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