Done.
Dear Buffalo,
I officially give up.
After 3.5 years of insisting that this region was really in the beginning stages of turning itself around I am convinced that it either is not or is 50 years away from becoming as good as a 2nd rate city.
The turning point was last March when I visited Cleveland for the 1st time. Visiting places like Berlin or Amsterdam or Paris or Lisbon or Munich or NYC had no effect on how I felt about this place because there were much different circumstances that make those places so much better. But to see the rest our slightly bigger rust belt brothers aggressively try to make things better was what stood out. Cleveland acts big, and fights hard to maintain that almost self-assumed existence and with the hard work, focus and attitude has an amazing Warehouse District, a Ritz Carlton, museums, stadia, shopping center, good waterfront, light rail transit even…the list goes on.
The next day I was in downtown Buffalo and all I saw was the same as I’ve always seen-mostly people who were using downtown for:
1. To collect social services
2. Attend court hearings
3. Catch school busses
4. Panhandle
The urban design which I knew was fairly pathetic before stood out to me more than ever before. And the progress I’ve been tracking all of a sudden seemed so mediocre.
The Cleveland visit was on top of a couple visits to Pittsburgh. Another city with all the problems of Buffalo but fights hard against it and spends money on seemingly everything it can to make its downtown as strong as the best of them. I can’t even begin to tell you how great I think downtown Pittsburgh is, and its only getting better by the day seemingly.
This summer I went back to DC and during that time a good friend of mine up here moved to Charlotte (go figure). Out of curiosity I checked up on what kind of development was going on down there via skyscraper page forums and it was like Dubai in America. Not that I like Dubai, or Southern US development in general but thinking about all those good paying jobs, the increasing quality of life, none of this is or ever will come to Buffalo-and that hit hard.
And then Byron Brown wrote the most pathetic letter to Forbes magazine explaining why Buffalo isn’t dying.
I came back and after one day of being downtown I’m already done. Please don’t explain to me all the good things that are happening around here-I’m well aware of them. Its simply too little-and dare I say-too late.
Thank you to all the readers and commenters. I hope you enjoyed the material and even found it informative perhaps.
I never stopped caring. I just stopped hoping.
Consider this my last post.
-Mark
August 24th, 2008 at 6:58 am
ouch, that hurts…you have been one a breath of fresh air when it comes to buffalo and its rebirth…i believe you are a young intelligent adult, exactly the kind we need to help turn things around, but i do not blame you or your fellow smart young people who seem to have a foot in the brain drain express…i still believe in a greater buffalo in the next 5 to 10 years, but as long as public unions and the elected officials they endorse remain in power, everything you have said will continue to happen, and yes, maybe it is a little too late…i took my daughter to see some downtown buildings a couple of weeks ago, and yes, we saw social services peppered troughout some really glorious buildings, that it reminded me of the 1982 film ‘heavy metal’, a futuristic scifi cartoon which showed new york city in 50 years, as a run down slum brimming with corruption, prostitution, and decay…that was exactly what i saw at the statler, city hall…then, we went to thursday at the square this past week, and we decided to walk along the so called ‘high school row’ along main street (where all these h.s. age kids hang out during the tats show) and there was a surprising air of vibrancy there, young adults packing the downtown streets (toronto anyone?), that was kind of cool, but 90% of the storefronts were boarded up, chained up, empty glass cases, years of soot built up on them, why would these young kids want to stay here??? it was like being in a bad movie..
so i agree, our powers that be have neglected the need to dig our way out of this semmingly bottomless pit the way similar cities have, and it really is embarassing…they have not honored the needs for the common good of our community…yes, it is true, there is a pulse, yes it is true that there are good things happening around us, but we shouldn’t have to look for them, our community and leaders have to try harder, alot harder, the way others have, or we truly are a dying city…please, continue posting, we need guys like you to fight the good fight…
August 24th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Mark
I respect your last article immensely, and I am not going to sit here and complain about it. However I would just like you to know a couple of things. I actually read this site every day. I have the “Buffalove” thing in me. My myspace has pics of Buffalo and everything. I respect where I grew up and where I am from. I think you simply lost what ever points you were trying to make about the area. You got wrapped up in the politics of the area, money, and opinions when its your own that counted the most. There is no denying the condition the city is in. However you have to look at Western New York as whole. I think thats what your missing. Buffalo represents the whole area. I am from Cheektowaga but when I went to Florida for college I told people Buffalo. The area as a whole is amazing. We have some really good things, things you don’t have to look for. We have our sports teams. Best fans in the world. I think also if Buffalo plays the whole “hockeytown” thing we could be in for some amazing programs. We have Labatt USA here. Again were a drinking city. And then 3rdly the best of the best, our food. I think those are the cities strongest points and yet to be truly tapped into. I have friends come from Florida all the time. When I got to Orlando I go to the theme parks. When people come here, we eat, drink, and catch some sports. And for that all of my friends are impressed with the city. When ever I go downtown I take my digital camera. I go downtown on my own to eat. I try to be the guy who uses the area other than for the courts and social services. Its why I go to the Buffalo Brew Fest, Thursday at the Square, Chicken Wing Festival, Hockey stuff. Those things make Downtown feel alive. Even going to Chippewa makes the city feel alive. Even Allen and Elmwood. Just amazing, you cant find that scene anywhere else. Certainly not when I was in Orlando for 2 years. I guess the point is I feel you got caught up with the complicated things around here, when its the little stuff that truly make the area special. Everyone uses such small eyes, and just need to open them again. Besides its the little details in a painting that really make the painting as a whole. Every puzzle has its pieces. Thank you, and take care! And just like to say one final….”LETS GO BUFF-A-LO”
August 24th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Damn, sorry to hear about both your new revelation and your ending of the blog. Here’s to the hope that sometime, eventually, things will really head in the right direction.
August 24th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Yikes. Someone didn’t take his meds. Read that “farewell” posting and then the several prior. Dude, Xanex helps!
August 24th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
if im understanding your insult to my mental health correctly i merely felt it would be boring to complain about how bad everything is in buffalo so i kept it to myself and stuck to the ‘misson’ of this blog. thank you though!
August 24th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
complain? that’s all you had been doing in all previous posts was anything but complaining.
August 25th, 2008 at 4:47 am
I’ll miss your photos. They are/were great.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:06 am
Mark, I am very familiar with how you’re feeling. I’ve been writing my blog off and on for three years and I’ve become despondent about this region as well. It’s tough to stay positive when the progress is so incremental and without any sort of master plan. It’s why I get frustrated with BRO for celebrating every small development as if it’s yet another brick in the Yellow Brick Road of progress. It makes us look small and silly.
This city and region will continue to struggle until we, as a region, can articulate a goal. What does success look like? How will we achieve it? How will we measure progress as we move towards that goal? Having a goal and strategy are critical to success in any endeavor and we are too focused on tactical elements and iterative progress.
The difference between Cleveland and Pittsburgh and cities that are booming is the presence of a regional master plan and leaders in the government and business community who are united behind those goals. Here, we engage in bikeshedding. What’s bikeshedding you ask?
Futile investment of time and energy in marginal issues, often including annoying propaganda while more serious issues are being overlooked. The implied image is of people arguing over what color to paint the bicycle shed while the house is not finished.
If that doesn’t describe this town to a fucking “t”, I don’t know what does.
Take a break for a few weeks and come back to discuss how progress is attained in those other cities you note. Show people how it can be done and how we can learn from other cities, that’s important and it’s how I maintain some sort of sanity in this city.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:34 am
You sound like a big homo!
August 25th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I’m an ex-pat. I moved to NYC this summer, and though I love living in NYC I do miss Buffalo and a lot of the great things about it. It’s funny, but just as I left I began to feel like the right choices were being made. Yes, maybe twenty years late, but they were being done. Housing downtown, cultural assets,- yes it takes time, but its hardly time to give up.
I live in NYC right now surrounded by Buffalo ex-pats who love and care about Buffalo. Some of us are here because we want to help Buffalo but need to get an outside perspective and learn.
Don’t give up, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. There’s nothing that one person can do, but it takes time.
anyway, best of luck to you as you move on.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Mark,you have been a very good friend .I’m deeply sorry you have stopped blogging.You are the best.I hope you find what your looking for to make you happy.
Jim-The Amhersttimes.com
August 25th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
mark, i think everyone who follows your blog has a big spot in their hearts for buffalo- it is a part of all of us. buffalo may be a tough town to love sometimes but that fact will make it that much sweeter if things do ever turn around there. your blog is a great read and great advocate for the city- you have always seemed wiser than your years and always have something insightful to say. i hope you keep going- maybe you could broaden the focus to include the other cities you encounter in your travels.
on another note- i think you’ve said here before that you’re studying planning and are probably due to graduate and enter the workforce soon… do everything you can to land the dream job in buffalo. like you said- you haven’t stopped caring. shoot for your dreams now so that you aren’t left wondering if you could have made a difference in buffalo.
best of luck!
August 25th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Mark,
I am really bummed today after reading this post. Your work here is awesome and you are a great part of the WNYMedia family. Chris Smith is absolutely right… take some time off and collect your thoughts, and hopefully your readers will have you back to enjoy your great reporting. I don’t want you to leave and I’ll bet I am not the only one who feels that way.
Back in June you me and Pete had a great day touring the streets of DC together, and yeah, comparing the vibrancy of that city to ours here almost makes one want to weep. But I can tell you this… back in the 80s there was NOTHING downtown…the Theatre District was like a bombed out World War 2 city..Chippewa was drugs and whores, lower Mian St was nothing but the Aud, the Buf News and derelict buildings, Erie Basin Marina was vacant, eyesores everywhere. It is a shame if has taken this long to turn things around but they have turned around and the momentum is building. PLEASE consider being a part of it. Buffalo needs people like YOU!
Andrew
PS — Memo to Bison716… what kind of dumbass comment is that?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Mark
Your blog influenced me to move to Buffalo. I have fashioned my whole life around the hope that the city can turn itself around. When I read this blog I cried for several minutes. I live for Buffalo. I named my dog Depew and my sons middle name is Lancaster. Please come back to us Mark. I know you can do it. P.S. Bisons 716 makes me mad. And I’m a scary person when I am mad!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
MARK - stay with us!
One of the very few things that has made any real difference in the progress of Buffalo is the type of dialog that takes place on blogs like this.
You are making a difference! Keep up the fight!
-Jeff
www.ex-buffalo.com
August 26th, 2008 at 3:52 am
What a weak message. The only problem that I have with Buffalo is that some residents are super whiney. This letter is the prime example. They would rather complain or say that they “give up” than invest their time and efforts in Buffalo. For all of Mark’s nay saying I’m sure he won’t be leaving Buffalo any time soon. Time to “Man Up” Mark and do something about it.
Peace
August 26th, 2008 at 6:37 am
[…] Mark from All Things Buffalo hangs up his blogging hat, and explains why. The kicker is: And then Byron Brown wrote the most pathetic letter to Forbes magazine explaining why Buffalo isn’t dying. […]
August 26th, 2008 at 7:44 am
You may be right about Buffalo but you are dead wrong about Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Both are losing MORE people than Buffalo in total numbers AND as a percentage of their populations. What you see in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh as a visitor is nothing more than government paid for lipstick on a pig.
Cleveland lost it’s very last downtown department store two years ago, around the same time the Allegheny County subsidized Lazaraus Department store closed in Downtown Pittsburgh shuttered it’s doors. Lazarus officials said that even with the One Million Dollar annuak operating subsidy they were receiving it was not worth staying open. As of last week that massive building was still vacant. Also on hold is the Pittsburgh Casino, embroiled in a lawsuit and lack of funding. Cancelled in the Pittsburgh region was their much touted Bass Pro store. Cancelled in Pittsburgh is the downtown fifth and forbes master plan. The reason - they could not get any anchors to sign on citing the massive population decline in the City of Pittsburgh over the past 7 years - 50,000 drop in the city according to the census bureau and nearly 100,000 in the County.
It seems like you visits to Cleveland and Pittsburgh only showed you the positives not the day to day reality of the local citizens.
It’s not really your fault that you missed the real picture during your visits, after all the grass always looks a little greener when you are not the one that has to mow it!
August 26th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Federal government report released today. Buffalo no longer second poorest city with over 250K population, booming Cleveland is.
Federal government report released today. Buffalo seventh lowest income among 60 some cities with over 250K population, Buffalo city income higher than those of booming Cleveland and booming Pittsburgh.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:29 am
sally i definitely understand where you’re coming from…but what i see that i dont see in buffalo outside of the recent canal side plan is the effort on the parts of cleveland and pittsburgh to do everything it can to be a top-notch cities. the economist list those two places as two of the top 50 cities in north america to live in. Buffalo? not on the list.
those places definitely partake in putting lip stick on the pig concepts but they also have been pushing themselves towards a 21st century economy for a while now where buffalo is only starting to reach that mindset.
cleveland is focusing on a design district for companies who can design for many industrial companies aroun the n.e/midwest while pittsburgh on tech corridors stemming from public/private partnerships between carnagie mellon and various businesses like sunoco etc…
i am not saying those two places are where the grass is very green…just greener/healthier/and better taken care of than buffalo’s grass.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:51 am
ok here’s my nonsense:
I moved to Buffalo about 10 years ago. I loved the city. I was a big change from the suburban nightmare from where I had come. It wasnt that I hadnt been exposed to the real world. Ive managed to visit about 40 of the 50 states. And Ive managed to get to Europe a few times too. Im not trying to brag, just trying to say that I wasnt completely nieve when I came here.
I saw, and continue to see, lots of potential is our fair city. And I see lots of reasons to be frustrated. Oddly enough, it wasnt the forces that hold the area back that discern me. the parochial types, the luddites, the people stuck in the 1970’s idea of running away from urbanism - well, they exist everywhere.
its the so-called progressives, the urbanists, self proclaimed elite that get me. its a frustrating mix of the self righteous, the gentrificationists (i just made it up - it means replacing poverty with upper middle class folks but not solving the underlying issues), and lefties that cant see the forest for the trees (in the interest of full disclosure, im pretty far left).
i want Buffalo to succeed. ive even tried to help in my own little ways - from the block club to running for office. but, so often ive run into lack of responsiveness or even plain old craziness.
i remember working to help elect a progressive candidate that was distracted from the issues at hand by global warming and a local bank president. it was enough to make a person want to see how the Portland real estate market is like. alas.
so i understand how you feel. but it does pass. you cant help but want to root for this town. youll be lured back. its something about being the underdog. something about a fresh coat of paint and some elbow grease. something about this city. its just irresistible.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
hot buffalo-
for almost four years i have been tracking development and telling myself and anyone that will listen that the pieces are in place and that buffalo is beginning to get its shit together. i’d like to think i rarely if ever whined for the last year or so in which i started to see the writing on the wall.
i did man up. i moved back here amongst many options. i introduced people who have lived here their whole lives in the suburbs to the light rail and the cobblestone district and central terminal. dozens of people never would have known about anything during either their 4 years of college or 20 years of growing up in buffalo about this place if it wasn’t for my passion in this place and my passion for them to discover it and feel the same way.
it is what it is.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
- sry - i meant “disturb”, not “discern”
August 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Sorry Mark but you are totally wrong about Cleveland whee I have visited severl times in the past three years and Pittsbugh where I moved from a few years ago. I left Pittsburgh because it is dying so fast and was lured to Buffalo by a great career opportunity. I go back there quite often and it’s sad to see how far that city has slipped in the past 10 years. It’s not just my imprssion it is fact backed up by census data that shows Pittsburgh and it’s metro has lost a larger percentage of it’s population than any metro in the country except for Clevelnd and New Orleans. There are indeed places more prosperous than Buffalo but those two cities happen to be among the few that are worse off than Buffalo and dclining at a noticably faster rate. The only reason that they would appear to be beter off to a Buffalonian is becuse they were both about twi as large t begin with. Naturally hey would still appear more prosperous, by shear size alone, but not by strenght of economy per capita.
August 26th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
sorry for the typos I type faster than my laptop
August 27th, 2008 at 10:55 am
And if you need some more anecdotal evidence, check this out.
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/424521.html
August 27th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Well FUCK YOU
August 27th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
[…] I am totally bummed that Mark Byrnes is bummed about Buffalo’s future. All Things Buffalo is one of the cool sites here at WNY Media. And Mark is one of the coolest guys around. If we show him some love maybe we can get him back on track! […]
August 28th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Go to Buffalorising.com
August 29th, 2008 at 8:44 am
i miss mark byrnes. i want to see him in dim lighting by my bed post, yum!
September 1st, 2008 at 4:24 am
Sorry to see you go.
One comment on your assessment of Buffalo in comparison to Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Don’t forget that these two are each at least 2 times the size of metro Buffalo. They have a critical mass that helps give a bit of extra vibrancy than what you see in the Buff. I think if you dug down a bit you might find all the same crap in these cities as you do in Buffalo.
I am not ready to give up on the old gal and believe that Buffalo will soon be what it should be.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:46 am
That’s bullshit. All of your posts were really interesting, and the fact you’re just giving up now because of an obscure trip to Cleveland is a bunch of shit. You stink and I don’t like you.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
I just stumbled across this while searching for something. I have to say I am quite shocked that taking a trip to cleveland (a great city, but has seen its better days) was your final straw. I wanted out of buffalo right after high school. Then I woke up. I have seen more done in the past 4 years than my parents have seen in a life time. It going to take time especially after 50 years of neglect and broken promises, but this city will be back and better than ever. Its already happening all around us. The worst part is.. most do not realize it unless they are actively involved. I cant blame them… what they have seen in the past and poor local media.
From what I gather you played a key role in buffalos growth. Your entries shed light on whats happening and buffalo progress. Positive attitude from everyone will make this city stronger faster, and now i hate to say it but YOU are now part of slowing any progress. You have given up like the rest, but will be back on the buffalo bandwagon in a few years when things are even better.. I will be there to welcome you back. If theres any room.
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Frankly, and I mean this out of the goodness of my heart —
I’ve been to Cleveland — no big deal! When I came back to Bflo, I felt at home. Cleveland doesn’t have a Elmwood, Allen St., Hertel Ave. I’m sorry but you dead wrong, dead wrong.
I’ve felt the need to stop volunteering at the Central Terminal and several other groups in the city…and you know why I haven’t? Determination. A reason to keep fighting for the City that I love. Many people have looked at me strange when I said that I work at the Central Terminal. They said, “what do you do there?” What good could possibly come from that building on the east side? It’s a constant battle.
Yes, your feelings are real, but that would be a reason to “vent” those feelings in a real way. Think about what you have said and email me if you want to “vent.”
-Josh Hall
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm
i feel i should clarify something…
i was not in love with buffalo and then all of a sudden i saw cleveland and it was over. every day over the last two years my belief in buffalo and where i originally thought it was going was fading and fading away. yes, cleveland is not a particularly exciting place nor is the entire region much better than the entire buffalo region.
my focus is on downtowns in general. and cleveland’s pwns in comparison to buffalo’s.
seing other mediocre cities having better downtowns than buffalo is what got to me.
oh and by the way-i can assure you that me retiring this blog and giving up on buffalo in general will have no impact on anything that happens around here…just like nothing i did helped it either. so its a wash.
im glad all of you are proud of the work you do to help the city…i still will be involved in the community in different ways…im just not blogging anymore or telling myself that buffalo is on the rebound.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Let’s be serious people, wake up. Mark has not stated that Buffalo is the worst city in the United States, he has merely pointed out the apparent faults of the city’s dead economy and lackluster attractions. Those of you who think there is nothing wrong with the areas need to wake up. Granted the region does hold several unique qualities known only to Buffalo, but the government is doing very little to maintain itself, therefore it is dying. 70 percent of Buffalo’s population are baby boomers born and raised here. Doesn’t that say a lot about the city? Exactly.
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:12 am
Barbie,
Where is that 70% statistic from?
Also, who said their is nothing wrong with Buffalo? In my experience the opposite is true. People tend to believe there is nothing right about the palce
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:42 pm
that statistic is from personal research and it was also featured on the buffalo news as a study, so it is in fact true. And, I did not say there was nothing wrong with Buffalo but many people in here seem to find little wrong with the actions being taken.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
could you provide a bit more specific information such as a date when that ran or the source used by the News. I ask because “In Fact” the percentage of people in WNY 55 and up is 24%. I am interested in finding out where this alternate “Fact” comes from. Those 44 and under comprise 45% of the metro population. Interestingly those under 19 comprise a full 1/4 of the metro population. (based on census estimates for 2007)
Also, your broad brush that “many people in here seem to find little wrong with the actions taken” is simply not true. Far from the truth as a matter of fact.
September 5th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Frankly Mark,
I would stop posting to your blog just because you are ticked off at the City or WNY. If you want to stop posting fine but figure on coming back. Maybe you just need a brake for a bit.