I spend a lot of time going out to eat. Not being able to do much other that boil water, I am dependent on others to take care of me when it comes to food. That's why I'm fascinated with chef Martin Danolowicz's latest project called Martin Cooks. The concept is an easy one to grasp - Martin comes to your house, sets up his culinary gadgets in your kitchen, and cooks you some of the best food on the planet. I called up Martin a couple of weeks ago right after I got married. I figured that it was the least that I could do for my wife who cooks for a living

Years of brainstorming how to best serve the Buffalo and Western New York artistic community has led to the creation of the Arts Services Initiative (ASI) of Western New York, which officially began operations on August 1, 2011.  The Arts Services Initiative will coordinate the work of many local art organizations to effectively and efficiently serve the needs of the Buffalo art community. According to Paul Hogan, a board member for the Arts Services Initiative and vice president of the John R.

The long wait is over. After tracking the progress of a West Side restaurant for seven years, the Connecticut Street Sandwich Shop (CSSS) has finally opened (see back story). And believe it or not, it was worth the wait. It's hard to imagine that seven plus years of anticipation could live up to built expectations. As luck would have it (for anyone who loves food), CSSS has charged onto the scene as one of the best lunch spots in the region. From the thoughtful homemade food to the quaint eastern

Have you ever played the game Sim City? It's an interactive simulation program that allows you to construct and manage a city. Sim City has been around for a long time and has gone through many evolutions. The best part of the game is that it allows us all to become urban planners - good or bad - in order to attempt to create our dream cities. Most of us would never know where to begin if someone asked us to create a real life city... or even part of one.

Community activist, Peg Overdorf (Valley Community Center), has been busy creating her own Sim City right here in Buffalo. She started

Every Saturday I will be featuring an obscure architectural element found in the city, to see if someone can figure out where it is.

We used to run this same sort of post every once in a while, but somehow got away from it.

There are no clues - just a photo depicting the item. I'm sure that there are a lot of BRO readers out there who have scoured the city and have seen just about all that there is to see. Others might learn about some of the more obscure detailing found in the different neighborhoods. Either way, I'll keep mixing it up each

When you woke up this morning, did you think about heading to Toronto to go to the Saint Lawrence Market? Or to visit a passive beach along its waterfront (kinda like the one that we recently implemented)? Even if Toronto didn't happen to be on your mind this morning, I bet that there were plenty of Torontonians who are thinking about Buffalo, thanks to our friends

The Olmsted Legacy Mural is just about complete, leaving artist Augustina Droze just a couple of minor touch-ups. While the ribbon cutting for the mural marked the end for this exciting project (well, almost), it also marked the beginning for what could become a mural movement in the city. Augustina has been busy making the cultural rounds in Buffalo, and thankfully her professional experience in the field is opening some people's eyes and possibly some doors that would lead to more murals in years to come.

We all know that Buffalo is a treasure trove when it comes to blank wall canvases.

By Thea Hassan:

The 7th annual Be Vocal, Eat Local community cookout, hosted by the Massachusetts Avenue Project program Growing Green, was held today.

The event held at the urban youth farm at 389 Massachusetts Avenue celebrates communities eating food grown locally. The event was abundant with children, skateboarding in the closed-off street and dancing to the disc-jockeyed music. Farm tours, face painting, music, and a three-legged race were also part of the fun. Tours of the farm were conducted, offering visitors the chance

By Thea Hassan:

Plans for the Buffalo Maritime Center's relocation are moving full-steam ahead (see back story), with the center busy in the fundraising process.

A 24,000 square foot, two-story brick industrial building at 1569 Niagara Street offers a basement, parking lot, fenced in lot, attached warehouse spaces, and a location on the bus route.

The center is engaged in a three phase fundraising campaign to "get the job done" and buy the location. The first phase includes raising

By Rebecca Bratek:

This Saturday and Sunday, the Seneca Nation of Indians, along with the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and Buffalo Place, will be hosting the first-annual Buffalo Creek Native Festival downtown at the historic Central Wharf.
          
The Seneca Nation created this festival in order to celebrate the rich heritage and culture of the Iroquois-Seneca Indians. Through this festival, they hope to highlight and commemorate artists within the Iroquois-Seneca communities while educating the public

Here's a neat brick building that is situated right down the street from Left Bank, Prime 490, and located directly across the street from Five Points Bakery and Urban Roots. It's also close to a new Small Built Works neighborhood park, a rebounding neighborhood, and further urban advancements in the form of a series of nearby home rehabs. For years the neighborhood has hoped that the owner would invest in the property, though that never panned out. With the right owner, and the right amount of investment, this building could be

It's that time again!  Time for the Seventh Annual Tour of Gardens and Fifth Annual Starry Night Garden Tour focused on showcasing gardens throughout Northwest Buffalo.  The free, self-guided event, presented by the Black Rock and Riverside Tour of Gardens Committee, will take place this Saturday, August 6th from 10am - 5pm.  The Tour of Gardens features 80 beautiful gardens throughout the Black Rock, West Hertel, and Riverside neighborhoods.

Additionally, the Starry Night Garden Tour, Buffalo's only after dark garden experience, will take place from 8pm to 10pm this Saturday,

I've been spending a bit more time in Riverside recently, ever since I learned about a plan to recreate an original Olmsted vision known as RiverRock Gardens. I've explored Olmsted's Riverside Park numerous times over the years, but for some reason the park never captivated my imagination as much as the rest of the Olmsted parks. Obviously Riverside has paid a heavy price for having a Robert Moses-style expressway rip apart the important urban fabric that once connected the people to the water. That connection was once the glory of Riverside.

When I think about Delaware Park, I think

Medaille College has taken a leading role in helping the Riverside neighborhood through a partnership between the College, the Buffalo City School District, specifically Riverside High School, and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. The partnership allows Riverside High School to offer unique programs to students, including Riverside School of Entrepreneurship, health care programs and the National Academy of Finance. One benefit of this collaboration is the formation of the Academy for Creativity and Entrepreneurship (A.C.E.). A.C.E. offers students opportunities to participate in various projects

Rocco Termini's ambitious Hotel Lafayette redevelopment project is progressing quickly.  At least two components are likely to be completed by the time the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference is held.  Work crews are hurrying to ready the Dutch Grill and much of the Crystal Ballroom for the October event.

The 367-room Lafayette Hotel, in its prime, was considered one of the 15 finest hotels in the country. It was designed principally by Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first professional woman architect in the country, the first female member of the American Institute

BRO: What are your thoughts on Buffalo as a fishing Mecca?

Bob Rich: There is no question - I had a guest here for a charity event on the waterfront - Bill Dance, who has a popular Saturday morning fishing show - he said that hands down Buffalo has the best small mouth fishing in the world. Erie County sells more hunting and fishing licenses in the country than any other county in the US. The tournament that we host has been growing exponentially. Buffalo is a wonderful area for water

By Rachel Stover:
 
Returning to the Queen City on August 5th-7th is the 48-Hour Film Project which gives teams a genre, a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and 48 Hours to make a movie. Teams race against time as well as each other in order to complete the writing, filming, and editing of their film in exactly 48 hours.
 
On August 5th, local filmmakers from all around the WNY region will descend upon Buffalo, to hear the four critical elements that must be included in their film to qualify for the cash prize and the chance to have their film screened

Dave Harter Reporting for Green Options Buffalo:

*In this series Green Options Buffalo will be highlighting events, festivals, shows and rides that are guaranteed to be top-notch adventures for bicycle riders.

Creating art as a commodity is something that many artists only begrudgingly accept as a necessity of the modern world. For these artists, a culture centered on property and privilege seems fundamentally opposed to the essence of creative expression. Whether from impulsive bursts or slow, careful crafting - upon its creation, art seems destined to enrich

By Jeffrey Hartinger:

As I spent the past four years at Canisius College as one of the biggest Buffalo advocates, my family, friends, classmates, and peers were in shock at the end of my senior year when I announced my post grad plans, which was to move to Los Angeles a few days after graduation to pursue a career in writing. They asked many questions, and in a way, it appeared as if some tried to paint me as a hypocrite: Wasn't I the one to start a debate when classmates revealed in class how they were hoping for job offers in more prosperous cities? Yes. Wasn't I the one who

A trio of Erie County businesses have seen growth spurts courtesy of a new Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) loan program which targets established companies that have difficulties obtaining traditional bank financing due to increasingly strict lending policies.

The Business Stimulus Loan Fund has provided more than $800,000 to three fast-growing Erie County firms since its establishment last fall, leading to expansion of their workforces and client rosters.

County Executive Chris Collins and ECIDA chief operating office Al