From Wikitravel

Buffalo [1] is a city in the state of New York in the United States of America.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 Climate 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 9.1 Splurge 9.2 Hostels 10 Stay safe 11 Get out

Understand

Buffalo is New York state's second largest city with a population of nearly 300,000. Buffalo, once an important rust belt city, has been distancing itself from its industrial history and revitalizing itself to tempt tourists to the region. The city is increasingly becoming known as one of America's most hospitable cities after being awarded the titles of third cleanest city, USA Today's "City with a Heart", and twice winning the "All-America City Award."

Climate

It gets a lot of "lake effect" snow: the winds running the length of Lake Erie pick up a lot of water vapor, which which is dumped as snow as soon as they reach land. Buffalo became infamous in January 1977 when sub-zero temperatures, winds up to 69mph, and heaps of snow blowing in off Lake Erie paralyzed the city for several days. It is not, however the coldest or snowiest city in the country, or even in New York.

Get in

• Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), +1 716 630-6000, [2]. The area's primary airport. While it is an international airport, it earns the designation mostly from a few flights to Toronto and has few other flight to distant urban centers. The Thruway (I-90) runs east to west and connects Buffalo to other major cities - New York, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany to the east and Cleveland, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania to the west. I-190 runs north and south, mostly along the Niagara River and connects Niagara Falls and Buffalo. The I-290 connects various suburban areas to the north and northeast of the city.

By car, Buffalo is about two hours from Toronto, one hour from Rochester, two hours from Syracuse, and hours from New York City.

If you come by car from Canada, the US security can be a hassle. It is not uncommon to wait for hours, usually caused by a computer breakdown. This is especially bad during holiday periods (4th of July, Memorial Day, and any Canadian holiday).

Get around

The easiest way to get around is by car. Buffalo has several expressways leading in and out of the city, but like many other cities, they lack capacity during rush hour. There is limted taxi service in urban areas. Do not expect to be able to hail a cab except outside the airport. However, good dispatch is available. There is a fairly extensive bus service operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), which serves the city and outlying suburbs. There is one subway line that runs from the University at Buffalo South campus into Downtown Buffalo, and is used quite a bit by employees who commute into Downtown each day.

See

Many people visit Buffalo to stay in a cheap hotels before they visit Niagara Falls.

• Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Avenue, +1 716 882-8700 (Fax +1 716 882-1958), [3]. W-Su 10AM-5PM (F until 10PM). An amazing gallery that's free on Friday nights (otherwise Adults $10, seniors/students $8).
• Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, 641 Delaware Avenue, Phone: +1 716 884-0095 (Fax +1 716 884-0330), [4]. Year-round M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM. Lectures, exhibits, tours, gardens. Adm. Adults $5, age 62+ and students $3, ages 6-14 $1.
• Buffalo Museum of Science, 1020 Humboldt Parkway, +1 716 896-5200, +1 866-291-6660, [5]. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. Adults $7, ages 3-18 $5.
• Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, One Naval Park Cove, +1 716847-1773, [6]. Apr-Oct Daily 10AM-5PM. Nov Sa Su and the F after Thanksgiving 10AM-4PM. $8, seniors and ages 6-16 $5.

• There are two amusement parks (each a bit of a trip from Buffalo).
  • Martin's Fantasy Island, on Grand Island (halfway to the Falls), a small amusement park reminiscent of the originals. There is not a ton of stuff to do there but it is good for a cheap day out with small kids.
  • Larger kids and adults alike will enjoy Darien Lake (now owned by Six Flags), which is a short drive east on the New York State Thruway (I-90, toll road). They have a lot of roller coasters, other smaller-thrill rides, and a pretty good water park. Check into Six Flags season passes as you can usually get one of those for the price of about two admissions to a park (this is usually a pre-season special).

• Architecture is a wide attraction in Buffalo, with buildings from almost every decade of the city's existence still preserved. Especially prominent is the historic Allentown District, located downtown, various Victorian mansions and other large, old mansions located on Delaware Avenue and the neighborhoods adjacent to its southern edge. There also is the Darwin Martin house, designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 20th century.

• Delaware Park, part of the extended Olmsted Park system, is large, with breathtaking views throughout the spring and fall.

Do

• Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena, One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza, +1 716 855-4100 or +1 888-GO-SABRES [7]. Members of the National Hockey League (NHL).

• Buffalo Bills [8]. Members of the National Football League (NFL).

• During the late spring, and summer, Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A minor league baseball team) games are a pastime by many locals. Seats are usually available and cheap, and provide a great view of downtown.
• Tifft Nature Preserve, Ohio St. A 264-acre site for environmental education and conservation. Just 3 miles from downtown, operated by the Museum of Science, the Preserve features five miles of hiking trails, and a 75-acre freshwater cattail marsh. Donation.

Buy

There are almost no stores aimed at tourists in downtown Buffalo. In the suburbs, there are a few strip malls, although there are many thriving shopping districts that sell various things. Among these are the established Elmwood district, located along the southern portion of Elmwood Avenue, and the up-and-coming Hertel Avenue district, which has a wide variety of returaunts located on it.

Eat

• Frank and Teressa's Anchor Bar, Main st 1046, [9]. Birthplace of the original buffalo wings. Still has great wings, salads, etc.
• Duff's Sheridan Plaza, Sheridan Drive, Amherst. Anchor Bar invented them, and according to some, Duff's perfected them.
• Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl Street, tel:716-856-2337, [10]. A restaurant that brews its own beer and has a menu with lots of interesting food, much of it with beer as an ingredient. Check out building, i.e., the belt-driven ceiling fans. Free wireless internet.

Drink

Downtown there is an established nightlife scene among Chippewa Street. Bars and nightclubs line the street, which is busiest during Fridays and weekends. Most bars and nightclubs are allowed to remain open until 4AM, providing a long experience.

• The Buffalo Tap Room on Sheridan and Eggert (in Tonawanda) brews their own beer, and it is very good. Averages about $4 a draft. Decent Food.

Sleep

• Best Western Inn - On the Avenue, 510 Delaware Avenue, +1 716 886-8333 (Fax +1 716 884-3070), [11].
• Courtyard Buffalo Amherst, 4100 Sheridan Drive, +1 716 626-2300 (Fax +1 716 626-2322), [12].
• Holiday Inn, 620 Delaware Avenue, +1 716 886-2121, [13].
• Microtel Inns & Suites, 50 Freeman Road, +1 716 633-6200,[14].
• Residence Inn Buffalo Amherst, 100 Maple Road, +1 716 632-6622 (Fax +1 716 632-5247), [15].
• Residence Inn Buffalo Cheektowaga, 107 Anderson Road, +1 716 892-5410 (Fax +1 716 892-5409), [16].

Splurge

• Mansion On Delaware Avenue, 414 Delaware Av., +1 716 886-3300. Great place for a romantic getaway, but it tends to be pricey.

Hostels

• Hostelling International Buffalo-Niagara, 667 Main St, +1 716 852-5222, [17]. Located downtown at the Theater trolley stop, it's one of the cleanest, friendliest, most secure hostels you'll find anywhere.
• Granger Place Hostel, 5 Granger Place, +1 716 885-2124.
• Delaware Hostel, 2496 Delaware Ave, +1 716 875-1764.

Stay safe

Buffalo's east side can be a dangerous part of town and it's best to avoid this part of town at night.

Get out

• Niagara Falls is too nearby to miss.
• Lake Erie Tour Route and Lighthouses. Go back to the mainland and see the shoreline. The drive (or boat ride) around Lake Erie takes you through the working waterfronts around Buffalo, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Erie, PA, Toledo, OH, and southern Ontario and is intermingled with beautiful preservations of flora and fauna as well as the history of North America's first westward expansion, the Old Northwest Territory.

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!