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The ~4 minutes of totality were quite cool, but with no ability to view the partial eclipse beforehand or afterward, I feel bad for these rumored throngs of people who traveled here from out of town (where these people are, I'm not exactly sure, as I was out all day yesterday and saw no uptick in people out and about. Then today, traffic on the roads was lighter than normal. Maybe everyone congregated in Niagara Falls? IDK)
The ~4 minutes of totality were quite cool, but with no ability to view the partial eclipse beforehand or afterward, I feel bad for these rumored throngs of people who traveled here from out of town (where these people are, I'm not exactly sure, as I was out all day yesterday and saw no uptick in people out and about. Then today, traffic on the roads was lighter than normal. Maybe everyone congregated in Niagara Falls? IDK)
I'm thinking a lot of people came yesterday, as I-81 in Syracuse was backed up pretty much all day yesterday, with some people driving through the city/area on surface streets in parts.
The roads weren't/aren't busy, but the restaurants and small businesses that stayed open this weekend and today are busy. Hanna's Frosty Treat opened early this year, and had a continuous line all weekend. There were many hundreds, if not thousands, of people gathered at Delaware Park today when I rode my bike through just before the eclipse, and there were many many glimpses of the sun leading up to the full eclipse, at least in this part of Buffalo. I watched the eclipse from home, and it likes magic the clouds opened up for the entire duration of the full eclipse, though a little hazy. The corona was very clear, as was the prominence on the lower side of the sun. Eclipse Buffalo 2024 by bpawlik, on Flickr
My family come to Buffalo from NC and it was clouded out. They saw just a few seconds of a partial before and the rest was obscured. It was nice and sunny here for the 60% partial. We saw the total in Branchville, SC August 21, 2017. It was a once in a lifetime experience. It was totally clear, and when the eclipse was total, it got really cold and eerie.
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I had relatives drive up from Philly on Friday to see the eclipse and then spend time doing the museums ect. We only had am 80.9% eclipse down here in Alabama but it was cool. I watched the Buffalo stations for your eclipse up there and regretted not being in NY to see it. I loved how you all had total darkness. I think most people came this weekend and spent a few days in Buffalo or Niagara Falls as my son said his pizzeria was busy this weekend when it usually slows down as people aren't working downtown on the weekends.
Of course it's completely clear and sunny now! Ah well, it was still cool to experience. RocketSci, I've been at the Hamburg Barnes & Noble all day, so the McKinley Mall parking lot provided my vantage point. Sounds like it was slightly less cloudy 15 miles north or whatever. Nice picture, by the way. I spent my entire Sunday in the city, and given the great weather, I didn't perceive any eclipse-inflated crowds on Elmwood, at Hoyt Lake, or at the casino. Just struck me as typical Sunday crowds. Given the months of local media hype about the expected influx of out-of-towners, you'd have thought it would've been the 1901 World's Fair all over again
Today reminded me of a 4th of July with lots of small parties, picnics, and celebrations. I did notice more businesses usually closed on Sundays and Mondays stayed open, with some waiting lines at a couple of restaurants this morning. I thought Elmwood was a little busier than normal this weekend, as there were lots of groups of 3+ people walking between blocks that I normally don't see, and it approached Porchfest density on a couple of blocks during the day.
I had relatives drive up from Philly on Friday to see the eclipse and then spend time doing the museums ect. We only had am 80.9% eclipse down here in Alabama but it was cool. I watched the Buffalo stations for your eclipse up there and regretted not being in NY to see it. I loved how you all had total darkness. I think most people came this weekend and spent a few days in Buffalo or Niagara Falls as my son said his pizzeria was busy this weekend when it usually slows down as people aren't working downtown on the weekends.
Only 80% coverage here in Georgia as well and sadly I couldn’t see a thing through the hazy sky. It only felt as if the sunlight was slightly dimmed. I would’ve rather experienced totality in complete overcast than this partial eclipse. Tonight I watched a CBS broadcast of the moment of totality from Niagara Falls and it was actually touching to see the crowds get so excited in anticipation, then emotional as the skies darkened. Everyone says it’s a life changing event you’ll never forget. One of the meteorologists got choked up on live television. My immediate thought tonight is that I’m pretty sure I’m going to regret missing this one for the rest of my life. Oh well. The pictures from New York look absolutely amazing, even the cloudy ones!
Only 80% coverage here in Georgia as well and sadly I couldn’t see a thing through the hazy sky. It only felt as if the sunlight was slightly dimmed. I would’ve rather experienced totality in complete overcast than this partial eclipse. Tonight I watched a CBS broadcast of the moment of totality from Niagara Falls and it was actually touching to see the crowds get so excited in anticipation, then emotional as the skies darkened. Everyone says it’s a life changing event you’ll never forget. One of the meteorologists got choked up on live television. My immediate thought tonight is that I’m pretty sure I’m going to regret missing this one for the rest of my life. Oh well. The pictures from New York look absolutely amazing, even the cloudy ones!
It was neat to experience, but hardly life-changing. After a couple hours had passed, this thread was my main reminder that it had even happened. The eclipse wasn't even the obvious highlight of the day, as the much more mundane clearing of the skies/emerging of the sunlight around 4:30 or so lifted my mood to a greater extent than the eclipse did. I'm actually glad I wasn't around a bunch of overly exuberant people in say Niagara Falls, as it can sometimes be lonely to 'not share in the emotions of the crowd' when surrounded by people. I stood with 5 bookstore employees/fellow customers outside a Barnes & Noble, and everyone's reaction was understated, which was appreciated (by me). Had I been drunk at a local brewer's eclipse festivities, it would've a different story, but given that I was sober, I'd much rather be in the presence of calm, chill people.
I think the short duration of the darkness helps to account for why I wasn't all that moved. And probably the fact that it was entirely mapped out in advance, down to the second (the fraction of a second, I'm sure, had I cared to consult NASA). When I think of natural phenomena that have affected my emotions over the years, such as seeing desert scenery for the first time, or taking in the view from the summit of Mt Washington when I climbed it with my dad at age 12, this was not at all comparable. Maybe I should've taken shrooms or something, hah.
Obviously this is all subjective, and I don't mean to diminish anyone's experience in the event that they were filled with a sense of awe or wonder
The ~4 minutes of totality were quite cool, but with no ability to view the partial eclipse beforehand or afterward, I feel bad for these rumored throngs of people who traveled here from out of town (where these people are, I'm not exactly sure, as I was out all day yesterday and saw no uptick in people out and about. Then today, traffic on the roads was lighter than normal. Maybe everyone congregated in Niagara Falls? IDK)
Honestly, what did you expect?
Hundreds of thousands of people, perhaps millions, spent all kinds of money on lodging, travel (at great environmental costs, yet I'd imagine most eclipse travelers are at least some degree of a climate nut), taking time off of work, and meals away from home.....for something you knew was going to last for about 3-4 minutes....and that's if it wasn't cloudy.
Letdown? Of course. It wasn't exactly the most exciting trip plan.
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