Thomas Tarapacki
On Labor Day, September 1st, the second annual “Run Into Buffalo” 5K road race will be held in the City of Buffalo. Organized by Fleet Feet Buffalo, the inaugural event drew over 600 runners last year and resulted in the donation of $35,000 worth of training shoes to the young athletes in the City of Buffalo Public School's Cross Country program.
The race starts at Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo at 9 AM on Labor Day. In addition to the race itself, there’ll be a pre-race health, fitness and wellness expo and a post-race party.
New exhibitors being added to the expo this year, and race organizers are looking for additional exhibitors and vendors for the expo. If you are interested, contact Alice at alice@fleetfeetbuffalo.com for additional details.
If you are not running, volunteers are needed to help on race day (Monday 9/1) or at the expo/registration in the Buffalo Convention Center on Saturday (8/30) or Sunday (8/31). …
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tuesday august 19th 2008
Corporate Advertising
queenseyes
As long as I can remember, the western corner of Elmwood and Anderson has been poorly maintained. That's too bad, because while the rest of the small businesses on the street fight to maintain a distinctive neighborhood image, the Verizon and National Grid buildings remain unkempt. The funny thing is that the potential for that corner is there. If you look closely at the Verizon building details, you will see that the materials and craftsmanship are quite impressive. Can you imagine if Verizon actually spent some money to fix up the appearance of its building?
It wouldn't even take much to make this corner attractive again. By removing the railroad tie window boxes and the few shrubs that grow in them, the marble base would be exposed. Then, if there were a few seating arrangements along the lines of M&T Bank (Elmwood and Breckenridge), the front of the building would be add lif…
West Coast Perspective
Construction cranes could soon be dotting the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus under expansion plans presented to the Buffalo Planning Board this morning. Kaleida Health has teamed with Ciminelli Development on the ambitious plan which involves three new buildings and $200 million in new investment. If the University of Buffalo agrees to move portions of their medical school to one of the new campus buildings, total investment could exceed $300 million.
buffalorising
A BR reader asks: Is it cheaper to film a movie in Montreal than it is in Buffalo? The Factory, a movie coming out in 2009 reads the following on John Cusack's IMDB page:
An obsessed cop is, with his partner, on the trail of a serial killer prowling the streets of Buffalo, N.Y. but when his teenage daughter disappears, he drops any professional restraint to get the killer.
And someone from Montreal made the following comment:
Last week The Factory was filming in Montreal near my work on Lucien L'Allier near the Bell Center.
An abandoned building was renovated to look like a Buffalo police station and had signs saying Buffalo Police Station 3 in front.
The entire street was closed off for many hours last week and some Buffalo police cars were out front.
That's all the info I have. Don't know if John Cusa…
George Lawrence
In his 2007 book City on the Edge, Mark Goldman describes the paradox of progress in Buffalo: Sometimes, to move towards a brighter future for the city, it’s crucial to embrace the treasures of Buffalo’s past. The promise for a new Buffalo, he writes, lies where “an awareness of the past and a belief in the future inspire people to identify with a place and to dedicate themselves to its improvement.”
This is true downtown, for example, where the Erie Canal Harbor offers visitors a walk through the ruins of a place that made Buffalo’s emergence possible many years ago, but sat buried and forgotten ever since.
It’s certainly true when thinking about the Olmsted park system in Buffalo, as well. When it was first designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1800s, the six parks, eight connecting parkways, and nine circles provided a stunning green sanctuary in the mi…
queenseyes
I still find it uncanny that there are people out there who like this brutalist building. It's the Frank A. Sedita City Court building, and to me it looks like something out of the movie Tron. At this point I have conceded that it's not going anywhere, but is there anything that could be done to make it look 'less brutal'? Past commentors have offered up suggestions like climbing walls or a giant neon sculpture - those are interesting ideas, though I'm not sure that they would go far in Buffalo.
Steel recalls that the building once had ivy growing on the side of it. Now that is an idea that should be re-examined. Many people believe that ivy is bad for buildings... in this case I don't think that the plant would have any ill-effect since there is not much along the lines of masonry. With the building of the new
queenseyes
I picked up a couple of old post cards this weekend at the Yard Sail. Both depicted the waterfront – one was of the Erie Basin Marina and the other was of the Inner Harbor (pre Erie Canal Terminus). The shot of the Erie Basin Marina sometime after it opened in 1973. Did you know that the Marina was designed in the shape of a Buffalo? Outlook Tower can be seen in the foreground, but there are no other amenities to speak of – no restaurants, just slips for boaters. In the background the Outer Harbor is visible. The Skyway is visible, and there are not yet any slips along the inland waterways.
The photo depicting the former Buffalo Naval and Servicemen’s Park is pretty bleak. I love the walkway that leads from the museum to the destroyer – it looks like something you might see on an airport runway. With all of the recent excitement surrounding the opening of the Commercial…
Eli George
There used to be a time when while watching a film, you had to decipher the action for yourself with the help of title cards. Staring at the screen and using the music coming from a piano, organ, or other instrument, you had to determine what each character was doing and trying to convey to the audience. That was silent film and even without words, it captivated audiences. Squeaky Wheel, in collaboration with Gusto at the Gallery is now presenting the opportunity for you to enjoy film the same way your grandparents or great grandparents might have while relaxing in the same outdoor atmosphere you might enjoy at the drive-in theater.
This Friday, August 22nd at 8:30 PM, you’ll be able to watch the classic silent film Strike from 1925 on the back stairs of the Albright-Knox Art Center. (Don’t worry, if it rains, the film will be moved inside to the Knox Theater.) The …
monday august 18th 2008
Alan and George: What Attracts Them To Buffalo
queenseyes
Or Click Here to download the audio.
Both of these gentlemen write for BRO. Alan Oberst (top) goes by the moniker Rachacha – he’s from Rochester (and still lives there), but at the same time he’s a diehard Buffalonian. George Thomas Apfel is from Buffalo, but he’s been living in Las Vegas for the past 45 years.
I invited both Alan and George to be my guest on WBFO this week to talk about what draws them to the Queen City on the lake. Both have been making regular trips to Buffalo ever since the inception of Buffalo Homecoming, and I wanted to see what it was that fueled them to be so active in a community where neither of them lived.
WBFO’s Mark Scott asked the two a pretty powerful question… what right do either of them have to write about a city when they don’t even live there? Can people who live away from Buffalo feel an even stronger connection than many of the residents?
queenseyes
Some say that there is no reason to reinvent the wheel when it comes to good cuisine. When Rick Naylon ran Jimmy Mac's, the restaurant was quite the hotspot. Yes, there was a big bar following back then, but people still recall how good (and consistent) the food was. Remember the Onassis salad?
As coincidence would have it, Rick Naylon was also the guy who brokered the deal for the soon-to-open Thirsty Buffalo. Restaurant partner Greg Andreozzi told me that even after the deal went through, Rick has been helping to get the Thirsty Buffalo back to the basics. He even offered to help with the menu. Add to that, one of the original Jimmy Mac's cooks is coming back to work in the kitchen. So for anyone who still misses the old Jimmy Mac's formula, you will be glad to know that the latest owners want to have a few of the old favorites on the menu.
As far as the remaining details, t…
