Jeeves is an Ignorant Slut: Visiting Buffalo (no seriously)

[Nonlinear FC]

My daughter is a huge hockey fan. To the extent that she is narrowing her college searches to Beanpot teams. (Minus Harvard. And I'm kind of kidding. Sort of.)

At any rate, she really wants to spend some of Christmas break attending the World Juniors in Buffalo this year. So a couple of questions:

Any spots to avoid while we're looking for hotels? Any spots downtown to maybe look at Airbnb? One thing as a caveat, we won't have a car, so I don't want to be in the 'burbs.

Beyond that, suggestions on cool places to eat/drink or otherwise hit while there would be cool.

(Anyone with a bat signal for Max W, would love his thoughts, obviously.)

[The Sybian]

My daughter is a huge hockey fan. To the extent that she is narrowing her college searches to Beanpot teams. (Minus Harvard. And I'm kind of kidding. Sort of.)

At any rate, she really wants to spend some of Christmas break attending the World Juniors in Buffalo this year. So a couple of questions:

Any spots to avoid while we're looking for hotels? Any spots downtown to maybe look at Airbnb? One thing as a caveat, we won't have a car, so I don't want to be in the 'burbs.

Beyond that, suggestions on cool places to eat/drink or otherwise hit while there would be cool.

(Anyone with a bat signal for Max W, would love his thoughts, obviously.)

I've been back once in past 18 years, so I imagine it's changed a bit. Downtown Buffalo was starting to revitalize, and I've heard they did a lot to revitalize, especially around the river. Every tourist feels the need to go to the Anchor Bar, where they claim Buffalo Wings were invented. Don't go. The wings suck. And best not call them Buffalo wings, unless you want to get stabbed. If you have a couple hours to spare and you've never been, it's worth the trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

ETA: If you go to Canada, I'd suggest the Canadian Ballet. If you go to Mints, you can send your daughter upstairs to Peppermints.

[A_B]

You need the diamond signal.

(Which incidentally I sent up on Twitter today)

[Sabo]

My daughter is a huge hockey fan. To the extent that she is narrowing her college searches to Beanpot teams. (Minus Harvard. And I'm kind of kidding. Sort of.)

At any rate, she really wants to spend some of Christmas break attending the World Juniors in Buffalo this year. So a couple of questions:

Any spots to avoid while we're looking for hotels? Any spots downtown to maybe look at Airbnb? One thing as a caveat, we won't have a car, so I don't want to be in the 'burbs.

Beyond that, suggestions on cool places to eat/drink or otherwise hit while there would be cool.

(Anyone with a bat signal for Max W, would love his thoughts, obviously.)

I've been back once in past 18 years, so I imagine it's changed a bit. Downtown Buffalo was starting to revitalize, and I've heard they did a lot to revitalize, especially around the river. Every tourist feels the need to go to the Anchor Bar, where they claim Buffalo Wings were invented. Don't go. The wings suck. And best not call them Buffalo wings, unless you want to get stabbed. If you have a couple hours to spare and you've never been, it's worth the trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

ETA: If you go to Canada, I'd suggest the Canadian Ballet. If you go to Mints, you can send your daughter upstairs to Peppermints.

Downtown Buffalo is very hit or miss. If you plan to stay there, look around the West or East Chippewa Street area. There are a lot of restaurants and bars within walking distance. Papaya, which is in the same building as the Hampton Inn and Suites, has some decent sushi and other Asian offerings.

I'll echo the Anchor Bar sentiment. It's crap. If you want wings, go to Duff's. You'll probably need to wait if you go, especially around dinner time. Get a big plate of wings, some fries and a pitcher of beer.

Another favorite restaurant of mine is Sun Cuisine, which is a Burmese and Thai restaurant that features black rice. It's in my list of top 10 restaurants I've ever visited, and if I ever make it back to Buffalo for more than a day trip, I'll be back in a heartbeat. I had the pumpkin stew once and it was amazing. Just be aware the Buffalo location is not in a good part of town, but there's parking on site.

And if possible, try to hook up with Diamond. He's a great dude. He'll be super busy with harvest season right now, but he might be available around the Christmas time frame.

[Nonlinear FC]

Oh, good point... my wife has family in Toronto and we've been to Niagra 2 or 3 times. We actually have an April wedding and plan to arrange another stop in Niagra as the kids don't remember the last time very well.

[Pruitt]

Be forewarned though that while Niagara Falls itself is spectacular, the area around it is probably the tackiest place in all of Canada. But, fun can be had.

But Niagara Falls, New York is where all hope goes to die.

[DSafetyGuy]

ETA: If you go to Canada, I'd suggest the Canadian Ballet. If you go to Mints, you can send your daughter upstairs to Peppermints.

Good to know the advice for the Canadian side of Niagara Falls hasn't changed in 24 years.

[MaxWebster]

hey I'm alive! :D


highly doubtful at this point but if you can somehow score a room at either of the two (!?!) brand new Marriotts that are essentially connected to the arenas, you're golden. Otherwise Chippewa (still weird to say since in the 70s/80s it was a total shithole) is pretty damn hopping (I went to a play last Friday downtown and the city was more alive than I'd ever* seen it. *non-hockey edition). I've only been back for good for a month or so but even in the past few years the difference is amazing. Bring (or rent) a pair of skates and skate outdoors at Canalside - it's right between the Marriotts and the waterfront and is actually a) the old/original terminus of the Erie Canal and b) way more importantly, the site where The Aud used to be (there's a marking on the ice where the center faceoff dot used to be).

Sabo - you're literally the third person to meltdown about Sun Cuisine to me since I've been back, i've yet to go. There's one out near-ish me on Main St in Williamsville that I'll have to get to.

Jesus Syb: Mints. man i haven't thought of that place in a long time. Not...that I've ever been. I've just heard.

Agreed on Anchor. but here's the thing, we're all a bit provincial when it comes to our "local" foods and while i'd never willingly go there, it's still a "thing" to do if you're an out-of-towner. Birthplace of the wing and all. plus it's close. having said that, if you do score a car, get thee to Duffs because that's the real-deal, no frills. my usual is an order of 10, medium ("Medium is Hot"), side bowl of fries with gravy. beer or i prefer a pepsi, they serve it rather flat there and it somehow just compliments the wings perfectly. I was pretty stunned at how pricey wings have gotten though, I guess it isn't the 80s (or 90s) is it. Gabriel's Gate in Allentown people rave about, my friends love their wings but eh. better than Anchor sure.

I'm still getting refamiliarized myself. NFC let me know if you do come - it's likely we'll spend much/most/all of the holidays at my in-laws' in Albany this year since we're back east but I'd be happy to help or even meet up for a drink if i'm around and it works - be in touch.


also if you find me a job while you're here that'd be great thanks. :D

[MaxWebster]

as it is, as it has always been.

(crazy isn't it? birthplace of electricity, you'd think it would have developed into something akin to a super-city. god it's depressing. especially (or because of) contrasting with the amazing sights all around it)

But Niagara Falls, New York is where all hope goes to die.

[Pruitt]

as it is, as it has always been.

(crazy isn't it? birthplace of electricity, you'd think it would have developed into something akin to a super-city. god it's depressing. especially (or because of) contrasting with the amazing sights all around it)

But Niagara Falls, New York is where all hope goes to die.

Honestly, the highlight of that city is Smokin' Joe's

[Nonlinear FC]

Nice, Thanks Max!

We have friends and family with Marriott, given we live a stone's throw from their HQ and know a bunch of ppl that work there.

[MaxWebster]

outside of "The Rainbow Centre" (does that still exist?) and a few elementary school fieldtrips (The Turtle, Aquarium) i've literally never gone anywhere in NF, NY. Wait, Deep Purple concert in the 80s. :D

...i'm not counting geographic stuff like Goat Island, the park, the gorge, trails, etc.

(although we drove back from near Niagara U 2 weeks ago through some side streets and actually/finally saw some lovely little neighbourhoods. nowhere near the actual city tho)


aside: Pruitt you're in TO, right? lemme know if you're ever down this way. We were just at the T Zoo on Sunday surprising our 11-yr old who had never seen a live Panda and has loved them pretty much since birth. Nice that we went on the hottest day ever.

as it is, as it has always been.

(crazy isn't it? birthplace of electricity, you'd think it would have developed into something akin to a super-city. god it's depressing. especially (or because of) contrasting with the amazing sights all around it)

But Niagara Falls, New York is where all hope goes to die.

Honestly, the highlight of that city is Smokin' Joe's

[MaxWebster]

you'll not go wrong if you can get a room at either one then. If you stay at the HarbourCenter one you will literally not have to set foot outside (although that might defeat the purpose...but hey it could be cold :D ....)

Nice, Thanks Max!

We have friends and family with Marriott, given we live a stone's throw from their HQ and know a bunch of ppl that work there.

[Pruitt]

aside: Pruitt you're in TO, right? lemme know if you're ever down this way. We were just at the T Zoo on Sunday surprising our 11-yr old who had never seen a live Panda and has loved them pretty much since birth. Nice that we went on the hottest day ever.

I will definitely get in touch before I head down to the next Bills game. My brother does (seriously) gourmet tailgate parties.

[Nonlinear FC]

So, we got back from this trip yesterday. Had an absolutely amazing time, as I mentioned in the other thread. I'll just bullet some stuff out:

* - My wife is a goddamn ninja with travel stuff. She waited things out and the day before we left, she stole 2 rooms at the Marriott attached to the Key Bank Center. The rate she got was thievery. While we were checking in, a dude in an IIHF parka dropped of tickets at the desk. My wife jokingly asks "hey can we have some?" And... "Well, sure, we get these last minute all the time." So, free tickets to the Sweden match that night. We had already bought tickets for the US - Slovakia game at 8.

* - We popped over to a bar near the hotel called The Ironworks. Not great food, but the beer was good. A Mumford and Sons looking band was about to go on and I wanted to stay, but it was getting close to the Slovak game, so we had to bolt.

* - Key Bank Center was pretty cool. For both games, place was relatively empty, so we moved around quite a bit. My only quibble with the experience is the beer selection was pretty shitty. I think there's probably better options when the Sabres play, but the only decent beer I could find was Rusty Chain. So I had a bunch, to prove some kind of point to the beer gods?

* - FRI we had time before the outdoor game, so we drove up to Niagra Falls. Felt like it might be a time crunch to border cross so we just stayed in NY. I realized I don't think I've actually stopped on the US side, even though I've been there a couple of times. It was really pretty and REALLY cold.

* - We drove back and went straight to Anchor's. I know, I know.. But we didn't really care about being rubes. Thought going at lunch would alleviate crowds and we nailed it. And, I'm sorry if this bugs people.. I fucking loved the wings. Had a good local beer and just enjoyed the whole thing.

I'm not gonna say a bunch about the outdoor game. It was epic. Absolutely one of the coolest sporting events. It was made all the sweeter because my daughter was losing her damn mind. I'm also proud of the fact that I've brainwashed my kids into believing that with the right winter gear, you can sustain just about any weather. And, really, I only started getting a little cold at the very end... After being in that soup for close to 5 hours!

* That night my wife (who stayed at the hotel, because she's not insane) made a reservation at a place down Canalside called Liberty Hound. It was weird, but good. Inside of a museum of some sort, but setup like a pub. Food was good - seafood and american cuisine. But the portions were ridiculously large... I don't think that guy is gonna be in business much longer. He's throwing money out the window.

* We walked a little after dinner and saw the skating rink. I was tempted, but, man... It had been a long ass day in the elements and I was not up for that.

* Drove out the next day in the middle of a classic lake effect snow situation. That stuff doesn't bother me, but shooting out I90 going 65mph in just the two tire tracks seeing cement is still a little nervy.

Absolutely had a great time and was impressed by the small sliver of the city I got to see.

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. My wife was reading me stuff (I had emailed this thread to her) and it helped us a lot. Kind of laughed about going to Anchor's... We don't always do the touristy thing, but we were kind of like... It's kind of like getting sourdough bread at the wharf in SFO.

[DC47]

Dating a Buffalo gal, around Christmas in the mid 80s. Nietzsche's. Blues band. Forty degrees inside. Gritty. Fitting for the town.

[The Sybian]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice. My wife was reading me stuff (I had emailed this thread to her) and it helped us a lot. Kind of laughed about going to Anchor's... We don't always do the touristy thing, but we were kind of like... It's kind of like getting sourdough bread at the wharf in SFO.

No shame in going to Anchor, I never saw it as being nearly as touristy as other cliches. It's not a bad place, just nothing special. I was taken by locals who told me I had to go there at least once, and it was fine. Glad I went to check it off the list. I'm feeling all nostalgic now, I'm curious to go back and see the area now. It's been 13 or 14 years. Just don't have any reason to go.

[The Sybian]

Jesus Syb: Mints. man i haven't thought of that place in a long time. Not...that I've ever been. I've just heard.

We went to Niagara Falls this week and as we were driving out, passed Mints. I involuntarily laughed and yelled out "Mints!" My wife was confused and asked what I was talking about. Looks rundown, but I don't know if there was a time when it didn't. Too bad it was 9:00 am, I wanted to find out if they still served the "Gentleman's Lunch" which was a steak for like $4.

They have built up the Falls a lot! The "new" hotel section (probably 20 years old) is pretty nice. The tourist trap area, while still cheesey and lame, has a lot of new and nice looking attractions. Still has the Ripley's and wax museums, but they look new. Ferris Wheel looks nice, kids loved the go kart track. I was going to join, but the karts looked really slow and they had 30 people on the track at a time in single file lines. There was another track a drive away that looked like a legit racing course. The biggest shock was the utter lack of a decent restaurant. Other than incredibly overpriced hotel restaurants and Ruths Chris/Morton's steak houses, there was nothing but chains and very seedy looking all you can eat buffets. Fridays, Applebees and two IHOPs on every block. No joke, there were 6 IHOPs within a few blocks, and lots of billboards.

Took the Canadian side version of the Maid of the Mist, and that was an incredible value. I think it was $23 Canadian. Line was incredibly efficient and fast. My daughter made the correct call in standing at the front of the boat on the bottom level. The wind and spray was so severe I literally couldn't breathe. Crazy. The rest of the touristy stuff like the zip line, walk behind the Falls etc... were actually reasonably priced, which was shocking. It was cool for my kids to see the Falls, they were really into it. We stayed at the Hilton Falls View. Pool was small, but it was an infinity pool with a full wall window overlooking the Falls. We went swimming to watch the fireworks show over the Falls from the pool. That was kind of cool. I wouldn't want to spend more than one day in Niagara Falls, but worth it for a day if you have other things to do on the way. (Stopped at my parents on the way and gave my son a tour of my alma mater, University at Buffalo).

[A_B]

Froze my ass off on the Maid of the MIst when we were coming back from Boston. Third coldest I've ever been I think.

[mister d]

So if I'm in Buffalo, where would I get beef on weck?

[Giff]

BW3!

[MaxWebster]

Charlie the Butcher is pretty good; a few locations

So if I'm in Buffalo, where would I get beef on weck?

[The Sybian]

So if I'm in Buffalo, where would I get beef on weck?

Only place I ever had one was Duff’s. Actually, I picked one up at Wegmans once, that was good.

[Rex]

Man, AB has been waiting for over a year to tell us about the two coldest times in his life.

[bfj]

Glad I saw this thread. I am (hopefully) going to Buffalo this summer to present at a conference.

[MaxWebster]

ya let me know if/when you do and you need any advice!

(...next summer?)

Glad I saw this thread. I am (hopefully) going to Buffalo this summer to present at a conference.

[A_B]

Man, AB has been waiting for over a year to tell us about the two coldest times in his life.

FINALLY!

[MaxWebster]

hey just sayin - we've been running our AC units all week. just don't come in December (or January, or honestly February...) and you'll be good!

[bfj]

ya let me know if/when you do and you need any advice!

(...next summer?)

Glad I saw this thread. I am (hopefully) going to Buffalo this summer to present at a conference.

Planned for June. I should find out if I made the cut next month.