Archives
Electronic Highways
Backyard tourist's guide to Buffalo
The spring semester ends soon—and then what? If you can't afford that trip to Europe any time soon, you might try the following Web sites to plan a mini-vacation right here in Western New York to visit all those local attractions you've been meaning to find time for.
Digital City's Best of Buffalo http://www.digitalcity.com/buffalo/best/ sorts area attractions into such categories as "Best Spots for People Watching," "Best Cheap Drinks" and "Best Record Stores." Each entry provides a brief, well-written overview, up-to-date contact information, an area map and user reviews. The "What's Nearby?" option allows you to plan an all-day trek through any neighborhood in the city, providing a listing of bars, restaurants, theaters and attractions within a five-mile radius—and even plotting out a printer-friendly map.
The Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors' Bureau http://www.buffalocvb.org/Attractions_0.html eschews user reviews for cheerful PR about area attractions, linking users to local amusement parks, aquariums, casinos, gardens/zoos, historic sites, museums and religious sites. Still, this site makes up for its lack of critical evaluation with practical information, listing not only basic contact information, but also hours of operation and admission prices. Each attraction listed also contains a link to its independent Web site, for further research.
History buffs and art aficionados might enjoy a walking tour of the city's historic architecture, especially on a beautiful May afternoon. Buffalo as an Architectural Museum http://ah.bfn.org/a/bamname.html is a directory of the city's celebrated buildings, providing links to sites in both Erie and Niagara counties. The directory can be sorted by neighborhood, building name or architect name. Curiously, the Allentown neighborhood is not given a separate entry, but is lumped in with the West Side; those interested in history specific to Allentown should pay a visit to the Allentown Association homepage, http://www.allentown.org.
Any big day out should include a great meal. Fortunately, Buffalo boasts a wide variety of excellent restaurants. Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/restaurant.guide may be Spartan in design, but it's the closest thing to Zagat's we have on this side of New York State. Reviews are concise and opinionated, written by a variety of contributors. Many restaurants are evaluated several times by different reviewers, giving the reader a valuable cross-section of opinion. You may sort the restaurant listing by ranking, type of cuisine (e.g., Cajun, Mexican or even Yugoslavian) and neighborhood—an especially helpful feature for a backyard tourist.
Finally, top off the evening with a shot of Buffalo's nightlife. Check the online calendar at Artvoice http://www.artvoice.com or WNYMusic.com http://www.wnymusic.com and discover there's much more to Buffalo's bar scene than the Chippewa strip. If you prefer the theater, check CultureFinder's Buffalo Directory http://www.culturefinder.com/calendar/city?citydef=buffalo for the latest listings in theater, arts, and dance. Film buffs might try the Squeaky Wheel http://www.squeaky.org/events.html for screenings of independent films that you won't see anywhere else. Buffalo has something for everyone, and the Internet will help you find it.
—Jennifer L. Behrens, University Libraries