Places and Events
Based on the voting in this category, you could creat a composite of the typical Artvoice reader. She looks for love in late-night bars; she steals wireless from her neighbors; she loves the Albright-Knox, inside and out; she rides her bike to the Japanese Gardens in Delaware Park on weekends; she frequents a triangle defined by Allentown, Chippewa and Bidwell Parkway, straying occasionally into the East and West Sides to take stock of the city’s declining neighborhoods. She likes her restrooms glitzy and Italianate, but she appreciates the Old Pink vibe too. She attends a lot of fundraisers and festivals, but she’s kind of a homebody.
But maybe it’s more interesting to hear about the places people wish they could find in Buffalo. The three most common responses to our essay question about nightlife (“Describe the night spot you wish existed”) were: 1) a bar tailored to the respondent’s personality (e.g. a geek bar, a sports bar, a Coyote Ugly-esque bar, an alcohol-free bar); 2) a 24-hour joint with decent WiFi; 3) bring back the Continental.
As for architecture, the all-time favorites never change: City Hall, the Guaranty Building, the Central Terminal, the Ellicott Square Building. The Webb Building placed in the “most promising” category—a result somewhat soured by the death of a construction worker on the project. The Aud placed in this category too, though $10 million in state funds to demolish the thing makes its future seem less than bright. Optimism about the old AM&A building downtown was dealt a blow this week, too: Its out-of-town purchasers have backed off their renovation plans and put it up for sale.
The Granite Works received a nod of approval, earning a place on the list of finalists for best renovation in 2006; may it fill with tenants soon.
This is one of the best years for Sabres hockey in the team’s history, so it’s hardly surprising that so many people should vote for “a Sabres game” as one of the best places to take the family or out-of-town visitors. But you might as well offer a trip to the moon—I mean, where are you all getting tickets? On eBay at $200 a pop? Maybe Buffalo’s economy is turning around.
—geoff kelly
Places You Wish Existed
■ It would look like a haunted house and the staff would be dressed like monsters.
■ Buffalo needs a beauty bar where you can club and drink, but also have spa experiences!
■ I’d love to see a bubble over downtown Buffalo’s Main Street for about a block, and inside this climate-controlled, year-round hotspot, there’d be shops and restaurants and clubs filled with people having a great time.
■ The old Continental, except not as crappy so it doesn’t get closed down.
■ I still wish a restaurant was on top of the HSBC building.
■ Arnold’s from Happy Days!
best coffeehouse
Caffe Aroma
Clarence Center Coffee Company
Spot
Cafe Allegro
Higher Grounds
Best Place to Wi-fi
Cafe 59
Spot
Caffe Aroma
Central Library
“my house,” “in my bed,” etc.
worst cellphone reception
WalMart
UB North Campus
Downtown government buildings (City Hall and the Rath Building)
Everywhere in Allentown
My house/basement/kitchen/living room
best bathroom
Laughlin’s
Chocolate Bar
Salvatore’s Italian Gardens
Wegmans
My own
best indoor public space
Ellicott Square Building
Central Terminal
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
HSBC Arena
Botanical Gardens
best outdoor public space
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Bidwell Parkway
Delaware Park
Erie Basin Marina
Lafayette Square
best place to find a lover
Delaware Park
Roxy’s
The Old Pink
Elmwood Avenue
Variations on “my house,” “my bed,” “in my pants,” etc.
best street corner
Elmwood and Bidwell
Chippewa and Franklin
Elmwood and Auburn
Elmwood and Allen
Chippewa and Delaware
most promising abandoned building
AM&A’s downtown
H.H. Richardson complex
Central Terminal
Webb Building
Memorial Auditorium
best rehab project
The Granite Works
The Church
New Era Cap Co.
Darwin Martin House
Stillwater
best facade
Shea’s
Guaranty Building
City Hall
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Blue Cross Blue Shield Building
best annual festival
Italian Festival
Gay Pride
Taste of Buffalo
Allentown Arts Festival
Elmwood Festival of the Arts
best annual fundraiser
MASH Bash (Red Cross)
Artvoice Mardi Gras (Hospice)
Dining Out for Life (AIDS Community Services)
Variety Club Telethon (Women & Children’s Hospital)
Hunter’s Hope Ball (Hunter’s Hope Foundation)
best place to take out-of-town visitors
Anchor Bar
On a walk down Elmwood Avenue
Niagara Falls
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
A Sabres game
best place to take the family
The Zoo
Niagara Falls
Delaware Park
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
A Sabres game
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