Not To Be Missed! - Need ideas! :) (Buffalo: neighborhood, to buy)

[Canerican]

Great post! That ought to be a sticky or something!

[Sumermarie]

OMG! Perfection! Thank you for putting so much work into this post, I appreciate and I will be printing this out for use.

Thank you so much, it is exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, I appreciate it very much. I will let you all know how it goes!

Originally Posted by RocketSci

Where do I start...

North Buffalo:
Start your day at a small diner on Hertel Avenue or on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore (north of Buffalo city line) for breakfast. Or, stop at one of the many bakeries and enjoy the local pastries. Then head down Delaware and go down Nottingham and spend a while at the Buffalo Historical Society to get to know the city. From there if you can walk over to the Japanese Gardens to relax, or head across the bridge to the Albright-Knox or Burchfield art galleries for a day of culture. Or, just take a walk around the park lake and maybe take a boat ride (if they have them out). Or, hop back in the car and back along Nottingham to look at the mansions and head toward the Buffalo Zoo to visit the animals. If you are morbidly curious, go south on Delaware to Delevan and visit Forest Lawn Cemetary - you can bring a sack lunch, and see Millard Fillmore and Rick James' graves and outrageous headstones and mausoleums dating back to the mid 1800s. When you are done you can go back to Hertel Avenue (between Delaware and Parker) to look at antiques, clothing, or maybe visit the 6 Nations store for Iroquois Indian crafts. Have dinner at one of the dozens of Italian restaurants, and if the weather is cool (it will be if your from FL) there are at least a dozen outdoor cafes to choose from and enjoy the afternoon/evening (I recommend Romeo and Juliettes, but there are many many more). Or grab a beer and beef on weck at Kelly's Corner Tavern on Delaware (or Andersons just down the road if you want custard instead of beer). After dinner see a show at the historic North Park theater, and afterwards head back out for a drink al fresco (bars are open til 4am).

West Side/Elmwood
Instead of breakfast in North Buffalo, start out with coffee at Spot coffee on Elmwood, or maybe breakfast one of the many diner/restaurants along Elmwood between Forest and Allen Street. (You are close to Delaware Park, the Zoo, Historical Museum, etc as these all separate the North and West sides). Buffalonians are late risers (and stay up late), so most of the shops on Elmwood don’t open until 10 or 11am, so after breakfast park the car along the street or a sidestreet, and take a walk down Elmwood to visit the shops - bookstores, clothing, nic-nacs, chocolate, ice cream, bakeries - or just people watch. Elmwood is a very eclectic mix of businesses and residences, and was recently called one of the nation’s 10 best neighborhoods. You can spend all day walking up and down, but you will get tired so stop at one of the dozens of outdoor cafes for a drink or lunch/dinner. Take a walk down the adjoining sidestreets - try Lexington, for example - or anywhere between Delaware to the east and Richmond to the west, and you will see the eclectic and preserved homes which have been around since the 1870s. Stay for dinner.

North Side/West Side Driving Tour
Take a greater look at the west side - follow the Parkway system designed by Olmstead - Bidwell Parkway, Richmond Avenue, Lincoln Parkway - miles of beautiful 19th century homes. Basically, the entire area between Forest Avenue (N), Delaware Ave (E), North Street (S), and Richmond Avenue (W). You can’t and won’t miss the Richardson Comple (former State Hospital), Kleinhans Music Hall, statues, fountains, etc. This is how the better half lived in the 1890s, and how many typical Buffalonians still live today. Get a little more adventurous, and take West Ferry west to Niagara Street - cross the drawbridge into Broderick Park and visit the fishermen along the Niagara River and take a look across into Canada. The head back on West Ferry and make a left (North) onto Grant Street - once a booming Italian-American community it fell hard and is coming back - stop by Guercios Market for a look at the past and future Grant Street. Follow Grant Street north, past Buffalo State College, and turn right on Amherst street for a look at the old Black Rock neighborhood - pass by Polish Cadets hall and the Assumption church. Stop at a butcher shop or the Wegmans supermarket for free samples of local selections. Pass by Voelkers Bowling alley for a drink and a game, the head north on Elmwood and back up to Hertel Ave and go east. Drive anywhere in this area to see ‘typical’ Buffalo homes, or keep going down Hertel to Parkside Avenue, and then turn right (south) toward Delaware Park. Between Hertel (N), Parkside (W), Main Street (E) and the Scajaquada Rt 198 (S) is the Parkside neighborhood, which includes many 19th and early 20th century homes, including a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright homes (yes they have tours). Stop and take a walk. Drive back over to Hertel or Elmwood if you’re hungry...

Whew
I haven’t even written about some of the other tours and things you can do in the City...
--South Buffalo Tour - Skyway-Rt 5, OLV Basillica, South Park Botanical Gardens, McKinley Parkway/Abbott Road, Cazenovia Park
--Waterfront tour - Erie Basin Marina, Miss Buffalo boat tour, Naval and Servicemen’s Park, Front Park, Black Rock, Riverside
--Allentown visit
--Chippewa Street (if you are a 20 something drinker)
--Delaware Avenue/Franklin Street/Linwood Avenue homes
--Old East Side - Churches, Broadway Market, Central Terminal, (and unfortunately poverty and blight)
--Old West Side - South of North Street, Connecticut Street
--Museums - Albright-Knox, Burchfield-Penny, Historical Society, Museum of Science, Transportation Museum, Naval Park, Botanical Gardens, Fire Museum, Native Arts, Manuscript Museum, Iron Island, Judaic Museum, more...
--Downtown - City Hall observation deck, Library, Lafayette Square, Ellicott Square

Or outside the city...
--Niagara tour - American Falls Park, Devil’s Hole, Artpark, Old Fort Niagara, Fatima Shrine
--Towns and villages - Kenmore, Williamsville, Hamburg, East Aurora, Orchard Park, etc...

But, I suppose if you want to go to the same stores and see the same things that are in EVERY OTHER CITY in America, you could go to the suburbs and visit the Walden Galleria, Boulevard Mall, McKinley Mall, or drive down Niagara Falls Boulevard, Maple Road, or Transit Road - but I know that when I go out of town I want to see unique things...

[Buffalonian4life]

Originally Posted by RocketSci

Where do I start...

North Buffalo:
Start your day at a small diner on Hertel Avenue or on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore (north of Buffalo city line) for breakfast. Or, stop at one of the many bakeries and enjoy the local pastries. Then head down Delaware and go down Nottingham and spend a while at the Buffalo Historical Society to get to know the city. From there if you can walk over to the Japanese Gardens to relax, or head across the bridge to the Albright-Knox or Burchfield art galleries for a day of culture. Or, just take a walk around the park lake and maybe take a boat ride (if they have them out). Or, hop back in the car and back along Nottingham to look at the mansions and head toward the Buffalo Zoo to visit the animals. If you are morbidly curious, go south on Delaware to Delevan and visit Forest Lawn Cemetary - you can bring a sack lunch, and see Millard Fillmore and Rick James' graves and outrageous headstones and mausoleums dating back to the mid 1800s. When you are done you can go back to Hertel Avenue (between Delaware and Parker) to look at antiques, clothing, or maybe visit the 6 Nations store for Iroquois Indian crafts. Have dinner at one of the dozens of Italian restaurants, and if the weather is cool (it will be if your from FL) there are at least a dozen outdoor cafes to choose from and enjoy the afternoon/evening (I recommend Romeo and Juliettes, but there are many many more). Or grab a beer and beef on weck at Kelly's Corner Tavern on Delaware (or Andersons just down the road if you want custard instead of beer). After dinner see a show at the historic North Park theater, and afterwards head back out for a drink al fresco (bars are open til 4am).

West Side/Elmwood
Instead of breakfast in North Buffalo, start out with coffee at Spot coffee on Elmwood, or maybe breakfast one of the many diner/restaurants along Elmwood between Forest and Allen Street. (You are close to Delaware Park, the Zoo, Historical Museum, etc as these all separate the North and West sides). Buffalonians are late risers (and stay up late), so most of the shops on Elmwood don’t open until 10 or 11am, so after breakfast park the car along the street or a sidestreet, and take a walk down Elmwood to visit the shops - bookstores, clothing, nic-nacs, chocolate, ice cream, bakeries - or just people watch. Elmwood is a very eclectic mix of businesses and residences, and was recently called one of the nation’s 10 best neighborhoods. You can spend all day walking up and down, but you will get tired so stop at one of the dozens of outdoor cafes for a drink or lunch/dinner. Take a walk down the adjoining sidestreets - try Lexington, for example - or anywhere between Delaware to the east and Richmond to the west, and you will see the eclectic and preserved homes which have been around since the 1870s. Stay for dinner.

North Side/West Side Driving Tour
Take a greater look at the west side - follow the Parkway system designed by Olmstead - Bidwell Parkway, Richmond Avenue, Lincoln Parkway - miles of beautiful 19th century homes. Basically, the entire area between Forest Avenue (N), Delaware Ave (E), North Street (S), and Richmond Avenue (W). You can’t and won’t miss the Richardson Comple (former State Hospital), Kleinhans Music Hall, statues, fountains, etc. This is how the better half lived in the 1890s, and how many typical Buffalonians still live today. Get a little more adventurous, and take West Ferry west to Niagara Street - cross the drawbridge into Broderick Park and visit the fishermen along the Niagara River and take a look across into Canada. The head back on West Ferry and make a left (North) onto Grant Street - once a booming Italian-American community it fell hard and is coming back - stop by Guercios Market for a look at the past and future Grant Street. Follow Grant Street north, past Buffalo State College, and turn right on Amherst street for a look at the old Black Rock neighborhood - pass by Polish Cadets hall and the Assumption church. Stop at a butcher shop or the Wegmans supermarket for free samples of local selections. Pass by Voelkers Bowling alley for a drink and a game, the head north on Elmwood and back up to Hertel Ave and go east. Drive anywhere in this area to see ‘typical’ Buffalo homes, or keep going down Hertel to Parkside Avenue, and then turn right (south) toward Delaware Park. Between Hertel (N), Parkside (W), Main Street (E) and the Scajaquada Rt 198 (S) is the Parkside neighborhood, which includes many 19th and early 20th century homes, including a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright homes (yes they have tours). Stop and take a walk. Drive back over to Hertel or Elmwood if you’re hungry...

Whew
I haven’t even written about some of the other tours and things you can do in the City...
--South Buffalo Tour - Skyway-Rt 5, OLV Basillica, South Park Botanical Gardens, McKinley Parkway/Abbott Road, Cazenovia Park
--Waterfront tour - Erie Basin Marina, Miss Buffalo boat tour, Naval and Servicemen’s Park, Front Park, Black Rock, Riverside
--Allentown visit
--Chippewa Street (if you are a 20 something drinker)
--Delaware Avenue/Franklin Street/Linwood Avenue homes
--Old East Side - Churches, Broadway Market, Central Terminal, (and unfortunately poverty and blight)
--Old West Side - South of North Street, Connecticut Street
--Museums - Albright-Knox, Burchfield-Penny, Historical Society, Museum of Science, Transportation Museum, Naval Park, Botanical Gardens, Fire Museum, Native Arts, Manuscript Museum, Iron Island, Judaic Museum, more...
--Downtown - City Hall observation deck, Library, Lafayette Square, Ellicott Square

Or outside the city...
--Niagara tour - American Falls Park, Devil’s Hole, Artpark, Old Fort Niagara, Fatima Shrine
--Towns and villages - Kenmore, Williamsville, Hamburg, East Aurora, Orchard Park, etc...

But, I suppose if you want to go to the same stores and see the same things that are in EVERY OTHER CITY in America, you could go to the suburbs and visit the Walden Galleria, Boulevard Mall, McKinley Mall, or drive down Niagara Falls Boulevard, Maple Road, or Transit Road - but I know that when I go out of town I want to see unique things...

Now that's a post that everyone can admire. Great work, you should make a whole new thread with that post! Very nice. You've inspired me to check out some more things in and around Buffalo that I have easily missed.

[cheese9988]

Originally Posted by RocketSci

Where do I start...

North Buffalo:
Start your day at a small diner on Hertel Avenue or on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore (north of Buffalo city line) for breakfast. Or, stop at one of the many bakeries and enjoy the local pastries. Then head down Delaware and go down Nottingham and spend a while at the Buffalo Historical Society to get to know the city. From there if you can walk over to the Japanese Gardens to relax, or head across the bridge to the Albright-Knox or Burchfield art galleries for a day of culture. Or, just take a walk around the park lake and maybe take a boat ride (if they have them out). Or, hop back in the car and back along Nottingham to look at the mansions and head toward the Buffalo Zoo to visit the animals. If you are morbidly curious, go south on Delaware to Delevan and visit Forest Lawn Cemetary - you can bring a sack lunch, and see Millard Fillmore and Rick James' graves and outrageous headstones and mausoleums dating back to the mid 1800s. When you are done you can go back to Hertel Avenue (between Delaware and Parker) to look at antiques, clothing, or maybe visit the 6 Nations store for Iroquois Indian crafts. Have dinner at one of the dozens of Italian restaurants, and if the weather is cool (it will be if your from FL) there are at least a dozen outdoor cafes to choose from and enjoy the afternoon/evening (I recommend Romeo and Juliettes, but there are many many more). Or grab a beer and beef on weck at Kelly's Corner Tavern on Delaware (or Andersons just down the road if you want custard instead of beer). After dinner see a show at the historic North Park theater, and afterwards head back out for a drink al fresco (bars are open til 4am).

West Side/Elmwood
Instead of breakfast in North Buffalo, start out with coffee at Spot coffee on Elmwood, or maybe breakfast one of the many diner/restaurants along Elmwood between Forest and Allen Street. (You are close to Delaware Park, the Zoo, Historical Museum, etc as these all separate the North and West sides). Buffalonians are late risers (and stay up late), so most of the shops on Elmwood don’t open until 10 or 11am, so after breakfast park the car along the street or a sidestreet, and take a walk down Elmwood to visit the shops - bookstores, clothing, nic-nacs, chocolate, ice cream, bakeries - or just people watch. Elmwood is a very eclectic mix of businesses and residences, and was recently called one of the nation’s 10 best neighborhoods. You can spend all day walking up and down, but you will get tired so stop at one of the dozens of outdoor cafes for a drink or lunch/dinner. Take a walk down the adjoining sidestreets - try Lexington, for example - or anywhere between Delaware to the east and Richmond to the west, and you will see the eclectic and preserved homes which have been around since the 1870s. Stay for dinner.

North Side/West Side Driving Tour
Take a greater look at the west side - follow the Parkway system designed by Olmstead - Bidwell Parkway, Richmond Avenue, Lincoln Parkway - miles of beautiful 19th century homes. Basically, the entire area between Forest Avenue (N), Delaware Ave (E), North Street (S), and Richmond Avenue (W). You can’t and won’t miss the Richardson Comple (former State Hospital), Kleinhans Music Hall, statues, fountains, etc. This is how the better half lived in the 1890s, and how many typical Buffalonians still live today. Get a little more adventurous, and take West Ferry west to Niagara Street - cross the drawbridge into Broderick Park and visit the fishermen along the Niagara River and take a look across into Canada. The head back on West Ferry and make a left (North) onto Grant Street - once a booming Italian-American community it fell hard and is coming back - stop by Guercios Market for a look at the past and future Grant Street. Follow Grant Street north, past Buffalo State College, and turn right on Amherst street for a look at the old Black Rock neighborhood - pass by Polish Cadets hall and the Assumption church. Stop at a butcher shop or the Wegmans supermarket for free samples of local selections. Pass by Voelkers Bowling alley for a drink and a game, the head north on Elmwood and back up to Hertel Ave and go east. Drive anywhere in this area to see ‘typical’ Buffalo homes, or keep going down Hertel to Parkside Avenue, and then turn right (south) toward Delaware Park. Between Hertel (N), Parkside (W), Main Street (E) and the Scajaquada Rt 198 (S) is the Parkside neighborhood, which includes many 19th and early 20th century homes, including a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright homes (yes they have tours). Stop and take a walk. Drive back over to Hertel or Elmwood if you’re hungry...

Whew
I haven’t even written about some of the other tours and things you can do in the City...
--South Buffalo Tour - Skyway-Rt 5, OLV Basillica, South Park Botanical Gardens, McKinley Parkway/Abbott Road, Cazenovia Park
--Waterfront tour - Erie Basin Marina, Miss Buffalo boat tour, Naval and Servicemen’s Park, Front Park, Black Rock, Riverside
--Allentown visit
--Chippewa Street (if you are a 20 something drinker)
--Delaware Avenue/Franklin Street/Linwood Avenue homes
--Old East Side - Churches, Broadway Market, Central Terminal, (and unfortunately poverty and blight)
--Old West Side - South of North Street, Connecticut Street
--Museums - Albright-Knox, Burchfield-Penny, Historical Society, Museum of Science, Transportation Museum, Naval Park, Botanical Gardens, Fire Museum, Native Arts, Manuscript Museum, Iron Island, Judaic Museum, more...
--Downtown - City Hall observation deck, Library, Lafayette Square, Ellicott Square

Or outside the city...
--Niagara tour - American Falls Park, Devil’s Hole, Artpark, Old Fort Niagara, Fatima Shrine
--Towns and villages - Kenmore, Williamsville, Hamburg, East Aurora, Orchard Park, etc...

But, I suppose if you want to go to the same stores and see the same things that are in EVERY OTHER CITY in America, you could go to the suburbs and visit the Walden Galleria, Boulevard Mall, McKinley Mall, or drive down Niagara Falls Boulevard, Maple Road, or Transit Road - but I know that when I go out of town I want to see unique things...

You could be a tour bus guide like in NYC. Wow!

[Buffalonian4life]

Originally Posted by cheese9988

You could be a tour bus guide like in NYC. Wow!

Probably is one already! With that kind of post, RocketSci should be the head of the Buffalo-Niagara Tourism Board!

[BuffaloTransplant]

A few places not mentioned:

Hull House in Lancaster, NY; when the British burned Buffalo in 1812, refugees fled east and many wound up there on the way to Batavia.
Generally, they have things going on on holiday weekends; there was a sheep shearing, spinning and weaving earlier this year. ( the site has a "contact"
Hull Family Home & Farmstead

Millard Fillmore's home in East Aurora
Fillmore House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vidler's
Vidler's 5 & 10 - crafts, housewares, gifts
super old fashioned "5 & 10"

The Kazoo factory
Kazoo · Kazoo Home

[ckhthankgod]

If you want to further out, there's the Jell-O Museum and Gallery in LeRoy: Jell-O Gallery

[Canerican]

I had never heard of that, didn't even know Jell-o was invented here.

Is the museum interesting? I can't access the page because I am have some DNS problems

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by Canerican

I had never heard of that, didn't even know Jell-o was invented here.

Is the museum interesting? I can't access the page because I am have some DNS problems

I've never been there myself, but want to check it out. Try this site: The Jell-O Museum and Gallery

I didn't know that Jell-O started in LeRoy until recently and it is interesting to see how many things actually started here in Upstate NY.

[Buffalonian4life]

Do they have a museum around here for the invention of the windshield wiper? What about the invention of airconditioning? Never really hear of this. Buffalo's contributions to the world are truly outstanding, but easily forgotten now. Even the world's first city lights!