100 Things to Do in Buffalo Before You Die

by Elizabeth Licata

Overview

It’s time to discover Buffalo, the city that combines the sophistication of the Northeast with the affability of the Midwest. From world-class modern art to the world’s best chicken wings, Buffalo offers visitors a rich banquet of intriguing history, iconic architecture, lush scenery, fun food, and relentless nightlife. Stand in the mist of Niagara Falls, kayak the Buffalo River, stroll through a neighborhood of Victorian homes, eat at a downtown hotspot, and finish up with a dose of blues, Americana, chamber folk, jazz, or alt-rock. With a cityscape featuring masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright, H. H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Frederick Law Olmsted, Buffalo is a nonstop visual feast. Its institutions include some of America’s oldest and most distinguished, founded by the industrialists who helped build America. Within twenty minutes of downtown, a generous menu of day trips includes charming villages, nature preserves, beach towns, and historic resorts. Find out why this city on Lake Erie is becoming a cult hit among savvy travelers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681060965
Publisher:	Reedy press, LLC.
Publication date:	04/15/2018
Series:	100 Things to Do Before You Die
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,101,164
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Licata is the editor of Buffalo Spree, Western New York’s city/regional magazine. A lifelong area resident, Licata has been writing about Buffalo arts, architecture, and gardens for over thirty years. She is a nationally published art critic and garden writer who has written several books about Western New York art and gardens.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

Food and Drink

1 Eat Wings Where They Were Invented: Anchor Bar and Restaurant 2

2 Get Hip to the 'Weck 4

3 Taste the World at Westside Bazaar 6

4 Move Up to an Artisanal Burger 7

5 Go Farm to Table 8

6 When in Buffalo, Eat Greek 10

7 Be Well Red 11

8 Eat as the Chinese Really Do 12

9 Bite into a Piece of Buffalo's Polish Heritage 13

10 Savor Local Suds Where They're Brewed 14

11 Grab a Perfect Hot Dog 16

12 Try North-of-the-Border Tacos 17

13 Taste Buffalo All in One Place 18

14 Go to Market, to Market 19

15 Have a Drink with Something in It 20

16 Get an Earful at the Eden Corn Festival 22

17 Remember, It's about the Agriculture, Not the Deep-Fried Butter 23

18 Visit a Popcorn Stand Worth a Journey 24

19 Eat a Burger Where It Was … Invented? 26

20 Eat the Food of a Buffalo Top Chef 27

21 Sample the Sponge 28

22 Buy Fresh, Buy Local 30

23 Follow the Wine Trail 31

Architecture and History

24 See Frank Lloyd Wright's Buffalo Masterpiece 34

25 Visit Wright on the Lake 35

26 Spend the Night in a Masterpiece by a Woman Architect 36

27 Find Out How a Mental Hospital Became a Boutique Hotel 37

28 Acknowledge One of America's First Skyscrapers 38

29 Marvel at an Art Deco Masterpiece 40

30 Step Back Three Centuries at Old Fort Niagara 41

31 Visit a Gracious Repository of Local History at the Buffalo History Museum 42

32 Walk in the Footsteps of Teddy 43

33 Pay Tribute to a Former Railway Palace at Buffalo Central Terminal 44

34 Learn about Ye Olde Western New York at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village 45

35 Tour "Millionaires' Row" 46

36 Discover the Erie Canal 47

37 Take a Pew at Buffalo's Grand Houses of Worship 48

38 Go for a Neighborhood Walk 50

39 Read Huckleberry Finn in the Original at the Mark Twain Room 52

40 Visit the Architectural Landmarks That Don't Get No Respect 53

41 Experience the Wonder of American Arts and Crafts 54

42 Take a Selfie with a Vintage Motel Sign 55

43 See a Stubborn Survivor 56

44 Be Guided by the Experts 57

45 Explore a Grand Old Cemetery 58

Arts and Entertainment

46 Follow in the Footsteps of Jazz Greatness at the Colored Musicians Club 62

47 Join the Roots Revival 63

48 Adopt Nightly Live Music as a Philosophy at Nietzsche's 64

49 Infringe Yourself 66

50 Get Down on the Farm at the Great Blue Heron Music Festival 67

51 Check Out the Festival Founded by a Goo Goo Doll 68

52 Take an Art Stroll at the Allentown Art Festival 69

53 Attend the Art Festival That Does It All 70

54 See a Broadway Production in a Baroque/Rococo Movie Palace 71

55 Take the Modern Art Challenge at Albright-Knox Art Gallery 72

56 Visit a Museum Devoted to a Watercolor Master 74

57 Party at the Hydraulics 75

58 Print Your Own Book, By Hand 76

59 Celebrate Independent Artists 77

60 Do the Dyngus 78

61 See a Concert While Overlooking the Mighty Niagara at Artpark 79

62 Get Richer at Chautauqua 80

63 Visit Niagara's Quirky Art Museum 82

64 Experience One of Buffalo's Favorite Family Destinations 83

65 RSVP to Buffalo's Gala Theater Celebration 84

66 Hear Cutting-Edge Sounds in a Vintage Nightclub 86

67 See a Grammy Award-Winning Orchestra in One of the Nation's Finest Concert Halls 87

68 Pick a Friday, Any Friday 88

69 Enjoy Shakespeare under the Stars 90

70 Feel the Pride 91

71 Dive Right In 92

72 Love Lucy Where She Grew Up 94

73 Hang Out with Shark Girl 95

Sports and Recreation

74 Niagara Falls! 98

75 Hike the Gorge 100

76 Explore a Rare Olmsted Park System 101

77 See One of America's Oldest Zoos 102

78 Visit Buffalo's Tropics 103

79 Walk the Garden Walk 104

80 Run the Oldest Consecutively Run Footrace in the United States 106

81 Check Out Buffalo's Restored Waterfront 107

82 Enjoy a Sanctuary Rescued from Industry at the Tifft Nature Preserve 108

83 See the Really Important Birds 109

84 Bathe in a Forest at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve 110

85 Enjoy Sun and Sand 111

86 Hop on a Sled at Chestnut Ridge Park 112

87 Take a Long Walk on a Long Pier at Broderick Park 113

88 Go on a Fossil Dig-What You Find, You Keep 114

89 Take to the Slopes 115

90 Live Life on Two Wheels with Slow Roll Buffalo 116

91 Play Ball! with the Buffalo Bisons 118

92 Enjoy the Highs and Survive the Lows with the Bills 119

93 Watch High-Octane Hockey 120

94 Bowl an Old-School Gutter Ball 121

Shopping

95 Browse a Lively Streetscape along Elmwood Avenue 124

96 Shop a Glorious General Store 126

97 Check Out Elmwood's Rival 127

98 Shop Buffalo's Suburbs 128

99 Pick Your Way through the Biggest Yard Sale Ever 129

100 Visit the Last Bastions of Creative Gifting 130

Activities by Season 133

Suggested Itineraries 135

Index 138