What They're Saying About Buffalo
My Buffalo
Wille Nile's Buffalo
 “My favorite thing about Buffalo is the grit, spirit and friendliness of the people who live here. I love taking my granddaughter to the Buffalo Zoo and hanging in and around the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. There is nothing like walking around Glen Falls in Williamsville on a quiet Sunday morning or going to Schwabl’s for a roast beef sandwich. Waking up in one piece after a successful concert the night before followed by breakfast with my two daughters Jo and Mary is a perfect day in Buffalo. I love playing golf with family members at The Links at Ivy Ridge in the nearby rural suburb of Akron and having dinner at my father’s house. Top off my evening with playing the piano and working on a new song.”
Willie Nile is a singer-songwriter who plays guitar and piano. He records albums and perform concerts around the world, playing with some of the best musicians on the planet (Andy York (Mellencamp’s lead guitarist), Steuart Smith (The Eagles lead guitarist), Jimmy Vivino (Conan O’Brien Show). He has sung onstage with Ringo Starr, Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams and many others and have toured with The Who across the U.S.
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Tim Russert's Buffalo
“If you want to show the outside world what's best about Buffalo you should show them our Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, Louis Sullivan's Guaranty building, H.H. Richardson's Psychiatric Hospital, the Botanical Gardens, the homes along West Ferry Street and that's just inside the city limits. Within an easy 20 minute drive in any direction you have available to you the very best scenic, cultural and athletic opportunities anywhere in the country: skiing, seasonal festivals, charming towns like Niagara-on-the-Lake. In many parts of the country it's an all day drive or a multiple day trip to experience what we have just a short drive away. In Buffalo if you want to see Niagara Falls and go to the Shaw Festival you can do it all in one afternoon. You can go see a Bills game at 1 o'clock and then get in the car and take a drive through wine country to Chautauqua. It's all easily available and accessible and in many cases it's free or it costs far less than anywhere else in the country. It really is a unique area.”
Tim Russert loved all things Buffalo. From his perch at the pinnacle of broadcast journalism, Tim never failed to sing our city's praises to anyone who would listen, give a shout out to the Bills on game day or order a special delivery of wings from the Anchor Bar when only the best and original would do. The Buffalo Niagara CVB honors the memory of our biggest booster and greatest ambassador.
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Ishmael Reed's Buffalo
“My parents came to Buffalo with nothing, with less than $25 in their pocket, but through hard work and discipline they were able to raise themselves up, educate their children and lead a middle class life. Although I attended Buffalo public schools, I didn’t learn about Buffalo until I left. I didn’t begin to explore the richness of Buffalo’s history until I left. I wasn’t aware of the significance of Buffalo’s architecture until I left. Nor was I familiar with the importance of Buffalo’s black history and culture. In connection with a novel I wrote, which includes scenes from 19th Century Buffalo, I found out about historical figures like William Wells Brown, the anti-slavery lecturer and Underground Railroad conductor from Buffalo who wrote the first novel by an African American man. Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington were also visitors. I now realize how significant the Michigan Street Baptist Church was as a hideout on the Underground Railroad. St.Luke’s church, which is now Durham Memorial is also a historical site that deserves landmark status. The Colored Musicians Club was a mecca for visiting jazz musicians. This is where Milt Jackson discovered local jazz great Wade Legge. I’ve learned about Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first woman architect in the United States, who designed the Lafayette Hotel. I’m always learning when I come back to Buffalo for the Book Fair. When I come back, I’ll stop at Gigi’s on East Ferry for some great soul food and great atmosphere. I love that place. Buffalo’s historic waterfront is also worth a visit.”
Ishmael Reed is the author of nine novels, six plays, one opera libretto, seven books of poetry, and six books of essays, and he is the editor of numerous anthologies and magazines. His most recently published poetry collection, New and Collected Poems, 1964-2006, was listed as one of the four best books of poetry published in 2006 by The New York Times Book Review.
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Lauren Belfer's Buffalo
“When I think of Buffalo, I see Lake Erie gleaming with sailboats, tree-lined boulevards of astonishing grandeur, and miles of homes, offices, and civic centers designed by the greatest architects America has known. I love to wander Buffalo's historic Olmsted parks and visit its extraordinary museums, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Science Museum, and the Historical Society. On each trip to the city, I renew my acquaintance with Louis Sullivan's exuberant Guaranty Building, H.H. Richardson's haunting psychiatric center, and the Art Deco triumph which is Buffalo's City Hall. My favorite way to spend a day in Buffalo, however, is simply to walk its residential streets, Lincoln, Chapin, Bidwell, West Ferry, North Street, Arlington Court and dozens more, each time discovering some new and surprising detail. Buffalo has the friendliest people in America, and if you take a walking tour and are lucky enough to meet the owners of a home you admire, don't be surprised if they invite you to see the lovingly restored interior and enjoy a cup of coffee before you continue on your way. With its generous people, glorious lakeside setting, and remarkable architecture, Buffalo is an American masterpiece.”
Lauren Belfer is the author of "City of Light" which celebrates Buffalo and the Niagara Frontier in 1901. A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, it has been a bestseller in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
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Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Buffalo
“When I came home to Buffalo after receiving my college education, it was then I saw that Buffalo has amazing architecture - if you just stop and take the time to notice it. Many great architects - like Frank Lloyd Wright - built homes in Buffalo. You can find any style from a Cape Cod to a California bungalow to great mansions made with marble imported from Italy. It's important that these buildings are preserved so that visitors can come to Buffalo and appreciate its architecture. When I visit Buffalo, now, I always point out my favorite buildings to my wife - especially places like the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Lafayette Square buildings and the huge wooden homes lining Humboldt Parkway. Buffalo has great opportunities to enjoy nature in places like Chestnut Ridge Park and Como Park; the hills and streams surrounding the area are beautiful. And Buffalo is in a great location. I like its proximity to places like Darien Lake, Niagara Falls and Toronto. And I have to admit: Buffalo's snow is a highlight. I love it!"
Tony Award-winning actor and screenwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson premiered his life story as told in "Lackawanna Blues" at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and performed on Broadway in August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean." He appeared with Halle Berry on the ABC-TV movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
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Paul Maguire's Buffalo
“When my wife and I moved back to Buffalo from San Diego we did it because of the people. It all starts with some of the friendliest, most down-to-earth people you'll ever meet. We also moved back for the weather. Yes, the weather. We love the changing seasons. Most people get four. In Buffalo, we get eight. And there's no better place in the summer time, with the cool lake breezes and absolutely incredible boating, fishing and golf. Boy, do we have golf. If you go up to Niagara Falls you've got one of the top ten public golf courses in the world at Whirlpool. We also moved back for things like the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Artpark, Chautauqua and rides through Amish Country on the Southern Tier. Of course, we also wanted to be here for the football. There are only 32 teams in the National Football League. We have one of 'em. We also love Buffalo's ethnic diversity and the food. Where else are you going to get the original chicken wings? They're all over the United States now, the entire world, but they taste better in the city where they started. For us, Buffalo is just a wonderful place to be.”
Former Buffalo Bill Paul Maguire is a sports analyst for ESPN and a member of the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2002. He lives with his wife, Beverly, in the countryside south of Buffalo.
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Robby Takac's Buffalo
“My Buffalo has always been full of musicians and artists. I was trying to decide where to lay down roots after years on the road and I'd come back to Buffalo and there is this very special vibe to the city, a great original music scene and world class performing spaces, from small venues like the Mohawk and the Continental to mid-size places like the Showplace Theatre and the Sphere to HSBC Arena and Darien Lake. We opened a studio here when we could have opened it anywhere in the world because of the incredible number of very talented people here. There's also an endless amount of enthusiasm and excitement for new ideas. When we decided to start the Music is Art Festival it wasn't difficult to rally people around that idea. Those kinds of opportunities are endless in Buffalo and that's really exciting to me. I also love the Allentown neighborhood. You'll find some of the most beautiful houses in the country here. There are restaurants, clubs and bars like Fiddle Heads, Mother's, Colter Bay and my favorite watering hole K. Gallagher's all within a baseball toss of the studio. I can walk from my apartment to the studio and practically anything I could want or need is right outside my door. That's one of the things I love most about this city.”
A founding member of the multi platinum-selling Goo Goo Dolls, Robby Takac spends about half of the year in Buffalo, running Chameleonwest Studios, the newly-founded Good Charamel Records and planning the next Music is Art Festival.
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Tom Fontana's Buffalo
“Buffalo is all about its people. The people of Buffalo have led to the development of characters in my work and the stories I like to tell. When I was a young boy in Buffalo, my father was a beer and wine salesman and one of his stops was the Anchor Bar. He actually knew the founders of the home of the original Buffalo chicken wings - Frank and Teressa Bellissimo. I love the place. It evokes a sense of old-time Buffalo. I also remember my father taking me to Buffalo's waterfront to the West Side Rowing Club. He was an oarsman and coach of kids from all over the city and all ethnic backgrounds. That sport and those kids portrayed nobleness, sportsmanship and fortitude - something that's true today of Buffalo. Just like those kids, Buffalo has spirit and fire. It's a great place to visit - especially the waterfront - on a summer or fall excursion. Or take a walk around the streets of the West Side - West Ferry, Lincoln Parkway and Elmwood - where you'll find great bars, restaurants and shops as well as amazing residential areas. Buffalo is the true heart of America. Here, you'll find what's great about our country.”
A native of Buffalo and graduate of Buffalo State College, Fontana has written and produced for numerous television shows including "St. Elsewhere," "Oz" and "The Jury."
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Mark Russell's Buffalo
“I've suggested this before and I'll say it again. Buffalo should have a sign posted for those visiting the city: Welcome to Buffalo - Where the Weather Keeps out the Riffraff. Buffalonians have the tenacity to withstand the weather. And if you've got it, flaunt it! In Washington, D.C., we don't need the government or an act of Congress to shut down the city. All it takes is a half-inch of snow! When it snows in DC, we're given the order to stay home, unless we hold a critical government position. Last time the Vice President stayed home and made a snowman. Seriously, I marvel at Buffalo's City Hall and the rest of the architecture. I enjoy the city's connection with Mark Twain - the author's donation of his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn manuscript to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's Central location and the library's dedication to securing the lost portions of that manuscript. I'm also impressed that the University at Buffalo houses rare and exclusive works of James Joyce manuscripts in its Poetry/Rare Books collection. And Buffalo's restaurants are fabulous. Restaurants, like Hutch's for example, are so European. Owning a restaurant in Buffalo is not just about buying a piece of real estate. You're likely to find the chef and owner in the kitchen - on the premises. What else do I like about Buffalo? WBFO radio's pure jazz format is a rarity that I enjoy when visiting the area as well as the quiet of President Millard Fillmore's grave site in Forest Lawn Cemetery.”
A resident of Buffalo until his graduation from Canisius High School, Mark Russell's comedy show is in his twenty-seventh season on PBS and his syndicated column is enjoyed all over America.
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Virginia DeBerry's Buffalo
“There are so many unexpected things to do in Buffalo. After I’ve been home for a visit and mention that I’ve been to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery - which is the coolest place to go on a Sunday afternoon, by the way - people are always surprised. ‘You have an art museum in Buffalo?’ they say. Well, yes, a world class art museum. And a great symphony orchestra. And a wonderful zoo. Our City Hall is pretty spectacular too. There are great performing arts venues in Buffalo as well: Shea’s Buffalo, Studio Arena Theatre. People know we have a football team and a hockey team and chicken wings-and snow, but they are always surprised to hear we have so much culture. Recently, on a trip home for Mother’s Day my mother and sister and I went to the Museum of Science to see a production of Mi’ Nonno Galileo. Students from Bennett Park Montessori had written and performed an Italian language opera. What a wonderful and delightful moment that was. It was the most charming thing I had done in Buffalo in 20 years. One of the songs had a line that said ‘To be what you can be, you have to dream beyond what you can see.’ It renewed my faith in schools, that they can be innovative and creative and challenge children. That was a special and uniquely Buffalo experience and reminded me once again, ‘Buffalo is just not what so many people think it is’.”
Virgina DeBerry is a product of the Buffalo Public Schools, a graduate of the University at Buffalo and a former Buffalo English teacher. She is the co-author (with Donna Grant) of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, Far From the Tree, Better Than I Know Myself, and Exposures. Their latest novel, Gotta Keep on Tryin’ the long awaited sequel to Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made will be released in January 2008.
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Andrew Dan-Jumbo's Buffalo
“I've been to 40 plus cities with my job as a carpenter on The Learning Channel's 'While You Were Out.' To this day, everyone that was on the Buffalo trip says that it was the most fun they've had on any trip. I was the tour guide for the Buffalo show's production crew. I took them on a historical tour of the city, around the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and up Delaware Avenue to show them the mansions. I noted that, by percentage, Buffalo officially has more of the original mansions from its past standing than any other city in the country. Buffalo has such grand avenues and Delaware is just one of them. Look at the mansions on West Ferry, Tudor Place and Cleveland Avenue. I also showed them the Darwin Martin House, because I have closely followed the progress of the restoration project. My visitors were in awe of the spectacular housing. They had no idea what Buffalo looked like, with its beautiful gardens, parks and huge trees that form canopies of greenery over the avenues. So many places don't have this in the heart of the city. They had no idea what to expect and they were very impressed. The crew enjoyed a Whirlpool Jet Boat tour and I showed them where I jet ski on the lower Niagara River. We were served dinner at the Riverside Inn overlooking the water and watched a beautiful sunset. I selected Tsunami on Kenmore Avenue for Pacific Rim food and Saigon Café for Thai food. If only our schedule would have permitted us to visit the Theatre District. It would have been the icing on the cake.”
Born in Nigeria and raised in Shoreham, England, Buffalo resident Andrew Dan-Jumbo's carpentry skills are featured on TLC's "While You Were Out." People Magazine selected him as one of its "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2003.
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Nancy Reisman's Buffalo
“There are many great restaurants in Buffalo - Chef's, Rue Franklin, San Marco, the Towne and Family Tree, to mention only a few. Ted's Hot Dogs, Anderson's Frozen Custard and the Anchor Bar's chicken wings are longtime favorites. I've always loved (Frederick Law Olmsted's) Delaware Park and the many beautiful houses in that area of Buffalo, and as a child, I was awed by the grander homes on Delaware Avenue. I'm especially fond of Elmwood Avenue (the Elmwood Village - with restaurants, shops, cafes and galleries right in the middle of a residential neighborhood). In summer, it's been especially lovely to visit the Erie Basin Marina, and to take in a Bisons' baseball game(at Dunn Tire Park). For years I've seen plays at Studio Arena Theatre and the Kavinoky, and since childhood I've regularly visited the Albright-Knox Art Gallery -- a great museum. Many of its paintings and sculptures seem like old friends.”
Nancy Reisman is the author of House Fires, a short story collection that won the 1999 Iowa Short Fiction Award. Her work has appeared in, among other anthologies and journals, Best American Short Stories 2001, Tin House, and The Kenyon Review.
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A.R. Gurney's Buffalo
“F. Scott Fitzgerald, who lived in Buffalo for a while, once wrote that most Americans want to be back somewhere. That "somewhere" for me has always been Buffalo. Every time I come home, I feel like an Atlantic salmon settling into its original pool. It may have something to do with the fact that I was born here, as were both my parents, all four of my grandparents, and six of my eight great-grandparents. But I suspect it's more than just the welcoming shade of my particular family tree. Most of the exiles I've met in my wanderings express pretty much the same affection for our gallant old town. It's not that we all want to move back, though many have and say they're glad they did. It's just that a sense of rootedness, of connectedness, seems to pervade the place. Even visitors who come to Buffalo for the first time pick up on this. It's in the air, it's in the weather, and it's in the architecture. If you walk around town, the houses seem to speak to each other, and if you listen in, you can get a sense of a century and a half of a particular kind of American life. Buffalo was, and still is, both a small town and a big city, and if you want to know what Booth Tarkington was trying to write about, or what Charles Ives was trying to make music about, or what Fitzgerald sometimes dreamed of getting back to, go to Buffalo, because it's all still there."
Buffalo-born AR Gurney is the acclaimed author of such celebrated plays as "The Dining Room," "The Cocktail Hour," and "Love Letters." His novels include "Entertaining Strangers" and "The Snow Ball." He is the recipient of a variety of awards including: the Drama Desk and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.
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Tom Dudzik's Buffalo
“What will always be special to me about Buffalo is its food. A lot of my hometown memories are wrapped up in those unique dishes you have a hard time finding anywhere else. Each time I take 'Over the Tavern' to another city, the play's director will inevitably say to me, 'The cast wants to know-- what is beef on weck?' And then I have to explain about the salted hard roll and the thinly-sliced roast beef and the horseradish, and why such a simple sandwich has delighted a populace for generations. Another favorite are those now-famous chicken wings. It's very amusing for this Buffalonian to see that, no matter how far I travel, chicken wings are not called chicken wings anymore. They're called Buffalo wings. Even the packaged wings in St. Louis supermarkets are called Buffalo Wings. I look at them in the freezer case and I think, 'How dare they?' And does the flavor come anywhere close to the original? Frankly, I have no interest in finding out. I'll settle for the real thing at Main Street's Anchor Bar."
Tom Dudzik is the author of the "Over the Tavern Trilogy", the most successful series of plays ever produced at Studio Arena Theatre. He was born and raised on Buffalo's East side in the old "Hydraulics" section.
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Lou Mustillo's Buffalo
“My favorite things in Buffalo are Allentown, the architecture and the bars. I love to walk around Allentown because of the '60s vibe it has. I love to stop in at Mulligan's Brick Bar because it's the classic Buffalo bar-- it reminds me of the Hard Rock Café in London. I love the Victorian architecture walking all through the streets of Allentown; the shops and the antique stores are the best. Some of the deals you get on Elmwood Avenue are incredible. I just love walking the streets and looking at the homes. The walk I take is from Delaware down Allen and I just zigzag through all the streets. It's fabulous. I also love to drive out the Old Lake Shore Road which I think is gorgeous -- especially in the Fall -- and stop at places on the water like Hoak's and have a drink. I also really enjoy the West Side of Buffalo. The Left Bank Restaurant is outstanding. One of my favorite streets is Virginia Place. I enjoy walking down Virginia and stopping in Mother's. Buffalo's bars are fabulous. Its' a great bar town.”
Buffalo native Lou Mustillo wrote and starred in the off-Broadway hit "Bartenders," based extensively on his father's experience behind the bar in Buffalo. As an actor, he has appeared in films and numerous television shows, among them "Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Law and Order," "CSI: Miami," "ER" and "The Sopranos."
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Tom Schuman's Buffalo
“Every time I come back to Buffalo, I simply must have souvlaki. There are a number of great Greek restaurants in Buffalo - the Towne Restaurant on Elmwood and Allen, Pano's on Elmwood near Forest and Kostas on Hertel near Parkside - that make souvlaki better than anywhere else in the world. And I have been pretty much everywhere else in the world except Greece!
I also must take a walk down memory lane and visit all the great clubs where I played jazz music and listened to some of the greatest musicians on the planet. Some of the places I visit include: CPG (Central Park Grill) on Main near Fillmore and the No Name bar on Elmwood near Delavan. Some of the greatest musicians in the world still play at these places. The rest of the world just hasn't heard them yet.
On the romantic side, I try to make time to visit Delaware Park. I used to love taking walks through the park especially during spring and autumn. I now live in Las Vegas and boy do I miss spring and autumn in Buffalo. There is a clean fresh smell in the air that doesn't seem to happen anywhere else. In the winter months, Buffalonians do a lot of socializing at the many bars, nightclubs, restaurants and bowling alleys. I guess that's why we call it the city of good neighbors. We get at least five months a year to mingle and keep each other warm!"
Tom Schuman has toured the world as the keyboardist for Spyro Gyra since the band's inception in Buffalo in the late '70s. His latest solo release, "Schuman Nature," is available at fine record stores everywhere.
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Tom Goldstein's Buffalo
“Buffalo is such an easy place to deal with. It has a scale to it that I find very sensible and pleasant. It has beautiful parks and parkways that are inviting and walkable. It's a very negotiable city. I've lived in many places that lack the human scale of Buffalo. It's a great place to walk and be outside. It's very easy to get around. You can walk around Delaware Park and visit places like the Zoo, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Historical Society. It's that quality that's at the core of my Buffalo. It's not a city governed by vehicles the way so many other cities are. Buffalo's image has suffered from distorted notions of what is good and valuable. In fact, Buffalo has what many cities want as a way to enhance their quality of life - pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, human scale, ease of getting around, tree-lined streets. People don't expect to find these things in Buffalo but they're there and I have not found them elsewhere.”
Tom Goldstein has worked as a professional journalist for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal and served as the Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He is currently on the faculty of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He grew up in North Buffalo.
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