| My theory is a real traveler is able to | | | | warehouse stories. That, combined with the |
| discover interesting things even in the most | | | | economic woes of the city, has apparently |
| unlikely of places. Well, Buffalo probably | | | | created a flight into the suburbs that has |
| hasn't made the "top travel destinations" | | | | left the city's core rather lifeless on the |
| list for a while, but I have been doing some | | | | weekend.It was really quite sad to see that a |
| research on it and I thought it's high time | | | | city like Buffalo, which has such a great |
| to explore Buffalo, the closest American city | | | | number of outstanding architectural heritage |
| to Toronto, just south of Niagara Falls and | | | | sites, had virtually no street life, retail |
| right across the Fort Erie border.So my | | | | or shopping opportunities in the downtown |
| fellow travel and architecture aficionado | | | | core. A lot of stores were boarded up and the |
| Shauna and I headed out early yesterday | | | | few stores that were there were closed down |
| morning to make the 2 hour trek to Buffalo. | | | | tight on the weekend.Well, we had to move on |
| We picked the Fort Erie border crossing and | | | | to our tour of another architectural jewel, |
| fortunately it wasn't very busy at all. The | | | | Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House. Darwin |
| border crossing was actually a reasonably | | | | Martin was a high-ranking executive with the |
| pleasant experience as the border guards were | | | | Larkin Soap Company and his brother-in-law |
| in a really good mood and very friendly, a | | | | had encouraged Darwin to seek out Wright's |
| nice foreboding to a good day.Approaching the | | | | work in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. After |
| city we immediately took a wrong turn and | | | | familiarizing himself with Wright's work, he |
| headed south on Highway 5 away from downtown. | | | | brought him to Buffalo in November 1902 to |
| But we got to see Buffalo's waterfront, which | | | | build a house for his sister, the Barton |
| in this area includes a few rather | | | | House, with a size of about 4000 feet, and |
| unspectacular marinas and some old run-down | | | | then to build his main house, a 15,000 square |
| industrial buildings. We turned ourselves | | | | foot Prairie Style home, characterized by |
| around and headed back towards the downtown | | | | Wright's rigorous and consistent use of |
| area. Because the tourist information office | | | | cruciform plans, piers and cantilevers, and |
| was closed on Sunday we figured, we'd stop in | | | | other prairie house principles. After many |
| at the Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel to pick up | | | | years of neglect, the Martin house is now |
| some tourist brochures and city maps. Another | | | | under renovation to restore it back to its |
| pleasant experience: The lady at the front | | | | original early 1900's authentic |
| counter was extremely helpful, provided us | | | | splendour.Right now the building is empty and |
| with several brochures and a printout of how | | | | a few large photographs illustrate the former |
| to get to 2 of the most important | | | | decor and furnishings. It's very visible that |
| architectural heritage sites in Buffalo: | | | | this building has been neglected for a long |
| Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House and his | | | | time and the Martin House Restoration |
| other important Buffalo work, Graycliff | | | | Corporation is working very hard to restore |
| Mansion.Having parked the car on Delaware | | | | it back to its authentic 1907 |
| Avenue at about 10:30 am, the one thing that | | | | characteristics, even to the degree of |
| struck us immediately was how empty the | | | | rebuilding the pergola and the coach house |
| streets were. There was virtually no | | | | that were demolished by a previous owner. The |
| pedestrian traffic at all and very few | | | | tour lasted about 90 minutes and was provided |
| vehicles passing by. We figured it must be | | | | by a very passionate docent and all the |
| too early for people to be out, and we headed | | | | volunteer staff in the gift shop and the |
| off into a restaurant called "Flappy's" to | | | | chaperone were very helpful. We even received |
| strengthen ourselves for the day with a | | | | a glass of water in the 60s style kitchen of |
| filling brunch. We booked our tour at the | | | | the Martin House which will be torn out and |
| Martin House for 2 pm, so after breakfast we | | | | replaced by more authentic furnishings as the |
| had about 2 hours to do a walking tour of | | | | renovation continues.After the humid heat |
| downtown.As we came out of the restaurant we | | | | inside the Martin and Barton Houses we were |
| noticed the city had gotten a bit livelier, | | | | glad to get outside to cool down. We drove |
| but not by much. We parked our car close to | | | | through the Park Side East Historic District |
| Niagara Square and started our exploration on | | | | surrounding Delaware Park, a creation of the |
| foot. First on the agenda was the Buffalo | | | | famous landscape designer Frederick Law |
| City Hall, a monumental Art Deco skyscraper | | | | Olmstead, who also designed Central Park. The |
| completed in 1931, built of orange-hued | | | | area around Delaware Park and the Forest Lawn |
| sandstone with intricate details and | | | | Cemetery is a beautiful part of the city with |
| colourful ornamentation. An immensely | | | | gorgeous mansions and manicured lawns, and |
| impressive building. We examined all the | | | | this beauty is most visible on Millionaires' |
| facade details and friezes which display | | | | Row along Delaware Avenue. There was much |
| images related to agriculture.We did a little | | | | more traffic and street life in this part of |
| downtown circle and covered a few really | | | | Buffalo, the atmosphere was pleasant and the |
| interesting buildings. The red colour and | | | | residential areas impressive.We headed over |
| detailed ornamentation of Louis Sullivan's | | | | closer to the Niagara River and drove along |
| Guaranty Building really captured our | | | | the Seaway Trail, crossed Grand Island and |
| imagination. We passed by St. Paul's | | | | continued on the outskirts of Niagara Falls, |
| Cathedral and past the trolley tracks of Main | | | | NY, right along the Niagara River towards |
| Street we discovered the Elicott Square | | | | Lewiston. The drive north of Niagara Falls to |
| Building. The east entrance to the building | | | | Fort Niagara State Park on Lake Ontario is |
| was actually open so we went inside. This | | | | gorgeous, with beautiful old homes |
| building was erected in 1896 according to a | | | | overlooking the Niagara River, huge trees |
| design by Daniel Burnham, one of Chicago's | | | | overhanging the 2-lane country road, with |
| most famous architects. This building is | | | | well-kept properties on either side of the |
| constructed around a large interior court | | | | road. We stopped for a snack just outside the |
| covered by a glass block ceiling held up by | | | | very quaint town of Lewiston, in a place |
| ornamented steel girders. We commented on how | | | | called the Silo, which is right next to the |
| similar this design was the one of Chicago's | | | | river, overlooking a launch area for the |
| most famous buildings, the "Rookery", and it | | | | high-speed boats that whisk visitors into the |
| wasn't until this morning that I realized | | | | rapids of the Niagara Gorge. We had a lovely |
| that both buildings were created by the same | | | | greasy lunch outside, enjoying the breeze |
| architect.It's an amazingly impressive | | | | (hey, you don't have to eat healthy every |
| building with gorgeous sweeping staircases | | | | day) and then continued our drive all the way |
| and an intricate mosaic covering the entire | | | | to Fort Niagara State Park, admiring the |
| courtyard. From the Ellicot Square Building | | | | villas and estates.We had chosen to cross the |
| we headed towards the Lafayette Hotel, a | | | | border at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, but |
| handsome red brick and white terra cotta | | | | construction work had caused confusing |
| French Renaissance-style building which was | | | | detours and a local New York State father and |
| built in anticipation of the expected influx | | | | son team stopped their car when they saw us |
| of visitors at the Pan-American Exposition in | | | | by the road, staring at the map, trying to |
| 1901. Due to financial difficulties, however, | | | | figure out how to get to the border crossing. |
| it was not opened until 1904. From there we | | | | They rolled down the window and said they'd |
| checked out the General Electric Tower, a | | | | guide us to the bridge, which they did. We |
| handsome white Terracotta-clad structure | | | | followed them for about 10 minutes through |
| dating back to 1912.The Electric Tower | | | | the maze of detour signs until we found the |
| happens to be right beside another | | | | bridge and headed back over to Canada. Both |
| fascinating building: the Buffalo Savings | | | | of us were very impressed with the |
| Bank, a building manifesting Buffalo's boom | | | | friendliness and helpfulness of the |
| of the second half of the 19th century. In | | | | locals.Back on the Canadian side we drove |
| the late 1890s - the peak of Buffalo's golden | | | | along the Niagara Parkway and stopped in the |
| age - the bank held a competition for a grand | | | | beautiful little village of |
| new headquarters. The contest was won by | | | | Niagara-on-the-Lake. NOTL calls itself the |
| Green & Wicks, Buffalo's premier | | | | "prettiest village in Ontario", and they |
| turn-of-the-century architectural firm. Their | | | | might just be right. The village is home to |
| design projected stability, security, and | | | | beautifully maintained Victorian homes, |
| aspiration.The building's signature feature | | | | overflowing flower baskets, souvenir shops, |
| is the gold-leafed dome.After the Buffalo | | | | cafes, bed and breakfasts, as well as the |
| Savings Bank we explored the Genesee Building | | | | famous Shaw Festival, and for many Ontarians |
| which today is the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Just | | | | it is a favourite destination for a quick |
| as we finished exploring that building the | | | | weekend getaway.From Niagara-on-the-Lake we |
| heavens opened up and there was a torrential | | | | headed through vineyards and orchards to St. |
| downpour so we sat down in front of the Hyatt | | | | Catharines, and to its Port Dalhousie |
| and took in the street scene. We were facing | | | | waterfront entertainment area, not forgetting |
| Main Street, the street that is now a | | | | to stop by a road-side fruit stall to buy |
| pedestrian zone and accommodates Buffalo's | | | | ripe red cherries and nuclear-size apricots |
| light rail rapid transit line. One thing we | | | | fresh from the tree. About 20 minutes from |
| consistently noticed in Buffalo was the | | | | NOTL, Port Dalhousie harbours a marina and a |
| absence of street-level stores and | | | | long pier and numerous outdoor patio |
| restaurants. In the downtown core, as a | | | | restaurants, ice cream parlors, souvenir |
| matter of fact, most of the modernist office | | | | shops and other entertainment. Hundreds of |
| and government buildings did not have any | | | | people were parading along the pier, couples, |
| street level retail at all. A lot of the | | | | parents with children, dog owners, retired |
| modern administrative buildings in Buffalo | | | | folks and a very interesting young lady with |
| have a rather austere and non-welcoming | | | | red hair, whose friend had given her poodle a |
| feeling and some of the newer buildings | | | | matching-colour hairdo with the leftover hair |
| dating back to the 50s and later have an | | | | dye.The atmosphere in Port Dalhousie was |
| almost penitentiary feeling to them. The | | | | almost like in a Californian seafront resort |
| resulting scarcity of street-level store | | | | town with rollerbladers, walkers, beach |
| fronts combined with the utter lack of | | | | volleyball players, boaters and relaxed |
| pedestrians (certainly on the weekend) really | | | | pedestrians taking a stroll through the |
| gives downtown Buffalo a rather eerie | | | | village and on the pier. I did not even feel |
| deserted feel, and the absence of people | | | | like I was in Ontario. The sun was starting |
| downtown was our most striking impression of | | | | to set and lake was laid out in front of us |
| Buffalo. Judging from the classically styled | | | | like an ocean, with no shoreline visible on |
| street lamps with blooming planters, however, | | | | the other side. It was a beautiful hot |
| the city appears to have been working on | | | | evening and I felt like I wanted to spend a |
| beautifying the downtown core.We started | | | | whole week in this happening spot. But no |
| heading back to the car and passed by the | | | | such luck, we had to get back to Toronto |
| Statler Hotel, which isn't really a hotel any | | | | after our exciting girls-only excursion to |
| more, but apparently a building full of | | | | Buffalo and the Niagara Peninsula.We got to |
| lawyer's offices. We had a look inside the | | | | explore some fabulous architectural gems, |
| impressive lobby which features French | | | | connected with the legacy of Frank Lloyd |
| chandeliers from the early 20th century. I | | | | Wright, had a lovely greasy lunch right next |
| took a couple of pictures, but the security | | | | to the Niagara River, enjoyed the hospitality |
| guard stopped me, telling me no photography | | | | and the helpfulness of the local New York |
| was allowed. We had a really interesting chat | | | | State residents, and back on home territory, |
| after this and he commented on long-standing | | | | we hopped along the Lake Ontario shoreline to |
| economic problems of Buffalo and how in his | | | | enjoy fresh fruits, frozen yogurt and an |
| opinion, the current mayor had only made | | | | amazingly relaxing late afternoon by the |
| things worse. One example of the city's | | | | waterfront. It doesn't get much better than |
| economic problems is that the stately | | | | that...Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| ballroom of the Statler Hotel had only been | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel |
| recently reopened after having been closed | | | | and Transitions deals with unconventional |
| down since 1957. Furthermore, a previous | | | | travel and is chock full of advice, tips, |
| owner of the building had tried to create a | | | | real life travel experiences, interviews with |
| food court in the basement and had opened up | | | | travellers and travel experts, insights and |
| the main floor, but ran out of money before | | | | reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests |
| the food court could be built. So now you | | | | and many other features. You will also find |
| have a rather obtrusive opening on the ground | | | | stories about life and the transitions that |
| floor with a view into an empty basement | | | | we face as we go through our own personal |
| without stores or food outlets. Our local | | | | life-long journeys.Submit your own travel |
| contact also commented on the reasons why | | | | stories in our first travel story contest( |
| downtown Buffalo was so devoid of people, and | | | | and have a chance to win an amazing adventure |
| he said that all the locals did their | | | | cruise on the Amazon River. |
| shopping at the suburban malls and big | | | | |