how do you get to Tow Path park?? I've never seen it. Looks really nice!

As a member of the Canalway Trail Steering Committee in the 1990’s, we organized public meetings and events across upstate, planning ways to piece together the unified, statewide trail system discussed in this posting. I was fortunate to have carpooled to many of those meetings with Michael Krasner, the distinguished Erie County planner who passed away suddenly in 2004. He told me quite a bit about the existing piecemeal trail along the Niagara River, and the challenges (and opportunities) associated with developing a continuous trail and bridging the barriers between the city and its river.

The last few years I have had the opportunity to look at some of the pieces, and when the Canal Society of New York State had its 50th anniversary in Buffalo last fall, our field trip guides showed us a bit more. The reactions resembled those on Sam Hoyt’s field trip: amazement at the potential, respect for the challenges of pulling it off, and some hair-pulling over poor design decisions of decades ago.

With the impending approval of legislation reestablishing the historically correct endpoints of the canal (which has been supported by the Canal Society), the new dedicated funding for waterfront projects, and smart profile-raising events like this, there couldn’t be a better time to begin revitalization of these resources, and linking them together into a string of pearls along the Niagara River. The Niagara Greenway has the potential to be the most significant and valuable resource of its kind, anywhere. It will be a challenge to create linkages from the riverfront into adjoining neighborhoods, but the effort will be worthwhile given the potential payoff in increased property values and quality of life.

Just wanted to point out that this article says that they spent the day riding the "shores of Lake Erie", and talks about it running from Broderick Park to Tow Path Park. First, the 1st picture they show is further south then Broderick park, this is the connector from Porter Avenue to Niagara street, on the way to Broderick park. Second, no part of this bike path touches the shores of Lake Erie, it runs along the Niagara river.

Oops, I posted this to the wrong article...

OK - a actually directed to the correct article:

I have always thought about this "other Water Front". Buffalo is always talking about creating a new water front, but we already have SOME water front park land. How many people have ever gone to Lasalle Park? This park is right on the water and you can see the light house, downtown and the wind mills from there. It is really easy to get to, right off of the 190 if you aren't from the area and right down Porter Avenue if you are form the City. There are baseball diamonds, a swimming pool and even a covered stage for outdoor concerts.

If you go to this park though and start looking closely at it you will notice pretty quickly that it needs lots of TLC. First the road seems like it is form Iraq, as there are so many pot holes (mostly on the back side) that it is difficult to drive on it. You will also notice that the curb is almost totally destroyed. Parts of the railing keeping you from falling in the water are broken and the whole thing is rusted. Most of the benches are covered with graffiti and such. Is this what we have to look forward to with a new water front? Does anyone else think that we should spend some money to fix and utilize what we already have before we pour millions of dollars into some thing else that may face the same demise?