Watch out Buffalo, I'm coming

[IronLionZion]

I don't post in this forum too much even though I go to college at RIT (Rochester, NY), because I'm originally from PA. But I got a job offer in Buffalo with Tata Consultancy Services. That's an Indian IT firm that creates thousands of jobs in the US. crazy, I know. :crazy: But they've been in the US since the 1960s and your wonderful Senator Clinton encouraged them to open an office in Buffalo. They must be potheads because they're on 420 Main St. :silly:

So what do I need to know about Buffalo? Where should I live? What's there to do? Where are the good bars? Who are the DUers in this area to hang out with and get beers? :shrug: I expect some stuff should be similar to the ROC (cold weather, Wegman's, HSBC, etc.)

Thankfully, the company is providing housing over the summer while I do training, but I'll eventually need to find an apartment. I've never been to the Buffalo area except to drive through to get to Canada and to Rochester.

Thanks in advance :hi:

[Infomaniac]

1. Well, I'm a old fogey but...

judging from the parade of people I heard last summer trekking past my sister's house off Elmwood, the bars near Buff State on Elmwood Avenue seem to draw a good crowd. There are a number of apartments in the area too. Chippewa Street off Delaware Avenue (back in my day it was a notorious red light district) also has a good number of bars and draws huge crowds. During the summer, there are a number of live bands in an outdoor venue downtown.

[devilgrrl]

2. Check out North Buffalo...

near the Zoo/Parkside Ave./Hertel Ave./Delaware Park area is cool. :shrug:

[Renew Deal]

3. NO SEX THREADS!!!

:evilgrin:

[La Coliniere]

4. Good restaurants can be found....

all along the 2-3 mile stretch of Elmwood Ave., from downtown to Kenmore Ave. Saigon Cafe for Tai and Vietnamese is a favorite. For Greek try Pano's or Towne Red Hots (in Allentown, Buffalo's Greenwich Village). Many good Italian Restaurants on Hertel Ave. in North Buffalo and along Niagara St.,along the river, also on the West side. Pizza and wing joints are ubiquitous. Buffalonians are insane for their fish frys which are served in most corner bars and gin mills all over the place, and not only on Fridays. In fact, when the haddock fisheries in the North Atlantic crash into nothingness (like the cod fisheries), the people of Erie County could be held personally responsible. Lots of good cheap eats (compared to other places) can be found in most areas. Mighty Taco is good fast food, and a late night tradition.
Buffalo is not NYC, but it's a far cry from such conservative places like Cincinnati or Richmond VA.; it's sort of a smaller version of Chicago. The cost of living is relatively low and you'll seldom have to deal with the kind of traffic nightmares others have to endure in more "desirable" burgs.
Although a highly democratic area, especially the city, local politics are really fucked up. I recommend the books "The Rise and Decline of Buffalo New York" and "The Lady by the Lake" by Mark Goldman for an accurate historical account of this once great city's fall from grace (the downtown public library has more than one copy). The beaches in Fort Erie Ontario are really terrific in the summer, and only 10 minutes from the Peace Bridge.
Hope this was helpful, and good luck.

[vinessa4freedom]

5. Hi while you're still a neighbor...

I'm down the street at MCC. Were you at the Pipes protest last month?

[Remmah]

6. Welcome to Buffalo

RIT and MCC grad myself!

[CBHagman]

7. I loved living in Buffalo.

The people are great and the cultural scene was more vibrant than I'd heard before relocating there. I loved going to the Kavinoky Theater, Shakespeare in the Park, the Allentown Art Festival, and Sunday jazz at the Albright-Knox. And of course we went to Nietzsche's for live music.

[woosh]

8. If you're single and just out of college

I recommend the West Side. It can be noisy, but there is lots to do. Just don't get sucked in by the bars that are open until 4 AM and the Pano's french fries.

What's your area of study, I didn't know there are tech jobs in buffalo. I had to move to Boston to find one...