And really, really, really good coffee.
Avoid it at all costs. It is a miserable place.
[sub]Mmmm… Timbits… [/sub]
In a word: NO.
But going for HRC as US Senator does bring the good people of Western New York way down in my opinion.
I told my Buffalo-born boyfriend about this thread–“The weather’s not that bad,” he said, with the eye-roll of the century.
I beg to differ. They had eight feet of snow last year. In two days. I went to visit him, and it was surreal–people’s roofs were buckling under all the snow, and the plows ran out of places to put it all. The snow on the sides of the road was in walls, not piles, and people had started to spraypaint it.
I’d just like to reiterate the “nightlife” thing. It just doesn’t seem to exist in Buffalo, unless you really like sports bars.
We do about a thousand times better here in Albany, and that’s just pathetic.
On the other hand:
All true.
It’s much different than Manhattan, but not nearly as bad as some would have you think. Quite nice, overall, in fact.
LOL, ok, that was kind of freakish, even by our standards. I imagine that just about every place has freaky weather every once in a while. It’s certainly not a “once a year” event, or even a “once a decade.”
I remember that. Wasn’t that the time when all the children on their way home from school had to spend the night in McDonalds, Walmart, Wegmans, and whatever else they could find?
I’m not sure, mandielise, and again, to be fair, that WAS a freak occurrence. If that happened every year, I don’t think you’d find too many people living in Buffalo.
Also, while we’re being charitable, I absolutely adore Mighty Taco. Give me two mightys with sour cream and hot sauce, and I’m a happy, happy girl.
Oh I know it’s not a usual thing. Like I’ve said previously, I lived near Rochester for 15 of my 20 years and I loved it! I miss it terribly!!!
I’m probably shooting myself in the foot with this, but I think you’re thinking of two years ago, where a fairly average snowfall combined with high winds, resulting in extremely low visibility so that no one could drive.
The 8 feet of snow in a few days was last year, and started on Christmas Eve. It didn’t cause many immediate problems with school, work, etc, because most people were already home for the holiday.
And Mighty Taco is quite possibly the #1 reason to visit Buffalo. Mmmmm, Mighty Taco.
I’m having a hard time believing that there are good tacos in Buffalo. People who grew up closer to the Mexican border will understand my hesitation.
I see your point. They’re not tacos, persay, nor anything even close to authentic Mexican food. They’re Mighty Tacos. Perhaps you could just think of it as the name of a product that has nothing to do with actual tacos. Essentially, a Mighty Taco is a huge lump of grease, meat, grease, cheese, grease, sour cream, grease, and hot sauce, that coincidentally is all wrapped up in a tortilla (greasy). I would guestimate that a Mighty Taco is about ten million times less healthy than a Big Mac. I realize this is not exactly an appetizing description, but they’re very, very good. A Mighty Taco is the sublime realization of the entire concept of “junk food” in one delicious, and greasy, package.
The best of Buffalo ethnic foods, IMHO, is Greek. There’s a large Greek community in Western New York, and the Greek food is authentic and drool-worthy. Italian, German, and Polish are also well-represented.
You were clearly nowhere near the grad student housing.
Okay … I"m a Buffalo native. Not suburban Buffalo, but born, raised and educated completely within the city limits.
Buffalo has a lot of downstate transplants, mostly college students. The Noo Yawkers tend to be a bit whiney, complaining about the lack of a 24-7 nightlife, or not being able to get a certain type of bagel at 3:00 AM on a Sunday morning. That’s all true. Buffalo is New York state’s second largest city, smaller than the Big Apple by many orders of magnitude. The size of the region is more like that of Milwaukee, Columbus or Nashville than New York or LA. Unfortunately, too many people compare Buffalo with NYC; it’s like comparing Peoria with Chicago or Wollongong to Sydney. New York is arguably one of the leading financial and cultural centers of the world. Buffalo is a workaday city with many positive qualities, and its share of shortcomings.
What’s great about the Buffalo region? A list …
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Tons of colleges and universities, making it a blue collar Boston. UB, Buff State, Canisius, D’Youville, Niagara University, Daemen, Trocaire, Medaille, Villa Maria …
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Very low cost of housing, even in upscale neighborhoods and suburbs. Here’s a few examples, in nice city neighborhoods …
http://www.buffaloniagarahomes.com/property/Detail_1.cfm?ID=163168&table=singlefamily&open_house_search=NO&src=bnh
http://www.buffaloniagarahomes.com/property/Detail_1.cfm?ID=173003&table=singlefamily&open_house_search=NO&src=bnh
http://www.buffaloniagarahomes.com/property/Detail_1.cfm?ID=172514&table=singlefamily&open_house_search=NO&src=bnh
- Vibrant local arts scene for a city its size; most of the bluebloods still live in the central city, and contribute greatly to institutions such as the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Albright-Knox. Buffalo also has a very active local theater scene, and an active theater district. Some links …
http://bfn.org/preservationworks
http://www.foreverelmwood.com
http://www.allenstreet.com
http://www.parksidebuffalo.org
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Large bohemian neighborhoods, such as Allentown and the Elmwood District. North Buffalo is also a very liveable, walkable area, as are some of the older inner suburbs such as Tonawanda or Amherst inside the I-290 beltway. East Aurora is cited as a model for modern new urbanist communities.
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A very active nightlife for a city its size; consider the Elmwood Strip, Allentown, the Chippewa Street area downtown, and a 4:00 AM closing time. Buffalo doesn’t have huge NYC-style dance clubs, but it’s not all blue collar gin mills either. Think Lincoln Park or Rush Street in Chicago. See http://www.buffalobarfly.com for an example. Also consider that MTV’s “Sorority Life” and “Fraternity Life” is filming in Buffalo.
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If you have kids, Buffalo’s suburbs enjoy the best public schools in the United States, bar none. City schools don’t have such a good reputation, but kids attending one of the magnets will experience a quality of education that beats the 'burbs.
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As Delphica said, Buffalo is a gourmand’s paradise. Chi-chi cuisine isn’t Buffalo’s thing, although certain ethnic foods are plentiful, cheap and outstanding in quality. Chain restaurants haven’t made the same inroads in Buffalo they they have made in other similarly sized metropolitan areas. The supermarkets are the best in the world, literally … Tops and Wegmans. Big Wegmans stores. Think of a cross between a regular supermarket and Whole Foods, and multiply it by four or five … that’s a Buffalo/Rochester Wegmans. Tops isn’t as upscale, but their stores are usually as large as Weggies, and they go deep with their ethnic food selections.
What’s wrong?
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Ethnic and religious insularity. Consider that the economy is stagnant, so the population is far from transient; some entrenched ethnic communities that can still be distrustful of outsiders; and dominant ethnic groups from very Catholic countries, with a population that is today still very fundamentalist Roman Catholic.
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Very corrupt political and business climate. Local politics resemble those of 1960s Chicago, where patronage and the good 'ol boy club are still very much part of the scene. There are few large companies, and many small locally owned and family businesses, making upward advancement at a career very difficult unless you’re related to the owner.
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Much physical evidence of a stagnant economy outside of the aforementioned bohemian neighborhoods and upscale city and suburban districts, such as abandoned factories, brownfields, and so on. It can be quite depressing.
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The weather. It’s not so much the snow or cold, but rather the overcast skies, which can last for weeks. I do NOT recommend Buffalo for those with clinical depression. Summer and fall is magnificent, but still, those wonderful 75 degree August days are offset by the frequent lack of sunshine.
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Taxes. That 4 bedroom, two bathroom, $130K house you see? Well, expect to pay $4,000 a year in property taxes on it. Buffalo residents face one of the highest tax burdens of anyone in the US. Excepting fantastic schools and, if you live in Amherst, essentially no crime, those high taxes don’t get you more or better municipal services than you would get in Denver or Indianapolis. Since the economy is stagnant, home equity leaves a lot to be desired; some city neighborhoods are booming, but otherwise real estate values have been flat for the past 10 years.
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Lack of ethnic cuisine. Italian, Greek, Polish, or Indian food? No problem! Hell, most Greek restaurants are open 24-7. Retro menus from the 1950s? You’ll see the word “fried” and “roast” featured prominently on Buffalo menus. Want to eat Ethiopian, Thai, Indonesian, Mexican, French, Spanish, or Northern Italian? Well, Toronto is two hours away.
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The Buffalo accent. Egads … even the television news reporters speak in it. Buffalonians are blissfully unaware of their nasal, whiney, flat accents … of voices that can make the most scratchy Queens drone sound melodic by comparison. Imagine an exaggerated south suburban Chicago accent. The Buffalo accent is worse.
Okay, now you’ve piqued my curiousity. What are some good Greek restaurants in Buffalo, for the next time I go?
Word on the Buffalo accent, too–my Pittsburgh yinzer accent drives my boyfriend crazy (but his is much more annoying.) 
Lived in Buffalo my whole life. Mighty Toco is awesome. I also love Ted’s Hot Dogs.
You waited 18 months to respond? I am sure the OP has long since decided whether to take the job now or not, or has perhaps died of old age.
(And I recommend everyone come to Atlanta, the traffic isn’t QUITE bad enough yet)