The Best of Buffalo
The Native’s Point of View
(By Pam Bochiechio, 2006; edited by Jennifer Chang, 2012; edited by Ben Zwierzchowski, 2015)
I am a Buffalonian. I have lived here my entire life, with the exception of my undergrad years, and am happy I chose to come back for medical school. This may sound crazy to many and, believe me; I have had to explain my choice on many occasions. So why do I love Buffalo? Here are my reasons.
1. I love the weather. There are four seasons here that are expressed beautifully with bright green trees and multicolored flowers in spring, hot sun drenched days in summer nicely cooled with a lake breeze, blazing colors and crisp smells in fall, and a crystalline winter wonderland. Yes, I know that the media has made Buffalo seem like a snow globe city that someone shook too hard. The truth is, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have enjoyed many "snow days" spent sledding, making snow angels, having snowball wars, ice skating, pushing stuck cars out of driveways, plowing and shoveling with my neighbors, and sipping hot chocolate next to a roaring fire with family and friends. The extra time it takes to brush the snow off my car in the morning or the great workout I get from
lifting a shovel is preferable to the thought of picking up the remnants of my house after a tornado, an earthquake or a hurricane.
2. Buffalo is the city of parks and green space. There are parks all over the Western New York area. No matter where you live, there is one close by. You have your choice of any of the Frederick Law Olmsted Parks, circles and parkways (Delaware, Front, Martin Luther King Jr. aka Humboldt, Riverside, Day's, South Park, and Cazenovia Creek). Plus there’s Isleview, Niawanda, and LaSalle parks by the river; Beaver Island State Park and Buckhorn Island on Grand Island; and Steiglemeir, Chestnut Ridge, Brighton, Ellicott Creek, Como Lake, Ensminger and many others in the metro area. The Forest Lawn Cemetery is also a beautiful serene place for meditation, walking, and running. Great Baehre Swamp Conservation Area and Tift Nature Preserve are wonderful places to bird watch and reconnect with nature. Or, if you want to take a bit of a drive, you can head to Letchworth State Park (a must see!) or Allegany State Park.
3. I love food and putting my senses to the test! If life is about managing priorities, treating yourself to a nice meal and a couple of cold ones should come at the top of anyone’s list. Fortunately, Buffalo offers an array of options to suit anyone’s tastes. Whether it’s the local fare of Western New York, or a more upscale, haute bistro, the city and its suburbs will open you with welcome arms.
Craving an authentic Italian meal? Or a Korean BBQ? No matter what you choose, there are limitless possibilities for your nights out. Or even your nights in! In this handbook you can find an organized list of fast food chains, bars, clubs, restaurants, grocery stores, farmer’s markets & CSA’s that have been tried and true by former students.
4. Buffalonians like to have a good time. Why else would there be so many outdoor concerts and
festivals? There are many sources of music, particularly in the summer with the Canal Concert series, Thursday at
Canal Side, The National Guitar Festival, and the Art Park series up in Lewiston. You can find art, crafts,
and music at the Allentown Art festival, The Artvoice Street Fest, and the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts. The Taste of Buffalo, Canal Fest, Italian Heritage Festival, Irish Festival, Polish Festival and Dingus Day Celebration, Hispanic Festival, Juneteenth, Lebanese Festival, Scottish Festival and Highland Games, and Oktoberfest are full of food, fun and entertainment; not to mention people-watching. The Friendship Festival is a celebration of the close relationship Buffalo has with its Canadian neighbors in Fort Erie, involving activities on both sides of the border. Winterfest is also a fun way to celebrate the gifts of Mother Nature, who has made Buffalo a weather superstar.
5. The Queen City of the Lakes has a wealth of culture. Buffalo is working its way up the ranks of
artistic culture, and is in the same realm as larger cities like Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Boston. Any
issue of Artvoice will convince skeptics that Buffalo deserves its position as the 8th Top Arts Destination for 2003
(according to American Style Magazine). There are over thirty art galleries in the area displaying the work of both
nationally known and local artists. The sixteen live theatre companies of the Buffalo area have such a draw that the
beginning of the theatre season is publicly celebrated with Curtain Up: a night of dinner, shows and conversation in
the Theatre District. Look in the Western New York Visitors Guide for a listing of the many museums in the area.
You will be amazed what you can learn about the birthplace of the carousel, Lucille Ball, Pierce-Arrow cars, player
pianos, the Erie Canal, Fisher Price, kazoos, JELL-O, and links to the Underground Railroad. Anyone with an eye
for architecture can enjoy the downtown area with buildings unseen in other cities or the Victorian mansions along the "Millionaire Mile" of Delaware Ave. The local music scene is overflowing with budding musicians making their mark and is worth checking out. There is someone playing somewhere every night!
6. Buffalo has a wonderful quality of life and friendly people. The "City of Good Neighbors" has long been the moniker of this city and not without reason. This area always finds a way to support many charitable organizations - medical-, cultural- and arts-related. This community has one of the highest donation
rates for organs and cadavers. I am sure you can appreciate that during gross anatomy. Here, you can look people in
the eye and say hello as you walk down the street. No one will think that you are weird: they simply say hello back to you. That does not happen in many cities. Prices are reasonable, and the cost of living is much less than other areas of the US. As a friend from NYC once said, "Buffalo is great, it's like everything is on sale all the time!"
Buffalo has many features of which the rest of the nation is not aware. I hope that you take advantage of the many opportunities and wonders of this region and spread the word. Buffalo is a diamond in the rough, waiting for the nation to notice it shining.
The Non-Western New Yorker’s Point of View
(By Louis Carrera, 2004)
Like those of you currently reading this essay, I came to Buffalo to fulfill my dream of becoming a physician. I wondered how different living here would be to my hometown. Originally hailing from New York City meant Buffalo was going to have some pretty strict competition.
Well, after living here for a couple of years, I am pleased to say that Buffalo is a wonderful city with a great deal to offer. However, there are some idiosyncrasies that occur here that you may notice, especially if you are from the tri-state area.
For starters, I’ve learned that being from New York City qualifies me as a “downstater.” I later discovered
that this term applies to anyone living south of Poughkeepsie. Everyone else is an “upstater.” To further complicate
matters, if you hail from the Capital Region (that’s Albany) to Syracuse, you are considered a Central New Yorker,
and anyone west of Syracuse is from Western NY*. Another very interesting point to consider is the term “New Yorker.” Downstaters will tell you that a New Yorker lives in NYC, whereas individuals from upstate NY will call anyone from New York State a New Yorker. So don’t argue when you hear this, as this is the norm here. And while there are further distinctions that could be addressed, we’ll leave it at that. After all, who doesn’t have pride in their own hometown or county?
Next, I have come to appreciate driving on roads that are not considered major routes of traffic (i.e. NOT Harlem Road, Elmwood Ave, Delaware Ave, and of course Main Street, otherwise known as Route 5). As it turns out, unless there is a blatant one-way sign, you will see these roads become two-way streets throughout the city. However, be forewarned, this is not the case downtown, where there are many one-way streets, causing many people to get lost checking out the “Chippewa Strip” or Pearl Street Grill and Brewery.
Now, I feel obliged to mention one negative aspect of driving in Buffalo: the highway and expressway
layout. After driving several times, you might think that the roads were envisaged by urban planners who forgot to
attend class. Entering or exiting the Thruway onto Route 33 (and vice versa) is probably the best example that I can think of. Another one that comes to mind is the random traffic light on Route 198 proximal to the Delaware exit. While everyone is most likely an excellent driver, you’ll note that it takes several tries to get accustomed to the layout of the expressways.
Another interesting aspect of living in Western New York is the great discussion regarding food and drink. For starters, Buffalonians take intense pride in their chicken wings. It should then come as no surprise that everyone that moves here becomes a huge fan of restaurants such as Duff’s and Anchor Bar. It is referenced in many places that the latter restaurant is the true home of Buffalo wings. Even former President Clinton visited this establishment when he came to visit this fine city. However, note that many people will tell you that Duff’s does indeed have the more potent hot sauce. Soon enough, you’ll be able to make your own assessment. You will also notice that a very popular delicatessen seen in Erie County is Roast Beef on Weck. This is essentially a delicious sandwich, with a kummelweck roll (a Kaiser roll topped with lots of pretzel salt and caraway seeds.). Shocking, I realize, but you’ll probably come to enjoy this wonderful meal. To my understanding, the best place for this meal is Anderson’s, which also concocts is also known for its custard.
With regard to beverages, there are several points worth mentioning. First, the debate looms strongly
among students whether Pepsi-Cola, or any other carbonated beverage, for that matter, should be called soda or
“pop.” Everyone in WNY says “pop,” and one might tend to think of a lollipop at first, but be aware of this WNY
preference. Another aspect of beverages that you see distinctly in this fine city is Loganberry. Now, I am a fan of
unique beverages and all, yet I had never heard of, much less tasted Loganberry prior to my arrival in Buffalo. It is quite refreshing and can be found in many restaurants, fast food joints and diners, including Amy’s Place and
Subway. Lastly, you knew this topic was coming…. BEER! Whatever you may have drank in the past, be it college,
graduate school, if applicable, whatever… be prepared to become the biggest fan of Labatt Blue and all its relatives:
Labatt Ice, Triple X, and others I might not even know about. It is so prevalent here that you’ll wonder if there are
any other beers available at all the bars you’ll be visiting at least once. The answer is yes, but you’ll see yourself
falling into this trend despite the options. However, here is the real irony. In this wonderful city, when drinking at
local establishments, you can purchase Labatt Blue for three dollars (which precludes happy hours, specials and pre-
planned medical school events) whereas a fine pint of Guinness will be a mere fifty cents more. I still don’t
understand why this is, but hey, it comes down to what quenches your taste buds after an intense examination in the
renal organ system block. Rest assured though, you can find many places with good local beer. If you enjoy beer, there is definitely a bar around for you, try out Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, Coles or Thin Man Brewery.
Oh… and one more thing. The winter can be slightly brutal at times for the fledgling resident in Buffalo. From the years that I have spent here, I have noticed Mother Nature’s routine is to strike our city once each winter with more snow than we need. Fortunately, it’s only once, and the remainder of the winter is comparable to the rest of the state and nation. However, I would highly recommend keeping a blanket, shovel, ice scraper, gloves, boots, cell phone and a positive attitude in your car once mid-October arrives. You never know when any of the given items will come in handy, so in Buffalo, it is best to be prepared instead of sorry.
Over time, you’ll come to enjoy living in Buffalo, and you’ll become familiar with all the colloquialisms and jargon. After all, you’ll be spending the next four years of your life here and, who knows, it just might be longer
than that.
*[Edit: for the record, people from Albany are NOT considered Central New Yorkers. We’re just Capital Regioners. Utica and points west up to Rochester are considered Central New York. (From Erin Armenia, Class of 2015, an Albany-ite insulted and appalled to have been called a Central New Yorker.)]
The Foreigner’s Point of View
(Original Author Unknown. Edited by H.H., 2003, and M.Y., 2005, who are, by the way, from Downstate)
For those of you who are not from Western New York, there are a few things that you should probably be aware of. Buffalo will surprise you in many ways, and there are quite a few things with which you will need to acquaint yourself.
Let’s first consider your driving habits. Somehow, the traffic books for Buffalo were written differently than those for the rest of the state. A yellow light actually means: “slam your foot on the gas because it is still your light.” The first three seconds of the red light are also fair game. Pretty soon you’ll find yourself doing the same thing, so just watch yourself at home when you are amongst civilized drivers. In addition, just because a road looks like it only has only one lane of traffic in each direction does not make this true. If there is even the slightest chance that two cars can possibly travel side-by-side in the same lane, Buffalo drivers will take advantage. This is also a nasty habit that you will quickly pick up.
Next, there is the problem of accents. If you are a “downstater” like me, you cannot help but notice the
difference. However, you must realize that there are generally fewer of us, and we are thus fair game for criticism. If
you need an example of the difference, consider this: the words “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry” have three different
pronunciations to us. But for Western New Yorkers, they have a surprisingly similar sound. You’ll also notice a
slight accentuation on the lower “a” sounds: “Dan Shannon” becomes “Daayhan Shaayhannon” (you’ll see). In
addition, there is another annoying (or endearing) little nuance of the Buffalo vernacular. Where we would say, “I
took 495 to get here,” they would say, “I took The 33 to The 198.” You will do your best not to succumb to this
habit, but there is just something about saying “The 33” that you just cannot help doing. And another problem you
may encounter is that Buffalonians will commonly refer to any highway as a thruway; the “thruway” is not just that big highway with the tolls that runs through the state. So be forewarned, and make sure you know what road someone is talking about when they give you directions.
Finally, the snow: yes, it is as bad as they tell you. General rule of thumb: Buffalo is about five degrees Fahrenheit cooler than NYC. Overall, however, I think you will find that Buffalo is a great place to spend the next four years of your life, and possibly longer than that. So have an open mind, and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.