BUFFALO, N.Y. – Grain silos turned into a zipline course. Gardening as a competitive sport. And an abundance of glorious architecture.
There’s a travel cliché that gets kicked around a lot, where someone says, “If you haven’t been to Destination X in three years, you haven’t been to Destination X.”
With apologies to the cliché police, it wouldn’t be a stretch to use that kind of phrase about Buffalo.
I was in town a few years ago to have a look at the improving waterfront and other areas of this surprising city. I went back early last week for another look that was brief but quite telling.
In a word, the changes are astonishing.
There’s a positive energy in Buffalo; a polite (Buffalo folks are unfailingly nice) but definite swagger in the step of their residents. It’s as if they’ve looked around and said to themselves the same thing a lot of journalists are saying, which is, “Wow, this place is COOL.”
You’ll find everything from a former home for the mentally ill that’s been turned into a handsome boutique hotel to tasty, fun restaurants. Not to mention tiki hut boats on the Buffalo River, a truly spectacular private home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, glittering parks and a seriously beautiful, personal and engaging garden tour in one of the prettiest neighbourhoods of any U.S. city I’ve seen.
Besides, you simply gotta love a city that uses the hashtag #InTheBuf. Right?
Here’s a look at the highlights of my 24-hour stay, which I took with fellow members of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Canadian chapter.
Hotel Henry, Buffalo. JIM BYERS PHOTO
HOTEL HENRY
This is a remarkable hotel that’s housed in a former home for mentally ill patients; an historic building from esteemed architect H.H. Richardson that dates back to the late 1800’s and feels a bit like Old City Hall in Toronto; handsome and solid and serious. It took me a while to learn to navigate my way around (the lobby is on the second floor while my room was on the first, which was one above ground level), but I loved the rooms. They all have 20-foot ceilings and big windows; mine had soothing shades of grey and white with dark wood and bedside USB plugs for my phone. There was a bathtub, something you don’t always get in a new hotel. I didn’t have dinner there but at breakfast they serve a lovely bowl of steel cut oatmeal with spiced butter and maple syrup and an excellent coffee latte. The hotel is a few minutes north of the booming downtown, adjacent to Buffalo State University and Delaware Park, a beautiful green space designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City. The highly-rated Albright-Knox Gallery is a short walk from the hotel.
A tiki bar boat on the Buffalo River. Awesome! JIM BYERS PHOTO
RIVERWORKS
The Buffalo Riverworks is a VERY cool part of town. They’ve taken massive old grain silos (for years much of America’s grain was sent by ship from the Midwest to Buffalo via the Great Lakes, then packed into grain silos and pumped into boats that chugged down the Erie Canal and out the Hudson River to the rest of the world) and turned them into a tourist attraction; with a series of four zip lines and a very scary looking suspension bridge. If that’s a little too much, you also can try the ropes course, with a series of fun walks on pieces of wood or rope. Or try a game of soccer or hockey (in winter). There’s a brewpub on site that makes a series of tasty beers, which you can enjoy from tables that overlook the Buffalo River. They also can rent you a kayak or even a “tiki hut” boat, complete with a thatched roof and cold drinks you can sip as you navigate your way past the silos and cool, metal bridges. There are also are river boat tours you can take to learn about the history.
A mixed bowl at Seabar in Buffallo. Awesome sushi spot and great Asian food in general. JIM BYERS PHOTO
FOODIE HEAVEN
Riverworks is only a short distance from the Old First Ward, a former Irish neighborhood where you’ll find the wonderful Gene McCarthy’s Pub. The pub is one of a dozen places on the newly-formed Buffalo Wing Trail, a food trail that celebrates iconic pubs and delicious Buffalo chicken wings. One of the consultants on the formation of the Trail is Drew Cerza, who developed the first Buffalo Wing Festival in the city 17 years ago and known far and wide as The Wing King. Gene McCarthy’s has a special wing sauce that’s one-third hot sauce, one-third barbeque sauce and one-third bleu cheese, with more cheese sprinkled on top. Not for the faint of heart, but very tasty. They also do dry wings and classic Buffalo wings. Cerza, an engaging fellow with a passion for food, told me Buffalo wings can ONLY be served with blue cheese, not ranch dressing as some places do. “It’s a misdemeanor to serve ranch in Buffalo,” he said. “I’m lobbying City Hall to make it a felony.” In a slightly higher category of restaurant is SeaBar, a fabulous spot downtown that does great takes on sushi, as well as serving Vietnamese cuisine, chicken on a waffle and other treats. Owner Mike Andrzejewski loves Hawaiian food and makes a great loco moco: rice and eggs and beef in a big bowl with gravy. It’s a dish Hawaiians love, especially hungry surfers. Andrzejewski’s is so good he beat TV chef Bobby Flay in a loco moco contest. I skipped the calories and went for a lovely Pho potsticker dish with beef ravioli and Vietnamese pho broth. Yum and yum again. I also sampled his miso caramel crab roll and his delightful Beef on Weck roll, a sushi roll based on Buffalo’s famous Beef on Weck sandwich (roast beef on a “kimmelweck” bun with salt and caraway seeds). Mike A, as he’s known, takes a bit of rare roast beef and wraps it in sushi rice, than encases the roll with thin carpaccio. Sushi meets Beef on Weck! A spirited and tasty food spot in a city that’s definitely on the rise.
The interior at Martin House, a private home in Buffalo designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. JIM BYERS PHOTO
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
The only exposure I’d had to Frank Lloyd Wright’s work up until my Buffalo visit was a couple of trips to Wright’s desert home in Scottsdale, Arizona, called Taliesin West. I like it fine, but I wasn’t overly enamoured of the place. Buffalo’s Martin House is another thing entirely. I loved the exterior angles and the stately wood and glass. But it’s the opulent and superbly crafted interior space that sets this 15,000 square foot home apart. Apparently there are miles upon miles of polished wood, and Wright’s use of light and natural building materials is truly masterful. The interior has been painstakingly restored at a cost of millions, and they’re now working on the outside. By this time next year, expect the outside landscaping to match the beauty of the interior space. Fifteen per cent of visitors are Canadians, by the way. I guess since we have so much crummy architecture in Toronto we like to head south to see how it’s supposed to be done. “We’re putting Buffalo back on the map,” our tour guide told us. She also told a great story about when the owner, a rich businessman named Darwin Martin, was working with Wright on the design for the home. Martin wanted a greenhouse, so ordered one that had been pre-fabricated. Wright objected, saying it was a project he should do that would be consistent with the house itself. “No,” Martin replied. “I can’t afford any more architecture.” Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones came on a tour a couple years ago. Although it’s serious architecture, the stewards of the property also do yoga classes and other activities.
The Garden Walk in Buffalo. JIM BYERS PHOTO
GARDEN WALK
Every summer Buffalo has its Garden Walk, which features glimpses into playful and serious gardens in the beautiful Elmwood district of the city; south of Hotel Henry and north of downtown. It’s a lively neighborhood with great cafes and shops. It’s also home to stately old Victorians and other brightly painted homes in shades of turquoise, pink, and other colours the Crayola crayon people haven’t even dreamed of . I saw one in orange and aquamarine that I quickly labelled the “Miami Dolphins” house, after the NFL team’s colours. One of the most popular homes to visit is owned by the personable Jim Charlier, who has a gorgeous garden shed that’s decked out with Victorian trim and is sometimes called the “Taj MaShed.” See pics. This year he also has a small “Harry Potter” Garden alongside the shed. Out back you’ll find purple fish heads spouting water, Japanese maples, brilliant hostas, deep rusty-red coleus and other blooms. Not to mention a rock garden, a killer back patio on his home, glass art displays and so much more. Down the road I check out small gardens with hostas and ceramic plaques, as well as places with more traditional flower beds. Further along the same street is Mary’s Garden, a stunning piece of work with flowers of all shapes and sizes and cozy nooks where you can sit in the shade with a cup of coffee; or something stronger. “It’s not a competition but you definitely up your game” after you visit other gardens, Charlier told me with a laugh. This year’s event runs Saturday and Sunday July 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tours are free and self-guided, with no tickets required. There are five, free hop and off shuttle buses with guides to help you out. It’s billed as America’s biggest garden walk, and that’s saying something.
FINAL THOUGHT
The U.S. can be expensive for Canadians. But Buffalo prices aren’t anywhere near what you’d find in Miami or Manhattan. I found rooms at The Hotel Henry in July for $157 USD a night. That’s a steal for a cool hotel in a very cool city with residents who feel as Canadian as they come.
FEEDBACK
Thoughts? Suggestions? Criticism? I can take it. Email me at jim@jimbyerstravel.com. Also you can follow me on Twitter @jimbyerstravel or on Instagram @jimbyerstravel1
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