mmt

Well, here's the deal... I may be moving to Buffalo, NY this spring due to my soon to be husband's job transfer. Great job opportunity but, it IS in Buffalo.

Is it possible to use the words Buffalo and enjoyable (or any pleasant word for that matter!) in a sentence?

Please help make this opportunity sound a little more appealing...

Marie

I don't live in Buffalo but she is my neighbor 60 or so miles to the west, and a good neighbor she is.

I don't know where you are moving from, but Buffalo's reputation for lots of snow is not overrated. Wonderful opportunities for skiing, sledding, tobogganing, and snowmobiling. Friendly city, perhaps provincial, but that's part of her charm. Some lovely suburbs, if you prefer the burbs. Of course, it's only 20 miles from Niagara Falls and about two hours from Toronto, a most cosmopolitan city. Come with a smile and good attitude - you'll enjoy Buffalo and she will be glad to have you in her midst. Marie

David

YES!
Having lived there for my first 20 years and then having moved away to the southwest I can say Buffalo is a good place to live.
If you like a city with distinct neighborhoods, friendly people, great ethnic food (especially neighborhood Italian restaurants...no need to go to the chains here), REAL people...then Buffalo will be enjoyable. If you want downtown theater, a downtown arts neighborhood, a city with a water front, excellent universities and the culture they provide...then Buffalo is for you. If you want beautiful suburbs, to go along with beautiful in city neighborhoods...then you found it.
If you want New york City, Boston or Chicago, you will have to go there. Southwest airlines will make it easy!
You will have snow and gray cold winters, like most of the north; if snow is a problem it makes a big difference if you're north or south (south has more snow)of the city so make sure you know where you want to live. Enjoy the four seasons, and the people!

Bahflow

Dear mmt:

Tell us where you are now.

I'm sure your first year will be hard -- it ALWAYS is, no matter where you move (I've done it 4 times), but moving there in spring is good because you will have several months to learn the area and, hopefully, make friends.

Buffalo is a friendly city, a wonderful size, and with some areas of beauty and history most people wouldn't expect. The Albright-Knox is one of the better small museums in the country, for example. The university (SUNY-Buffalo) is a great resource for the area and is very strong in a number of areas. It's very neighbor-hoodish, has strong ethnic representation of certain groups which means special restaurants and a certain "tang" to the culture. I have some friends who had to leave B. years ago and still rave about "beef on wick" -- which you'll have to find out about on a visit there.

But almost as significant are the things Buffalo is near, including a substantial chunk of Canada (London, Hamilton, all the way across to Detroit, and then increasing wilderness as you go north of Toronto), which few Americans know enough about. Toronto -- which doesn't get a third of the snow B. does, being on the other side of the lake -- is only 1.5 hrs. away and is one of North America's greatest cities. You are also not far from Rochester (1.5 hrs. or less), which has a lot to offer itself.

I had to move, unwillingly, to the area myself several years ago, and after the initial shock of the first winter, I got more and more attached to the place, and made life-long friends (they're important in the winters). I treated it like an adventure to learn about areas I knew little about of the US and Canada, which kept me interested.

I won't kid you, it'll be a major adjustment of life style and philosophy, esp. if you are coming from a large and/or warm city. But stay open and optimistic and I promise, by the time the next transfer comes through (which it will inevitably), you'll be sorry to leave.

Pete

In a word: Doug Flutie. Oh that's two words.

FlutieFan

Hey Pete, you beat me to the punch. The Bills are going nowhere with Rob Johnson, get rid of him and make Flutie the starting QB.

S

mmt,
If you like where you came from and have friends there, you should like where you're going. You'll make friends there too. Get a job, join a church, join some clubs, volunteer. In other words, put yourself in a position to meet new people. Good luck. Too dadgum cold for me, but I'm sure the residents don't mind (too much).

Buffy

NO!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!

Al Godon

My friend Paul has a picture of the roof of his car, taken from the vantage point of the snow bank on which he was standing -- the one in which his car was trapped, and the one in which it had been totally buried until he dug away enough of the snow to get inside of it to retrieve some valuable property.

If you like snow, you will love Buffalo.
The people there have to be special to tolerate the winter environment. I never lived there, but the zest many of the locals have for life must be a function of something worthwhile.

Is Flutie all that good? He is not on TV much where I live. We get the Redskins feed.

Roger

I spent about two and a half years in Buffalo in the late 70's. I was recently back there on a business trip. About all I can say is that the people are friendly (and hearty!) and the food is really good. The rest sucks. I speak with experience having lived in 7 other states during my career.

Lisa

Really, Buffalo is no where near as bad as SOME people make it sound. Yes, there are a few bad areas in the city I would stay away from, just as in any city, though! I was born and raised in Buffalo, and continue to live here.

Don't waste your time in any of the chain restaurants; Olive Garden, Chili's, Bennigans, et al...no offence to any of them, but there are a lot of fabulous places to eat. Try "Hutches" at Gates Circle for the newest in creative cusine, a new fav of all the "in" crowd. Or "Harry's" for a beautiful sunset over the Niagra River while dining(over-priced in my opinion, but the decor and view make up for it). The "Rue Franklin", "Fannys", "Olivers", or "Daffodils" for fine dining. For fast food, skip McD's and the rest. Go to "Teds" for awesome grilled hot dogs, "Andersons" for your first "beef-on-weck"(OK, for those that don't know...hand carved, thinly sliced roast beef, piled high on a fresh "kimmelweck" roll(a bun with course salt and caroway seeds sprinkled on top),served with horseradish that will put hair on yer chest!) stay there and try the Italian ice or(my personal fav) the frozen custard(Dairy Queen is a joke compared to Andersons). For the best Buffalo Chicken Wings, go to any small local bar, ask for x-tra crispy(the best joints will the throw them on the grill, after they've been deep fried), either mild, medium, spicey, or BBQ'd. For Sushi, go to "Kuni's" on Elmwood. I'm a career waitress/server, and have been in this field, in Buffalo, for over 20 years, I know where all the resaurant people go to eat, drink, and be merry!

I will second what the other posters stated Re: Toronto, RaChaCha(rochester) etc...

Oh, by the way, if you aren't interested in Hockey or Football, brace yourself! The Sabres and Bills are always a major topic of conversation!(a big HELLO to Al Godon, who posted earlier! I recognise your name from Pauly's(PMS Productions) mailing list! The pic's Pauly sent were right on the mark. Ken-Ton was just as bad as Cheek-ta-Vegas!)

Carol

I noticed that my husband posted something above a little bit earlier..just want to expound upon his msg. a bit.

We lived in a lovely suburb of Buffalo (East Amherst - Ransom Oaks) for 2-1/2 years back in the late 70's. We've lived all over the US, and I have to say that those were the best neighbors that we've ever had. Wonderful, warm, caring people.

The ethnic foods and restaurants can't be beat! Even if you've never liked chicken wings, you're sure to get hooked on the real things. The Beef on Weck that someone else mentioned never was one of my faves...the weck refers to the rolls and they always seemed kind of dry.

SUNY has a lovely campus in Buffalo and I attended one of their jr. colleges (Erie Co. Community College) which was very impressive, even so long ago. The schools (our son was in elementary at the time) were very good.

You made me look at my time in Buffalo in a different perspective! While I was there I griped a lot, mostly because of the weather and the taxes. But, as with everything in our lives, there are many positives that we need to recognize.

Good luck,
Carol

ilisa

I will be honest. I hate Buffalo. My husband was born and raised there; my mother in law and other family members still live there. My husband says that there are plenty of reasons why he moved away, weather being number 1. However, the people I have met there are the nicest that I have ever met. I have never met more people that were willing to go out of their way for their neighbors like they do in Buffalo.

EM

I know this is an old post, but I just had to reply as a Buffalo native. I've lived all over: London, England, NYC, Chicago and now in California -- the nicest neighbors I've ever had are from Buffalo. Enjoy Niagara on the Lake, nearby fingerlakes, sailing on Lake Erie, Skiing and cheap real estate (compared to the rest of the country)

Barry

There is no truer commentary about Buffalo than the following two axioms:
"Happiness is Buffalo in your rear-view mirror"

"Suicide in Buffalo is redundant"

My condolensces regarding your forthcoming relocation to Buffalo...3 years was all I could stand!

Pat

Such nonsense! Wherever you go, you take yourself there. If you're unhappy, you'll be unhappy in Buffalo and vis-versa.

Some years there's snow, some years there's none. There are a dozen good, working theatres here, there are the GooGoo Dolls, Annie DiFranco, a half-dozen really good colleges, good coffee houses, top restaurants, Adelphia cable, Rich Products, several string quartets, $49. flights to New York or Chicago. You can ski in the winter and go sailing in the summer. There are woods and camping 1/2 hour from downtown. Not a bad place.

Don't do what I did--judge it from your car. It won't do well. We don't have a lot of 'street appeal' from the thruway. But I've been to a lot of places and I'm never sorry to come home.

Cheryl

As a lifelong resident of Buffalo (39 yrs.!), I have to tell you - don't believe everything your hear. Let me list a few truths and lies for you:

Is it cold? Duh. It's very cold in the winter, just like every northern city (Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston, Toronto).

Does it snow 365 days a year? Another duh! Sometimes it snows, sometimes it doesn't. Seriously, with one or two exceptions, over the last several years it hasn't snowed very much at all. The media blows it out of proportion. We had one big storm this year (November - that's unusual) and hardly any since then! It's the cold that gets to us the most. Keep in mind, when it does snow, we don't panic, shut down the city (well, once in a great while), and have 114 car pileups on the thruway like they just had in Virginia. We can deal with it. You wipe it off your car, and drive away. Simple. P.S. Haven't taken the kid sledding yet this winter - not enough snow!

Do you have summer? Of course. Very hot and humid. Add to that our beautiful waterfront and what better way to spend an evening.

Is there anything nice about Buffalo? Yes. Yes. Yes. Beautiful architecture, history, neighborhoods. Are you a city person, buy a beautiful Victorian home with hand carved woodwork, stained glass windows, etc. for 1/4 of the price of bigger cities. We have the big, expensive burbs too.
Frank Lloyd Wright homes, a fabulous concert hall and philharmonic, theater distric, hopping downtown nightlife, and the BILLS AND SABRES! Tons of free concerts, skiing, and the list goes on. (AND YES, CHICKEN WINGS - THE BEST - WE INVENTED THEM - very fattening, ahem).

There are so many beautiful day drives and, of course, Niagara Falls. Can't beat that. If you need a really big, international city fix, drive to Toronto. Just a few miles north.

OK - there are a few bad things. High taxes, public schools in disaray. You can't have everything!

Oh, I forgot to mention.....you will rarely encounter traffic jams, and USA Today just voted us the friendliest city in the U.S. That is the truest thing of all!

Good luck and look me up when you arrive.

Incredulous

Cheryl:
Not enough snow for sledding this winter in Buffalo? Say what?

Alexis

I spent my first 25 years in Buffalo. I have been living in NYC for the last 6 years.
Buffalo has some definate plusses.
1. Friendly people - this really is no myth. The people of Buffalo are very helpful and down to earth. If you ever blow a tire or get stuck in a snowdrift, you'll have help within 5 minutes.
2. Low cost of living - on my trips back to see the 'rents, I longingly read the real estate section. $150,000 will buy you a 4 bedroom house on an acre, attached garage, pool, the works, in a nice neighborhood. In NY, 150K won't buy you jack-sh*t.
3. Some good local foods -Namely REAL chicken wings. They're terrible for you but oh-so-good. My high school biology teacher used to describe them as chicken fat, fried in fat, rolled in fat, then dipped in fat. But I digress. Nirvana=Ribs and a pitcher of beer at the Anchor Bar.
4. The weather - A plus and a minus, in my opinion. Summers in Buffalo are very beatiful, sunny and hot but not agonizing. Even the snow can be beatiful in its way. I must say I miss those mornings when the snow is all fresh and fluffy and twinkly. By January it does start to wear thin though.
The minuses are:
1. The weather - Having to go out 20 minutes early EVERY d*mn day to warm up your engine and scrape off your windshield just plain sucks!
2. The ecomony - I don't live there anymore but I hear from MANY sources that the job market (particularly for 20 somethings) is kind of bleak. Of all my old childhood, high school and college friends, cousins, etc., about 80% have left or are planning to leave soon.
3. Lack of diversity - Other people have posted that Buffalo is a culturally diverse place to live but I really have to disagree on this. I suppose to compared to other places in the US it's a melting pot but to me, it still seems pretty "White-bread" if you forgive the expression (The Polish Villa and Indian Clay Oven restaurants not withstanding). I'm sure it's the influence of living in New York City, but when I go back, I really notice the difference, and as a multi-racial person, this difference is very important to me.
Overall, it is entirely possible even probable to be happy living in Buffalo. It's all what you make it!

Alexis

By the way, I really do know how to spell "beautiful". Honest! LOL