Author: sabshink

Starting this Sunday, along with Jazz at the Albright and Hoyt Lake (Gala Waters) boat rentals, Olmsted Parks Conservancy will be offering horse drawn carriage rides. The travel routes will be the various Olmsted Parkways (Lincoln Parkway, Soldiers Circle, Gates Circle, and Bidwell Parkway) as well as Delaware Park. Andrusz Carriage Service and Eden Carriage Company will be offering 15-minute rides from 1pm-5pm each and every Sunday at a cost of $25 (carriage holds up to four people).The carriage rides are just one part of the growing list of activities being offered within park boundaries. “This is an opportunity to…

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One of the city’s only remaining vinyl shops (more info) is heading to the Elmwood Village. After experiencing a major setback due to a fire at the previous Delaware Avenue location, owner David Palumbo decided to pack his gear and head to where most of his customers originate from anyways. He landed a vacant storefront on Bryant Street, directly between Trattoria Aroma and the future Coffee Culture (corner of Elmwood). From what I have read on David’s blog, the fire took a major toll on the business, but in true Buffalo fashion, the music community rallied and helped David to…

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This past weekend the Buffalo Yacht Club hosted the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA) Annual Regatta – only the second time held in Buffalo in the last 126 years. In order to accommodate the racers, the club added a floating dock system that extended out along the LaSalle Park seawall. The extension was a welcome addition to the park, giving passersby an opportunity to envision what LaSalle would look like if boaters were allowed to tie up. I asked a few people at the club if the dock system was permanent, and the answer was, “Probably not…” When I inquired…

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At long last Porter Avenue will see the infrastructure improvements needed to turn the street into a the gateway to the city that it always should have been. Phase 1 of the $3 million project is underway (see back story), and with it the street will be transformed into something much closer to how it was originally intended – as an Olmsted Parkway. Now that work has begun from near the entrance of Lasalle Park to Niagara Street, it would be fitting to examine some of the surrounding properties that have been contributing to the blight – properties such as…

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Isn’t it amazing what can happen when a public park is built by the community in an at-risk neighborhood? Following are two examples of the changes that can occur – interestingly enough, both of these community projects were built at corners, and both were built at sites that, until recently, were occupied by structures.It can be a scary scenario when a corner lot opens in a residential neighborhood. Often times the lot sits vacant and collects garbage, thus attracting other bad elements to the spot. Vacant corners are also susceptible to parking lots, which can be major eyesores if not…

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Well, it seems the universe wants us all to tell it what we’d like to see at the waterfront entity known as Canal Side. The retraction of interest by Bass Pro may mean a huge, bright, new opportunity for all of us who like diversity, variety, value and a genuine Buffalo environment in which to learn, laugh, and celebrate our unique city. Form follows function, right? If you build it they will come, but if you build what they want, they will keep coming! So, is it green, sports, BBQ, history, playgrounds, museums…?Buffalo Rising and the Buffalo Expat Network want to…

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By: Mackenize LambertFirst forming in 1990, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (JSBX) have been performing hard rocking blues with MC5-caliber energy. This particular sound has been affiliated with other acts as The Cramps, Social Distortion, Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture on the Skids, and continues to this day with both The White Stripes and Cage the Elephant. On July 30th, the audience in attendance at the Tralf were treated blues punk with a twist of psychobilly.Opening for JSBX was local Buffalo duo, Sonorous Gale. Their two person line-up immediately brings to mind both White Stripes and Black Keys. Yet, there…

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By: Natalie GriggWhere can you go for a decadent dining experience that is sure to tempt your taste buds and make you want to return for more before you have even left? That would be Bistro Europa. Open for lunch and dinner all week long and on Sunday for brunch service from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Bistro Europa is located on the 500 block of Elmwood. Recently under new ownership, the eatery’s new found fans and regulars have learned to arrive early in order to insure themselves a seat at one of the intimate bistro’s handful of tables. The…

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By: Tony WilsonIn keeping with their summer dance party motif (see: Communist Dance Party, Nobody Beats the Drum), Soundlab is bringing in venerable indie dance hero, The Juan Maclean. The Juan Maclean is the stage name for John Maclean a DJ that got his start in his native Providence, RI. While crafting his unique brand of dancey grooves he became acquainted with a popular sound technician James Murphy. Years later, the same Murphy went on to create a well known NYC indie record label and fronts popular indie dance outfit LCD Soundsystem. Murphy kept in touch with Maclean and eventually…

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Each year people pack the area between Michigan Avenue and Elm Street for the Queen City Jazz Festival. For the 5th year in a row the festival will delight Queen City jazz fans, but this year is extra special since it marks the 75th anniversary of the Colored Musicians Club!A beer tent and food vendors will keep the parched and hungry crowd sated as the day’s great line-up unfolds, providing ample entertainment.The event runs from noon – 8pm on Saturday. Here’s the schedule:12:00 PM – Ladies First Big Band 1:00 PM – Charles Reedy Jazz Quartet 2:00 PM – Jazz…

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