The Board of Directors at the Albright-Knox has announced its appointment of its new Director, Dr. Janne Sirén. Sirén, the current Director of the Helsinki Art Museum, Finland, was in town today for the highly anticipated announcement. 
Along with the international recognition that goes hand in hand with running the Helsinki Art Museum, Sirén has been instrumental, via his position at the museum, in working with the city on visual arts policies and managing the capital's public art programs. "I am inspired by

BRO submission by Fred Brace:
I read this article, in the December 24th edition of the Buffalo News, with a certain degree of apprehension and quite frankly the author, Jill Terreri, did not disappoint me. Once again we are told of the marvelous strides being made by PUSH Buffalo on the City of Buffalo's West Side. 
We are told, in glowing terms, of how part the $12.4M contained in the Massachusetts Community Homes

If you're like me, then you have a hard time keeping up with all of the food trucks that continually appear to hit the road in Buffalo. It seems as if there is a new truck launching every month. Fortunately for us, Derek Neuland has come up with a website that allows us to navigate the food truck scene. From Knight Slider to The Black Market Food Truck, there are all sorts of mobile culinary creations that can be found in all corners of the city. 
Did you know that there is a gourmet hotdog truck called Let's Be Frank? Or that Pizza Amore has a built in pizza

Have you noticed that there are more and more events taking place in Buffalo that feature performances by belly dancers? This past year I saw dancers at Music is Art, The Witches Ball, The Kootsie Ball... belly dancing is certainly becoming a mainstay of the event scene in Buffalo. Ten year ago you would be lucky to catch a belly dance act, and the only place that that might possibly happen would be at a local Indian restaurant. Even that was unusual however. These days belly dance classes abound, and professional and amateur dancers can be found at myriad events, including outdoor festivals

The Lafayette Hotel and Brisbane Building have canopied entryways along Washington Street.  Not to be outdone, the former AM&As Department Store has added some street bling as well.  This latest addition to the streetscape is about safety and not aesthetics however.   Scaffolding has been placed along the sidewalk of the vacant building to protect pedestrians from a crumbling facade.
The  350,000 sq.ft. former department store is owned by Roslyn Heights-based

Erie County Medical Center announced the name of its new $103 million, 390-bed nursing home on the ECMC Health Campus on Grider Street, which will open in February.  The new long-term care facility will be called "Terrace View Long-term Care Facility," based on the design feature of multiple terraces that provide residents with wide-ranging views. 
Terrace View replaces the 80-year-old Erie County nursing home in Alden. Terrace View also combines in one location existing long-term care beds from ECMC. 
The move from Alden

Another offshoot of the West Side Bazaar has sprung up in Buffalo, this time in Black Rock. Success stories continue to unfold in the form of small businesses breaking away from the bazaar in order to set off on their own. This time it's Martha Sosa, who you might recall from a Buffalo Rising article back in March of 2011, who has opened a small Peruvian boutique on Amherst Street called Pure Peru. The store is chock full of colorful imported wares ranging in style and price. What makes Martha and her shop so unique


Looks like we may have a viable downtown alternative for ECC's proposed Health Sciences Classroom building.

An alternative plan was proposed by Council Member Pridgen last week in the /city/index.html

The next time that you're downtown along Main Street, be sure to head to the Market Arcade to check out a new women's clothing boutique called Sasmita Batik. Owner/operator Novi Paluch got her start on Grant Street at the West Side Bazaar (see here), where she operated a small shop for a little over a year. 
After the bazaar busted a move to a new location just down the street, Novi decided that it was time for a change.. a bold and innovative change. She decided that she

The Stanley Cup made a surprise visit to Buffalo yesterday, appearing at Uniland Development Company's annual holiday party at The Avant on Delaware Avenue. Guests at the party were surprised to see The Cup sitting in a corner of the room, without much fanfare. 
The original cup (not just the traveling double) is heading out to California, and Uniland somehow managed to secure the trophy for a one night standing engagement. In the photo, waterfront enthusiast Pierre Wallinder stands with the ultimate hockey prize. 
Obviously there was no hoopla

Just about everyone out there has an idea for a startup website business or mobile app. Often times, the only problem is taking the time to get serious about the idea. How does one go about launching a startup website anyways? Some members of the local IT community have come together because they believe that they have the solution that you're looking for, to help you get your idea up and running. In order to do that Z80 Labs has agreed to host the program that starts with a free happy hour this evening from 4:30pm to 7pm, where the business website

In recent years, mid-century modern furniture has become highly sought after all over the world. In Buffalo, we are fortunate that we don't have the incredibly high price tags that this style of furniture usually commands in major cities. For that reason, small shops such as ReImagine on Elmwood Avenue have seen business grow dramatically. 
Ever since the vintage furniture and home accessory shop moved to the corner of Breckenridge Avenue from its original location, owners Cortney

As of this point in time, work on the MLK basin is 90% complete, and The City is planning on opening the splash pad for this coming spring season. When complete, the splash pad will feature numerous water jets that will also be illuminated with LED lighting. The cutting edge technology will provide fun filled cooling elements for visitors and impressive lighting visuals for passersby. 
On top of the spray jets and colorful lighting, the splash pad walls have been cut down to a smaller height by The City, and the Olmsted Conservancy has added coping caps so

The next time that you're visiting Allentown, be sure to swing by Picasso Moon, a twelve year old store that recently relocated from Lockport to Buffalo. Owner Lindsey Hicks purchased the building in order to set up shop in a neighborhood that he feels is synonymous with his style - laid back and Bohemian in nature. "I like to say that if Hot Topic and New Age Creations had a baby, it would be Picasso Moon," said Lindsey. "We try to carry something for everyone... from sarongs to bags, and candles and incense... we even have sun dresses and bags for young kids." 
According

Based on recent activity witnessed around the old Bethlehem Steel North building on Route 5 in Lackawanna it looks as if the structure is likely to be demolished within the next few days. New fencing has gone up and heavy equipment has been moved in. This is a major piece of Western New York history - American history actually.  It is going to be thoughtlessly destroyed. Much of Buffalo and WNY was built from activity conducted within this building.  The United States won the war in Europe and Japan in no small part due to what was done inside this building.

The last time Buffalo hockey fans watched an NHL contest was over nine months ago on April 7th when the Sabres finished the 2011-2012 campaign with a loss to division rival, Boston Bruins, in shootout fashion.

Since that day, planet earth has continued to spin dependably on its axis despite the notions of the ancient Mayans and those in charge of ensuring the NHL's continued growth and development.

When the world of the NHL came to an abrupt halt September 15, 2012, an entire continent paused for a second to notice. 

Mixology on Forest Avenue has introduced a completely different and artistic element to its bar. Ever since opening the establishment, owner John McNeill has followed his original mission guideline - to attract a healthy "mix" of people - by keeping things fresh and new, and to keep people guessing "What's next?" Between the crazy lighting elements, the live music round ups, the horticultural spin and John's magical flare for preparing drinks that taste like candy bars, Mixology continues to reinvent itself, creating seasonal visual sensations unlike anywhere else in the city.
John's

It's always great when old photos of Buffalo turn up, especially in large quantities. While recently going through old family albums I came across about 75 of my dad's photographs of the City during the 1970's and 1980s. All of them have been scanned and can be viewed here.

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MEETING SUMMARY for JANUARY 8, 2013
LICENSE AND PERMIT APPROVALS--Upon the recommendation of the Department of Permit & Inspection Services, the Council approved the following license and permit applications:• Delaware Districto Permit to Re-establish a Restaurant in the Hertel Avenue Special District• W. Sabio, owner of the property

Over the past few years Flurrious! has established itself as a fun-filled, fast paced, family-friendly winter festival. This year will be no different, as the festival continues to attract hundreds upon hundreds of participants, who come to Delaware Park to battle it out against others on fields covered with snow. 
On January 26, starting at 9am and lasting until 8pm, you are invited to come to the Parkside Lodge, where you will find yourself instantly a part of the action. Per usual, the day kicks of with a running race around Ring Road (this year the race is called /city/index.html