar night, where gentlemen in top hats and ladies with decolletage mingled with fire-eaters on stilts and the merely curious in blue jeans."

- The Hamilton Spectator

"What do the Chautauqua Institution, Elbert Hubbard's Roycroft and Frank Lloyd Wright have in common? At least two things: they flourished almost side by side near Buffalo, New York, and you can visit all three today."

- Style 1900

"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...and overpowering 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

"With its thriving medical-technology, aerospace and automotive-parts industries, sprawling State University of New York campus and burgeoning trade with Canada, Buffalo has cast off its old rust-belt image."

- The New York Times

"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)

"If you care about the 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

"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)

"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.)

[Joe84323]

Buffalo has a more palatable name than Pittsburgh. I know nothing about either, however I would like that fact to change.

[xzmattzx]

i like buffalo. i have yet to find a better place for waterskiing. the niagara river is beautiful and blue. it's not silty like the delaware river or chesapeake bay down here. lake erie is also blue and clean, and can be flat as glass on some days. that makes for perfect waterskiing conditions. unfortunately, everyone else is aware of the good conditions on the lake, and so flat water can get somewhat choppy (choppier than where we ski on the niagara river at least) from all the boat wakes. but even this choppy stuff is better than any conditions in the ocean. the only other lakes that i can think of that have goos skiing conidtions are the manmade ones. they are usually flat also. however, none of the manmade lakes have great beaches, or beaches at all. lake erie and the niagara river are prefect for water activites in my opinion.

i think you buffalonians are already aware that i like buffalo. but there's no harm in verifying it and reinforcing it.

[ECoastTransplant]

Thanks John....that post brought a tear to one transplanted Buffalonian's eye! I'm coming back in three weeks for my bi-annual visit- can't wait!

BTW- post that at the Speakupwny site, maybe some of the angry posters will lighten up a bit about all of the 'problems' they see.

[jmancuso]

i love buffalo even though i haven't been since i was little but it has a lot of problems...namely economic and political which have plagued the entire state. i have no idea how to combat this other than propose that buffalo secede from new york and go join ohio or something (their cities seem to be fairing ok).

once buffalo get's its ducks in order, it has more to offer than most of the sunbelt cities its residents have been moving to for the past past 20 years. tiny buffalo trumps houston in many ways.

oh..and:

[rt_0891]

Buffalo should work on developing closer Economic ties with Southern Ontario and Toronto.

[Steeltown]

Buffalo is a fine city. I just don’t like all the highways that cuts Buffalo into pieces. Plus all the crazy toll highways as well.

Oh and yes I've been to Buffalo before, mostly for the Buffalo Bills.

[DarkFenX]

I never been to there but after seeing pictures, Buffalo seems like a potential growing city. I like it and maybe one day it would be the bustling city that it should be.

[BuffCity]

wow, this thread has responces that simply amaze me.

Thanks to everyone for being civil here, Buffalo does have some very serious issues in terms of politics and economics...and our snow kinda gets annoying, but it melts.

Culturally Buffalo is holding it's own well, and architecturally its one of the top in the USA so where we fail in some we sail in others.

Keep on Postin' em.

[Jaybird]

Buffalo is an amazing city for its population of 280,000 and metro of 1.1 million. Not too many cities like this have both an NHL and NFL team. It's also funny how people say the city is in decline, because last weekend, I toured around the Delaware Avenue area, and that area has to be one of the most beautiful old neighborhoods I have ever seen in my life, it easily compares to Stratford, Ontario. It's also amazing how "creative" and "artsy" the city is and how rich its culture is, especially with the Allentown Art Festival last weekend, very nice, not to mention Allentown is very unique, and as well, the entire city has unique and distinctly named neighborhoods almost combined. Plus, I didn't even know Buffalo had a waterfront/marina people could walk on, and it was amazingly how many people were there. Not to mention, you get amazing cuisine at this city's restaurants like pizza and wings (who doesn't know that), and here you might meet some of the friendliest people around, in fact, for friendliness of cities I have been to, Buffalo tops the list, IMO. I was also to an astounding 7 Sabres game at the HSBC Arena in the 2003-04 season because the tickets I purchased were that cheap and I had a lot of $$. If the NHL's labour dispites are finally settled, I might come to a couple of games next year, or hopefully see my first concert in New York State, depending on who is playing at the HSBC Arena. Although I do know Buffalo has its problems as well, but anybody who sympatizes with those problems would understand why Buffalo could use the patronage and tourism money. I even stayed at a hotel last weekend in downtown Buffalo, the room is AMAZING for the money I payed $130 CDN or about $100 US. Not to mention, Buffalo must have the finest architecture around for a city of its size than a lot of other cities its size in the U.S. Someday I will have to check out the Albright-Knox Gallery and Buffalo Zoo, although I might have done last weekend, but both are one or half-day trips and didn't have time to make it there. Plus, there is a lot more advantages Buffalo has over other cities, but I won't mention them right now. Also, despite the fact the city is in decline, Buffalo has it a ton easier than most larger cities in decline in the U.S., because of the city's smaller size, it can easily be fixed and the city is slowly on the rebound, much of the city doesn't really look in terrible shape, if you think about it.

But trust me, Buffalo is one amazing city, IMO, it has yet to turn me down. Starting when I discovered it two and a half years ago, I loved it and have come back a lot ever since.

[Jaybird]

Oh yeah, and...



GO SABRES GO! or LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!

[vid]

I've never been there, but I must say, the wings are AMAZING!

(Buffalo Wings, not Detroit.)

[sargeantcm]

My honest opinion... err...

4 years ago I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. A month ago, I moved back.

'nuff said.

[BuffCity]

just need to clean up the "government" aspects of the city and metro...and we will be okay.

[*Sweetkisses*]

Ive never been to Buffalo.

[steel]

These threads say it all for me.

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...144&hl=buffalo

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...259&hl=buffalo

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...0&#entry132925