Author: Claire Wanzer

Claire Wanzer is from Amherst, NY and currently attends Niagara University where she’s pursuing a degree in English and Communication Studies. Claire is also a member of the women’s basketball team at NU and is extremely passionate about sports. She loves animals, hiking, rollerblading, yoga, hanging out with her friends, and especially writing for her personal blog, ontheairwithclaire.com

As a college student, I’d say two of my favorite words are free and fun. Because of this, Friday afternoon my friends and I went to Larkinville to spend the gorgeous afternoon eating, playing free games, and soaking up some sun. We started our afternoon off at the Swan Street Diner for milkshakes. Most of my pals ordered salted caramel milkshakes, a few got strawberry, and I had chocolate. My one friend is lactose intolerant, so she opted for some warm, powdered sugar and glazed mini donuts. We all loved the retro look of the diner and decided that we…

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Normally, a Buffalonian’s summer involves typical Delaware park runs, maybe kayaking at Canalside, or eating in the outside dining area of favorite restaurants. However, by late July, there will be a new “normel” summer activity … Normel Paintball, created by the owners of Normel Tech, Erik Hansen and Joshua Burch. The only outdoor paintball course in WNY will be coming to the East Side this summer, offering a unique and competitive way to bond and have fun with friends. The facility is on a 3.1-acre block located at 482 Howard Street in Buffalo, on the other side of the tracks…

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Memorial Day weekend marked the opening of an exciting addition to Middle Harbor’s RiverWorks complex: two new high ropes courses. Director of Recreation, Matt Prime, took me and my friend, Kathleen, through the course on Thursday and gave us some information about the new adventures at the facility. The two ropes courses are located above the rink area of RiverWorks. The lower course is a great introductory experience while the higher course is more challenging. As a first timer in doing a ropes course, I opted to try the lower course first. Before jumping in on the action, Matt gave…

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As a young kid, my parents signed me up for the typical house league soccer team, hoping that I would blossom into a future Alex Morgan or Hope Solo. Unfortunately, soccer never proved to be my calling. My dad, who was a high school soccer coach at the time, put me through camps and clinics believing that I’d eventually find the love of the game. My mom utilized bribery to try and get me to get involved; she told me she’d give me $20 if I scored a goal at any point in the season. In the end, I never…

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I thought I knew the Buffalo Zoo well. Growing up, I was an excited Zoo camper and animal lover. I thought it hadn’t been long since my last visit, but in reality, it had probably been more than 10 years. And I can say for a fact that a lot has changed– the Buffalo Zoo is not the same zoo it was a decade ago. If you’re the typical Buffalonian, you’ve probably been to the Zoo and moved on with your life. You saw the lions, tigers, and bears, and had an underwhelming amount of “oh my’s.” I’m going to…

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Now that I am at the ripe old age of 19, I finally realized that I don’t know much about the city I claim as my hometown. The extent of my Buffalo knowledge, navigation, and experiences throughout my life have been historically restricted to the basketball scene within the area… aside from that, my Buffalo IQ is extremely low. Luckily at this ripe old age, I now have the desire, time, and means (a car) to explore my hometown. My first mission was to lose my Food Truck Tuesday virginity. Since the first time I had heard about Food Truck…

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