That's the image I was trying to shake while strolling the few blocks from the Buffalo Zoo to Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex where I enjoyed a private tour of the stunning American national treasure.
A study in contrasts these two Buffalo memories, not unlike the city itself best known to Southwestern Ontario sports fans as home of the NHL's Sabres and the NFL's Bills and to fine art aficionados as an enviable haven of world-class art galleries and architecture.
Of course Buffalo is also the birthplace of those delicious Buffalo wings and no stranger to eager cross-border shoppers who seek out its big malls and area outlets.
So it is no surprise that Buffalo makes a great quick-hit tourist destination chock-full of contrasting attractions suiting a variety of tastes.
Heading for a summer stay in the Adirondacks my family opted to spend a couple days in downtown Buffalo.
Buffalo's city hall offers a spectacular panoramic view from an open-air observation deck 28 storeys up. It's free and well worth the three-flight walkup once you've taken the elevator to the 25th floor. You'll get great views of Lake Erie and the Niagara River plus many of the city's marvellous buildings.
The deck is viewer-friendly with information maps identifying buildings such as the Liberty Bank Building (1925), Lafayette Square (1884) and St. Louis Church (1889).
City hall itself is an Art Deco masterpiece worth exploring from the ground. It was built between 1929 and 1931 and is credited with setting the architectural tone of the downtown business district.
Its 1,520 windows all open inward and take about 10 days to clean.
www.ci.buffalo.ny.us
Room with a view
A short walking distance from city hall, the Hampton Inn and Suites served us well. We were able to explore the core on foot in what felt like a safe neighbourhood. A corner suite also afforded us a great view of the streetscape. A large pristine swimming pool with a fountain, and yet another view of the street, was refreshingly welcome.
www.hamptoninn.com
Will that be beer and wings?
Serving some 2,000 pounds of chicken wings a day, business is brisk at the world famous Anchor Bar. The novelty of chowing down at the eatery that invented Buffalo wings in 1964 is more than matched by its rowdy, yet family-friendly atmosphere, the efficiency of service and the meaty, flavourful wings themselves.
Our 15-minute wait for a table - we were advised that's the norm anytime the Anchor is open - was fun too, checking out the extensive memorabilia including a half dozen vintage motorcycles displayed on shelves just below the rafters.
www.anchorbar.com
Or a chocolate martini?
Located around the corner from the downtown Hampton Suites is The Chocolate Bar where live entertainment is featured most nights along with a tempting menu of martinis and desserts laced with chocolate. Drinks were delicious, but steep at $10. The ambience as relaxing and the assortment of T-shirts for sale amusing.
"Will work for chocolate."
"No one knows the truffles I've seen."
"No man can live on chocolate alone, but women can."
www.originalchocolatebar.com
Architectural inspiration
The Martin House Complex, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is a marvel whose tour times are worth consulting before planning any trip to Buffalo.
Wright, considered to be America's greatest architect, built the "Prairie House" for businessman Darwin D. Martin between 1903 and 1905.
In stark contrast to contemporary Victorian-style homes, its exterior is a low-lying and the interior free-flowing.
I was fortunate to enjoy a private tour conducted by Margaret P. Stehlik, director of operations for the complex's restoration corporation.
She detailed the many harmonies between the buildings and landscape in the open concept design. I was most struck by the wonderful windows, in particular. the design now known as The Tree of Life.
The complex features 394 art glass windows in 15 distinct patterns.
"A building should appear to grow easily from its site ..." says Wright in his writings, a thought that will stay with you as you walk the floors of this National Historic Landmark.
www.darwinmartinhouse.org
Beautiful birds and a ravenous reptile
Curiosity and respite from the bright summer sun led us into the darkened reptile house of the Buffalo Zoo.
So far, viewing the majestic bears, watching a delighted boy feed a giraffe and visiting with the lush tropical birds in the facility's new M&T Bank Rainforest Exhibit had provided the usual fascination that comes from animal observation.
But the big snake slowly swallowing a whole pig was a showstopping crowd-gatherer. Though not to everyone's taste, watching Rita, the reticulated python, devour her meal was made more palatable by reptile keeper Illa Caira. She respectfully explained the 18-year-old constrictor, weighing about 150 pounds, is fed every few months, will take three-four hours to eat, then perhaps one-month to lie around and digest.
www.buffalozoo.org
Step-by-step naval gazing
There is so much to see at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, history buffs could easily spend a day.
The park, opened in 1979 and billed as the largest inland floating history museum in the United States, is a short drive from the city's downtown.
Museum displays include Desert Storm, Women in the Military, Gold Star Mothers and V-J Day Aboard the Military. Simulator rides on a Harrrier Jump-Jet are available plus a fun ship's store where you can buy customized dog-tags and other military souvenirs.
The main attraction, however, is touring the guts of the big vessels, docked at the park:
USS Little Rock - the only U.S. guided missile cruiser open to the public
USS The Sullivans - a destroyer named for five brothers who died together in 1942 while serving aboard a cruiser sunk off Guadalcanal
USS Croaker - a submarine commissioned in 1944. claimed to have sunk 11 Japanese vessels
Our two-hour self-guided tour of all three - up and down hundreds of metal steps, along winding narrow passages through a small mess that served 2,000 meals a day and into cramped quarters where sailors slept several hammocks deep - was fascinating.
It was not difficult to imagine these vessels in full service, the destroyer boldly boasting, In God We Trust. (All Others We Track.) www.buffalonavalpark.org
Amazing art
Awestruck is perhaps the best word to describe our brief tour of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Strolling through airy halls, glimpsing works by Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Vincent Van Gogh it was immediately apparent we'd arrived at a world-class museum.
Our curator-guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and gracious. A Pollack, a Warhol soon followed...
The Albright-Knox is reputed to have one of the world's finest collections of modern and contemporary art.
Be prepared to spend at least a half day at this enormous facility but if you can only manage an hour or two, a little research on the gallery's website will greatly help you fine tune your visit.
www.albrightknox.org
Gallery hopping
The Burchfield Penney Art Center is conveniently located directly across the street from the Albright-Knox. It's worth the short walk to this new gallery featuring the works of watercolourist Charles Burchfield as well as some 600 other artists from the region.
www.burchfieldpenney.org
A really big show
My teenage son recommends the Dinosaur & Co. exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science. It traces the history of early marine life to the post-dinosaur age of mammals.
From June 26 to Oct. 10 the museum has added a bigger than life complementary exhibit: Robotic Dinosaurs.
These huge creatures look and act like real dinosaurs.
www.sciencebuff.org
BUFFALO'S TOP FIVE SUMMER FESTS
Allentown Art Festival June 12-13
More than 400 juried artists display and sell work ranging from paintings to pottery to fine jewelry. Festival's 53rd year.
www.allentownartfestival.com
Taste of Buffalo July 10-11
The largest two-day culinary festival in the U.S. with more than 50 restaurants, six wineries and 450,000 guests. Foods include Cajun, Mexican, Indian, Polish, Italian, Chinese, Caribbean and Irish.
www.tasteofbuffalo.com
National Buffalo Garden Festival June 18 - July 25
First year for the National Buffalo Garden Festival.
Highlights:
18 garden walks (including Garden Walk Buffalo - the largest event of its kind in the country)
garden workshops
nationally recognized speakers, including Stephanie Cohen and Amy Stewart
Front Yard Garden Contest
weekday open gardens
www.nationalgardenfestival.com
Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts Aug. 28-29
This hip neighborhood, home to dozens of cafes, coffee shops and boutiques staging its 11th annual festival featuring 170 artists and craftspeople, more than 50 free performances on three stages, and family activities.
www.elmwoodartfest.org
National Buffalo Wing Festival Sept. 4- 5
Restaurants participate from across the country. Some 91,000 guests devoured 40 tons of chicken wings last year. The festival includes the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship.
www.buffalowing.com
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