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As I-90 sweeps down into the state's second largest city,
BUFFALO
, downtown looms up in a cluster of Art Deco spires and glass-box
skyscrapers - Manhattan in miniature on Lake Erie. The city's early
twentieth-century prosperity is reflected in such architecturally
significant structures as the towering 1928 City Hall (the tallest in the country, and with a free
observation deck on the top floor), the deep red terra-cotta relief of
Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building on Church Street, as well as major
buildings by H.H. Richardson, Eliel Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright.
However, the dereliction of the immediate environs suggests that the
Rust Belt of rotting industrial towns may now have reached Buffalo. The
city has only distant memories of the boom years, when the massive grain elevators
along the Erie waterfront were busy 24 hours a day.
That Buffalo's wealthy merchants were a cultured lot is also apparent in the excellent
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
, 1285 Elmwood Ave (Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; $4; tel
716/882-8700), two miles north of downtown amid the green spaces of the
F.L. Olmsted-designed Delaware Park . One of the top modern collections in the
world, it's especially strong on recent American and European art: the
Color Field painters, Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Op and Kinetic Art,
with Pollock, Rothko, Warhol and Rauschenberg among the names. Other
highlights include thirty large paintings by Clyfford Still, and a fine
selection of pieces by earlier artists such as Matisse, Picasso and
Monet. There's also a tasty, chic restaurant open daily for lunch from
noon-3pm.
The area around Delaware Park is Buffalo's choicest
neighborhood, featuring several homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
(call 716/884-0095 for guided architectural tour information). Between
here and downtown is Allentown , Buffalo's most bohemian quarter, its leafy
streets lined by lovely Victorian homes as well as numerous good cafés,
bars and restaurants. Allen Street between Main Street and Elmwood
Avenue holds some of the best examples of nineteenth-century
architecture; some of the area around Theatre Place downtown is also
good.
Being a staunchly blue-collar city, Buffalo loves its professional
sports
teams: football's Bills (tel 716/649-0015), ice hockey's Sabres (tel
716/855-4100) and baseball's Bisons (tel 716/846-2003 or
1-888/223-6000) who, as the top farm team for the Cleveland Indians,
attract over a million fans per season to downtown's modern and very
pleasant ballpark.
The
Lake Erie shoreline
west of Buffalo is lined by numerous beaches where
windsurfers
skim across the water and do flips in the waves, while the Miss Buffalo
boat tours (tel 716/856-6696; $12 and up), which leave from 79 Marine
Drive next to the Naval and Servicemen's Park, provide a good view of
the city skyline. To the south, in the town of Orchard Park, the Burgwardt Bicycle Museum (Mon-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1.30-5pm;
$4.50; tel 716/662-3853) holds over two hundred antique bikes and
engaging displays of cycling memorabilia.
ARRIVAL, INFORMATION AND ACCOMMODATION
Greyhound, Empire Trailways (tel 716/852-1750), Metro Bus and Metro
Rail, the city's new tramway (both tel 716/855-7211), all operate from
the downtown depot at Ellicott and Church streets. To get to Niagara Falls
, take bus #40 (1hr; hourly 7am-10pm; $1.85) or in high season, you can also take the Tourist Express ($5). Amtrak
trains
to and from Niagara Falls and Toronto stop some six blocks away at
Exchange and Washington streets; Chicago-bound trains only stop in the
eastern suburb of Depew, eight miles from town but close to the airport
(tel 716/632-3115). There's a helpful
visitor center
at 617 Main St (tel 716/852-0511 or 1-800/BUFFALO,
).
The Adam's Mark
120 Church St tel 716/845-5100, . Recently renovated, this hotel has
comfortable, upscale rooms, plus an indoor pool and free use of the
health club. $130-160
Hampton Inn & Suites
220 Delaware Ave tel 716/855-2223. A safe bet in the heart of the nightlife district downtown, with free breakfast. $75-100
HI-Buffalo Hostel
667 Main St tel 716/852-5222. Very central hostel with beds for $15. Nothing special, but the cheapest option by far.
Hotel Lenox
140 North St tel 716/884-1700 or 1-800/82-LENOX. The one moderately
priced place to stay (besides the hostel) near downtown, with a $10
discount for students. $50-75
Roycroft Inn 40 S Grove St, East Aurora tel
716/652-5552 or 1-877/652-5552. Immaculately refurbished inn located a
half-hour drive east of Buffalo, formerly the centerpiece of the
Roycroft Arts and Crafts Community. The on-site restaurant serves tasty
meals. $100-130
EATING, DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
The heart of blue-collar Buffalo's downtown centers on Chippewa and
Main streets: plenty of restaurants are within easy reach and there's
ample parking. For a quick snack
, the cheap food stalls and tiny Polish cafés of ancient
Broadway Market
, 999 Broadway, are well worth perusing, too. The main nightlife drag,
along Chippewa from Delaware Avenue to Main Street, has plenty of
sports bars and nightclubs. The majority of theaters and venues that
house the city's burgeoning arts scene are handily grouped nearby along Main Street
between Chippewa and Tupper streets. For further information, pick up
the free weeklies Blue Dog Press
or
Art Voice
.
Anchor Bar
1047 Main St tel 716/886-8920. The city's specialty of buffalo (spicy
chicken) wings with blue cheese and celery dressing is said to have
been invented here. Lunch costs around $7, and there's occasionally
live jazz at night.
Calumet Arts Café
56 W Chippewa St tel 716/855-2220. A good late-night bar and restaurant, with jazz, blues, folk and world music.
Colter Bay
561-565 Delaware Ave, Allentown tel 716/882-1330. Lively sports bar, with a good selection of dark beers and scotch.
Hemmingway's
492 Pearl St tel 716/852-1937. Serves big portions of hearty if standard American food.
Nietzsche's
248 Allen St tel 716/886-8539. A neighborhood institution, with
friendly staff, hosting a wide variety of live acts seven days a week;
there's room for dancing in the back.
Osake
235 Delaware Ave tel 716/842-6261. This casual café serves cheap sushi and noodles; not a place to linger, but good value.
Spot Coffee
227 Delaware Ave tel 716/856-2739. A local joint serving basic food and
good drinks; it's open 24hrs on weekends and hosts regular live music
performances.
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Buffalo 
