Since my Dad’s days attending the long departed “Bishop Falon High” in the late ’60’s, this part of Buffalo has not been known as much of a place to visit (other than the Anchor Bar, of course). Thanks to Artspace

and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus,

it looks like the surroundings of the last two underground metro stops is going to a place that will not only feel safe, but a place worth spending time in (and not just for the previously mentioned Anchor Bar wings)

*artspace photo courtesy of RueB

Lookin’ good, Buffalo.

So I went downtown today and I return to the online world bearing news for my fellow Buffalo freaks…

The Granite Works project is coming along pretty well, you can get a better idea of how the thing is gonna look overall now…still looks like it wont be ready until late spring

This one-story building before the Sidway Apartments is looking closer to completion too…I don’t think anyone is leasing it but as this part of town continues to look nicer, the leasers will come.

The Pierce Building in the Theatre District has all the windows on the upper floor up now and looks like it will be ready in the summer…I for one hope that hideous jewler that occupies half of the bottom floor leaves soon or at least gets a new sign. That thing is an eyesore (then again, few retailers in that part of Main aren’t)

The HealthNow project doesn’t have many visible signs of progress but there are….the extremely preliminary works are being layed out on the dirt…the blueprints suggest that the building will not go hand-in-hand with the old Gas Building facade but whatever, its there and the HealthNow building will look nice too, it’ll just be an awkward couple.

All the 70something year old bricks and wires have been torn down and sit in a huge pile of rubble around the errily-beautiful H-O Oats grain elevator…
PS-That Rich Creamery factory that Paladino bought NEEDS to be converted into lofts ASAP…that part of town is still dead, and it looks wierd to go from the luxurious Elk Terminal lofts to Rick James’ Perry Projects in just a few steps…some serious life is needed there sooon but unfortunatly the Senecas changed Paladino’s original plans.

PPS- Kudos to the builders of “665 Main” an absolutley beautiful building. I never really got the chance to take a good look at it since its completion…I am VERY impressed. The Theatre District will be looking top notch by this time next year once the Pierce Building is completed…now if we could only have cars and retail on that darn street.

….so there is an update on some of the works downtown….its nice to see progress in a city that let itself rot for so long…keep your eyes peeled, Buffalo! If you don’t you might miss some good stuff happening!

Sorry about the lack of posting guys. I obtained mono from a young lady who said “don’t worry-it was strep, and the doctor said i’m not contagious anymore”. So after being diagnosed with SARS, strep throat, and then finally mono, I am ready to get back to work.

Today after class=DOWNTOWN ADVENTURES!!!

which=Pictures and random observations!

See ya later

Further proof that Buffalo just doesn’t like change.

At his press conference today he also announced that GM/President Tom Donohoe was fired. Wilson adressed many issues including the uncertainty of Mularkey’s status (which according to WGR55 has been solidified-he will remain as coach). He also apologized for an issue of fan’s anti-manegement signs being confiscated. But the story to me was just Wilson himself. He can make a one word answer into a 30min story. His ability to ramble and his stuborness (he refused to be interrupted-period) made for quite an uplifiting press conference (albeit at an old man’s expense) for an not so uplifting season.

Downtown Buffalo is starting to evolve. Now that the NFTA is committing to putting cars back on Main Street, now that Bass Pro is starting to get a little closer to the building process, now that the Elmwood strip is so popular that suburbanites come there constantly-its time to spread out a little more.
On the most amazing place on the web about Buffalo (other than this blog of course ) called “Buffalo Rising” (Link on the right) had a great discussion about bringing an H&M downtown and this brings up a broader issue…

How do we bring retailers to downtown Buffalo?

City Hall has other stuff to do and personally-I’d rather not have them too much involved in recruting. Why not start a coeherent “Retail-Action Committee”: a non-profit group that produces pamphlets, a web-site and even pay for a trip for a national retail executive to visit Buffalo and see what we’re all about and why we can handle and why we DESERVE contemporary retail downtown. There are a lot of reasons why and it excites me to no end. Its time to really get rid of this awful impression the country has of us and show what we have to offer.

This is from “Figmo” from Buffalo Rising…
Any marketers or business folks or grant/business writers or anyone with other relevant skills out there who can help with an outline? Some really motivated and talented folks have already contacted us about this. Drop us an email at nofrillschic@buffalorising.com and in the next few days, we’ll set up a listserv so we can stay in touch, exchange ideas and make some progress.

So make it happen people…it can’t hurt and it will only help.

PHEW! That embarassing 2005 Bills season ended yesterday after another frustrating loss. Hooray for an offensive line that can’t do too much, hurray for a Kelly Holcomb who can’t really ever deliver in the clutch and hurray for the most conservative offense I have ever seen. This should be an interesting offseason, hopefully including a Tom Donohoe firing and the keeping of Eric Moulds but in all likleyhood-the opposite will occur.

UPDATE:
This is what owner Ralph Wilson had to say about his role in the offseason…

From the Buffalo News..
“Wilson said he believes he needs to take a more active role in the team, rather than sitting back and letting his top football man make the decisions without the owner’s significant input.

‘I’m going to be more active,’ Wilson said. ‘I’ve been around this game for a long time. And I’m not going to take somebody
else’s word that we’re going to draft this guy because he’s a heckuva player. If we’re going to take somebody in the first three or four rounds, I want to see him on tape.

‘The last time I saw a player (on tape) we took first, with our first pick, was Thurman Thomas. I saw him personally.’

…So now we know why we haven’t done so well latley, THEY WOULDN’T LET RALPH SEE THE TAPES, DAMMIT! I’m sure Ralph will choose the right man for the ‘06 draft since he’s known for his eye for talent…

and I’ll close it with this Mr.Wilson quote…
“The first three or four rounds, when we talk about who we’re interested in, I want to see (the player),” Wilson said. “I’m not just a bystander who goes up and has a nice Coca-Cola.”