thursday july 17th 2008
Erie Canal Harbor Tips (and a few hints)
Chuck LaChiusa
This summer, there’s much more at the newly dedicated Erie Canal Harbor than enjoying the reconstruction and the historical signage.
While you are at the Harbor, you can also take short strolls:
• Adjoining the Harbor is Veterans Park with monuments to Western New York veterans of American wars. • Enjoy the flower display and boats at the Erie Basin Marina. • Refresh yourself at the informal Hatch restaurant or at the more upscale Shanghai Red’s (where catamaran rides are available). • In the Erie Basin Marina, there is also a small beach for sunbathing and an observation tower for viewing. • On the far side of the Erie Canal construction site, near the DL&W depot, there is the Women’s Walkway with commemorative benches and bricks. • It’s a short walk to Lower Lakes Marine Historical Society at Franklin and Swan, open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. • It’s also a short walk to City Hall…
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West Coast Perspective
The City of Buffalo is investing $121,000 in bond funds to clean-up the former Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) site on the West Side. The MAP building was destroyed by a fire and was subsequently demolished by the City at a cost of $86,000. Redevelopment plans for the property on Massachusetts Avenue at Shields Avenue include ADA-accessible picnic tables, park benches, new bushes along the fence line, new trees, grading and seeding, and a new parking area adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club.
“This is an investment in the neighborhood that will improve the quality of life for the residents that live around the former Massachusetts Avenue Project site,” said Mayor Brown. “This redevelopment of the vacant lot will provide a more park-like environment and expand green space for the residents.”
wednesday july 16th 2008
Mmmmm... falafel.
queenseyes
For a while there I thought that the work had completely stopped at the soon-to-be Falafel Bar on Allen (see original story). The paper was in the windows, though it already looked like it had been up for years. To my surprise there were workers back at the site yesterday putting many of the final touches in the space. I guess there was a three-month delay partly caused by The City, but then again, what else is new.
The good news is that renovations are back underway for the 50-seat restaurant and Allentown is on its way to getting a healthy, vegetarian-friendly eatery. I spoke with owner Oded Rauvenpoor who had just gotten back from a food show in Chicago and he made it a point to tell me that for the first time there was a buzz about some of the great things taking place in Buffalo. That's good... …
queenseyes
Last night I was in awe when I saw how mobbed Elmwood was. The featured music act, Babik, drew an uncanny amount of people to Bidwell Parkway. It is events like this that draw people from all over Buffalo to experience what city-living is all about. That's why I'm excited to say that tonight is the first showing at the Hertel Avenue Outdoor Film Festival. That's where people will be to catch some great Italian flicks - the parking lot of Filippo's Ristorante Italiano in North Buffalo (1264 Hertel Ave), between Delaware and Colvin will be converted into an outdoor cinema. Here's the schedule:
* July 16 - Dinner Rush - English
* July 23 - Cinema Paradiso - Italian, English subtitles
* July 30 - 29th Street - English
* Aug. 6 - Johnny Stecchino - Italian, English subtitles
*Films are shown on Wednesday evenings starting July 16 through Aug. 6, coinciding in part with th…
Allie Friedman
I can only hope that after all of this summer's festivities, you Buffalo partiers still have energy in your bodies to celebrate another Buffalo summer tradition. Hertel Avenue is hopping this weekend, July 17th-20th, as Italy leaves her legacy on Buffalo, New York. Taking place Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm, and continuing on Sunday from 11 am to 10 pm, the Sorrento Cheese Italian Heritage and Food Festival will be rocking North Buffalo.
Italian American Heritage in Buffalo goes back a long way - back to when the first Italian immigrants stepped foot on U.S soil up until today. Starting in 1976 on Connecticut Street, as a tradition to remember Italian heritage, faith, and customs, Buffalo's Italian Festival continues the celebration each year. Many people don't know that it wasn't until 1988 that the festival picked up and moved to its current location, Hert…
queenseyes
When we found out that Chris Bell was going to launch his aquatic music tour from Rock Harbor Village this Saturday (see event details), we were stoked to say the least. Thanks to co-sponsor Sugar City, Chris has agreed to play – and he might even arrive by canoe (via the Scajaquada Creek). The following is from Chris regarding his journey that will start in Buffalo and lead him down the Erie Canal:
“Well, the journey is part eco-friendly part adventure. I have no sponsorship. I have planned, booked and been training for this all by myself. It started a bit as a joke. Last year, while talking to a friend of mine (and fellow musician) about future plans, I jokingly mentioned I wanted to canoe across NY state, to cut down on gas consumption, and partially in challenge to people I have heard of doing walk…
West Coast Perspective
Evans Bank, formerly known as Evans National Bank, unveiled its new name, logo and tagline at an all-employee event at its Hamburg headquarters Tuesday. The rebranding initiative underscores a strategic transition for the 88-year-old bank. The new Evans identity will be officially rolled out when its Elmwood Avenue branch opens to the public next month.
“We knew it was the right time to reexamine our brand and how we speak to the marketplace,” explained President and CEO David J. Nasca. “For people who didn’t know us, we needed a way to introduce ourselves. For customers who already know us, we needed to reaffirm the unique value we offer.”
Founded in 1920 in the Town of Evans, Evans Bank first catered to residents in the Southtowns, but now serves cus…
queenseyes
You have got to give credit to Urban Threads for coming out with yet another great Buffalo t-shirt design. Everyone loves an Etch-a-Sketch, right? Well here is a permanent Etch-a-Sketch t-shirt that features the silhouette of a Buffalo. How many other cities could do this? Maybe they could sketch an identifiable building, but when it comes to an actual icon that is synonymous with the name of the city? What would a Cleveland look like? Or a Dallas? Graphic designers in this city have been capitalizing on the buffalo image for years... someone should put a book together will all of the great (and not so great) designs and images.
Anyways, the Etch-a-buffalo t-shirt will be available at Urban Threads next week. It's going to be available for both men and women and will run 20 bucks. If you need more info on the availability, just give them a shout:
queenseyes
The results are in for the line-up at The Rally @ Rock Harbor this Saturday. Thanks to Bernice Radle of the Mom and Dad Parade, visitors are going to be treated with an incredible show. Even Christopher Bell (featured on NPR) will be launching his canoe trip (with guitar) from the grounds at 7:30pm. Plus, the show now starts half an hour earlier in order to accommodate an additional music act called It's Like Going On Vacation For A Day.
Everything else that is making this one of the most unusual music gigs in the city will be the same... or will it? Look for the stretching mural on the side of The Forte building as you drive or bike along the Scajaquada Creek (corner of Niagara and Tonawanda). Doors open at 3pm, so grab your bike, your deck, or your blades and get ready for an incredible day of music, veggie burgers, games, beer and friends. $5 at the door gets you everything y…
tuesday july 15th 2008
Remembering the Great Depression
Jennifer Lawandus
In a time when Buffalonians may be facing some difficult economic challenges, the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has decided to host the debut of the program "Whose Names Are Unknown: Songs & Images from the Great Depression" which will recount a worse economic era, the Great Depression.
"The title for the event is taken from the use of 'whose names are unknown' that was put on foreclosed properties during the Great Depression," according to Kathleen Vogel Matthews, Adult Education Coordinator of Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.
The event will include the music of the 1930s that helped raise the spirits of a whole country during the Great Depression. Additionally, the music will be performed to historical narrative and images from the Great Depression and New Deal years. Farm Security Administration has provided the images for this event from documentar…
