I wanted to celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday in a BIG way, so on Tuesday June 24,2008, I reserved a suite at the Comfort Suites and took her across the street to Shea's to see, from third row center, Wicked.

This was my first "adventure" to Downtown Buffalo. How my heart cried out when I first saw Main St after criss crossing it before reaching the Comfort Suites.

What happened????? Why was all the billions of dollars wasted for a long, long street that the only hussle was a fire drill around 2:30 pm that day on the 300 blook of Main Street.

The street was so very empty that afternoon, save for the Metro light rail cars that seemed to appear in 18-20 minute intervals.

Doesn't anyone really care about their own city? Why was car traffic eliminated from Main St? I have never seen a more depressing downtown urban area anywhere.

Thank goodness for Sheas. I am so very glad that this magnificent building was never threatened by the wrecking ball.

Hopefully restoring traffic to Main Street, narrowing those way too wide sidewalks, will bring some life back to a most depressing stretch of urban real estate.

I wanted to celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday in a BIG way, so on Tuesday June 24,2008, I reserved a suite at the Comfort Suites and took her across the street to Shea's to see, from third row center, Wicked.

This was my first "adventure" to Downtown Buffalo. How my heart cried out when I first saw Main St after criss crossing it before reaching the Comfort Suites.

What happened????? Why was all the billions of dollars wasted for a long, long street that the only hussle was a fire drill around 2:30 pm that day on the 300 blook of Main Street.

The street was so very empty that afternoon, save for the Metro light rail cars that seemed to appear in 18-20 minute intervals.

Doesn't anyone really care about their own city? Why was car traffic eliminated from Main St? I have never seen a more depressing downtown urban area anywhere.

Thank goodness for Sheas. I am so very glad that this magnificent building was never threatened by the wrecking ball.

Hopefully restoring traffic to Main Street, narrowing those way too wide sidewalks, will bring some life back to a most depressing stretch of urban real estate.

Actually I think Shea's WAS threatened by a wrecking ball. If it weren't for the bunch of sentimental nuts, who thought that a moldy old movie theater that was way too big for any practical commercial use should be saved, it would probably be a nice surface parking lot now.

So chalk up an early win for the Obstructionists.