BUFFALO

Helllllllllllloooooooooooo Bufflalo!

We were really happy to go back to Buffalo and see our buddy, Pete Margerum.  He had been our POC last time around and stepped up once more to host us.

We showed up before he was able to get there and got to meet some of the guys.  It was so sad ... we got there as they were cooking dinner, dang!  lol  It smelled soooooooo good!  The only sad thing was that they got a call as they were making dinner and had to run, leaving us in charge of the kitchen.  Not good!  Luckily it was a quick call, or the real rescue may have been in the kitchen!

But Pete showed up and joined us for a seriously good meal.  We loved seeing all of the pictures still up on the boards from our last visit, and info on the program up there as well.  Nice touch! 

After dinner it was decided that we would get a real tour of Buffalo.  So we went on calls, and got to see a lot of things we would not have ordinarily seen.  We saw the Erie Canal, and Lake Erie ... which is like seeing an ocean!!!

The best part was that Pete is really into the history of their home town.  He was able to point out gargoyles on buildings, and give the story behind the story on many of the sights we saw. 

We saw the old Grand Union Station which I;d have loved to have seen in its glory days, what an amazing building!  So much potential, one can only hope they find a way to restore this grand dame.

Sadly, Buffalo has seen better days, and the older building tell that story clearly.  There are parts of the city that tell the tale of changing industries and economics in some of our large cities. 

Still there is a pride, and listening to Pete and the other firefighters, you have faith that they will turn some of the blighted areas around and restore the beauty that is underlying in many of these neighborhoods.

The gentlemen we met on this visit really brought us to the heart of the city and we left feeling we had learned so much more about this home town.

They offered us to stay at the station, but last year Kathy and I commented that we had come so close to Niagara Falls and missed it, that this time we would make a point of visiting there.

We were advised that the best overnite would be on the Canadian side and besides our next stop was in Canada, so off we went after warm farewells.

Thank you again to Pete and the firefighters of Buffalo, New York!  You rock!  We look forward to seeing you all again!

Niagara Falls was all we anticipated and more!  We arrived at night with no reservation, and still found a room.  This was a splurge for us, but by this time, we felt we had earned it. 

The Falls were lit up in a pastel rainbow of lights , and I couldn't wait for JeeNee to see them from the room with the view that the hotel made available for us.  We unloaded the van, and headed up to the room.  There was a big window that overlooked the Falls, and as we opened the door I told JeeNee, this is a thank you for all of your hard work on the tour, go check it out.  She walked to the window to find out that we had just checked in about 2 minutes after they turned off the lights and you could no longer see the Falls.  We cracked up laughing, and decided to go for a walk.  It was so cool that it was midnight and people were walking around as if it were broad daylight.  We never felt unsafe and everyone was very friendly.  Pssst, Kathy, you have to do this with me sometime, you'll love it!

This visit coincided with the failed terrorist attempt in Canada, a the next day while folks were friendly, we saw shades of post 9/11.  There were more obvious glances, and you knew people were more aware of their surroundings and who was nearby.  We had no problems and really enjoyed the visit ... not the 18 percent GST on our Starbucks coffees, but the rest of it was great!  Besides, we were in Canada, eh?  ( ;

lj