Historicist: Life in Wartime
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse
For those of us who grew up watching Buffalo television, the city seems like a nearby suburb or one of those neighbourhoods that you heard about but never visited. The phrase “Three alarm fire in Tonawanda” was as familiar as Bad Boy’s “Noooo-body.” Yet, cross border shopping aside, it's surprising how few Torontonians have really been to Buffalo. We went last week and we recommend the day trip. Here's a short list of things to do in the City of Trees.
Olmsted Park and Parkway System. A series of urban green spaces designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903)—the guy behind Central Park in New York City. Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux designed parks to "refresh and delight the eye, and through the eye, the mind and spirit." Which they do.
Albright Knox Gallery. While the AGO is under construction, get your art fix on at the Albright Knox. The proper Greek revival facade of the building belies a fantastic collection of modern and contemporary art, including the current exhibition Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint 9, which is on until October 21, 2007.
Darwin D. Martin House Complex. Hey you architecture nerds! You needn't drive to Chicago to see some Frank Lloyd Wright. Buffalo has the Darwin Martin Complex, George Barton House, William Heath House, Walter Davidson House, and the Graycliff Estate. It is also home to buildings designed by such important American architects as Louis Sullivan, H.H. Richardson, and Richard Upjohn.
For more information and maps, visit The Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Photo of the Darwin Martin House, Buffalo by ocad123 from Flickr.
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Hey, cool! I just took an architecture class last term, and was surprised to know how much architectural history is in Buffalo. Definitely worth a trip.
Don't forget to visit the Elmwood, Allentown and Hertel neighborhoods for all your eating, drinking, shopping and bar hopping needs.
You gotta hit up Premiere Gourmet if you want to bring back some killer microbrew you'll never find at the LCBO. You're allowed 24 bottles each.
Albright Knox is amazing, far stronger collection than the AGO. There are a few good records shops near there as well.
I highly recommend taking the Bike Train to Niagara Falls and then cycling over to Buffalo. I crossed over at the Peace Bridge and it was like the American Express Go to the front of the line commercial. You bypass the long line of traffic waiting on the bridge and I was through customs in less time than it took me to cycle over the bridge itself. And no toll charged to cyclists at the Peace Bridge crossing.
From the Niagara Falls train station its almost all off-road recreational trail riding - about 38 km to the Peace Bridge. You can also cross at the other bridges (except Whirlpool) if you prefer. The roads in Buffalo are just as badly potholed as in Toronto so I suggest a helmet.
Details on the Bike Train are at www.biketrain.ca