tuesday december 9th 2008
Extreme Makeover- Hyatt Hotel Edition
West Coast Perspective
Yesterday's Buffalo News has an interesting read regarding the number of new and proposed hotel rooms downtown and the taxpayer subsidies used to build and renovate them in light of sluggish demand. One of the biggest beneficiaries has been the Hyatt Regency hotel at Main and Huron streets. The Hyatt was given a $5.1 million State grant to assist with a comprehensive $13.5 million renovation of the nearly twenty-five year old hotel. $8 million in city-backed construction loans were also forgiven as part of the repositioning effort.
User Options
monday december 8th 2008
Buffalo Bucks Would Be Welcome Change
queenseyes
Now that the national economy is tanking, maybe it's time to put our money where our mouth is. Even now, Neighborhoods in Milwaukee are looking to keep money local by printing a currency that can only be used in small local businesses. It's a great idea, and one that I think Buffalo could certainly capitalize on. Think of it - when you look at our thriving commercial districts, it is the local businessperson who is keeping our economy running. Maybe it's time to throw the small businessperson a bone.
Say you want to go fill your Flying Bison growler with some delicious Rusty Chain beer. Why not convert your $100 US into $110 Buffalo Bucks? The conversion rate is what makes the idea appealing. Keeping the money circulating in the area is the biggest factor however. The movement could start w…
queenseyes
If you've been hanging around any of the Buffalo cafés in recent months, you may have noticed that there is a new soda pop on the scene. Actually, Johnnie Ryan's is not new to the region... the company began as the Keystone Water Company and was founded way back in 1935! And guess where it's located? Right in Niagara Falls, New York. I was stoked to see that that the Village Beer Merchant picked up the regional brand (photo), and for the first time (over the weekend) I stopped in to stock up on a few different varieties. I must say that the cherry flavored soda was my favorite, which is surprising because that was the one I thought about leaving on the shelf. The classic glass bottles used to distribute the product speak wonders regarding the amount of pride generated by the family-owned business.
I learned a couple of interesting facts about the Johnnie Ryan product as I scan…
Elena Cala Buscarino
None other than veteran Channel 7 anchor, Irv Weinstein, sent out a mass email to his contemporaries here in WNY that ended up in our mailbox. This link to the Wall Street Journal's take on the woes property taxes cause in upstate New York, and specifically mentioning Buffalo, is timely. The Erie County 2009 budget, amidst vetoes and amendments will be bandied about this week, and property tax is an issue of great importance and contentious argument between the county executive and the legislature, each saying the other would raise it.
A letter from Erie County Executive Chris Collins' office last week in response to this post, stated: Erie County Executive Chris Collins says the County Budget amendments approved by the Legis…
Carolyn Batt
Looking for authentic Buffalo gear to hang on the tree, send to a friend or give to a special someone this holiday season? Head to the Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center, located on the first floor of the Market Arcade Building (617 Main Street). Besides offering maps, guides, and information on area attractions, the Visitor Center also doubles up as a great holiday shopping spot without the lines this season.
“The Buffalo Niagara Visitor Center is a great source for local, regional and state information and has affordable Buffalo & I LOVE NY merchandise,” said Denise Drews, Visitor Center manager. “It’s a one stop shop, where you can find information on the area and get your Christmas shopping started.”
Show your pride for the city or give to your visiting relatives unique Western New York wear with Buffalo and “I Love NY” logos this season. Priced at a mer…
Corinne Eberwine
Those who aren't familiar with the league might think that the Queen City Roller Girls is all about fast skating, hard hitting and rough-around-the-edges sex appeal. Well, it is. But there's also much more to this growing league than that.
At any given time, you can find these ladies in action on and off the rink throughout the Buffalo area; part of their collective goal is to "organize community events that will raise money for local charities," and they do that in a variety of ways. Each bout (derby speak for "game") features a different beneficiary - a portion of the profits is donated to that organization, and in some cases fans can also donate items to the organization at the door in exchange for reduced admission prices. In addition to the bout beneficiaries, league members come out in droves to volunteer at area charity events, at least once a month.
In December, they're…
Justin Booth
In many cases, bicycle parking is a major factor in whether individuals choose to use a bicycle for commuting to work or for running errands. A part of our city’s transportation infrastructure, secure and accessible bicycle parking should be provided wherever people work, live and run errands. National data from the Federal Highway Administration identifies that forty percent (40%) of trips people make during the day occur within 2 miles from where they live and 80% of trips are within 5 miles. This means the bicycle is an ideal mode of transportation for a huge portion of the trips we all make in our daily lives.
Lack of bicycle parking is one of the most frequent complaints of bicyclists who ride or wish to for transportation purposes. This past summer when the pay and display parking system went into effect on some city streets and the old parking meters were being removed,…
West Coast Perspective
Belmont Shelter’s New Opportunities Community Housing Development Corp. is building 28 new homes in the near East Side’s Home Ownership Zone. Funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and subsidies secured through HSBC Bank from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York's Affordable Housing Program, the properties are being developed by a partnership teaming non-profit New Opportunities and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency.
sunday december 7th 2008
A Wine Bar That Compliments Its Historic Home
queenseyes
Main Street couldn't have landed a better business than Just Vino. Ever since the recent opening the bar has been seeing its fare share of traffic, mostly due to the sense of style the owners have brought to the Granite Works building. Last Sunday we passed by the corner of Main and Virginia and noticed that owners Ken and Jeff were busy putting up the season's decorations. Overnight, the bar was transformed into one of the most tasteful holiday hot spots in the city (see last post).
Remember when there were a lot of people who questioned this upscale wine bar choosing to move into the neighborhood? Fortunately, a few other businesses had already trail blazed their way onto the street (Chow Chocolate and
buffalorising
In the second world war, an entire globe of people bore witness to the atrocities that we, as human beings, are capable of committing. Though the tragedy could never be reversed and the damages of war would take years, even decades, to recover from, there was a ray of light amidst the darkness. In 1948, the world had seen enough horror to create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a document that holds the distinct honor of being called, “the most translated document” in the Guinness Book of World Records.
This important document was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and is now a part of the International Bill of Human Rights. It states the rights that all human beings are inherently entitled to and marked a shift in the global attitude towards abusing others for being different. Though it didn’t cure the world of problems, there has still been genocid…
