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FeedBest of WNY 2012: Out & About
This is year seven for Buffalo Spree’s best of WNY. Each year, we determine the area’s finest by combining the deliberations of three expert panels with the votes of our readers. Each year,
the categories change, just to keep it exciting. Agree or disagree? Be sure to let us know by posting here or on any of the other Best of categories we post this week on BuffaloSpree.com.
Best place for a drink after work—suburbs
Tie: 800 Maple and Brennan’s Bowery Bar
800 Maple, Amherst, 716-688-5800, 800maple.com.
For after-work drinks—with friends, colleagues, or a new online date—800 Maple always has the right atmosphere. Ample space surrounding a long, winding bar means it’s always intimate, but never crowded. Bartenders are just friendly enough—i.e. they’ll make a joke, but won’t join your conversation uninvited—and whatever your poison, they can mix it. Wine lovers will be satisfied by the healthy by-the-glass and impressive by-the-bottle lists (if you happen to work on Sundays, your after-work bottle will be half price). Best of all, if you get hungry, you can rest easy knowing that the menu comes from the same folks who bring you Siena, Oliver’s, and the new Rocco’s in Williamsville—bar food doesn’t have to be burgers and wings anymore. We recommend the wood-fired gourmet pizzas, nine unique combinations that ensure the perfect match for any libation.
4401 Transit Rd., Williamsville, 716-633-9630, brennansbowerybar.com.
Brennan’s Bowery Bar feels like a city tavern—or, yes, a bowery bar—that magically dropped from the sky, smack dab in the middle of a suburban strip mall on Transit Road. Its college-town-bar atmosphere makes it an ideal post-work home base. Even when it’s mobbed, it feels intimate and fun—never overwhelming. That has a lot to do with the bartenders, who are always courteous and speedy, and the design of the place itself. That long, brown bar is one of WNY’s finest, and the Irish green throughout feels earned, not opportunistic, like so many other wannabe-pubs. Oh, and the food isn’t bad, either. (Try the Clancy.)
Best bar for a drink after work—city
Founding Fathers
75 Edward St., 716-855-8944.
For the public and our panelists, Founding Fathers remains the watering hole of choice from which to embark on the decompression hour. Patrons show up from all sorts of jobs, in all manners of attire—from the office in suits or skirts, straight off the riding mower in jeans and boots, or from behind the stove in unbuttoned kitchen whites—everyone feels right at home. And did we mention the free popcorn and nachos? Yes, that’s right. Popcorn and nachos, on the house, courtesy of owner/trivia maven Mike Driscoll, who leaves nothing to chance, attracting the conversation-lovers among us by keeping ESPN on mute and the music—if there is music—turned down to a whisper. The rest of the details tend to take care of themselves: the selection of bottles (beer snobs be damned) is more than adequate, and the food, delicious and substantial.
Bar with the best bar
Cole’s
1104 Elmwood Ave., 886-1449, colesbuffalo.com.
Is there a prettier, more uniquely Buffalo bar—we’re talking the actual bar—than the one found at 1104 Elmwood Avenue? For many lifelong Buffalonians, it is the same bar our grandparents and parents once sidled up to, and it might be the spot of your first (legal) sip of draft beer. It is surrounded by a mini-history of Buffalo, and an atmosphere both classy and comfortable. Yes, there is the stunning beer list, the reliably fine food, a varied crowd, and a location within walking distance of the Albright, the Buff State, and Bidwell. But at Cole’s, the bar itself is part of the charm. It is old school, and new school, traditional, and current. It’s the bar with the best bar. Any questions? Let’s settle it over a beer at Cole’s.
Best bar to take friends from out of town
Tie: Ulrich’s Tavern and Buffalo Brew Pub
674 Ellicott St., 855-8409, ulrichstavern.net.
Why should you take your friends to Ulrich’s? For one thing, Babe Ruth ate here one hour before the start of an exhibition game in 1921, a visit during which he named the house sausage a “Hot Buffalo” (in reference to an attractive waitress). And chef-turned-traveler Anthony Bourdain ate here, too, for a 2009 No Reservations. So if the Babe and Bourdain chose Ulrich’s, then why shouldn’t you take your friends as well? Founded in 1868, it happens to be the oldest continuously operating tavern in town. The allure should persist for years to come: Ulrich’s recent remodeling project proves it’s possible to retrofit Buffalo’s coolest, old places for the 21st century without sacrificing any of their former charm.
6861 Main St., Williamsville, 632-0552, buffalobrewpub.com.
Is your out-of-town guest a beer snob? Are you scared that he or she will walk away distinctly unimpressed by wherever you think to take them? Then Buffalo Brew Pub is your pick, especially if you’re in the suburbs. It calls itself “Bufflao’s original brew pub,” and with 34 taps and a large import and micro-brewed draft beer selection, it’s clear the place takes that tagline seriously. It doesn’t hurt that BBP brews its own beers, and they’re damn good. Large enough for a whole party of relatives, it’s a comfortable, pub-style joint unlike just about anywhere nearby. If need be, you can assure your guests there are drinks besides beer on the menu, but when the beer is this great, why should you?
Best sports bar
Pearl Street Grill & Brewery
76 Pearl St., 856-2337, pearlstreetgrill.com.
No tickets? No problem, if you’re at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. Visit the night of a Sabres-Habs game, and in addition to the sea of white-and-red jerseys, you’ll find folks who have come for the night—not just a quick dinner before heading to the First Niagara Center. Yes, the atmosphere is that great. For starters, TVs are everywhere on the large first floor. Then there is the beer, including the brewery’s own. Plus, if you’re in the mood for something more than parking yourself on bar stool or booth, there’s the patio, the game room, and occasional concerts. But the real reason you’ll keep coming back to Pearl Street for games is the vibe. It feels like a sports bar should—spirited, noisy, and fun. And you’ll have a far better view of the action than in the last row of the 300s.
Best place to eat at the bar
Kuni’s
226 Lexington Ave., 716-881-3800, kunisbuffalo.com.
Both bars at Kuni’s offer great, low-key atmosphere for your evening meal. You can chat with the affable sushi chefs while watching your dinner prepared at the floor-level sushi bar, or perch on comfortable stools in the convivial atmosphere found at the regular bar. The menu offers many small plates, from the delicate Tender Salad (tuna sashimi, avocado and silken tofu), to the spicy Nuta, (shrimp, mackerel, octopus and scallions with spicy mustard miso dressing) to more classic shrimp and vegetable tempuras, or for the uninitiated, Kuni’s Fried Chicken. Enthusiasm for really great sushi provides common ground, and single diners frequent the bar as often as pairs. You might be treated to samples of a neighbor’s octopus on a stick, or if you’re lucky, one of the affable bartender/waitresses will mix up a magical beer and orange sake concoction for you.
Best place to see comedy
Nietzsche’s
248 Allen St., 716-886-8539, nietzsches.com; buffalocomedy.com.
Best place to see comedy … Nietzsche’s? Yep, that’s right. And it’s all thanks to Kristen Becker, Buffalo’s preeminent stand-up comic and a seismic force on the local laugh scene. This year, she brought to town such heavyweights as Judah Friedlander (30 Rock) and Todd Barry (Flight of the Conchords), but these big names are just part of the reason Nietzsche’s takes this award. Becker has made Doin’ Time Tuesdays open-mic nights are a long-running favorite, and the Last Comic Standing semifinalist even offers comedy classes that culminate in a student’s performance on the Nietzsche’s stage. Of course the bar is still known for live music, but Becker has made it the city’s home for live comedy, too.
Best place to go dancing
¡Toro! on Saturdays
492 Elmwood Ave., 716-886-9457, torotapasbar.com.
¡Toro! Tapas Bar has been a culinary favorite on Elmwood Avenue for several years, and the Spanish-centric menu is still one of Buffalo’s most unique. But on Saturday nights, ¡Toro! moves. It’s like a switch is flipped, and suddenly, you find yourself having the club experience smack dab in the middle of the Elmwood Strip, far from Chippewa. In other words, it has become one of the places to be on a Saturday night. Its “danceathons” featuring buzzed-about spinners like DJDstar have an atmosphere unlike anyplace else on Elmwood. Interested in the future of Buffalo nightlife? It’s happening at ¡Toro!
Most unique theater space
New Phoenix Theatre on the Park
95 Johnson Park, 716-853-1334, newphoenixtheatre.org.
The building that houses the dynamic New Phoenix theater company was built in 1884, which makes it the oldest theater structure in Buffalo. The building at 95 Johnson Park had served functions from lecture hall to soup kitchen before it was abandoned and ultimately rescued by Richard Lambert, NP’s executive director. Though the building has gotten a much-needed facelift, going to the New Phoenix still feels a bit like time travel, the homey old-school atmosphere augmented by the memorabilia and autographed actor photos that line the walls, and the new Keith Waterhouse Memorial Bar, modeled after the famed Blue Bar in Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel. You never know what magic you’ll see when you walk into the theater proper—this past season was a blockbuster—but with that kind of backdrop, the stage has been set even before the actors appear.
Best production
Time Stands Still
If you’ve been missing Studio Arena, then you haven’t been to the Kavinoky, whose production of Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies is better contemporary theater than much of the work offered by the legendary standard bearer toward the end of its existence. Supple direction by Robert Waterhouse allowed a terrific script with precise acting (from Guy Balotine, Kristen Tripp Kelly, Peter Palmisano, and Christina Golab) and remarkable design work (from David King, set; Brian Cavanagh, lights; Tom Makar, sound; and Dixon Reynolds, costume) to come to life on stage. Though the action never left a small apartment, this insightful play about the effects of war on lives and relationships spanned the world. An outstanding production all around.
Most underrated production
Aunt Dan and Lemon, Torn Space
From set and lighting to acting and direction, Torn Space’s production of Wallace Shawn’s Aunt Dan and Lemon was undeniably stellar, but those things weren’t enough to bump it beyond theater community cult status. We understand that it didn’t have flashy musical numbers, a huge shouted reveal in Act Two, or sobbing and slamming doors. It didn’t proceed in chronological order, and there were some long monologues. But not loud doesn’t mean not big. And maybe that’s the problem—Aunt Dan and Lemon may have been too big, too disturbing in its posing of uncomfortable questions about complacency and violence and the dark underbelly of humanity. If it’s true that audience members enjoy theater most when they can see themselves on stage, then maybe the introspective Aunt Dan and Lemon held up a mirror they just didn’t want to look into. Which is a shame, because the play was pitch perfect and damned good.
Best mission fulfillment
Kavinoky Theatre
320 Porter Ave., 716-829-7668, kavinokytheatre.com.
Artistic Director David Lamb and the Kavinoky crew understand what great theater is all about—outstanding material that both entertains and enlightens and has top-notch production values. This season, their selection was tight and remarkably fresh: 42nd Street—a big show produced economically and efficiently on the Kav’s little stage; God of Carnage—a sharp, witty play recently closed on Broadway with 6 Tony nominations (and 3 wins); Black Tie—a nicely realized A. R. Gurney piece with a great cast; Time Stands Still—arguably the best drama produced this season; and Blithe Spirit—hard to go wrong with a Noël Coward classic.
Best hike—Niagara County
Niagara Gorge
Everyone in Western New York knows how to show people the Falls: You start at the American side, and if you are feeling energetic you can wander the whole park, then maybe take in the Cave of the Winds. Then it’s back in the car, and over to the Canadian side (where the view is said to be better, because it is a view of the American side). Then it’s back into the car again, and Chinese food for dinner. It doesn’t have to be that way. Go where all that water goes, and see something amazing. There are 4 gorge trail sections, and you’d have to be pretty fit to hike them all in a day, but each makes a great day hike by itself. The Lewiston Branch trail at Artpark may be the most familiar, an easy 2 miles. Devil’s Hole Park is 2.5 miles, and rated “moderate.” There are stairs, which are a little tricky, and a trail at the bottom. The Upper Great Gorge Rim trail is the paved walk at the Falls proper. You’ve done that. Try the Whirlpool Rapids trail, which is rated moderate/difficult. Look forward to 3.25 miles of stairs, boulder hopping, rock falls, and a better sense of what the Niagara River carved out than you’ve ever had before. But wear good walking shoes—it can get slippery—and bring water.
Best bike ride
Niawanda Park
The great things about the Niawanda Park bicycling experience start with the location: any time we are near the water is outdoor time well-spent, and this pleasant path along the Niagara River suits us fine. Of course it is traffic-free, so is a great place to ride with kids, or others who are insecure about cycling around cars. (It is below the grade of adjoining Niagara Street.) If you’re riding early in the morning you will be surprised by the abundance of wildlife you may come upon: the bike is quiet, the park is quiet, and if the wind is right you may see deer, fox, rabbits, or blue heron. We like it also for its proximity to hot dog and custard stands. Although the park itself is just a mile long, the trail extends in both directions for miles, and that’s great too.
Best outdoor playground
Burchfield Nature and Art Center
2001 Union Rd., West Seneca, 716-677-4843, burchfieldnac.org.
The days of kicking the kids out of the house on a Saturday and telling them not to come back until dinner are long gone. We’re ensconced in an era of play dates, soccer runs, and tightly supervised day camps. If you’re looking for a safe and beautiful place where kids can run and play with minimal supervision, the Burchfield Nature and Art center might be it. It has nature trails, a shallow creek bed, gardens, picnic benches, and a children’s play area with the usual equipment. This 29-acre park is named in honor of painter Charles Burchfield, who once lived nearby. The visitor’s center hosts regular exhibits as well as workshops and classes for children and adults.
Best indoor play space
Sky Zone Sports
425 Cayuga Rd., Cheektowaga, 716-206-3300, buffalo.skyzonesports.com.
When backyard trampolines hit the scene about fifteen years ago, kids were overjoyed, and parents rediscovered the thrill of the knee-seat-knee bounce from long ago gym classes. But when safety issues arose, backyard tramps started to disappear. Enter Sky Zone, a safe, patented wall-to-wall warehouse of trampolines for nostalgic bouncers of all ages. Ever dreamed of making the perfect jump shot, stuffing the basket like Michael Jordan? You can do it here. Play trampoline dodge ball, take SkyRobics classes, or just jump until you can’t anymore—it all provides the same joint-friendly exercise. One of the nicest things about Sky Zone is that it really is a place the whole family can enjoy, not one where Mom and Dad end up on a bench watching the kids have fun. Wear shorts: this is a sweaty good time.
Best place to take the family for under $50
Shea’s Free Family Film Series
646 Main St., 716-847-1410, www.sheas.org.
Buffalonians speak wistfully of the days of heading downtown to see movies at the glorious Shea’s. Do they not realize that Shea’s still shows movies? For free? The theater’s Free Family Film Series is an incredibly fun experience for young and old, a trip to a historic spot, with great deals on snacks, and an opportunity to see a kid favorite in a building that is, ahem, a bit classier than the Elmwood Regal. While these are often recent hits (Despicable Me, Alice in Wonderland), occasionally there is something even more special, like the 1926 silent film The Black Pirate, which was screened in January accompanied by house organist Bruce Woody. This is elegant, unique entertainment, and all it requires is a free movie ticket from Wegmans or the box office (available one week before each show). Plus, you won’t have to suffer through 20 minutes of trailers first.
Best hike—Erie County
Erie County Forest
Erie County residents are blessed with an abundance of hiking trails, each with its own identity. To call any of them the best is to invite controversy. But so be it. Our public poll mentioned at least a dozen different trails, including the usual suspects like the Eternal Flame and Zoar Valley (half of which, technically speaking, lies in Cattaraugus County—so that’s out by default). So this year our panel came up with something a little different: the trails of the Erie County Forest of Sardinia. These moderately challenging hiking/snowshoeing/cross-country skiing trails stand out, quite simply, because of their trees. The Erie County Forest is essentially a reforestation site, and as such the trails weave through an arresting mix of maple, ash, and pine—huge, magnificent pines, some of which soar over 100 feet, and whose fallen needles provide a cushiony bed along the trail. The trees, coupled with the trails’ remoteness, give the feeling of having been transported a world away.
Best walk—city
West Village
The sleepy Historic West Village, one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Buffalo, is unique, beautiful, and compact. Its development began in the 1830s when some of the houses were built on incredibly narrow lots in Johnson Park, at the edge of town. Those were the days of Ebenezer Johnson, the mayor who gifted his property to Buffalo Seminary in the mid-1800s. (Their former Chapter House, now the New Phoenix Theater, remains.) People in a range of professions came to this burgeoning neighborhood just beyond the New York State Reservation line to build their stately homes. Around the turn of the century, a number of hulking, Romanesque and Neoclassical apartment buildings were constructed. Whether you prefer a calm stroll, or a brisk pace, this urban trek will give you something new to look at. Composed of a wedge-shaped grouping of streets from Huron to Elmwood to Tracy to Carolina to Niagara, there are a wide variety of architectural styles, streetscapes, and friendly residents along the way. Wind back and forth among the one-way streets, including Prospect, Whitney and Johnson Park. Take in the colorful and original buildings, a large percentage of which have been rehabilitated in this vibrant local and national historic district.
Coolest non-art museum or historic site
The grain elevators
A lot of people hate the grain elevators because they remind us of a bygone industrial age when Buffalo served as lakeside gatekeeper to the Midwest’s fields of grain. But that’s part of the reason our panel loves them. The grain elevators, invented in Buffalo by Joseph Dart in 1843, tell a helluva story—of American innovation, of the trek westward, of sustenance and survival. But we also love these structures for everything they can still be: giant surrealistic pieces of art, reclaimed multi-use facilities, illumined attractions along a potentially world-class waterfront. And since the 14 monoliths lining the Buffalo River make up the largest concentration of grain elevators in the world, they should be treated, in our humble opinion, as the 14 anchors of a presently untapped heritage tourism industry. That’s what Cheerios smells like to us: potential.
Best 2011 concert in a large music venue
Lady Gaga at First Niagara Center
www.livenation.com.
The local news before and after March 4, 2011, was dominated by one diminutive diva: Lady Gaga. Her concert (at what was then still HSBC Arena) was hotly anticipated by everyone from teenage pop fans to jaded indie kids, with every ticket snapped up in record time. And the show itself was as much of a spectacle as was hoped, a glitter cannonball that culminated in a raucous “Born This Way.” This was also the concert in which Gaga urged her fans to contact State Senator Mark Grisanti and ask him to support New York’s Marriage Equality Bill. (The New York Times reported that Gristani received 600 emails the weekend after the concert.) Can you imagine something this newsworthy happening at, say, a Dave Matthews Band show? Probably not, and it was this moment that made Gaga’s March 4 concert the large venue show of the year.
Best 2011 concert in a small music venue
Aqueous and the Albrights at Nietzsche’s
248 Allen St., 886-8539, nietzsches.com.
Well into 2012, Nietzsche’s New Year’s Eve balloons slowly shrank in a futile fall from the music club’s mounted menagerie of random relics, but memories remain of a moment when 3 young, promising, and distinctly different Buffalo bands raised a collective toast to good gains and great expectations. Before an animated and appreciative audience in the Allentown anchor, the Albrights affirmed their ascension by way of versatility and accessibility that allowed them to thrash through clubs, grace theater productions, and light Roswell Christmas trees with equal aplomb in 2011; Andrew J. Reimers' Country-Punk Extravaganza brandished their own balance of rock and schtick by owning the midnight revelry with rightful raucity, renewing their pro-wrestling-style rivalry with the Albrights, and resolving that 2012 would be the “Year of the Extravaganza”; and Aqueous went Auld Lang Zany in appearing in full-body, skin-tight silver suits to offer the kind of relentless marathon set that is making them a heat-seeker among Northeast jam bands as the hardest road-hitting band from Buffalo. The camaraderie and commitment among these 3 emerging acts made a strong statement for the spirit of our scene and the promise of the year ahead.
Best 2011 outdoor concert
Tie: Black Keys at Artpark and Tragically Hip at the Erie Canal Central Wharf
Funtime Presents/Artpark. How can 2 men—a guitarist and a drummer—make a noise that loud? That’s the question many asked during the Black Keys show at Artpark on July 13. The boys from Akron, Ohio, made the semi-outdoors venue feel like a sweltering cave in Casablanca, and that was a wonderful feeling. While the pre-Brothers material was strong—they even threw in an obscure Kinks cover—it was the hits that truly brought down the ’park, with “Everlasting Light” in particular sounding like the soundtrack to a gospel rave. Show of the year? Ask the crowds staggering into Lewiston traffic, and they may have said, “Show of the decade.”
Funtime Presents/Buffalo Place. At this point, the Tragically Hip feel as Buffalo as beef on weck, so numerous are their visits and so beloved is their sound. But the band’s July 30 show at the Central Wharf was not “just another Hip show.” How could it be, with the ever-passionate Gord Downie at the mic? The setlist featured some of the band’s most well-known songs (“Poets,” “Fiddler’s Green,” “Music at Work”), and the setting made it a particularly spirited concert. The perfect combination, then, of band and venue.
Best hipster hangout
Tie: Spiral Scratch Records/Record Theatre
291 Bryant St., 882- 3200, spiralscratchrecords.blogspot.com.
Remember record stores, like Home of the Hits and New World? They were pretty awesome. And they ain’t dead yet. Perhaps the clientele is a bit more rarified, and the presence of the die-hard collector a bit more ubiquitous, but that makes visiting Spiral Scratch and Record Theatre feel über hip.
Spiral Scratch on Bryant is perhaps the closest we have to the record stores of yore, with a selection of punk and hardcore that’s hard to top, outside of the internet. But it’s the vibe that makes it a killer hipster hangout.
3500 Main St., Amherst, 837-2090; 1800 Main St., 883-1355; recordtheatre.com.
Several Record Theatres have left us, but the 2 that remain are sure to feature browsers, buyers, and kids in bands at every minute of the day. There was no better example of the stores’ status as a place to hang than Record Store Day, when they were mobbed by folks who felt right at home. How hip is that?
Most innovative fundraiser
Hallwalls Drawing Rally
341 Delaware Ave., 716-854-1694, www.hallwalls.org.
The fact that a mid-summer version debuts this month tells us that last February’s A Mid-Winter’s Draw was financially successful for Hallwalls, but that’s not why we loved the event. It was fresh, fun, and—most important—brought local artists and their market together in a dynamic way. Attendees were able to watch 2 live drawings sessions with 30 artists and then bid on the results in a silent auction. Key to the success was a low $37 starting bid and the universal use of lovely, high-grade drawing stock. Help a great local arts center—check; socialize with friends, food, drinks, and a hot DJ—check; buy local art hot off the easel—check.
Best fulfillment of artistic mission (gallery)
Burchfield Penney Art Center
1300 Elmwood Ave., 716-878-6011, burchfieldpenney.org.
The BPAC’s stellar year was anchored by a 4-decade retrospective of video installations by former Buffalonian and media pioneer Steina Vasulka, including the stunning 4-channel room-sized projection, Tokyo 4 (1991). As testament to BPAC’s ability to celebrate Buffalo’s legendary media past without getting stuck there, the exhibition culminated in Video Sound Dance Magic, a live video and music performance created specially for the show, for which Steina collaborated with numerous Western New York musicians and video artists. The gallery also presented Synesthesia in American Art, a show that contextualized Charles Burchfield’s lyrical landscapes by placing them within the interdisciplinary and inter-sensory traditions of 20th century luminaries like O’Keefe, Gottlieb, and Dove. The popular juried biennial exhibition Art in Craft Media brought together emerging and established artists from across WNY, and film programs sprang up from collaborations with Buffalo State College’s Economics and Communication Departments, as well as community media center Squeaky Wheel.
Must-see art exhibition
Videosphere at the Albright-Knox
1285 Elmwood Ave., 716-882-8700, albrightknox.org.
Art does not stand still. But only rarely do we get to see how gloriously dynamic art can be. Videosphere, a survey of time-based media—including film, video, and digital formats—was spectacularly installed throughout the 1905 half of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which attained somewhat of a funhouse atmosphere as a result. Curated by Holly Hughes, the show included some of the most important artists working in media today, including Bill Viola, Jennifer Steinkamp, Bruce Nauman, Tony Oursler, and Phil Collins (the other one). All of the work came from the museum’s own collections, offering more evidence that, unless the art museum is able to expand, we’ll never know the true wealth of its holdings.
Best art classes
Buffalo Arts Studio
2495 Main St., 833-4450, buffaloartsstudio.org.
Whether you’re 11 or 87, you will find your creative spirit at this multifunctional art space. From pottery to figure drawing to Etsy-indoctrination to mural-making, BAS enables a learning experience that is professional, inspirational, and fun. BAS teachers include some of the most well-known artists working in Western New York today—Amy Greenan, Rob Lynch, Dorothy Fitzgerald, and Deborah Stewart are among the regulars who teach courses ranging from 1 day to 6 weeks. Interested? BAS invites you to come on down to the TriMain Center and observe a class in session. They’re confident about their offerings, and it shows.
Thanks to Spree’s panelists and writers: Bruce Adams, William C. Altreuter, Nina Barone, Alan Bedenko, Julia Burke, Don Burtless, Bryan Calandrelli, Rachel Fix Dominguez, Bruce Eaton, Jana Eisenberg, Seamus Gallivan, Donna Hoke, Cheryl Jackson, Meg Knowles, Elizabeth Licata, Darwin McPherson, Jane Mogavero, Barry A. Muskat, Nancy J. Parisi, Kevin Purdy, Christopher Schobert, Maria Scrivani, Christa Glennie Seychew, Joe Sweeney, Margaret M. Toohey, James Walkowiak, and Ryan Weaver.
