"Dying maple trees" written by Paul on estrip.org

Category: nature

07/05/11 02:29 - ID#54647

Dying maple trees

I think all of the maple trees on Washington St behind the Allen. street metro station are dying. I wonder what it is.

UPDATE: its killed all of the new maple trees on main st

Permalink: Dying_maple_trees.html
Words: 41
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/05/11 09:10

Category: holidays

07/05/11 12:16 - ID#54643

Buffalo Fireworks From the Outer Harbour

The spot we went to last year was

well lit by new street lights
packed with 10,000 people

Its like this year everyone knew our spot so we moved out on the harbor into the dark. I think it was the most intense upclose view of large scale fireworks I have ever seen.

Here is the finale filmed with my outdated 5mp mobile phone cam.

It was a great end to a great weekend. Next weekend is (e:hodown) visit, Sirius Rising and the Taste of Buffalo.

Permalink: Buffalo_Fireworks_From_the_Outer_Harbour.html
Words: 89
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/05/11 12:19

Category: bikes

07/04/11 11:33 - ID#54639

Midnight Mass - July 4th 2010

Now that I finally got a bike I headed out to midnight mass last night. By 12:30am there must have been 300+ bikers at Allen St Holly Farms waiting to go.

I wish I had the foresight to use Google's free My Tracks app

so that we could have seen speed, distance and location afterwards.

The amount of fireworks that went of on this trip was unbelievable. We traveled from Allen to Niagara Square where the bikes filled up the entire circle going around and around. I wish I had a pic of it from up top. At some point around here something happend to sameer because we didn't see him anymore.

Then down to the sand hills on the Buffalo River. It was so dark I could not get picture but the highlights were two dudes doing linked somersaults down the sand hill while holding lit sparklers in their pockets, people shooting the Verizon sign with bottle rockets and smoking a beer.

The next stop was a gas station ore on the eastside. They must have been so excited to get so much business at 2am. I think they sold out of beer. The scariest part was fireworks at the gas station. I quickly moved away from the tanks.

Here you can see (e:Terry) was one of the first people in line.

Next we made a trip to a park I had never seen on the buffalo river where we had a massive bonfire. Here is the google map to it.

...and here are two pics of the location thanks to google maps

At the park with the bonfire, people sand the anthem followed by a bunch of "America - Fuck Ya!"

This is the only example of the song I could find on youtube

Last stop was delaware park then my backyard with (e:keithT) and Casey.

Permalink: Midnight_Mass_July_4th_2010.html
Words: 371
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/04/11 12:05

Category: cars

07/03/11 11:32 - ID#54636

Cost of gas

Just for future reference. This is a full tank.

Permalink: Cost_of_gas.html
Words: 11
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/03/11 11:32

Category: swimming

07/03/11 07:14 - ID#54634

Windmill Point Park Rock Quarry Rocks

I had the best swimming experience I have ever had in the area at Windmill Point Park Rock Quarry in Fort Erie

The downside is it's in Canada across the bridge and the border drama is annoying.

Other than that it is the first time I have been swimming in clean water in so long. It was crystal clear, so much that I felt comfortable opening my eyes under water.

We swam across and back. Its nice because although they have a supervised lifeguard area you can swim wherever the frick you want at your own risk.

The water is cool but refreshing rather than freezing. It gets about 40ft deep and the lifeguard said its fed by 17 springs.

I dove off the rocks after (e:libertad) jumped in. They also had this giant blow up rock wall slide.

It cost $8.50 Canadian to get in but its worth every penny. The lifeguard said they have a season pass too.

They also have camping for $27.

omfg I am getting fat

Permalink: Windmill_Point_Park_Rock_Quarry_Rocks.html
Words: 189
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/03/11 10:33

Category: food

07/03/11 11:44 - ID#54632

summer breakfast

Barbara's shreaded spoonfulls, grated chocolate and fresh raspberries from the farmers market.

Permalink: summer_breakfast.html
Words: 14
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/03/11 11:44

Category: beach

07/02/11 06:51 - ID#54631

Woodlawn Beach is awesome

It kicks bennette's butt.

It has a full bar where I got a vodka tonic for $3.50 and the cashier checked us out on an ipad. The bar seems like a scene from there.com
They serve octopus and shrimp, both of which I am going to eat.
they have a campfire, cabana chairs and a board walk through the forest.
The bathrooms ate huge like at a real beach, clean and include showers and a changing room vs the nasty shed bathroom at bennette.
Its so close to the city that we rode our bikes.
If you have kids, they have a giant playground castle.

Permalink: Woodlawn_Beach_is_awesome.html
Words: 123
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/02/11 06:56

Category: bikes

07/02/11 04:45 - ID#54628

We tried to ride to the beach

We made it as far as Bethlehem Steel and (e:terry) stopped to get beer. I don't think I am capable of going all the way to benette yet. Well going there and getting back.

Permalink: We_tried_to_ride_to_the_beach.html
Words: 37
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/02/11 04:45

Category: property

07/02/11 12:36 - ID#54626

Delaware townhouses sold for $860,000

It seems unbelievable but the Buffalo News is reporting the 4 historic townhouses including former Stillwater/Lord Chumleys sold for $860,000! That includes many luxury apartments, a 20 car parking lot, a massive restaurant with patio. How is that possible? It is so close to the ever expanding medical campus and in such a great part of town.

The turn-of-the-century buildings at 481-489 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo, between Allen and Virginia streets, were acquired this week by Chumley Holdings LLC from the bankrupt Stillwater Holdings LLC and other entities and individuals.

I would have killed to have owned that, if only I was rich and a real estate developer instead of a computer programmer. Its amazing when you compare that to the one house down the street that was for sale for $800,000+.

vincent writes at 12:38:21 07/03/11 - Comment #63372: That's why I'm laying the ground work this summer to move to Canada. They don't even need to win the White House to destroy things. Just wait in a year or two with a couple of their budgets that will start showing effects.

paul writes at 12:26:03 07/03/11 - Comment #63371: You really think they will win? I was under the impression they were way to fragmented.

vincent writes at 12:06:35 07/03/11 - Comment #63370: The bar in there never made anyone happy if I remember.

Right now anything dependent on Government Funding is toast, America will soon be the next Greece. I wouldn't invest in anything anywhere that is contingent on Government Funding. The Republicans are going to cut TRILLIONS and they don't care if it's for public transportation or curing cancer. Whey they take the White House next year it will all be over and they will pass a balanced budget amendment and we will only spend what we take in at reduced tax rates.

Welcome to Dystopia...

metalpeter writes at 04:47:14 07/02/11 - Comment #63353: Here is my take why they went for so little... It sounds like 4 of the buildings where bought by the company that owns one of them.... If that building was not an end building then that drops the value a lot.... Lets say I want to do something with them that is like a different use that or second last or something like that puts a monkey wrench into it.... But what I'm guessing is it was more like we have no money lets sell it on the cheap and oh bye the way we know you so lets make a deal...... Of course you read the entire story as I didn't so you may have more details on it then I.... Also that entire UB thing and Medical campus thing may have been still up in the air when a deal was made.... When you need money sometimes you don't have the time to get what you could value wise ..... My other thing I suspect is that this isn't much more than a name change type of deal where one group buys out another group and yet the some of the same people run it or own it.....

tinypliny writes at 01:03:40 07/02/11 - Comment #63346: I just emailed this to my brother. I am sure he will have his standard reply.

Permalink: Delaware_townhouses_sold_for_860_000.html
Words: 142
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 07/02/11 01:44

Category: transportation

07/01/11 05:39 - ID#54616

I have a bicycle at last

Now that the summer is mostly over, I have a bicycle. I went to the store determined to buy it today. No drawn out 15 days of research to save $50 bullshit. I used to be one of those people that would obsess for weeks on decisions which was such a time waste. Along the same line, I was not going to buy one online, wait forever and then have a box till August when I decided to put it together. Or worse yet put it together and hate it.

I got the bike at Ricks on Allen because I also didn't want to drive to the suburbs on such a nice day. I l know the price is prob a bit hifher but it seemed antithetical to acquiring a bike and honestly they weren't that much above anywhere else when I checked from my phone at the store.

The first one I thought I wanted was a Raleigh route 4.0 19" gold colored bike. It was freakin gold colored and so cute but it was like twice as long as the Raleigh venture 4. The route 4 seemed easier to joy ride for long distance but the venture 4 seemed way better for bumps and stop/start and this is buffalo. Full of stop and go driving and pot holes.

Testing a bike is way worse than test driving a car. With a car terrain is all kinds of similar with a bike it really matters.

In the end I picked the venture 4.0 because you can just run over a curb like nothing and I wanted a bike that will just run over anything and had beefy tires. It also has one of those comfortable prostate sparing, fat seats with the dimple.