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BEST OF WNY WINNERS: WNY LIFE
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The panelists for this section were Bruce Adams, Ron Ehmke, Jana Eisenberg, Cynnie Gaasch, Elizabeth Licata, Amy Maxwell, Darwin McPherson, Gerald Mead, Joe Sweeney, Susan Tanner, and Catherine Young. Panel results were combined with poll results to arrive at the winners. When the public poll did not have anything approaching a clear majority, panel results only were used. Panelists who had connections to any of the finalists (this was rare) recused themselves from those discussions.
OUTDOOR FESTIVAL
Allentown Avenue Art Festival
(Delaware Ave. and Allen St., second weekend of June, www.allentownartfestival.com)
Going strong for fifty years now, this one’s the hands-down favorite among readers.
Second place:
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(Elmwood Ave., final weekend of August, www.elmwoodartfest.org)
The (slightly) smaller homegrown alternative scores high marks for deep community involvement and a high caliber of featured work.
FESTIVAL BOOTH
The Children’s Tent at the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts
Kid-friendly without a trace of condescension, this thoughtfully assembled fun zone, and the parade it all builds up to, puts the typical face painter to shame.
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None of the above
-Terri Parsell Hilmey |
| Best Little-Known Library Service Did you know that YOU COULD ORDER MATERIALS FROM THE CENTRAL LIBRARY OVER YOUR COMPUTER, AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED TO YOUR LOCAL BRANCH? Did you know that when they arrive, they’ll call you on the telephone and let you know that they’re ready to be picked up? Did you know that it costs as little as 25 cents per book? Go to www.buffalolib.org, and log in, using the number on the back of your library card. You can browse the huge selection they have at the Central Library downtown and choose whatever is to your liking (including DVDs). You can even put yourself on the waiting list for popular titles, and renew books you’ve already taken out. It’s a great boon to those of us who don’t have the opportunity to get downtown as often as we’d like, but would like to have access to more books than our little local library has to offer. Since you’re also patronizing your local library, you help them out as well. I still listen to the radio, but now, I have an entirely new world of music—one where I love every song that’s played—and it’s available with just a few keystrokes. |
PARADE
“Old Neighborhood” St. Patrick’s Day
(Old First Ward, South Buffalo; March, www.thevalleycenter.com)
Skip the crowds and the sloppy drunks downtown and retrace the route of the 1913 parade in this wonderful old-fashioned grassroots event, complete with a traditional “hooley” at the end.
Second place:
Gay Pride
(Elmwood Ave., early June)
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Party for the Parks
(Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, September)
It’s a sure sign of Buffalo’s vibrancy (and generosity) that both our readers and panelists came up with dozens of nominees. We finally settled on the annual Olmsted fiesta because the location provides a terrific opportunity to celebrate the city and enjoy a summery night outdoors—and the ticket price is a steal.
Second place:
Peepshow
(Squeaky Wheel, February)
This packed 2006 event at the Hotel Lenox was a memorable confluence of media artists and audience members. No need to dress up—in fact, we hear some folks didn’t bother to dress at all.
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GIANT ANNUAL PARTY
Curtain Up!
(Theater District, September)
Second place:
The World’s Largest Disco
(Convention Center, November)
Another case where our readers and panelists both provided plenty of candidates—and further evidence that WNY knows how to par-tay.
REASON TO COME DOWNTOWN
The Church
(341 Delaware Ave., www.thechurchbuffalo.com)
Ani DiFranco and Scot Fisher’s labor of love seems to be booked every night these days for both public and private functions, and suburbanites are discovering a whole new downtown in the process.
Second place:
Thursday at the Square
(Lafayette Square, Thursday evenings May-September, www.buffaloplace.com)
Our readers are rabid TATS fans. “Theater” and “the Sabres” both scored big, too—but our favorite answers included “to live,” “EVERYTHING!,” and “too many to list here.”
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The 90 and/or the Peace Bridge
on the 4th of July
If you time it right, you can spot beautiful displays in every direction, along with the surreal spectacle of miles of cars pulled over to the side of the road in something other than blizzard-like conditions.
Second place:
Bisons games
WAY TO SPEND A RAINY SATURDAY
The library
(Central Branch, 1 Lafayette Square, 858-8900)
Never mind a rainy day, we could spend a week in there.
Second place:
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
(2655 South Park Ave., 827-1584, www.buffalogardens.com)
(Our readers mentioned both of these, but a lot of them seemed more interested in either shopping or staying in bed—alone or with company.)
WAY TO SPEND A HOLIDAY WEEKEND
Easter at the Botanical Gardens
(see contact info above)
Easter Bunny + hyacinths + egg hunt + perennials for sale = hippity-hoppity fun.
Second place:
Easter at the Broadway Market
We were open to pretty much any holiday, but there’s something really special about springtime in WNY, even when the weather refuses to cooperate.
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M&T Bank
Year after year, they take the notion of community involvement seriously.
Second place:
Hodgson Russ, LLP
Not only does the firm as a whole underwrite a wide range of activities, its individual attorneys serve on the boards of countless cultural and non-profit organizations.
BLOCK CLUB OR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
Kleinhans Community Association
(kleinhansca.org)
Chris Brown is a dynamo of Allentown; under his tireless leadership, this organization has accomplished remarkable things in the neighborhood.
Second place:
Broadway Fillmore Alive
(www.broadwayfillmorealive.org)
Yet another category with no shortage of worthy nominees from the panel and the readers, but this year we’re saluting the hard work of Michele Johnson, Mike Miller, Chris Byrd, and company for keeping the East Side … alive.
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
WNED
(Horizons Plaza, 845-7000, www.wned.org)
The multi-faceted public broadcasting nexus not only produces Emmy Award-winning programming that promotes Buffalo’s past and present to the rest of the nation, it also sponsors countless local endeavors (including its own Guitar Festival) and generates innovative education projects.
Second place:
Tie! Planned Parenthood of Western New York
(2697 Main St. and other locations, 831-2200, www.ppwny.org);
Pride Center of WNY
(18 Trinity Pl., 852-PRIDE, www.pridecenterwny.org)
ACTIVIST MOVEMENT
Buffalo ReUse
(885-4131, www.buffaloreuse.org)
This professionally-run organization has just set up shop in Buffalo; they go well beyond previous salvage operations to make it possible to reuse every viable component of a demolished property.
Second place:
The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture, & Culture
(42 Tracy St., 854-3749, www.greaterbuffalo.blogs.com)
Led by Tim Tielman, the Campaign has become WNY’s conscience. Without it, we would be several historic buildings poorer.
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None of the above
-Joe Sweeney |
| Best Mantra Until this past year, Eastern religions weren’t my cup of tea. I was raised to believe in one supreme, Voltron-like God, who is made up of three separate mini-Gods, each of which has his own unique superpowers. But in 2006, a transcendental figure visited Buffalo, and his message of warmth and peace of mind was rife with spiritual energy. This man is Darin Hughes, president of Hughesco. By spending thirty seconds doing nothing but repeating the mantra, “Call Hughesco at 691-HOME today,” Hughesco’s television commercials are readymade for transcendental meditation. They’re above the base materialistic values of the King of Diamonds. They condemn the unbridled rage of that used car guy who screams, “WE’LL SEE YOU RIGHT HERE!” After years of spiritual darkness and confusion, Mr. Hughes has shown me the way to enlightenment. And even though I still pray to Voltron every once in a while, as long as I watch enough locally produced TV commercials, I’m a shoo-in for nirvana. |
BUFFALO LANDMARK
City Hall
Second place:
Central Terminal
Two Art Deco masterpieces, one beautifully maintained, the other still waiting for a new use or uses. We couldn’t do without either. (To the two clowns who voted for Bass Pro: Be careful what you wish for.)
CITY BLOCK
Little Summer Street
A semi-secret enclave of charming cottages.
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Oakland Place
Buffalo has its fair share of historic mansion-lined streets, but not too many others have merited their own coffee table book.
SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD
Snyder
Actually achieves the charm that the people who build suburbs are ostensibly looking for.
Second place:
East Aurora
Both of these picks were shared by the readers and the panel.
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Brian Higgins
He’s visible in the community, and he gets things done. What more could you want?
Second place:
Nick Bonifacio
Call him up, and he’ll call you back the same day. He’s not just treating his current station as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
(We fully expected—and received—several responses like “Are you kidding?!” and “NONE!”)
NON-ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIAL
After much consideration, our panel felt “no one” was the best option.
DEVELOPER
Ben Obletz, First Amherst
A round of applause, please, for the Elk Terminals and Graniteworks: two long-disused building complexes, one on the verge of demolition, now reborn as beautiful upscale downtown apartments.
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The Olmsted traffic circles
After reading countless reader votes for the Botanical Gardens (beautiful though they are), we realize that the concept of a “community garden” needs to be clarified. It should beautify a public area, be maintained by volunteers, and be intended for the benefit of the community or neighborhood at large. The Richmond Avenue and Gates Circles are difficult spaces to maintain, but they make Richmond a much more scenic drive and are a credit to the neighbors who maintain them.
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New Era caps
Hey, if they’re good enough for Spike Lee, they’re good enough for us.
Second place:
Buffalo Heritage Press Books
These handsome publications make perfect gifts for out-of-towners and residents alike.
(We only wish the reader who wrote “There are things made in Buffalo?” could see the full list of nominees, a brief sample of which included Bison chip dip, Fisher-Price toys, Flying Bison beer, Frank’s hot sauce, mentholatum, pacemakers, Sahlen’s hot dogs, Weber’s mustard, and, uh, “soft lips.”)
MOST PROMISING VACANT LOT
The entire waterfront
Two years and counting: how long will it continue to claim this “honor”?
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None of the above
-Terri Parsell Hilmey |
| Best Floral Rivalry Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market and Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale Flower Market are right next door to each other on Ellicott Street downtown (Buffalo Wholesale at 431 Ellicott Street, and Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale at 441 Ellicott Street). To add to the confusion, their telephone numbers are scarily alike: Buffalo Wholesale’s telephone number is 852-6400, and Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale is 852-4600. Now, even that wouldn’t be so bad … except just try and make the mistake of parking in front of Buffalo Wholesale when you’re going to Maureen’s Buffalo Wholesale. Somebody is likely to come out and yell at you and tell you to move your car (about five feet, as it turns out). If you call the wrong shop on the telephone, you’ll also get an earful. Now, they’re both great flower shops, so how about a little understanding? I mean, can’t we all just stop and smell the roses? |
The H. H. Richardson Towers
The money to fix what is arguably Buffalo’s most important piece of architecture is supposedly allocated by Albany. Let’s use it to stabilize the structure and get a plan.
Second place:
The former AM&A’s building
This one is taking up a big chunk of real estate—and adding greatly to downtown’s blighted appearance.
SUNDAY DRIVE
Route 104
(Youngstown to Albion)
Evidently the largest concentration of cobblestone houses in the world, plus antique shops, farm stands, even a self-serve bookstore.
Second place:
Route 18 to 78
(Lewiston to Youngstown to Olcott)
Beautiful scenery along the water, and plenty of interesting roadside attractions.
PLACE TO WALK YOUR DOG
Delaware Park
There are probably more reader votes for this Olmsted marvel in this category than for any other single item in the poll, which speaks volumes about our residents’ priorities.
Second place:
Niawanda Park
(Our heart goes out to the reader who suggested “Not on my lawn.”)
PLACE TO TAKE AN OUT-OF-TOWNER
Goat Island/Three Sisters Island
“Niagara Falls” is such an obvious, easy answer that we insisted on something more specific, namely this pair of natural beauties just off most tourists’ radar.
Second place:
The architecture of downtown
“Walk Buffalo” (www.walkbuffalo.com) offers an excellent self-guided tour: brochure or MP3 (buffalotours.org/audio.html).
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YOU’RE NOT IN BUFFALO
The Mansion on Delaware
(414 Delaware Ave.)
Second place:
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
(2655 South Park Ave., 827-1584, www.buffalogardens.com)
We opted for two very different interpretations of the concept: The first is an elegant, world-class showplace, the second an ideal location to flee the ravages of winter on a January afternoon.
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Best Controversy (2nd place)
-Joe Sweeney |
| One of the biggest local controversies in 2006 involved a Greek restaurant. What could a small restaurant like Pano’s (1081 Elmwood Ave.) do to cause so much bad blood? Was it serving rancid food? Was it a front for drug-runners? Did it want New York to pick Chance instead of Tango on I Love New York? The real cause of Fetagate was pretty scandalous—it was getting more business than it could handle. When word got out that Pano’s was planning to tear down an adjacent (and very abandoned) house to make room for its significant expansion, Buffalo’s collective panties bunched up in a hurry. Undoubtedly, our architectural museum of a city needs people that are passionate about preservation. But why go after an independent business that’s thriving in our city, just to save a house that was by no means a landmark? There must be an ulterior motive here, a spanikonspiracy, if you will. Or maybe it was just a light season for protesters. Either way, the new and improved Pano’s—with yes, more parking spaces—will be a reality, allowing even more Buffalonians to sit down and eat scrambled eggs after a long night of alcohol abuse. |
The Great Albright-Knox Antiquity Battle of 2006-7
The phrase “nuff said” surely applies to this one by now.
Second place:
Pano’s vs. the Atwater House
Both our panelists and readers practically frothed at the mouth (er, keyboard) with nominations for this one. Some were too recent to qualify (Byron Brown’s “stolen” SUV), some were too old (wide right/no goal—get over it, already!), some just drag on and on (Bass Pro, casino, Peace Bridge, county budget), some sound like cage matches (Williams vs. Rumore), some are hard to poke fun at because people actually died (at least three candidates there). And then there’s “Joel Giambra”: no specific incident, just the implication that the man himself is the controversy.
PLACE TO MEET TWENTYSOMETHINGS
Chippewa
It is what it is, and who knows: maybe it’s got what you want. (Our readers were nearly unanimous on this choice.)
PLACE TO MEET THIRTYSOMETHINGS
The Allen Street Hardware Store Café
(245 Allen St., 882-8843)
Our readers, who may well know better than we do, favor entire multi-block expanses like Allentown, Elmwood, and, you guessed it, Chippewa, but we’ll stick with this casual yet classy bistro where it’s actually possible to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
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PLACE TO MEET FORTYSOMETHINGS
Fundraising parties and volunteering
OK, a handful of readers were still going on about Chippewa, but we refuse to listen.
PLACE TO MEET FIFTYSOMETHINGS
Gusto at the Gallery
(Albright-Knox Friday night free series, 1285 Elmwood Ave., 882-8700, www.albrightknox.org)
Exactly one reader vote for the Chip Strip this time, but at least that’s better than the several variations on “retirement homes,” “any graveyard,” and the like.
PLACE TO RELEASE YOUR INNER CHILD
The Buffalo Museum of Science
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The building itself is guaranteed to trigger field-trip flashbacks no matter where you grew up, and the hands-on activities are impossible to resist no matter how old your driver’s license says you are.
Second place:
Buffalo Zoo
(300 Parkside Ave., 837-3900, www.buffalozoo.org)
PLACE TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS
The waterfront
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Second place:
Glen Falls Park
Some readers raved about Niagara Falls and Letchworth, but Williamsville contains its own little camera-ready waterfall.
REASON TO MOVE TO BUFFALO
Romance/spouse
Love is a good reason to do just about anything, isn’t it—short of strapping on an adult diaper and driving hundreds of miles nonstop to kill someone, that is.
Second place:
UB
(“The people” and “affordable housing/cost of living” were huge hits with the readers, though the former is annoyingly vague and the latter is probably the kind of thing you don’t really discover till you’re already here.)
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ALT.Picks
-Ron Ehmke |
| BEST REASON TO MOVE TO BUFFALO Every time I propose that my own answer to this category is “a job,” somebody laughs. Or accuses me of wishful thinking. But I’m neither joking nor making this up: for years now I have been running into people who have relocated to WNY to collect a paycheck. Just last week it was the guy who sold me my car. The other night it was someone I met at a party. (If you count teaching gigs at local universities, which might be cheating, we’re going to be here all night.) Then THERE’S THE STEADY STREAM OF OFTEN YOUNG—YES, YOUNG!—PEOPLE WHO HAVE WILLINGLY, CONSCIOUSLY RELOCATED HERE, frequently from far cooler cities, specifically to work for Righteous Babe Records, Hallwalls, Squeaky Wheel, the Albright-Knox, or even the Buffalo News. Anecdotal evidence? Isolated cases? Hey, whatever. If you’re looking for a widespread migration, you’re the one who’s living in a dream. I say social movements are built person by person, incrementally, and often right under your nose. There may not be a million jobs in this town, but some of the ones we do have sound mighty enticing to outsiders, and that’s reason to celebrate. |
REASON TO STAY IN BUFFALO
TIE! “Quality of life” and “the arts”
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The four three seasons
(A few of our so-called expert panelists proposed “laziness” and “ability to be big fish in small pond,” but then they are a cynical lot prone to alcohol-fueled anomie.)
ANCHORPERSON
Joanna Pasceri
(Channel 7)
Second place:
Maryalice Demler
(Channel 2)
(Irv Weinstein even snagged three votes, which either proves that he’s a living legend or that some viewers really aren’t paying attention.)
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REPORTER, TV
Stefan Mychajliw
(Channel 2)
The readers provided fourteen different spellings of his last name and four variations on his first name, but they—and our panelists—are consistent in their praise of his work.
REPORTER, PRINT
Geoff Kelly
(Artvoice)
Somehow, on top of his responsibilities as editor, he manages to write detailed, revelatory news stories on a regular basis; no matter which hat he’s wearing at the time, he continues to keep Artvoice relevant after all these years.
Second place:
Mark Sommer
(Buffalo News)
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Mike Niman
(Artvoice)
Week after week, he gets the town talking with direct, trenchant writing about the issues that matter most to our city and our planet.
Second place:
Donn Esmonde
(Buffalo News)
This longtime favorite is never afraid to adopt unpopular positions on controversial subjects.
RADIO STATION
The Lake 107.7 FM
What was already a solid selection of deep cuts, local artists, and underplayed hits of the past is even more fun to listen to with the addition of newer material, specialty shows, and commentary by live DJs who actually care about the music they play.
Second place:
WNED-AM
RADIO VOICE
Tina Peel
(The Lake 107.7 FM)
This smart, good-humored WBNY alum from back in the day has found a perfect home by the Lake.
Second place:
Omar Fetouh
(WNED-AM)
SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS
BuffaloNews.com
At long last, the News steps into the twenty-first century with a redesigned site featuring up-to-the-minute updates, blogs, video, and other web-only content.
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LOCAL AD (PRINT/RADIO/TV/BILLBOARD)
CEPA, Soldier exhibition
Nothing inundated the community
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None of the above
-Joe Sweeney |
| Best Place to Have A Nervous Breakdown In the annals of terrible conversation points, traffic is second only to the weather. And except for snow, nothing in Western New York instigates more crappy confabs than the stretch of pavement on NIAGARA FALLS BOULEVARD BETWEEN MAPLE ROAD AND THE I-90 EXIT. At its worst, this is an infuriating, nonsensical bottleneck, a hazy sea of traffic signals and irritable suburbanites. But if you’re one of those cappuccino-swilling, glasses-wearing, anti-establishment types, the NFB is an absolute hell zone—not only are you stuck in traffic, you’re also surrounded by every greed-mongering, newborn-baby-murdering big box retailer imaginable. If you’ve got some foreign exchange students in the car, just point and yell slowly, “CAP-IT-A-LI-SM. A-MER-I-CA LI-KEY.” |
Second place:
Mighty Taco, miscellaneous campaigns
Say what you will about the dumbing-down of America; this homegrown franchise has been trusting Buffalonians to appreciate irony for decades.
LOCAL BLOG
Byzantium Shores
(byzantiumshores.blogspot.com)
Sure, we could give this to a better-known choice or a reader pick, but we want to salute the work of an unsung but very good writer who generates content of his own rather than relying on reposting and who actually makes us want to read what he has to say on a regular basis.
Second place:
Buffalo Pundit
(buffalopundit.wnymedia.net)
Why? Because he’ll hate coming in second, and blog all about it.
WEBSITE
Buffalo as an Architectural Museum
(ah.bfn.org/a/bamname.html)
This amazing accomplishment is obviously the culmination of a lifelong commitment to the subject matter: exactly what we all still love about the internet.
Second place:
Buffalo Rising
(www.buffalorising.com)
The clear reader favorite, this has become a site many of us visit at least once a day, and a great tool for spreading the word about local events. We have a few beefs about its latest redesign (and lax approach to journalism), but we love it all the same.
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