At the turn of the century Buffalo was a vibrant center for commerce, with beautiful architecture, parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and wide parkways lined with trees. It was a destination spot for artists, writers and intellectuals. But when I was growing up there it was a struggling city...people were leaving inner city Buffalo to buy homes in the suburbs...and once the steel plant closed Buffalo seemed more depressed than ever. Although the air seemed cleaner people were leaving, old buildings stood neglected and downtown was full of empty store fronts.
Today Buffalo is coming back to life. It's truly one of my favorite places to visit. My family is there so of course I love visiting but that fact aside, Buffalo is full of character and history and beauty.
I especially find beauty in the little gems that no one has touched yet...things that haven't been renovated...the old bridges rusting and sturdy, ornate man hole covers that remain unchanged, abandoned factories waiting to be turned into condos or art museums.
I have lived all over the country. In fact I've lived away from Buffalo longer than I have lived "in" Buffalo yet Buffalo will always be home. The intense winters, the joyous spring thaws, spectacular colorful autumns, and the backyard bar BQ's, swimming in Canada, luscious green, all too brief summers.
I plan to be compiling a book of photos that I've taken over the past years from the city of no illusions and here are just a few images to share.
On another note....no pun intended, I'll be in Austin May17th & 18th to sing at lulufest and help produce this years fabulous concerts. Hope to see you there! All the details here: www.lulu-fest.com
Love from Pasadena California and thanks for reading my blog!
