No Longer a Buffalo Blogger...



Downtown PHX in the sunset



It’s been over four months. I had all but abandoned this thing. But I’m not without excuse: this past summer my life changed dramatically.

I left Buffalo with all its grey skies, cold weather, and chicken wings behind. It was a leap of faith: I packed my little Subaru Impreza to bursting and drove it across the country. My new home is Phoenix, Arizona. I came out here for an opportunity to advance my career with Phoenix’s hometown airline US Airways (formerly America West Airlines).

That’s right; after nearly three years of selling shoes and putting up with obnoxious customers, I left my job at Kohl’s. My mom and dad met while working for Allegheny Airlines (eventually became USAir and now US Airways). My uncle was a pilot for the same. So I guess a little jet fuel was always in my veins, and that’s why I’m carrying on the family tradition at US Airways.

It’s been a phenomenal opportunity to apply my background in communications in an industry that has always fascinated me. I work at InFlight Services. In any given day it’s kind of like working at a newspaper: I write articles, do graphic design, distribute crew memos, take photos, and answer Dear Abbys (it’s actually called “Ask InFlight” and is an email forum where flight attendants write in to ask questions, or more commonly, gripe about what went wrong on their last flight).

And as for Phoenix? It’s a great place to live. There’s no such thing as a rain date here. A rare day of cloud cover is actually a welcome change of scenery. If you’re an outdoors enthusiast (as I am), Arizona has no shortage of beautiful mountains, parks, and scenery that varies from desert valleys to mountain highland. Compared to Buffalo, the cost of living is a lot lower. Case in point: even with a 2% food tax (something NY doesn’t charge on groceries), groceries are still a lot cheaper here. Gasoline is much cheaper (comparatively speaking; there’s no such thing as cheap gas anymore).

So basically it costs less to live in a far nicer place. Makes sense to me. This was a move that was a matter of when, not if. I’m just glad that US Airways provided me the initial opportunity to begin my westward expansion. In the meantime, if I’m going to keep this little hole in cyberspace up, what should I rename it? Buffalo Bloggins isn’t going to work anymore…

Shedding Some Light on the Season...

I know we’re getting late in the season for this post, but I’d still like to share my thoughts on a couple Christmas lighting spectaculars causing brownouts all around Western New York.  I had been trying to decide:  Olmstead Lights Winter Nights in Delaware Park or Hamburg Festival of Lights at the Fairgrounds?  I ended up visiting both. 

Since the internet was little help in finding pre-visit reviews and tips—and neither venue has a very useful website—I figured I’d make a small but valiant attempt to correct this problem.  Both shows run into January, so even though Christmas is three days away, there’s still plenty of time to go light peeping.

Olmstead Lights Winter Nights



When the LEDs fade to blue, a frosty mood is cast over Delaware Park


Designed by a Buffalo State College professor of theater, this light show is the first to grace Delaware Park in eight years, reports the Buffalo News.  To visit, park at the Buffalo Zoo entrance to Delaware Park.  This simple tip is important; I got discombobulated here (not being a regular on Buffalo’s north side) and ended up at the Albright Knox Art Gallery.  Those more familiar with the city, go ahead and laugh at me. 

This show is pedestrians only, and entry is at the admission booth directly across the street from zoo parking.  While $20 per carload is the advertised rate, it’s also $5 per head—whatever's cheapest.  Make sure to bundle up warmly, as most of this is outdoors.  Approximately 15 acres of parkland are lit up by high-mounted, constantly changing LED lamps.  Their different hues, reflected off the snow, make for an intriguing and dynamic winter scene.  Trees and fences flank the walking path and are decked out in colorful lights while Christmas music sets the mood over an outdoor sound system. 

When you’ve had enough cold, head in to Parkside Lodge and warm up by the fireplace or take in live Christmas caroling.  The Lunchbox Café is also open serving refreshments and light meals.  A menu is available here. 

Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable way to get in the Christmas spirit, but with one caveat.  I’m a suburban boy, and driving nearly 30 miles from East Aurora for this is definitely not worth the time.  If you’re in the area, however, the $5 is well spent, and hey, it goes toward a good cause—supporting Buffalo’s city parks. 

Olmstead Lights runs Wednesday through Sunday each week until January 16, 2011.  It’s closed Christmas and New Years—both eve and the holidays.  More details at Olmstead Park’s website.

Hamburg Festival of Lights

Reflections—The Hamburg Festival of Lights

The defining exhibit here is the nearly two-mile long drive through an animated and illuminated winter wonderland.  The website claims there are over 200 light exhibits ranging from a tunnel of lights to two-dimensional figurines.  To set the mood, Christmas music and trivia are broadcast via your car’s stereo (a sign tells you what FM frequency to tune in to).  The drive lasts for about 10 – 15 minutes depending on how often you stop, but it’s definitely worth seeing.  I especially liked Bills and Sabres logos all made up in Christmas lights.  I wish there had been more hometown displays in this vein. 

While the light show is the crown jewel, once it’s passed there’s still plenty more to do.  A North Pole village showcases miniature storefronts, each with a different window scene and an actual pole of ice in the center of the village.  Brick walkways, nostalgic street lights, and decorations everywhere let you know it’s definitely Christmas. 

There’s also a reindeer barn complete with several reindeer and interesting facts about them.  Winterific is an indoor light show set to Christmas music.  I’ll admit, it sounded hokey on the website, but was actually well done.  It doesn’t last long, but is a good place warm up for a few minutes. 

Since this is an event geared toward families with kids, there’s also a midway with carnival rides (indoors), a Christmas magic show, and visits with Santa.  As you might imagine, I stayed far away from all these. 

The Hamburg Light Show is much better marked and easier to find than Olmstead Lights.  Enter at the Fairgrounds main gate on South Park Avenue where signs direct you to the admission checkpoint.  Don’t pay $18 per carload; coupons for $3 off are everywhere including local Pizza Hut and Wendy’s restaurants and Delta Sonic car washes. 

This one only runs until January 1, 2011 and is closed Christmas eve and day, so time is running out.  It’s open every night from 5:30pm – 9:30pm and the other attractions stay open until 10.  Since it’s a family event, mom and dad can have fun and support New York State their child’s education at the Hamburg Casino, conveniently located at the entrance/exit.  There’s also wine tastings from local Lake Erie wineries. 

Overall, I’d say this one, while pricey, was worth the money and a far more enjoyable show than Olmstead Lights.  Being in the south towns might have helped sway my opinion a bit too.  Check out more pictures in my Flickr gallery below:   

Six Degrees (or less) of Seperation from Buffalo; Milwaukee; and the Waterfront Rebirth

Buffalo St. in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward. 

There’s always a Buffalo connection. In four years attending college in Virginia, it seemed nine out of 10 people I met had some sort of connection to the Queen City.

“You’re from the 716?” “Oh my gosh, I have relatives in North Tonawanda!”—Typical responses when I shared my hometown. Of course, “The (insert team here; Sabres, Bills) suck!,” and, “Doesn’t it snow there like all the time?” were also commonplace.

Now fast forward to October, 2010. During Columbus Day week I spent three days in Milwaukee. While part of my trip was for business, I took a few days for sight seeing. What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy vacationing in the Brew City. Heck, I actually want to go back sometime.

I stayed within two blocks of Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan waterfront—definitely in the nicest end of downtown. It’s a business district where skyscrapers blend with residental, art, dining, and cultural attractions.  Milwaukee is linked by a fantastic grid of pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. And the second waterfront—nearly three miles of mezzanine along the Milwaukee River—is aptly named the Riverwalk.

While the Riverwalk takes you through historic neighborhoods, past old breweries, and through much of the shopping and nightlife downtown has to offer, Milwaukee has also capitalized on its first waterfront: Lake Michigan. A beautiful system of state and county parkland occupies the bluffs, and the impressive Milwaukee Art Museum, whose architecture is not unlike a ship about to set sail, has become a defining icon of downtown and the waterfront.

On the skyline are several modern office towers including the Wisconsin Center. Conceived in the late 1980s when the city was experiencing boom times, Wisconsin Center is testament to what I found myself thinking as I wore out my shoes exploring downtown Milwaukee: This is what Buffalo could be if only the Queen City didn’t squander her waterfront assets.

So inspired was I that, on the way home, I spent all of a three-hour layover and then some writing a travel article not only from the perspective of “Mil-walk-ee,” but also from how Buffalo should model its post-industrial reniassance after the Brew City.  Check out my travel column here.  I'd love some feedback.

Then today’s Buffalo News hit the stands. "City and Region" columnist Donn Esmonde chronicled his meeting earlier this week with John Norquist. Norquist is president and CEO of Congress for the New Urbanism. CNU’s mission is, “…promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.” Norquist was mayor of Milwaukee from 1988 – 2004 (some of its prime boom years), and was also instrumental in getting a blighted highway demolished for the sake of greener urban development. Additionally, Norquist championed for seeing the award-winning Riverwalk through to completion and he has authored a book on the ills of urban sprawl. Now here he is in Buffalo.

Norquist is consulting with city planners on what can be done to capitalize on Buffalo’s waterfront and take it from urban decay to user friendly, from brownfield to bustling. With a history of fiscal conservativism and a track record for getting things done as mayor, Norquist could be a much needed breath of life to Buffalo. Among his ideas:  take the Skyway down. It’ll be interesting to see if such redevelopment ever comes to fruition.

And through all these ironies yet one more remains: Norquist’s wife is from my suburban hometown of East Aurora. Perhaps I should re-phrase what I said at the beginning: There’s always a Western New York connection.

LINKS OF INTEREST

The Esmonde Files—A video tour of the Buffalo wasteland waterfront

My Flickr stream of Milwaukee photos

Buffalo Hopes to Revamp its Inner City

So now it has aired, and I can give a few more of my opines regarding “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Last evening revelers packed Shea’s for the two-hour-long special’s premier. They also packed my church, The Tabernacle (Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park) for a similar event (following Sunday evening service, of course). Buffalo got its time in the national spotlight.

I think the camera crew did a fantastic job of making Buffalo actually look good. Not the rundown slums on the West Side, but rather the shots capturing city hall, sunrises on the skyline, and Erie Basin Marina.

As I looked at the Powell family’s deteriorating West Side home, I imagined Buffalo back in its glory days. Back when heavy industry dominated the city and good-paying jobs were plentiful. One thing to be said for those old West Side homes is that they possess ornate woodwork and plenty of character. If only those walls could talk.

But one must wonder, just like with Powell’s home, how do these once-stately structures fall into such disarray? Why did people stop caring about inner-city Buffalo? Can Governor David Patterson really make good on his promise to rehab housing in New York State, starting with Buffalo? Will community gardens, fresh paint, and sidewalks really rehab the crime-smeared, slum-infested inner city?

There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered. But anyway, about the show. I haven’t watched “Extreme Makeover” in years. And you know what? I think it’s staged and hokey. No way a bus can entirely mask a two-story house from view. Once that bus was moved, I was about deafened by the Powell family’s constant screaming and squealing. I get it. They’re overwhelmed with joy. But ears are still ringing from the reveal.

Today Tom Baurele and others were criticizing the huge dole of material goods the Powell’s received. They got an extreme load of goods, because after all, this is an extreme makeover. Donating to such a project is a good PR stunt. Whether for Sears, Ashley Furniture, Canisius College, or any of the other benefactors that got some pluggola, ad revenues are ultimately what drive network television.

Fact is, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” makes money for ABC. Otherwise, it would be cancelled. To be jealous or to expect an even distribution of such wealth is frivolous. Someone’s going to get an extreme home makeover; it might as well have been the Powells. They seemed like a nice, hardworking family. They were down on their luck. And this Jamaican mother got to see an extreme example of American generosity.

Regarding my church’s hand in all this? Jim McGinnis got into the Buffalo News’ coverage of the event today. The church got some good press, and this time not in a column that otherwise belittled Orchard Park for its perceived snobbiness.

Questions remain. Can this remake-the-neighborhood momentum really succeed? Does Buffalo have the population and drive to revitalize its inner city slums? The area is losing people every year. Are there enough people to populate the urban core? Will “green” gardens product edible food in polluted soil?

In the here and now, I think “Extreme Makeover” was good for Buffalo’s image. For once the city wasn’t receiving press coverage for a record snowstorm. The Bills were featured doing charitable work, not losing a Super Bowl. And everyone enjoyed Buffalo Wings. I’m happy for the Powell family. We’ll see if the goodwill can last.

More on the Urban Farm Debate...

It’s as if the editors and writers at Buffalo News were planning for the question I posed at the end of yesterday’s blog. It’s as if they decided to answer it and so much more in an article in today’s paper. The Stevens family may just get their wish to farm on a vacant East Side lot, assuming a lease arrangement with the city gets approved. The city desires to hold onto the land, eyeing it as a locale for future subsidized housing or Habitat for Humanity construction.

For the meantime, the Stevens may be able to grow their crops while the city decides what to do with the land. And let’s face it: nothing gets done quickly in Buffalo. There’ll be bickering and the back-and-forth rhetoric about zoning, legislation, funding, etc. that typifies any development project in this city. At least while the powers at city hall duke it out, something productive can be done with the land.

At the end of my blog yesterday I posted my concerns about soil quality and the effect this could have on any produce grown on a brownfield. Turns out the Stevens addressed that issue, saying they plan to farm raised beds built from clean fill. So that at least addresses the quality and safety issues I raised—for now. Along with a sympathetic press, several reader letters supporting the Stevens were also published in the op-eds today. One letter made a (weak in my opinion) case against farming in urban areas, something about smelly fertilizers and other unpleasant byproducts of farming. Mr. Stevens claims to participate in all natural farming methods, eliminating the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and the like.

I think the Stevens should be given the “green” light to give this a try. Consider it an experiment in urban farming. As long as some careful rules and guidelines are followed, I think this could be a good start at finding a useful purpose for vacant lots not just in Buffalo, but in rust-belt towns all around the Northeast. And if it doesn’t work out, what does the city have to lose? They’re not paying for fill, seeds, or equipment. And a vegetable patch is much easier to bury and forget about than an old steel mill.

The Initial Blog and a Memorial to an Auditorium...

I've made a lot of blogs through the years. Most are still floating in cyberspace somewhere, wasting precious server space. I've thought that blogging was something that may eventually go by the wayside, but instead it only seems to be ever-growing in popularity. So my intent for this is to create a place where I can share whatever opinions and ideas come to my mind. I plan to share a lot about my home town and state—Buffalo, NY. Things like reviews about local restaurants, stuff to do, newspaper articles (I'm a religious reader of The Buffalo News), etc.

Blogger gives me a more professional place to share my ramblings than say Facebook or MySpace. Actually I hate MySpace but love Facebook...that's another story though.

Oh, and I'll probably also share pictures too, as I do a fair amount with my digital camera and Photoshop.

So here's my first real blog:

In today's (Sunday, March 29, '09) Buffalo News there was an article on the demolition of Memorial Auditorium. Seems every local has a story attached to the old Aud, and many feel compelled to share it within the broadsheets of our hometown newspaper. So here's my "Memorial" to the Aud.

Seeing as HSBC arena opened in 1996, I was only ~10 - 11 years old when the Aud shut down. Unlike most who talk of seeing Sabres greats of a bygone era light up the ice and big-name artists whose concerts Buffalo would be lucky to draw in today, my memories are simple. I remember watching Mickey and Minne Mouse piroutte around the ice rink floor in several "Disney on Ice" spectacles. The last one I attended was when I was nine, in fourth grade. Or was I eight and in third grade? My memory fails me. I remember being hideously bored at these shows on ice, even if Disney was supposed to be appealing to children. I remember the dark, dingy hallways and downright scary bathrooms in the Aud. And I remember going to eat afterward at Chef's Restaurant, and even being yelled at by a waitress for not finishing my ravioli.

Ok, so my memories of the Aud are a little clouded, vauge, and not nearly as nostalgia-filled as most Buffalonians...but I figured it's time to share my Aud tale, and let's face it, mine's probably not fit for print in The News.