Lately, I've been put in a position as a tour guide to friends at UB who are originally from out of town. I tend to have to go out and prove that the pinnacle of Buffalo is not University Heights.
So if you had one day to show someone around Buffalo, where would you go?
Sponsor
Recent Comments
Sponsor
Advertise With Us
Interested in advertising on BuffaloRising?
E-mail John C. Powell
or call John at 716.602.0200
Five Points Bakery, Waterline Cafe, WNY Book Arts Center, 'Ol Wondermoth, Chow Chocolate/Choco Logo, Urban Roots, Tifft Nature Preserve/Times Beach, Uncle Sam's Army Surplus, Mirrored Room at Albright Knox, Cafe Taza, Dug's Dive, Maritime Center, Horsefeathers, Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, Buffalo Scooter Company, Sweet_ness 7, room, Sugar City, Shakti Yoga... here are the locations for all of them:
http://www.navigetter.com/navigetter.php#tag%26Super%2520Picks
On a nice day, maybe the Delaware park Marcy casino, japanese garden, albright area? The view of the historical society at sunset from the Marcy casino is quite surprising, it looks like the nicest city in the country for a minute. Maybe a bike ride around elmwood, allen, north buffalo?
On a rainy day they could see the Burchfield Penney or Albright, a good local restaurant, or maybe even a movie at the north park theater, it's pretty cool in there.
Definitely second Matt on Delaware Park (Marcy Casino). I was finally able to make it to my first Shakespeare in the Park and I literally felt like I was back in France studying abroad because of how beautiful the setting was. I can't believe I've been missing that all these years. I think a younger crowd would definitely appreciate a walk down Hertel to check out all the great shops and eateries, plus it's (sort of) within walking distance of UB South Campus. If you're Downtown I would recommend taking them up to City Hall's observation deck for a sweeping panorama of the city. It's one of my favorite places to visit. The Erie Basin Marina is also great for a leisurely stroll this time of year too. Good luck!
allen street west. takeout dinner from hardware or lagniappes, picnic on days park.
Obviously Elmwood, Talking Leaves Books, Albright-Knox, Niagara Sq./Downtown - Guaranty Bldg, Shea Theater, etc. Don't forget to hit Ulrich's on Ellicott for lunch!
I like it when I can take out-of-towners around; we've got a rich array of unique offerings to choose from as opposed to the one-dimensional experience of being stuck in "Sprawlville" where all of the choices are just like the place you just left.
Hey Greg - Here's a suggestion (and route) for a whole day. Exercise included - Trust me, it's worth it. Start at South Campus early (like 7 or 8 if you're keen). Ditch the car, put on some good sneakers, and get ready for a good walk through the City.
Start off at UB South and head over to Amy's Place for breakfast in the morning (keep it familiar at first). Take a walk down to Hertel Ave (a right off Main), turning left at Beard. Explore that area a bit (the houses are amazing). Take a right down Depew or Morris and turn back up to Hertel at Parkside or Colvin.
Walk down Hertel to Delaware (maybe stop at a headshop or Aladdin's for some shisha on the way) and take a left down Delaware. It's a hike, but make it to Nottingham and make a right onto Nottingham. Walk past some amazing mansions and turn left at Elmwood, right near the Hist. Society and Albright Knox. Glimpse the HH Richardson Building as you make your way to Pano's for lunch.
After lunch, go down Elmwood a bit and take a right down Bidwell to Colonial Circle and take the short walk down Lafayette to Sweetness_7 for a post lunch coffee/breather from the morning walk. Head back up Lafayette (see the school, maybe stop in to meet some of the growing refugee population at Our Lady of Hope RC church). At the Circle, turn right down Richmond and walk down Richmond to Rhode Island St. You will have passed quite a bit of Olmstead's work on the way. Hook a quick right down RI and stop at Left Bank for a mid-day drink.
Afterward, head back to Richmond and continue down to Symphony Circle - possibly, Kleinhans will be open and they'll give you a little tour if you're lucky. After Symphony Circle, veer left down Wadsworth and have some fun exploring Allentown. It should be getting close to dinner by this point. So pick a place or head down to Ulrichs on Virginia/Ellicott (Allen to Main, right on Main, left on Virginia).
Go back up Virginia toward Delaware, left on Delaware, and head down to the corner at Chippewa and hit up Spot for some dessert and coffee/tea (or Cholocate Bar if you're so inclined). Afterward, walk down Chippewa toward Main, catch the Metro back to UB South, and you're back where you started.
Seriously, on a summer day with nothing to do, it beats watching reruns of "Saved By the Bell" or "Walker Texas Ranger".
This is pretty ambitious. Maybe you could make this an annual thing. The 'buffalo-loop' walk (or something much more catchy). If you scheduled it for a Saturday in the Fall...and got businesses along the route to get involved, I'd sign up. If you map it out using 'map-my-run', it's not as many miles as I thought it might be...but I didn't include each out-and-back along Elmwood. Do some sort of GPS related data for the walk? Or maybe just an old fashioned map with some interesting detail about the buildings, etc. I have property along the route...if someone told me something like this were going on, I'd come out front and talk about my property, or pass out lemonade.
Wow I appreciate the responses! Thanks!
I've got a lot of great ideas now. I thought I'd expect more showing of architecture rather than places to do. I typically drive around and focus on history and architecture. I then take them to eat at someplace in allentown or the elmwood village because UB students rarely go there in comparison to other places. I'll certainly make a concerted effort to focus more on things to do than things to see.
I show people the good and the bad though. I think Buffalo offers a humbling experience that other cities don't always have. It's something that I take pride in. I show out of towners that we aren't some hell hole of a town, but a place with character. Typically I point out the central terminal and the destruction of the humboldt pkwy. On that same day, I take a drive through Nottingham Terr to Knox/Burch/Historical museum area.
I'd like to incorporate more walking, but not everyone is always up for that.
Overall, I think as Buffalonians we have to prove we're not some speck on a map. we're a place worth caring about. A friend of a friend came out to visit during the 4th weekend for the first time, and now she wants out of Long Island immediately because this city has that much character.
I'd like to see the Visitor's Bureau come up with more socially interactive and integrated tours for visitors. I think we have a lot of groups who give tours, but it's not integrated enough to be easy to sort through times and such. I also don't think the visitor's bureau nor any of the other groups make enough of a push at the local colleges to attract students into the city for these tours. Many UB students graduate without ever really exploring the city from which their university gets its name. This end up infuriating me because these students end up making generalizations that are more about Amherst than Buffalo.
Greg,
I was impressed with a recent open-air bus tour given by the Campaign for Greater Buffalo (http://greaterbuffalo.blogs.com/). I went on the Friday, 2-hour Whirlwind Tour. You can find a recent story on BR about the big, green bus. I agree with you that it would be great to have more active tour options (v. sitting on a bus or following a leader on a walking tour). The guide, an architect with the City of Buffalo schools, was knowledgeable w/o being a know-it-all. The downtown Vistior's Bureau has a neat, self-guided walking tour of Buffalo landmarks, complete with photos and info. about notable buildings. I've used it as a starting point for visiting friends, with a fitting end point at Pearl Street Grill for the beer sampler and some snacks (it was late November). Thanks to all contributors; I've gotten great ideas from your posts.
Laura
Greg,
I was impressed with a recent open-air bus tour given by the Campaign for Greater Buffalo (http://greaterbuffalo.blogs.com/). I went on the Friday, 2-hour Whirlwind Tour. You can find a recent story on BR about the big, green bus. I agree with you that it would be great to have more active tour options (v. sitting on a bus or following a leader on a walking tour). The guide, an architect with the City of Buffalo schools, was knowledgeable w/o being a know-it-all. The downtown Visitor's Bureau (in the Market Arcade) has a neat, self-guided walking tour of Buffalo landmarks, complete with photos and info. about notable buildings. I've used it as a starting point for visiting friends, with a fitting end point at Pearl Street Grill for the beer sampler and some snacks (it was late November). Thanks to all contributors; I've gotten great ideas from your posts.
Laura
We have a terrific team, many of whom have been with Coastal for years. They all work well with each other and have a vast wealth of experience and knowledge that you can only get from being in the business for so many years. This experience translates through to an incredible success rate for selling and settling businesses of all sizes and types.
________________________________________
mark244
business for sale sunshine coast