New Year's Eve

Lait Cru Open Kitchen

The staff at Lait Cru put together a sumptuous Prix Fixe menu to ring in the New Year. The Horsefeather's Building is home to Buffalo's newest brasserie. Bonne Année !

Buddhist Temple

Guardian Lions

Chua Tu Hieu Temple and Buddhist Cultural Center occupies a former police precinct building on Fillmore Avenue. An impressive entrance, flanked by tall carved stone pillars, stands next to the 1915 structure. Along side the building, a serenity garden is guarded by white stone dragon-esque lions carved in Vietnam. 

A large incense urn is centered before a towering statue of Quanyin Bodhisattva. 

A bust of the Buddha sits nestled off to the side of the garden amidst topiary trees and native Vietnamese plants covered in a dusting of snow. The temple serves thousands of Vietnamese who live in and around the Buffalo area, but is open to all, as one would expect from a Buddhist sanctuary.

Bird Island Pier

Bird Island Pier

The walkway, known as the Bird Island Pier, is one of the most unique vantage points for observing the flowing waters of the Niagara, Canada and the western edge of the city.  Broderick Park, at the end of Liberty Island is where the path starts, stretching over the break wall that runs between the river and Black Rock Channel. The 1.2 mile cement walkway takes you parallel to the shore, under and past the Peace Bridge. Proceed with caution on days like these. The mighty Niagara didn't look very forgiving today.

Tattoo You

Divine Machine Tattoo

Ok, maybe just one more tattoo before the New Year, but that's it. Buffalonians love their ink and we have some very talented local artists who specialize in body modifications. Sure, it's indelible and you may not be in love  forever with that special someone you have immortalized in a full back portrait, but what the hey, yolo. We also have some very fine dermatologists, who are handy with lasers.

http://divinemachinetattoo.com/

Coatsworth House

Coatsworth House

The Coatsworth House, at 49 Cottage, is one of the city's great hidden homes. Built in 1869 by Thomas Coatsworth for his wife Electra, the house is now a 6000+ sq. ft. multi- family dwelling, which has also served in the past as a home for Carmelite nuns. Coatsworth had made his fortune being in the right place at the right time. 1800's Buffalo was that place and time. The giant Second Empire style house dwarfs its tiny neighbors in this old cozy area of the city at the edge of Allentown.

Ru's

Ru's Pierogi

Ru's, on Niagara Street, is not your grandfather's pierogi joint, or maybe it is.

Co-owner Andy Ruszczyk  leaned his pierogi stylings from his grandmother. His familial pride and tradition followed the path we all hope our passions take us, to bring pleasure to others and fulfillment to one's self. With the help of his lifelong friend Zack Schneider, Andy would turn his delicious talent for pierogi into something to be enjoyed by the multitude. This is what Ru's is offering, a culmination of talent, innovation and business gumption. Here, you'll find quality food served in a great old building, an 1850's Sarsaparilla factory at 295 Niagara Street.

First Day of Christmas

Santa in Phone Booth

On the first day of Christmas...

A Santa in a phone booth sums up the confusing commercialism that has usurped Christmas. The strangely captivating image of St. Nick, making a call after his big day, is puzzling. It makes one feel like Charlie Brown asking Linus, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about ?"  If you are familiar with A Charlie Brown Christmas, than you know how Linus answered, and if not, click link.

Linus Van Pelt/ Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Eve

Temple Beth Zion

Eight Crazy Nights

Hanukkah and Christmas align this year. People vary their spelling of the holiday and imbue it with different levels of importance. The evolution of the Festival of Lights in America is actually a very interesting immigrant tale. The five day Hindu holiday of Pancha Ganapati, Dec. 21, followed a similar path of increasing importance in the United States faced with the ever increasing commercialization of Christmas by their Christian brethren. Last year, Malwid, the celebration of the birth  of the Islamic Prophet Mohamed fell on December 24 in the States. Kwanzaa will start on the 26th. A shout out to all the polytheists, Druids, Wiccans, ancient Greeks and Romans, who started it all with their Solstices and what not. Hey atheists, we didn't forget you god-forsaken lot. Happy Newtonmas. I understand the idol worship of the great  man of science but he himself was far from godless, studying theology more than science. He was in fact inspired by his belief system to endeavor to explain the mysteries of nature. Regardless of your beliefs, may we all, as a human family, find some peace.

View from the Ward

Ohio Street heading Downtown

A rejuvinated and ever improving Ohio Street is flanked by retro street lights, making its way through the renaissance of the Old First Ward.

Winter Wedding

Newly Weds outside Good Shepard

Nice day for a white wedding, snow and all.

These two tied the knot at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard on Jewett Parkway. Couldn't have asked for a nicer day, in December, that is. Good Shepard dates back to 1888, when it was a church at the remote edge of the city, watching the neighborhood of Parkside grow from its rural setting. 

http://www.goodshepherdbuffalo.org/

First Day of Winter

Canalside Zamboni

It's the first day of winter and we have all the trappings; frigid temps, snow and a Zamboni prepping the ice for skaters at Canalside. It's all cake, after the shortest day of the year, right?

Canalside Ice Skating

Snow and Locomotives

Trains at the edge of the Valley

O Tannenbaum

Trees on Delaware

Exit Strategy

Stairs at New Era
Not technically Buffalo proper, but inseparable from its identity, football's season is drawing to a close. Hope will spring eternal, on the other side of winter, for our disheartened but loyal fans.

A Lot Like Christmas

City Street Christmas Decor

Larkinville

Snow Falling on Larkinvile

It's baaaack... Sure it's still fall, but only for a few more days. As Buffalonians, we only need a couple of good practice days, and we're ready for the w-word.

Water Tower

Buffalo Water Tower

On a crisp December day, the Buffalo Water Tower stands sentinel over the East Side neighborhood of Kensington. The tower was built in 1911 and lost its top structure, an observation deck, in the 50's. The octagonal city owned structure is, at once, identifiable with the neighborhood and mysterious in its purpose.

Bowlarama

Kenmore Lanes

As the first major lake-effect event of the season begins, these folks are hunkering down to prepare...
...prepare to bowl, that is. It's a sensible idea; warm, lots of visibility and just plain fun.

Shea's

Ceiling and Balcony, Shea's Theater

Since 1926, Shea's Buffalo Theater has been offering a spectacular entertainment venue for the citizens of this fare city. Then, it was Clara Bow, and today it is A Christmas Story.

The 3,019 person capacity theater is an event, even without a performance taking place. A play seen in this setting is still an indelibly fond memory after the details of the performance fade. The theater is a blend of Spanish and French Baroque and Rococo styles. There was a time when someone said, "It's Baroque and we need to fix it."

 ( couldn't resist...) Shea's Performing Art's Center of today has a similar story to that of some of the great theaters of the country, falling on hard times throughout the years, and thankfully rising like a Phoenix. A peek at the theater's history will give you an even greater  appreciation for its survival and its thriving success.

Delaware Park

Delaware Park

Curling

Curling @ Canalside

'Tis officially the season. The curling stones have hit the ice at Canalside.

https://www.canalsidebuffalo.com/things-to-do/curling

Golden

Burchfield Penny Art Center

The Burchfield Penny Art Center celebrates its 50th anniversary today with day long festivities. In conjunction with M and T's Second Fridays, Golden will involve live music, art installations, food and general  jollification. As always, this Second Fridays event is free and open to the general public.

https://www.burchfieldpenney.org/

Beautiful Face

Face by Chuck Tingley

Our favorite signal box on Elmwood Avenue.

McKinley Monument

McKinley Monument, Niagara Square

The Egyptian revival obelisk stands 96' high at the center of Niagara Square. The marble monument, flanked by sculptures of four sleeping lions, was dedicated on September 6th 1907. President William McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo on that date six years previous. The sculpture stands as a tribute to the man and the lasting reverence the city and the nation had for the 25th President of the United States.

Spittin' Wisdom

Mural off Allen Street

Let"s talk about the transvaluation of values...Or not. How many 19th century German philosophers have a bar named after them?
More than you think, but we like this one best.

Urban

Urban Leisure and Luxury, Elmwood Ave.

Stores on Elmwood Avenue are all lit up for the Holidays. Urban Leisure and Luxury has been rocking hip clothes and accessories for close to a quarter century. Located in the heart of the Elmwood Village, Urban has been a centerpiece on the strip, with reliably fun and trendy goodies, from clothes and sunglasses to their latest item, electric skateboards.

Electric Tower

Electric Tower

The Electric Tower, at Genesee and Washington Streets, was built in 1912. The building design was inspired by the Electric Tower featured at the Pan American Exposition of 1901. Its octagonal shape, along with the white terracotta facade captures natural light, as well as night time illumination, living up to its name and making it one of the most spectacular looking buildings in Buffalo.

Tara

Tara Gift Shoppe, South Buffalo

'Tis the season to do a wee bit of shopping. Tara Gift Shoppe, on Abbott Road in South Buffalo, offers a local store with international charm for that Hibernophile in your life.

http://taragiftshoppe.com/index.htm

Peter J. Crotty Casino

Peter J. Crotty Casino in Cazenovia Park

The Peter J. Crotty Casino, in Cazenovia Park, has been at the center of a few promises to rehab Buffalo Parks' buildings. There may have been some minor improvements, but the main building in an Olmsted Park should not look like this. Closed up tight and covered in graffiti, seems a poor fate for a building that could be serving the community in some fashion. If the city is in a renewal phase, it behooves the powers that be to find a creative, interactive use for this building, other than looking like a prop from the movie, The Warriors, circa 1970s.

http://www.southbuffalo.info/html/peter_j__crotty_casino.html

Albright-Knox Exhibit

Albright-Knox Art Gallery

Currently, the Albright-Knox is exhibiting a Picasso collection. Picasso: The Artist and His Models is on display through February 19.https://www.albrightknox.org/

Pretenders

Town Ballroom Marquee

Pretenders take a break from their tour to play a more intimate setting with 1200 of their closest friends.

http://www.townballroom.com/

D.L. & W. Terminal

River side of old D.L.&W.  R.R. Terminal

Delaware, Lakawana, and Western Rail Road Terminal was built in 1917. The structure served both passenger and commercial freight purposes with access to the Buffalo River. The terminal design held countless architectural innovations for the time and was used by D. L. and W. until 1962. In 1979 the property, looted and neglected, became property of The NFTA and today serves as terminus for the Buffalo Metro Subway.

Kostas

Fresco @ Kostas

Ode on a Grecian Diner

Thou still unfinished pile of fries, 

       Thou lamb gyro of tasted and savoured time, 

Sprightly waiter, who canst thus order 

       A rice pudding more sweet than our rhyme: 

   You get the idea... Kostas Family Restaurant has been offering a haven for seekers of comfort food for 39 years. This beacon of Hertel Avenue has seen the evolution of this North Buffalo neighborhood over the last few decades. Today, this stretch of Hertel Avenue is one of the city's go to destinations for restaurants, shopping and night spots.

http://kostasfamilyrestaurant.com/aboutus/

Loco Motives

Cantina Loco Looking Out

There's crazy good food at the corner of Allen Street and Elmwood Avenue. We have two words for you, tacos and tequila. You're at the intersection of simple, fresh, quality and yum.

http://www.cantinaloco.com/

Statler

Statler Building 2016

Straight out of the Roaring Twenties, comes Ellsworth Statler's grand hotel that crowned the Queen City at the beginning of the last century. Recently, the old place has had its ups and downs, but continues to hang in there even amidst calls to raze the once glorious digs. Too many fans in Buffalo and around the country will not stand for that disappointing end. If her sister hotel, 

The Hotel Pennsylvania is still kicking, then certainly this Statler can find a new thriving life in the Buffalo Renaissance.

Roswell

Newest Addition Roswell Park Cancer Institute

The world renown Roswell Park Cancer Institute calls Buffalo its home. Thousands of people from across the country and from around the world are treated in its state of the art facilities, using modalities stemming from research and clinical trials begun at the institute. RPCI has the distinction of being the country's first hospital to focus solely on the study of cancer. The pipeline of research to efficacious treatment has never ceased. Current cutting edge therapies are exploring immunology and genetics. RPCI also conducts New York State's largest Phase I Clinical Trials. Since opening in 1913, RPCI has attracted some of the world's brightest minds, creating a vital resource for the treatment of cancer regionally and worldwide. Roswell sits amidst the ever growing Medical Corridor, which spans four city neighborhoods and includes; Buffalo General, University of Buffalo Medical School and Biomedical Sciences, and Gates Vascular Institute to name a few of the many institutions that make up the Buffalo medical campus.

http://www.bnmc.org/about/

Turkey Trot

Post-Trot Party Buffalo Convention Center/ Photo: G. Rohall

Close to a million people across the country will run in a race on Thanksgiving Day. Last year Buffalo was the 4th largest Turkey Trot in the U.S. This year will mark the 121st running of the race. According to the YMCA, the race organizers, the Buffalo Turkey Trot is the "oldest consecutively run footrace" in all of North America. 

http://www.ymcabuffaloniagara.org/annual-events/ymca-turkey-trot/

Elvishly Good Stuff

Exceptional Vegan Chocolate

Congratulations to my former colleague a her husband on quitting their day jobs and opening their dream shop. Today was the soft opening for Thinking Elvish Fantasy Chocolate, beautifully realized in the old Tabree restaurant on Elmwood. All of the ingredients for their imaginative and flavor-filled artisian chocolates are organic and fair trade from Peru. They roast their own cocao beans, make their own almond milk, and design their own everything, and the results are truly unique. One of the most delightful things, beside the chocolate flavors, was the cold brew made from the cocao shells after roasting. The flavor was something between an exquisite tea and a fine coffee. It was truly something untasted and unexpected. Best, best wishes to Lacy and Tim Christ and their beautiful kids on a very unique take on chocolates and soon to come ice creams. 

JFK

1960 Election Poster

A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.

- President John F. Kennedy

Old Post Office

Old Post Office

You had me at gargoyles. The Old Buffalo Central Post Office opened in 1901 for the heafty sum of 1.5 million dollars. The Ellicot Street location served as Post Office for over sixty years. The Gothic Revival buiding later became the city campus of Erie Community College in 1981. A decade earlier the structure had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

http://buffaloah.com/a/ellicott/121/eccext/