Buffalo Rising

Justin Craddock Works His Magic

2010-07-11T15:15:10Z

Has anyone else seen Justin Craddock working his magic in Buffalo? The guy is really good. And get this: He went to City Hall and paid $10 for a busking license. I thought that was pretty cool considering he's the first street performer that I ever came across that actually took the time to be legit. I asked Justin if he ever gets hassled by the 'men in blue' when out interacting with the public. "No," he answered. "The only time I get hassled is at an event like Thursday at the Square - even with a busking license. So I set up in places like Allentown and Elmwood where there might not be the crowds, but there are enough people to make it worth while."

FYI - it's also beneficial to chat with local performers because they can tell you a lot about the city that you might not know. For example, Justin clued me in that the former Brodo on Elmwood (where he happened to be standing in front of adding life to an empty storefront - gee you would think that there might be a few of those down near Thursday at the Square) is soon to be an Asian bistro. Apparently it's going to be a mix of sushi and Thai.

Not being a rabid fan of magicians, I was skeptical about doing anything other than talk to Justin. I find the street performer aspect of what he does fascinating. I love seeing the interaction between a musician or a magician and the unsuspecting passersby - often times even more than the skills that the performer possesses. In this case, Justin did convince me to partake in a card trick and to tell you the truth... I'm STILL trying to figure out what the heck happened. So were the rest of the people that witnessed the trick. OK, so maybe magicians are pretty cool... at least this one was.

City Hall busking license can be obtained at room 313 in City Hall. Photo ID required. The permit is $10.50. I read on an online forum that if a business owner asks you to move, you must. Also, you can't set up within 50 feet of another performer unless that performer is OK with it.

Buffalo: A Bloody Good Time

2010-07-11T14:05:45Z

Each year the Zombie Walk (and pub crawl) gets a little bit bigger and a lot creepier. The walk started off as a just that - a walk. This year there was more of a concentrated effort to make sure that the event would make a lasting impression on participants (both voluntary and involuntary). I was particularly impressed with the arrival of John Peckham from Ride in Peace (Funeral & Formal Auto Society). He brought with him a small fleet of shiny black hearses, complete with couch-coffins. John's addition to the event brought the entire show up to an entirely different caliber.

Another stellar contribution to the walk was Gregory Lamberson from Buffalo Screams Horror Festival (bet you didn't know there was one). He, along with Tim Hartnett and Christan Malmin, managed to acquire a professional looking trophy for each of the zombie contestant winners - there must have been upwards of 50 categories this year. Judging the contest must have been a real chore considering the amount of talent roaming Elmwood Avenue. From bikini-clad crypt-keepers to terrifying toddlers, the street was crawling with some wacked-out creepsters having the time of their former lives.

I don't know what it is about Buffalo in years of late, that has driven the horror buffs to a frenzy. It seems that more and more we're seeing twisted people creating ghastly movies, events and art - every time I turned around at the zombie walk someone was handing me a card or a movie or attempting to paint my face with 'blood'. Take Jim Breidenstein (Born to Die) for example - creator of the Buffalo Monster Fest being held July 30th at D'Arcy McGee's.

The film fest will bring horror producers, directors, authors, celebrities, actors, bands and fans together to witness the chills and thrills of regionally-produced horror films, videos and shorts. Word of the Monster Fest has been buzzing on the streets for some time - I was happy to see that the date and the coordinates had been solidified.

These days you don't have to wait for the zombie walk to get your creep on. You can attend regionally-produced movies, catch weekly b-movie film showings on the West Side, find horrific plays... or you can take part in the madness by hooking up with any one of the aforementioned people and their insane antics.

Photo: John Renna of JFR Productions gets a Buffalo dude zombified while Christan Malmin assumes the throne, and Elvis makes an appearance from the grave in order to raise money for the Food Bank of WNY.

"El Paolo Ensebao"

2010-07-11T10:59:23Z

Today is the last day to catch the Grease Pole Festival at the Pucho Olivencia Center. If you're one of those people who is always looking to attend an event that is not exactly mainstream, this is worth checking out. Of course the grand finale - the grease pole competition - is what festival-goers really look forward to, but there is plenty to see and do up until that point. In a city where residents pride themselves on the number of festivals and the gigantic efforts that go into them, it can be fun to mix them up from year to year.

The Grease Pole Festival is celebrating its 41st year and is considered the oldest ethnic festival in the city - that alone is a reason to attend. If you think that you're running out of time to add the festival to today's plans, then know that it starts at noon and ends at 10pm. That's plenty of time to swing by for some Hispanic food and Latin music - plus, don't forget that the climbing of the pole is worth the price of admission. Well, it would be if there was even a cover to get in!

Taste of Buffalo 2010 Winners

2010-07-10T20:20:59Z

I was happy to act as a judge at this year's Taste of Buffalo, along with a herd of local news anchors, politicians and fellow foodies. They set us off to work as soon as the festival was open, each of us were given the responsibility of sampling the offerings of a handful of restaurants. Each restaurant has numerous judges taste their entire menu in order to gain a fair perspective. How the Taste then turns all of our ratings into a list of winners, I am unsure, but I was happy that the best thing I tasted all day made the list.

The winning item I sampled was from the famous Dinosaur BBQ. They need to come to Buffalo. Plain and simple. This regional restaurant does the whole barbecue thing very well, and a Dinosaur downtown would be an excellent addition to the waterfront project. In the meantime, grab one of their mini pulled pork sammies while they're here. They took the prize for Best Meat Item for a good reason.

If you're heading down this evening or tomorrow, make sure to check out some of the top-rated bites! Here are the 2010 winners:

People's Choice: Chester's Cajun Grill from East Amherst Blackened Shrimp over Cajun Rice

Chairman's Choice: Ms. Goodies from Buffalo Junkyard Dog

Children's Choice: Nick Charlaps Ice Cream from Hamburg Chocolate Vanilla Twist Cone

Lou Billitier Memorial "Rookie of the Year" Award: Papaya Restaurant from Buffalo

Best Dessert: Landies Candies from Buffalo Strawberry Kabobs

Best Wine: Glenora Wine Cellars from Dundee Dry Riesling

Best Overall Food: Torches in Kenmore Nickel City Mac & Cheese

Best Meat Item: Dinosaur BBQ from Rochester Pork Sliders

Best Seafood Item: Chester's Cajun Grill Blackened Shrimp over Cajun Rice

Best Vegetarian Item: Bing's from Amherst Artichoke Gratinee

Best Comfort Food (selected by Erie County Legislator Lynn Marinelli): Anderson's Frozen Custard from Amherst Pecan Turtle Crunch

New York Award (chosen by Erie County Clerk Kathleen Hochul):Orazio's Seafood Fusilli

Pat Sardina Memorial Award: EM Chrusciki Bakery in Buffalo Caramel Confusion

Independent Health Healthy Choice Options:
First place: Giacobbi's Pasta and Pizza from Hamburg Turkey Meatball in Marinara
Second Place: Orazio's from Amherst Beans and Greens Soup
Third Place: Saigon Café from Buffalo Summer Roll

Sunday Soccer with FC Buffalo

2010-07-10T16:40:55Z

Soccer will be on the minds of a lot of Buffalonians tomorrow, especially those who have been supporting our own FC Buffalo team. In preparation for soccer-madness tomorrow, Sean Lafferty, the club's assistant director of partnerships, has set the cleats in motion with a kick-off party at Papa Jake's that will lead to FC Buffalo's final game of the season. From Sean:

"We have an all-day soccer affair starting at Papa Jake's at 1pm with food and drink specials during the World Cup Final on three large flat screens. Get there early as the place fills fast.

Netherlands

vs.

Spain

Jul 11 2:30pm (ET) on ABC

"Following the game we want everyone to head over to All-High Stadium for the final home game of FC Buffalo v. Reading FC under the lights at 7pm with a post-game party to follow at Papa Jakes.

More about Sunday's FC Buffalo game.

**Halftime will be a 7 v. 7 Rugby game
**Players giving away their jerseys after the game to the fans
**Tons of raffles and prize giveaways

"This is the culmination of the last nine months of hard work and dedication from not only the players and coaches, but from a group of nine guys who love the sport of soccer, love the city of Buffalo, and decided to do something about it. When we talk to fans of the team and they thank us for having something like this to enjoy, take their families to, root for... We can only respond with a thank you right back. Even if you don't like the sport, support Buffalo, the team, myself, my friends as we have worked our tails off to give you the best possible experience we could to Buffalo and the fans..."

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Rust Bowl Soul @ Tower Jam

2010-07-10T16:02:51Z

Soulive Review: Eric Crittenden
Photos: Joe Casio

Although the second concert trio in the Tower Jam Concert Series could have easily been a wash due to inclement weather, music fans rallied early on while Mother Nature changed her tune as the evening progressed. By the time Soulive hit the stage, the crowd had solidified and all eyes were on the masterful musicians as they played to the energized crowd. From Buffalo musician Eric Crittenden:

"Even though Eric Krasno, guitarist for Soulive, is from Connecticut, there's no doubt that Neal and Alan Evans, who complete the funky 3, bring with them a groove that is purely Buffalo.

"Soulive's show at the Tower Jam series was rust bowl soul at its finest. In fact, the 'old timers' tell tales of an era where all the colors and all the 'hoods' melted together to create a groove, vibe and sound perpetuated by the likes of Rick James, Grover Washington Jr. and blue collar grit. Rust bowl soul was born of blue collar grit and blue collar grind... and Soulive brought it as they always do.

"The trio dropped into the type of funk that would make your teeth grind, hips buck and rump bounce. A decadent display of dynamics and expertise as they indeed took Buffalo on a musical journey complete with a Beatles set that was absolutely bananas!

"Mayor Brown commemorated this day as "Soulive Day" and thanks to the visions of Seamus Gallivan and Jeff Empric of Roaming Buffaloes, the Tower Jams series aims to go beyond the typical "frats-in-hats & silver spooner" vibe that stagnates through the majority of so-called cultural affairs in Buffalo. United we funked under the dawning of the dusk and united in multicultural bliss were we - and it was a joy to behold. In fact I 'could of swore' I saw Mayor Brown Krumpin' on the down-low...no not really but think about it... lol!

"Soulive is proud to claim their Buffalo roots and the Rust bowl has never been more proud of its funk-ta-fied sons!

"Buffalo has a wealth of talent on BOTH sides of Main street and her music is bringing us together, 1 beat at a time. .

"Holla!"

A world of difference: Mentor a Refugee Mother-to-be.

2010-07-09T21:09:58Z

Priscilla Project is one of my favorite difference-makers in the city. Mentoring pregnant refugee women is a very effective, low cost way to improve our neighborhoods not only in the short-term, but over generations.

The following is a testimonial from another mentor:

"In June 2009, I was at home with my one-month-old baby, experiencing the ups and downs of new motherhood. Around the same time, Poe Meh, was leaving Ban Mai Nai Soi, a refugee camp on the Burma/ Thailand border, and heading to America. Neither of us knew it, but our paths would unite that December, through The Priscilla Project.

"I'm 12 years older than Poe Meh, and we don't speak the same language, but we quickly became friends. Her little son, Play Reh, and my son, Luca, enjoyed many play dates together. Poe Meh and I tackled WIC shopping, and I accompanied her and her husband, Poe Reh, to many doctors' visits. During a sonogram in late January, the technician noticed Poe Meh's amniotic fluid was low. We scheduled a follow-up with a specialist, but Poe Meh never made to that appointment. Her little girl, Oo Meh, was born on February 6th at 33 weeks, weighing only 3.12 lbs. She stayed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for 13 days.

"Oo Meh is home now, weighs over 7 pounds, and is absolutely precious. When I see her, I feel overwhelmed by the miracle of her birth...a miracle that, by such an amazing twist of fate, I got to be a part of. I have learned so much since I met Poe Meh and her family - about the plight of the Karenni people, about the political strife in Burma, and even about WIC, HEAP, and DSS. But mostly importantly, I have learned that, if you are willing, God will use you as an instrument of peace and hope in this world."

The Priscilla Project is a program for pregnant refugee women. Women in TPP receive the opportunity to be mentored, have a doula at her birth, learn life skills, and participate in meaningful education activities. Vulnerable women in the midst of resettlement are connected to women in the Buffalo area in order to help them overcome the emotional and physical challenges of life in a new country.

If you are interested in being a mentor, please contact nikki.hitchcock@jrm-buffalo.org. There has been a recent increase in referrals and there is an immediate need for mentors.

Judge Tosses Sale of School 36 to Elmwood Village Charter School

2010-07-09T20:00:00Z

A judge has ruled in the dispute over the City's sale of the closed School #36 on Days Park. Justice Patrick NeMoyer has sided with Sam Savarino and blocked the City Council-approved sale of the property to the Elmwood Village Charter School. The decision on the Article 78 proceeding was handed down on Wednesday.

Both the Elmwood Village Charter School and upstart West Buffalo Charter School coveted the school property. Savarino is working with the West Buffalo Charter School to secure a permanent home for the K-4 school. On March 16, 2010, the Buffalo City Council agreed to sell the site to Elmwood Village Charter School for $540,000, less than the appraised value of $725,000 and less than the minimum $800,000 Savarino had offered for the property. The sale to Elmwood Village Charter School was approved anyway.

Savarino, in court documents, argued the City's own sale-by-appraisal process was not followed, that the City ignored the fair market value of the property, and breached their fiduciary duties to the public in selling the property for less than its fair market value.

He sought a judgment annulling the sale as arbitrary and capricious and the product of unlawful procedures.

The Court found that the City never retained an appraiser and instead only relied on appraisals submitted by prospective buyers. An independent opinion of value wasn't obtained. The judge also found evidence of preference given to Elmwood Village Charter School when the $540,000 sales price was set.

The Court determined that the City's determination to sell the property to Elmwood Village for $540,000 "cannot stand." While it would not necessarily be arbitrary or unlawful for the City to "reject an offer of a higher purchase price from one prospective buyer in favor of a monetarily lower but socially more beneficial offer from a different prospective purchaser." However, the Court determined the City should have recognized the "pertinent provisions of the Charter exist to create an orderly and not an arbitrary or even chaotic procedure for the sale of surplused public property."

The overriding objective of the City Charter-specified procedures is to enable municipal officials to get the best price for the property. The Court concluded that, "under the circumstances, there was a failure on the part of City officials to substantially comply with applicable procedures." It further concluded that it was "arbitrary and unlawful" for the City to "ignore the repeated non-contingent offers of petitioner [Savarino] to purchase the property for at least is $725,000 initially appraised value (and now for at least $800,000)."

With that, Judge NeMoyer granted Savarino's petition and annulled the City Council's March resolution authorizing the sale of the property to Elmwood Village Charter School.

It is unknown if the City plans to appeal the decision or start the disposition process over again. The West Buffalo Charter School is looking for a temporary location that can accommodate 162 K-2 students in its first year of operation this fall. Within two years the school is expected to have 270 students in grades K-4.

The suit by Savarino's 124 Elmwood LLC against EVCS was dismissed "without prejudice" contemporaneously with the decision in the Savarino vs City suit. It can be filed again if EVCS indeed defaults in their lease obligations at their current Elmwood Avenue location.

Previous:

Timeline
EVCS Response
WBCS Background

Guerrilla Gardening SWAT Team Strikes!

2010-07-09T17:10:20Z

Just the other day I was thinking about Buffalo's Guerrilla Gardeners - the group has certainly kept an ultra-low profile. As I was thinking about how it might be time to re-form the group (tough to do when I don't know who they are), I received an email from a member of a pseudo Guerrilla Gardener crack squad (no, not that type of crack) that was interested in recruiting volunteers for a planting at the Inner Harbor this Sunday.

Although the group is not officially considered 'guerrilla' in nature, they do resemble the underground concept in many ways. It's a volunteer effort that coincides with events such as the National Garden Festival. Interested gardeners are being asked to dedicate their time and expertise to one of the city's most coveted districts - a waterfront parcel that is in need of some green and flowers. From one of the 'organizers':

"I am organizing a volunteer work project for this weekend - Sunday, July 11. We will be weeding and doing some general gardening around the Buffalo Naval and Military Park. If anyone is looking for something to do before they head to The Taste of Buffalo, we would welcome the help from 9:00am to noon. We're more like a guerrilla gardening SWAT team. We will be represented by a new Rotaract Club (offshoot of Buffalo Rotary Club - this is a service club for ages 18 - 30), vested waterfront residents, and coerced family and friends. The "party" will begin in the big red museum building. BYOT - Bring your own tools!"

A Tasty Weekend in Buffalo

2010-07-09T14:19:42Z

We are just hours away from the Taste of Buffalo opening. Over 50 restaurants have been busy all week, preparing themselves for a two-day onslaught of voracious eaters.

What's different about the Taste this year, from all the other years that you may or may not have attended? The Boy Scouts of America are celebrating their 100th anniversary by erecting a kid-friendly exhibit for this season only. Adventure Base 100 allows guests to enjoy a multi-sensory experience that will offer the sights, smells and sounds of Scouting via the campus IMAX-like video "Go! Dome."

Zantac is teaming up with the Travel Channel for their "Beat the Heat" tour, and chose the Taste as the tour's only New York State stop! Inside, the tour's interactive exhibit, attendees will be able to virtually meet Adam Richman, star of Travel Channel's "Man v. Food", by standing in front of a green screen environment for a customized photo with the star, along with a plate of heartburn-inducing food.

Zhu Zhu Pets and the new Kung Zhu hamsters scurry across America! The Zhu-niverse Tour welcomes all fans to come live for a day like the Zhu's. Run through the Zhu Zhu Pets life-size habitrail like Mr. Squiggles, or through the ninja and special forces training grounds like Drayko and Sgt. Serge to test the ultimate question: Which Zhu are you?

The 2010 Empire State Games will continue its traveling torch tour exhibit to help build excitement and enthusiasm for the Summer Games slated to be held in Buffalo this year. The torch has made stops in each participating region. The Torch Tour will make an appearance at the annual Taste of Buffalo. Visitors to the exhibit will receive a complimentary photo with the official Empire State Games hand-held torch.

As always, new restaurants have joined the fun. Guests will sample tastes from newbies like Buffalo Roadhouse Grill, Encore Restaurantt, Isabella's Italian Deli, Mazzariello's, The Melting Pot, Papaya, Saigon Café, Sakura Sushi and WJ Morrisseys.

Don't forget that Buffalo Rising has been integral in booking the Culinary Theatre this year. It has moved over to the New Era Cap parking lot and features many eateries, including two chefs from the Seneca Casinos, The Steer, Buffalo's first taco truck, Lloyd, and cupcake queen, Zilly Rosen.

Also on tap this year is the event's first taste of an artisan foodmaker, as baker Kevin Gardner of Five Points Bakery prepares sourdough ciabatta by starting with the wheat. From there he will thresh, clean, mill, mix, ferment, form, and bake the bread. Lucky audience members will have the opportunity to enjoy samples from all of our demonstrators.

But maybe you aren't happy with just a sample, maybe you'd prefer to weigh-in? Audience members will act as judges for four Nickel City Chef competitions scheduled throughout the weekend.

Watch Nickel City Chef JJ Richert of Torches face-off against former NCC winner, Challenging Chef Kate Elliott of Juniper in Battle: Slider and Battle: Gnocchi. On Sunday, you can catch Nickel City Chef Adam Goetz of Sample in a head-to-head challenge with Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner of Curly's in Battle: Grilled Cheese and Battle: County Fair Desserts. In all instances, the chefs will prepare their best and tastiest version of the dish at hand, and the winner will be determined based on specific criteria including taste, presentation, preparation and creativity.

You can view a full, updated schedule for the demonstrations here.

Last, but not least, it is important to note that one of the biggest problems at the Taste last year was the bottleneck created by construction near The Statler. Not only was it a very unpleasant situation for attendees, but the businesses with stands located in that area were at a great disadvantage. This year, organizers have kept this area free and clear of food stands and all other vendors, making it a narrow but clutter-free people expressway, of sorts.

Come down to the Taste this weekend and enjoy one of Buffalo's best and biggest summertime events. But please be responsible and keep animals and young children safe in these very hot temperatures. This is important all of the time, but particularly at events that are on asphalt with a limited supply of shade. Here are some standard advisories for pets and people (especially kids) to serve as a reminder.

Interview with Alan Evans of Soulive

2010-07-09T14:13:23Z

Soulive is playing today, rain or shine (big tent on the way), at the Tower Jam concert series - the concert starts at 4:30pm with a set from Free Henry! then Jony James will take it from there. Soulive should go on stage at about 6:15pm. The grillers will be serving food starting at noon and the beer tent will open for the concert. Mayor Brown will be at the show to announce that today is officially Soulive Day in Buffalo. Hometown vocalist and all around media personality, Alex Kelly, caught up with Alan last night at Merge to ask him a few questions prior to the show.

Alex Kelly interview with Alan Evans

Alex: Soulive has been creating together for 11 years now, you guys have toured all over the world and with a number of other artists including Talib Kwali, what are some key elements that went into making this band such a success?

Alan: Well I would say that the three of us let each other do our own thing; we all come to the table with songs. There are no rules, like you have to play exactly like this.... We just create songs and everyone plays it how they interpret it. It's all about adding your own personality into it. Everyone has the freedom to do what they want to do. Most importantly we have fun doing what we are doing. When we are on stage its not a big show with explosions and all, we are having fun, we are doing out thing. I think that people can see that we enjoy what we do, and so they have a good time. It's a symbiotic relationship. We want people to feel like they are a part of the experience, and that has helped us become what we have become.

Alex: In regards to experimentation, you guys have always tried to keep your music relatively new, so as not to repeat yourselves. What has the response been from our audience, and how difficult is it to keep things so fresh?

Alan: For us it hasn't been that difficult to keep things fresh. Outside of Soulive we all do our own thing. We play with other people, so when we create with other people, we have quite a vocabulary to pull from. We have other things that inspire us so there is always something to pull from the pot. In regards to our audience, you can't please everyone. I try to keep up with what is being said about us like online and whatnot, but you do get some people that give you a hard time if you go in a different direction, but they also give you a hard time if you put out the same stuff all the time. To be a true artist, you have to almost disregard what everyone thinks about what you do, but at the same time you want to make things that people can relate to.... It's a fine line.

Alex: Can you talk about Royal Family records a bit?

Alan: Yeah, Royal Family Records..... It's new in name but it's old in our hearts. It started in 2008 (I think), Soulive took a few years off from heavy touring; we did a few gigs to keep the lights (laughs). In that time I opened my recording studio as a commercial spot. My brother Neal started his work doing music for "The Blacklist" for HBO. I think it was harder to find all the people that were connected with us like Lettuce and Break Science, so Kras took it upon himself to create a blog where we could all be linked together. Neal and Kras had never actually been to my studio, and since I had some time off, I told them to come down and eventually we wound up recording this album called "UP Here" which wound up being our 1st release on the label. When we realized that we had this album, we had no idea how we would put it out. We were not with a label nor did we want to be, so we put it out ourselves, and since Kras already has a pretty good web presence with Royal Family Music, we turned it into a record label and it just kinda took off from there.

Alex: How has extending yourself to new artist been helpful to your own band?

Alan: I guess its like, your hippin' new cats to what your dong and growing your whole family... For us that's what it's about.

Alex: Many of your Buffalo fans will be excited to see you live; can you tell us what they can expect to see?

Alan: As always, high energy. Buffalo is an exciting place for us to play. We play all over the world but Buffalo feels like a second home. It's like whenever we play here, there are so many people that you know. It's not like in Tokyo and you see some cat that you know and you're like, "Oh, I partied with that guy"... Here, there are people that you really know... it's a whole different energy. It's an energy that we do not find anywhere else that we play.

Alex: What is next on the agenda for Soulive?

Alan: Ok, ok, there is a bunch of stuff.... Let's see, we recorded a new album that is kinda out right now, it's called Rubber Soulive, it's all Beatles tunes. We took a few days and just like listened to pretty much every Beatles song ever. We picked out some that we dug. The official release of that is September. At the same time we did this thing called Bowlive at this spot called Brooklyn Bowl. It took us ten nights and we had all of our friends come out each night, and I mean the list of people that came out was crazy. There will be a DVD of that in the fall. In terms of the Royal Family, Eric's album is out now, my brothers album is coming out soon. Nigel Hall, Nigel is the truth; his album is coming out soon, as well as my own stuff.... So there is a lot of music.

Alex: Sweet, Ok I think we've come to the end of our interview.... Any last words?
Alan: .... I LOVE Buffalo...

BRO Leaves Town #3 - Chicago Sucks (not really but sort of)

2010-07-09T13:05:35Z

As our BRO summer vacation tour continues I thought I would do a little city bashing to make Buffalo feel a bit better about itself. For my next two posts I am going to look at the seamy underside of two very different cities and compare them to Buffalo. The first city in my sights, as you can see from the title, is Chicago Illinois. yep that's right Chicago sucks.

Of course Chicago does not suck (too much). It is a fantastic city with amazing neighborhoods, a Great Lake, and a great architectural tradition. It is vibrant, fabulously wealthy, and chock full of wonderful institutions. Buffalo in many ways resembles Chicago, which might be why I was originally attracted to the city. Any individual Buffalo neighborhood could easily fit comfortably in Chicago. Also just like Buffalo, not all is good in Chicago. Although the grass may appear very green on this side of the fence it is grass that has become a bit unkempt of late. I began thinking of writing this story as the Statler troubles unfolded after the Bashar Issa debacle. That massive empty building in the center of downtown has become a poster-building for all that is wrong in New York State and Buffalo. Well Buffalo don't despair, you are not alone Chicago wants to steal your limelight.

Where do we start - First, Illinois government is in a horrible mess. It has a massive $12B deficit (not counting last year's). The governor and legislature cannot agree on how to fix it. They have not been able to pass a budget and have failed to pay out money owed state colleges and local school districts. The state told them to go borrow the money. The Chicago schools are planning to lay off 7000 teachers and increase class sizes to 38 students. The Chicago Transit Authority just recently made drastic reductions to its bus and train schedules to fill a void in its budget. The governor that I mentioned?   He is in office because he took over after the last one was kicked out of office. That former gov is now on trial for corruption including trying to sell President Obama's senate seat. The governor before him is already in jail. The C(r)ook County sales tax is the highest in the nation at 11% in parts of the city. Even with this giant tax the county still has trouble balancing a budget. A former Chicago police commander was just convicted for torture and the state has a moratorium on its death penalty law because 7 or 8 death row inmates were found to actually be innocent.

With that primer let's get back to talking about big empty buildings. I know people in Buffalo like to think they are special and that a big empty Statler building is quite unique in the USA and that only Buffalo is so sucky and the Statler should be torn down and the city is corrupt and the crack addicts - blah blah blah. Well I hate to break your heart Buffalo but you are not unique. Chicago is filled with empty giants and dead projects. Much of this is due to the recent economic crisis but some of the vacancy goes back decades. Across the street from my office sits a brand new (well, 1 1/2 year old) 12-storey condo building with a massive parking garage. I think it must have over 100 apartments and also includes one commercial space. The building is completely empty. It hit the market 2 years too late. Even so, it probably would have been foreclosure central if it had been completed before the economic crash set in. Although Chicago is not in the big leagues of real estate bubble popping disasters like Las Vegas or Phoenix, it is still quite dismal owning one of the highest foreclosure rates and a hefty drop in house values. I estimate that my (paper) loss from the high point against Buffalo's continued gain in real estate value is close to $150,000, maybe more. Thankfully I did not buy in at the insane price level 2 years ago.

Half built structures are common around the city. Just down the street from the empty condo building sits the shell of a half built group of low rise condos which were halted in their tracks after the economic melt down. The biggest and most prominent of these ghost buildings is the half built Waterview Tower. It was to rise 90 stories above Wacker Drive, one of the most prestigious business streets in the city. It sits as a hulking concrete frame, having gotten to just barely above the parking deck level.   Its neighbors recently sued to have the idled tower-crane removed. Walking by, pedestrians are greeted with aging signs proclaiming the great lifestyle this building was to provide.

Around the corner from Cityview Tower is Block 37. Block 37 is such a dysfunctional development site that it has an entire book written about it. The site was cleared of a fabulous set of historic buildings 20 years ago. Plans to tear down the block go back at least another 20 years before that. For 17 of those years the block sat idle except for a temporary park that gave it some much needed life. The site was finally developed with a very scaled back mixed use structure. The building came on line just in time to celebrate the bank crisis. The mall portion is mostly empty with a slowly increasing tenant base. Emptiness abounds in other large structures as well. The old county hospital building (the model setting for the TV show ER) has been empty since a new hospital was completed 8 years ago. The massive historic building is a wedding cake of detail. Some wanted to tear it down but momentum seems to be gathering to save it. No plan yet however. Chicago's old post office is another empty giant. Again it was vacated when a replacement was built. Its 3 million square feet have been empty for 15 years. The federal government spends $2 million a year to maintain the empty building. Can you think of something better to do with $30 mil and counting? No plans have stuck for this one yet either. Interesting that the feds decided to just ditch the old post office in Buffalo when its time had come. Buffalo figured out what to do with the massive building to the consternation of many who coveted the site for parking.

So all this writing to say that Buffalo really isn't doing so bad sort of. There have been a flurry of new projects proposed as the state is finally set to pass a law that benefits upstate (oh wait not yet!). On top of that the city finally has a crop of developers who actually do something, unemployment is not the worst in the country or even close to worst, real estate values continue to rise, and the sales tax is not the highest in the country. Now if only M&T does not sell out to the Spaniards and HSBC grows its presence in Downtown we can really start to party.

Next up: Buffalo Ain't Detroit

Registration Open for Subaru Chase

2010-07-09T10:34:18Z

By: Tom Tarapacki

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Chase everyone--whether you're running or not--is encouraged to wear a Chase t-shirt from years past. There are some great specimens from previous races, many featuring what has come to symbolize the race: a pink flamingo.

The race is being held on Friday, July 16 at 7:00 p.m. sharp. It's a 4-mile course that starts and ends Bidwell near Elmwood. It costs $20 for an early entry and $25 on the day of the race. Proceeds will benefit the Police Athletic League of Buffalo. The race day events kick-off at 11 a.m. with the Pre-Race Expo and Registration at Elmwood and Bidwell, and wrap up with a post-race party featuring with live music from the Nickel City Pimp Choir. Organizers proclaim the race and the post-race party "the social running event of the summer".

The Chase always attracts some elite runners. This year it's also bringing in one of the great runners of all time, the legendary Bill Rodgers. Rodgers was a four-time winner of the Boston and New York City marathons. He was a member of the 1976 US Olympic Team, where he was in the leading pack until a foot injury forced him to drop back. In 1980 the U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Olympic Games eliminated Bill's chance for Olympic success. The 62-year old Rodgers now owns and operates Bill Rodgers Running Center in Faneuil Hall Market Place in Boston with his brother.

Rogers isn't going to compete, but the day before the race (Thursday July 15th) he will conduct a free running clinic at 7:00p.m. and a short "sight-seeing" run at 7:30p.m. The run will be about 2 miles long and take in the Olmsted parks system and the Elmwood Village area.

For more information go to www.buffalosubaruchase.com, online registration is available at: www.active.com.

Buffalo Really Really Free Market

2010-07-08T22:54:24Z

It really really doesn't get any freer than this. This Saturday, July 10th from 10am to 4pm, at the corner of Vermont and Normal, the second annual BRRFM will set up shop. The interesting thing about this market, as the name implies, is that there is no cost involved with a 'purchase'. See something you like? It's yours. What's the catch? There's no catch other than organizers ask that you bring some things along with you (like books, CDs, clothing, tools, etc.) that you have no need for anymore. You can even bring a song or a dance as an offering if you don't have anything else to give. Even services are welcome - like a massage or a lesson in gardening.

The market is associated with an international movement where caring and sharing is the principle in an alternate gift economy. It's a passive way to remind people that although capitalism is king (at this time), the core values of a simpler life are still alive and well. To think that anything in this day and age is free is almost unthinkable. Especially when there is no corporate marketing attached. Well, here's your chance to see what it's like to visit a Really Really Free Market - the chance doesn't come along that often.

Here's some more info on the BRRFM (first year).

Here's the location.

As Buffalo Swelters: Ice Cream Cycle to the Rescue!

2010-07-08T20:30:00Z

As the thermometer at the upper right of the BRO home page moves within range of triple digits -- in the 90s at the time of publishing -- I feel like I'm in that Twilight Zone episode "The Midnight Sun." How to cope? Ice Cream!! James Karagiannis, aka The Ice Cream Dude, came to the rescue of some hot, hard-working folks on Niagara Street today. Pulling into a parking lot not far from Santasiero's, James found a ready group of customers from Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Better Wire, and Smith McDonald - all tenants of several buildings in that area owned by Bill Breeser. After he reset everyone's internal thermostats to cool, someone asked James to pop across the street to serve some production workers. Afterward, James said, his plan was to head out to the Outer Harbor along Rt. 5, to ply his wares in the cool Lake Erie breezes.

James came equipped with his latest weapon in his mission of helping Buffalo keep its inner cool: a trailer. Something he acquired this week, now James can trailer his Ice Cream Cycles to locations where he thinks he'll find business, and ride around from there. Otherwise, he would have been pedaling from Niagara/Ferry all the way to the outer harbor -- likely finding few customers along the way, and arriving exhausted. "There was a great deal of dead time," James deadpanned about some of his longer treks from work area to work area.

And what areas are James and his crew working this summer? He told me they've spent a lot of time cruising the west side between Niagara and Grant - very densely settled areas where people spend a lot of time outdoors. He also made a recent foray into University Heights -- outside his normal stomping grounds -- and apparently angered "the competition." "An ice cream truck spotted me and started following me around, block after block. Then I realized that he was playing the music, the customers would come out, and see me! I didn't mind," James told me, as if nothing fazes him.

That's a good trait -- as you know from previous Buffalo Rising coverage, it seems like there is never a dull day in Ice Cream Cycle world. James' business adds greatly to the liveliness and vitality of Buffalo's streets, and strikes me as a modern-day version of the pushcarts that within living memory plied Buffalo's streets (click here and go to the last page). Buffalo is fortunate to have entrepreneurs like James -- don't let him pass by without getting an ice cream bar!