"Why!" written by Tiburon1724 on estrip.org

01/28/08 10:55 - 31ºF - ID#43072

Why!

Why does it still say Orlando, FL at the end of each of my posts? I changed my location in my profile. I'm missing something :/

Permalink: Why_.html
Words: 25
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: movies

01/28/08 10:53 - 31ºF - ID#43071

Juno

Went to see Juno last night at the Regal on Elmwood. Great movie. Jason Bateman did a fantastic job in his role...everyone did actually. Lots of dry humor. Highly recommended.

Permalink: Juno.html
Words: 31
Location: Buffalo, NY

01/28/08 11:08 - 31ºF - ID#43061

Bought a House!

So I just accepted a counter-offer and have purchased my first house! Very excited! It's in N. Buffalo on Winston. Now for all the paperwork, inspection, signatures, etc etc!

joshua writes at 11:47:03 01/29/08 - Comment #31020: Awesome dude - congrats!

jenks writes at 11:06:31 01/29/08 - Comment #31017: winston is a pretty street. So is starin, I've learned lately... congrats.
And I just stumbled upon this gorgeous little block behind allen, with a little park in the middle... totally made me want to buy a house.

tiburon1724 writes at 10:48:47 01/28/08 - Comment #31006: hopefully it won't take that long, the house is vacant. The owner was relocated due to her job. Inspection is scheduled for Saturday, appointment with the mortgage broker is scheduled on Wednesday. My apartment lease ends on May 1, so I'm hoping to close in April, ideally. We'll see!

paul writes at 06:09:41 01/28/08 - Comment #30994: Thats awesome - congratulations. Although for use the time from offer accepted to actually getting possession of the property was like 5 months - so be prepared.

carolinian writes at 12:16:41 01/28/08 - Comment #30967: I live in N. Buffalo, too. Maybe Paul's (e:hertelstrip) is not such a bad idea.

I've been looking into buying a house, and I have the same exact fears/nightmares. The one thing that makes me feel a bit better is that one should also fear giving half one's paycheck to a landlord and never getting any ownership of anything. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

tiburon1724 writes at 11:20:25 01/28/08 - Comment #30966: yeah it's definitely also scary as hell. I literally keep having dreams of not being able to make the payments, dropping out of school, losing my job, and becoming a bum. :/

mrmike writes at 11:15:53 01/28/08 - Comment #30965: Congrats! It is exciting to go and call the landlord to fix something only to realize you got to it, which makes it even more satisfying.

janelle writes at 11:10:04 01/28/08 - Comment #30964: Congratulations! Buying our first house was the scaries and most exciting thing we've ever done! Enjoy the fun.

Permalink: Bought_a_House_.html
Words: 29
Location: Buffalo, NY

12/19/07 11:56 - 33ºF - ID#42592

Volunteerism

Curious if anyone here volunteers in some capacity, and what they do? Looking for something that might be a good fit.

Permalink: Volunteerism.html
Words: 21
Location: Buffalo, NY

10/26/07 11:35 - 56ºF - ID#41815

Bandits are Back in Black

think of it as a wheel of fortune before and after clue.

so the Bandits season is back on!! Looks like the players union thought the league wouldn't really cancel the season so they have now reached a deal. God I hate unions. On a sidenote went to see Lewis Black at Shea's last night with the girlfriend and a couple friends. Good times. Also ate at City Grill on Main, excellent place I really never heard about.

Permalink: Bandits_are_Back_in_Black.html
Words: 78
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: sports

10/16/07 01:23 - 62ºF - ID#41674

No Lacrosse! :(

So the NLL season has been cancelled due to a labor dispute!! BUMMER!!! Over the past couple years some of the best sporting events I've attended have been Bandits games and I was just about to buy season tickets for this year. I finally move to Buffalo and this happens. Wow....to think this could be the feeling x1000 one year soon only for the Bills :/

Permalink: No_Lacrosse_.html
Words: 66
Location: Buffalo, NY

07/24/07 01:52 - 72ºF - ID#40236

Darien Lake

So, I've noticed that all the major bands perform at Darien Lake. Makes sense I guess, in between Buffalo and Rochester, and I'm sure the park gives some incentives as well. Too bad more aren't at HSBC. I've heard it's a nightmare going to shows there though, anyone have any feedback from shows they've attended?
Such as....if you're back in the 400 or 500 sections how far is that, really - too far to see anything? And how is access? Being in the middle of nowhere I bet it's worse than trying to leave a Bills game 10x over. I really want to go to the Projekt Revolution Tour, but if it's going to be a major headache I won't bother!

Permalink: Darien_Lake.html
Words: 120
Location: Buffalo, NY

06/26/07 11:57 - 85ºF - ID#39812

Retail rant!

Everyone knows working retail sucks so why do I even have to explain? I guess I don't, really. How does one end up in a field that so completely universally sucks anyway? I guess it's the fact that since I was a child I wanted to own my own store...yeah that's coming along well. Anyway, in Orlando I was able to blame most of my crap customers on the fact that it was Orlando and everyone there was rude, obnoxious and wanted to murder everyone else, which is of course true. Now, this job is making me hate Buffalonians (or Western New Yorkers if you will) just as much and that's a damn shame.

Everyone here is so damn CHEAP it blows my mind. One of the other store managers I talked to said "Buffalo is the only place where if you buy a new car, you'll brag about how little you paid instead of how much you paid." That statement seems very true and odd to me. They come in repeatedly taking advantage of and working the system in every legal yet unethical way possible to save a couple bucks...or in one case this week, 14 cents. Seriously, if you people in Amherst are that poor I will start up a fund for you where I personally donate my own hard earned money to save your bank accounts. Now we have multiple locations...one of which is exactly 2.5 miles away and took me 3 minutes to reach the other day. When I'm out of something involved in aforementioned savings and offer to call that location to see if they have it in stock I get "ohhhh I can't go allllll the wayyyy over there!!!!!!!!" Are you freaking kidding me? There is no place in the Buffalo metropolitan area that is a far drive. People here are CHEAP as HELL and can't be bothered to drive more than 1 mile from their homes. Jesus.

Permalink: Retail_rant_.html
Words: 323
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: food

06/02/07 08:06 - 84ºF - ID#39505

Eats

What's your favorite place to eat in WNY?
I'm trying to try out as many different unique places as I can but find it difficult to get information on places since most don't seem to have websites or anything. For example, I was trying to find a menu or website for Empire Grill or Mother's but couldn't come up with anything useful.

chico writes at 03:03:25 06/26/07 - Comment #20152: I defer to the other, more experienced Thai diners. I have not even eaten at Saigon Cafe yet (so there, (e:jenks) !) so my basis for comparison is artificially limited. While we're on the topic, my old downstairs neighbor had good things to say about The King and I on Kensington.

When I interviewed for my job, the chair asked, "What do you like to do when you're not at work?" And I thought for a second, and replied, "Well, I like to eat." He laughed and said Buffalo was the place for me. I do think that there's a lot of very good food in Buffalo with a low or reasonable price tag.

No one mentioned sushi yet, I had Kuni's Takeout once and liked it a lot, and prices seemed reasonable. But I'm hardly a sushi connoisseur. Unfortunately, for Ethiopian, I think one still has to drive to Rochester. But I've been meaning to check out the Somali takeout place on Grant Street, has anyone been there (I think it's called Somali Star)?

Stillwater (on Delaware in Allentown area) has nice food but is expensive, and I think that the dining room lacks atmosphere. The bar has atmosphere, but the last time I stopped in there it was deserted.

Sounds like I need to have pizza at Aroma! Brick oven, yum.

jenks writes at 02:42:53 06/26/07 - Comment #20150: I had Jasmine the other day- and thought it was not NEARLY as good as saigon cafe. The green curry, at least.

and- damn chico! You've been here a lot less time than I have- and you've eaten EVERYwhere!

and james- yes, aroma's pizza is that good.

james writes at 01:14:14 06/26/07 - Comment #20144: korean food?
I have been craving Bulgogi like a fiend and had no idea where to find some delicious Korean smack. Thank you.

Mother's I think is skipable. The only reason you would want to go there is if you wanted a nice dinner at 11:30PM. Other than that there are a dozen of other delicious places at that price range.

I have eaten at about three thai places around here and have yet to like any of them. So...

I hear Aroma on Bryant has brick oven, thin crust pizza so good you would sell your eyes to have another bite. Hm... I guess I am not making dinner tonight then.

To a Buffalo native, this may sound silly, but Andersons' is ridiculously good. Beef on weck is standard here like tortillas are standard in Mexican food. Sure, thin sliced roast beef on a bun covered with rock salt doesn't sound like anything to write home about, but sweet beefy lord it is good, so good.

leetee writes at 12:54:14 06/26/07 - Comment #20143: Huh... funny, we all have our own tastes. I think Taste of Thai and both Saigons are better than Jasmine. Buffalo has some good Thai, so i say try them all and make your own choice. Spicy Thai on Sheridan is in the same area too...

i totally agree with (e:Chico) on Indian food... although good, there are better Indian food places than India Gate on Elmwood. Star of India on Delaware in Kenmore is pretty good, too.

Woochon is the same place i am talking about... i think it's called WooChon Korea House.

People rant about Betty's, but the staff there are totally obnixious. We tried to eat there once and gave up. Hopefully, the guy that swore and me and told me to get out got fired years ago.

chico writes at 12:40:37 06/26/07 - Comment #20142: Left Bank and Hutch's are very, very good but sometimes difficult to get seated, definitely call ahead. Bacchus on Chippewa has a nice wine list and can turn out some very nice meals from time to time.

For cheap Italian food in the city, see my post (e:chico,38657) and comments from (e:mrmike) and (e:zobar) . For upscale Italian, Ristorante Lombardo on Hertel Ave near Commonwealth is very nice and the food has always impressed.

For Thai, surprisingly perhaps, Jasmine on Niagara Falls Boulevard is tasty. And Taste of India on (I think) Sheridan is delicious, probably a little better than Elmwood Ave's India Gate, even though it is run by the same people. For Korean, Woochon on Evans in Williamsville comes highly recommended by a Japanese student of mine but I haven't tried it yet. For pan-Asian in a contemporary restaurant with a good vibe, try Papaya on Chippewa, and then go next door to Chocolate Bar for dessert and/or after-dinner drinks.

For wings, Gabriel's Gate on Allen Street in Allentown is best in my book, though it is fun to take out-of-towner guests to the Anchor Bar on Main Street near North. For a panini and a drink (including some good beers in bottles), try Allen Street Hardware.

For brunch or lunch, I really like Betty's on Virginia just west of Elmwood Ave. And for cheap eats and questionable service, there's always the Towne Restaurant on Allen St at Elmwood, I'm getting hooked on their Greekburger (lamb and beef combined).

btw, I really like that Empire Grill. Have had a couple of really good meals there, including a delicious pulled pork sandwich (better than most, including Fat Bob's BBQ on Virginia Place), and had a breakfast burrito that was lights-out good.

Oh and for the WNY classic beef-on-weck, so far my personal fave is the Wellington Pub on Hertel.

For pizza served with a snarl, New York Pizza on Allen Street has the closest thing to thin-crust NY/NJ/Long Island style pizza in Buffalo.

Places I've had problems with or have been disappointed by: Vino's on Elmwood Ave, Fiamma Steakhouse on Hertel Ave.

leetee writes at 12:16:44 06/26/07 - Comment #20139: Gee, i do not know how a foodie like me missed this post.

In the better late than never category, here are my favorite places to chow down.

Palenque on Niagara Falls Blvd by Sheridan. Excellent TexMex.

El Cannello on Dingens, by the old toll booths. good tex mex and dirt cheap lunch specials.

The Red Pepper on Maple by the Boulvard Mall. Good, inexpensive chinese, great lunch deals and darn good Pho.

Zhang's Buffet on Union by the Walden Galleria. good all round chinese buffet.

Saigon Cafe on Elmwood and Saigon Bangkok on Niagara Falls Boulevard between Kenmore and Main. Very good thai

Taste of Thai on Hertel. good thai, good service, great deals for lunch.

Falafel Bar on Elmwood. tiny place, good falafel and mediterranean.

Korean House on Evans Road in Williamsville (or is that still Amherst?). little higher in cost, but good food. the lunch bento boxes are good.

the Royal on Sheridan and Military. good greek, and american home style food. prices are decent, too

La Nova. I think their pizza is the best in town. their ny style rocks.

mk writes at 02:21:09 06/03/07 - Comment #19159: chef's is my favorite restaurant in buffalo. has been since i was a year old.

jenks writes at 12:02:07 06/03/07 - Comment #19158: yeah left bank is one of my all-time faves, and I'm digging trattoria aroma (bryant and ashland) a lot right now.

mike writes at 10:53:23 06/03/07 - Comment #19155: Left Bank is my favorite restaurant at the moment

jenks writes at 08:44:20 06/02/07 - Comment #19142: i second the vote for bill rappaport's. Pretty primitive but very comprehensive.

paul writes at 08:37:42 06/02/07 - Comment #19140: Back a few years ago I built an awesome site for posting meal reviews and menus via cell phones. People were not ready for mobile stuff and it is gone now.

Two good resources are artvoice :::link::: and Bill Repaport's :::link:::

Permalink: Eats.html
Words: 62
Location: Buffalo, NY

05/11/07 06:06 - 74ºF - ID#39242

NIMBY'S!!!!!

Tying into my last post, I get downright FURIOUS when I read about people trying to stop development in Buffalo/Erie County. Already, a group has filed a petition and hired a lawyer to prevent the 22-story Gates Circle Condominiums from being built. Again, people, where do you think you live?! You're the reason the city has lost over 50% of it's population and is in such a downward spiral!! Developers are coming here with great projects we should feel very fortunate for and there's always some group of idiots to chase them away like the hotel on Elmwood!!!

jason writes at 08:36:18 05/14/07 - Comment #18431: As much as I don't like the suburbanization of Buffalo, I looked at the plan and I don't see why not. I mean, we do have upscale stores for them to shop in. The only thing I always say to Josh about this kind of thing is "Where are these people who can afford $400k-$2M condos going to work?"

james writes at 09:48:47 05/11/07 - Comment #18378: Oh ya, there are angry people in this town who will fight any sort of progress tooth and nail. The restaurant that sits where the oh so very expensive condo is going was built in the 70's.

Historical arguments aside, there seems to be a culture in this city that the way it was should be the way it should be.

For example, (e:paul) thinks central terminal should be brought down. But people speak of how we can turn it into... well.. something.

Or people who don't want the skyway to come down because it is part of our heritage.

Buffalo, you have so many wonderful beautiful old homes. But make a little room for some new development or there will be no development and we can just wait until lake erie swallows us.

tiburon1724 writes at 07:46:31 05/11/07 - Comment #18377: peter, good point about people maybe having to sacrifice for the greater good of the city. I can understand people being a bit apprehensive about certain development, such as say a Super Wal-Mart going in right behind your house. In Florida the only development that ever got fought was Super Wal-Mart. The idiots there don't even freak out like they do here over development.

But large scale development is what you get when you live in a CITY in my opinion. If you don't want possible development like the Gates Circle tower, move to the suburbs. What if the people of New York City had the Buffalo NIMBY mentality? I supported the Elmwood Hotel because it wouldn't have been like it's a Days Inn or Motel 6 bringing in the trash, it was going to be a more upscale, small hotel bringing in civilized people with money who would discover this great part of Buffalo and return home telling their family and friends all about it. Oh well. As for the politicians, yes it's frustrating but ultimately it's the people of a city who run and determine the fate of the city, not the politicians - standing around and waiting for them to "fix" Buffalo won't solve anything. We all need to do our part and take it on as our responsibility.

tiburon1724 writes at 07:40:58 05/11/07 - Comment #18376: carolinian -- very true, the taxes here are definitely out of whack with housing values, especially in the suburbs. A big reason I'm not in a huge rush to stop renting. Why pay for problems like broken appliances when I can get it fixed for free and I'm paying the same as I would for a mortgage? Sure, a house would be a big jump in living space, but then I'll be paying a fortune to heat the place.

carolinian writes at 07:30:06 05/11/07 - Comment #18375: Cheap land is great, but kind of pointless when property taxes don't really scale well with housing prices. I've seen on real estate sites houses going for $50000 with an estimated $2500-3000 a year in property tax. It doesn't matter how cheap housing is if your taxes are more than your mortgage. Especially true if you might wind up selling the house for the same price you bought it at.

metalpeter writes at 06:32:39 05/11/07 - Comment #18374: The hotel on Elmwood may be a bad example. But I do agree with you. The one advantage Buffalo has is that the the land is cheap compaired to other cities and so that can lead to groth. But if I was in the position to build a building I wouldn't come to Buffalo. The reason is that nimbyism. I do understand that residents don't want historic building brought down, and I do agree with that. I do understand that people who live where there are all homes may not want some huge looming building in there neihboorhood looming over them. I do understand that there have been some (in hindsight) some bad moves in Buffalo's history. Oh like say putting a highway through the parks. I don't remeber it but Humbolt and delaware park used to be all one park, I think before I was born. If it was all connected that could be the best city park on the east coast. I'm not saying it would be but it would be awesome. However that all being said there are a lot of people in this town who want Buffalo to develop and grow but not where they live. That is what Downtown or the waterfront is for. But what these people don't seem to understand is that if you fight things in your neighboorhood then it makes it hard for businesses to come to buffalo so then no one bothers and nothing ever happens. This city is to political a good example is that there still is no new peace bridge. Some of this comes from the politicans fucking things up so the people try to do things the right way. But the problem is that they don't agree so nothing happens. Yes there are projects that are bad and maybe don't fit the neighboorhood and those I can understand if people don't want them there. But I think that most of the time it is that they just don't want it in there neck of the woods. Sometimes people need to sacrifice a little bit so that we get more cool stuff in buffalo.

Permalink: NIMBY_S_.html
Words: 98
Location: Buffalo, NY

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