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Anything to do in Buffalo, NY? (change of plans) (1 Viewer)

I was going to mention Nicks, RIT Hockey and Amerks. Other ideas that I don't think have been mentioned include Eastman House and Strasenburgh Planetarium.  

Wrong time of year for Lilac Festival. 

 
Steve Tasker said:
Niagara Falls is certainly worth a visit, but I'm not sure I'd say it's really "in the <Rochester> area".  By car from downtown Rochester, you're looking at 90 minutes drive each way, I'd guess.
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Considering I'm coming from northern Indiana, it may be as close as I ever get.

Plus, I'll drop by on the way back to Indiana. Only slightly out of my way relative to the rest of the drive.

 
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Ok, change of plans...

For a variety of reasons (the good and sensible kind), I'm going to be dropped off in Buffalo instead. I'll be in the area of the Walden Galleria Hotel Sunday night. I'll head up to Niagara Monday and then back west in the afternoon in all likelihood.

I'm pissed that I'll be a day late for Blues/Sabres at the KeyBank Arena, but dems the breaks. So, seeing as Buffalo is probably a fair bit more interesting than Rochester, anything I should do while I'm in town?

 
Which way are you driving back?  Canada route or Pennsylvania?

Niagara's great, but as someone said above, you stand there and stare in wonder for 5 minutes, then you're done.  There's some wax museum type stuff there, and there are some interesting tours (Maid of the Mist is probably the best), and there's a casino if that's your thing.  The Canadian side is the better place to view and is more built up.  

 
Tick said:
Which way are you driving back?  Canada route or Pennsylvania?

Niagara's great, but as someone said above, you stand there and stare in wonder for 5 minutes, then you're done.  There's some wax museum type stuff there, and there are some interesting tours (Maid of the Mist is probably the best), and there's a casino if that's your thing.  The Canadian side is the better place to view and is more built up.  




 
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Probably just staying on the US side driving back.

I may bring my passport as I understand there's a bridge I can walk across if I want to see the Canada side of the Falls. Plus, I can officially say I've been in Canada this way.

 
Sunday could make it a little tough as some of the main attractions are probably closed.

- Art:  The Albright-Knox is a famous contemporary art gallery and has some sort of rare Picasso exhibit going until Sunday.  The Burchfield Penney is pretty much literally right across the street.

- Music:  Not much going on Sunday, but there's apparently a local hip-hop showcase at one of my favorite venues, Mohawk Place.  I know nothing about these artists though.

- I love taking people to the Darwin Martin House.  Buffalo has a rich tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright and Frederick Law Olmsted architecture.  The Darwin Martin house is a restored Frank Lloyd building in north Buffalo.  It is worth a visit if you like architecture/art.  They have Sunday/Monday hours.

- Food:  there are a lot of options.  What do you like?  If you want the quote-unquote authentic Buffalo food, you'd probably need wings or beef on weck.  The area by the Galleria is kinda a dead zone, you'd need to venture out to get some wings.  Schwabl's isn't terribly far away, for beef on weck.  For wings, I'd recommend Nine Eleven in south Buffalo but there's a ton of wing spots.

- Drink:  beer?  Cocktails?  Nothing?  What are you looking for?

- Cornhole:  I could be free Sunday night?  Depends on what time you're getting in.

- If you're looking to wander around a bit, some pretty neat areas are: Allentown, Elmwood Village, Hertel Ave.

 
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baymen said:
Duff's was better back in my days back there.  (25+ years ago).  If you want to find the place that invented that back then, Anchor bar is the way to go.
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Duffs is better than Anchor Bar, for certain.  Nine Eleven in south Buffalo is my true wing go-to.  Gabriel's Gate on Allen is pretty solid.  Lovejoy Pizza on Main has great cajun wings.  La Nova on the west side has great BBQ wings.  Imperial Pizza in south Buffalo has great garlic parm wings.  Pretty much any reputable pizza place will have serviceable wings.  Anchor Bar is upper-tier but probably not the best.  But if you want to say you've had the original wings, that's the place to go. 

 
Brady Marino said:
Probably just staying on the US side driving back.

I may bring my passport as I understand there's a bridge I can walk across if I want to see the Canada side of the Falls. Plus, I can officially say I've been in Canada this way.
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You can walk across the Rainbow Bridge.  Note that you WILL need a passport to do so.  Also note that they can deny you entry into Canada if you aren't carrying cash (true story, I almost got denied once).

Honestly, the Canadian falls are a better view, but my opinion is that you can see what you need to see from the US side.  It's not the best view, but you can kill enough time on the US side, wander around Goat Island, the Three Sisters Islands, Tesla Monument, Terrapin Point, Observation Deck.  If you have a lot of time you can look into the Niagara Gorge and Cave of the Winds, but I suspect it'd be ridiculously cold this time of year even though it's relatively warm this weekend.  I'm a fan of just parking on the US side and walking through the park, personally.  But I grew up about 10 minutes away and have been to the Falls countless times, so maybe I take it a bit for granted.

 
Hop over to the Canadian side, hit the Sundowner right quick, and head back to the States.

My 2 hours worth of advice. 

tons to do up here, but you'll need time. might as well get a hard-on if you're really short on time.

 
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If you want to save the $10 for Niagara Falls parking, there is almost always a free spot located at 105 Main St.  The spots on Main St are pay parking, but if you make a right onto an alleyway taht goes up a little hill there are 4 spots on the right and it is a 5 minute walk to the bridge to Canada.  I would not drive to Canada, the parking over there is expensive, you can easily get stuck waiting in line for 30 minutes for immigration, and they could decide to search your car....

There isn't much to do on either side of the falls this time of year.  The Canadian side is a tourist trap, but the views from that side are much better,   I would definitely make the short walk to CA.  

There are casinos on both sides of the falls.  The food options on either side are not great, but there may be some good places I don't know about.

If you want to bet sports, you can bet sports in Canada, either in the casino or at a drug store, but the odds are terrible and they make you parlay games.

There is a mall where you are staying at Walden, but not much else.

 
Thorpe said:
If you want to bet sports, you can bet sports in Canada, either in the casino or at a drug store, but the odds are terrible and they make you parlay games.
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Mostly right. Can bet sports anywhere tho. Corner store, grocery store, drug store etc. 

Napoli pizza and Koutouki are 2 good restos in the falls a TINY bit off the tourist path, that are pretty delicious. 

 
Changed my mind and I'm driving through Canada on the way back. Seems like an easier drive and I can legit check Canada off my bucket list.

Are there any good casinos that have Texas Hold'em in Buffalo or across the river in Canuckistan? Looks like I'll get into Buffalo at closer to noon tomorrow, so l will have time to kill.

 
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You should be able to play Texas Hold Em at the Seneca Niagara Casino in "downtown" Niagara Falls, a stone's throw from the Falls themselves.  I am not a poker player but have some friends who play/played there from time to time.  Fallsview Casino, over the border in Canada, also appears to have a poker room.

There is a casino in downtown Buffalo but it doesn't appear to have a poker room.

 
I feel like if you could find out where OJ's old house was located that would be a cool thing to see. 

You're going to love all the old, rusty factories too. 

 
Oh, and very few things in life truly blow me away anymore.

Niagara Falls blew me away enough to where I didn't even bother going to the Canada side. I even got to go down low on the American Falls side because it's thawed out so much up here.

Niagara Falls has been worth this trip alone. It's worth seeing at least once. 

 
Brady Marino said:
Oh, and very few things in life truly blow me away anymore.

Niagara Falls blew me away enough to where I didn't even bother going to the Canada side. I even got to go down low on the American Falls side because it's thawed out so much up here.

Niagara Falls has been worth this trip alone. It's worth seeing at least once. 
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In 2001, took a trip around country to 15 ballparks.  Niagara Falls was by far the best part of the trip.

 
rick6668 said:
Lived here all my life. People have mentioned some items, I'll give you my thoughts.

It really depends on what you are into.

Amerks (AHL Hockey) have a home game Sunday night at 5pm. Not sure if you'll arrive in time for that

A Garbage Plate is a must. You can go original at Nick's, but I prefer Stevie T's (Was a Nick's at one time, but the son had a falling out with his dad and had to change the name) Where are you staying? (City/Suburbs, which town?) There are plenty of local places that have pretty good plates.

If you had kids with you I'd highly recommend The Strong National Museum of Play It's even pretty cool if you don't. There are interactive displays and different areas for kids to explore etc, besides a museum section which is pretty cool with tons of old toys etc. They have an excellent Video Game section with a whole history of video games and about 30-40 classic arcade games, old consoles etc.

George Eastman House Museum is pretty cool, but might not mean that much to you not being from Rochester.

Stone Yard Brewing Co is pretty good if you're into that, but it's in Brockport, about 30 minutes from downtown.

Finger Lakes are great for boating/fishing, but wrong time of year for that.
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Any updates for this for Buffalo?


Going to do the falls. Looking for maybe hiking. Maybe toy/play museum. Have 2 boys (16 and 14).

Thanks
 
 
dino259 said:
rick6668 said:
Lived here all my life. People have mentioned some items, I'll give you my thoughts.

It really depends on what you are into.

Amerks (AHL Hockey) have a home game Sunday night at 5pm. Not sure if you'll arrive in time for that

A Garbage Plate is a must. You can go original at Nick's, but I prefer Stevie T's (Was a Nick's at one time, but the son had a falling out with his dad and had to change the name) Where are you staying? (City/Suburbs, which town?) There are plenty of local places that have pretty good plates.

If you had kids with you I'd highly recommend The Strong National Museum of Play It's even pretty cool if you don't. There are interactive displays and different areas for kids to explore etc, besides a museum section which is pretty cool with tons of old toys etc. They have an excellent Video Game section with a whole history of video games and about 30-40 classic arcade games, old consoles etc.

George Eastman House Museum is pretty cool, but might not mean that much to you not being from Rochester.

Stone Yard Brewing Co is pretty good if you're into that, but it's in Brockport, about 30 minutes from downtown.

Finger Lakes are great for boating/fishing, but wrong time of year for that.
Click to expand...
Any updates for this for Buffalo?


Going to do the falls. Looking for maybe hiking. Maybe toy/play museum. Have 2 boys (16 and 14).

Thanks
 
Click to expand...
If you want hiking trails and you're already going to Niagara Falls, there are a bunch of nice trails out there. If you google something like Niagara Gorge hiking a bunch of things will pop up. The gorge and Devil's Hole are popular hiking spots. You're not going to find much in the way of hiking in/around Buffalo proper. Chestnut Ridge Park has some nice trails and the locally famous Eternal Flame trail, but it's probably ~20 minutes south of downtown Buffalo and easily 40 minutes from Niagara Falls.

Can't really help you on toy/play museums, not sure we have those here. There's a good museum called Explore & More, but it's geared towards kids aged like 3-6, it's a children's play museum. Your kids are way, way too old for it.
 
Steve Tasker said:
dino259 said:
rick6668 said:
Lived here all my life. People have mentioned some items, I'll give you my thoughts.

It really depends on what you are into.

Amerks (AHL Hockey) have a home game Sunday night at 5pm. Not sure if you'll arrive in time for that

A Garbage Plate is a must. You can go original at Nick's, but I prefer Stevie T's (Was a Nick's at one time, but the son had a falling out with his dad and had to change the name) Where are you staying? (City/Suburbs, which town?) There are plenty of local places that have pretty good plates.

If you had kids with you I'd highly recommend The Strong National Museum of Play It's even pretty cool if you don't. There are interactive displays and different areas for kids to explore etc, besides a museum section which is pretty cool with tons of old toys etc. They have an excellent Video Game section with a whole history of video games and about 30-40 classic arcade games, old consoles etc.

George Eastman House Museum is pretty cool, but might not mean that much to you not being from Rochester.

Stone Yard Brewing Co is pretty good if you're into that, but it's in Brockport, about 30 minutes from downtown.

Finger Lakes are great for boating/fishing, but wrong time of year for that.
Click to expand...
Any updates for this for Buffalo?


Going to do the falls. Looking for maybe hiking. Maybe toy/play museum. Have 2 boys (16 and 14).

Thanks
 
Click to expand...
If you want hiking trails and you're already going to Niagara Falls, there are a bunch of nice trails out there. If you google something like Niagara Gorge hiking a bunch of things will pop up. The gorge and Devil's Hole are popular hiking spots. You're not going to find much in the way of hiking in/around Buffalo proper. Chestnut Ridge Park has some nice trails and the locally famous Eternal Flame trail, but it's probably ~20 minutes south of downtown Buffalo and easily 40 minutes from Niagara Falls.

Can't really help you on toy/play museums, not sure we have those here. There's a good museum called Explore & More, but it's geared towards kids aged like 3-6, it's a children's play museum. Your kids are way, way too old for it.
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We did find the Niagara Gorge and Devil's hole trails. The trail down by the river by the whirlpool was incredible. The power of the river is intense. There is a spot with lots of flat rocks that are only about a foot above the river that was really to to walk around.

We ate at the Silo restaurant as seen on Man vs Food. Was good.
 
rick6668 said:
RIT hockey is really good, but a game this Saturday and then not until next Saturday.

High School Section V hockey is in playoff mode as well, but games Saturday and then again not til Wednesday.
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I was going to suggest the AAA Redwings, who are in town but Sunday afternoon game and off Monday so no sports for you!
 
Don’t get a garbage plate. Get some wings at Bar Bill they just put out there. It’s Buffalo’s number one wing spot. Other than that Rochester is awful.
 
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