Right inside South Campus is your entrance to one of the most beautiful cities in the nation.
Last week Buffalo was host to the prestigious National Preservation Conference, a four-day conference to highlight historic and cultural sites throughout the city. Iconic structures underwent massive renovations for the 46 bus, walking, and boat tours that crisscrossed Buffalo.
Shea's Performing Arts Center, the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, and any other buildings had significant work done to fix them up in anticipation of the people coming to visit them, and the entire city hasn't looked better in a long time.
The city government has even shifted into gear and finally cleaned up dead trees downtown and increased garbage pickup and street sweeping.
Rust belt cities across the US have been searching for ways to rise up for years. Many, including Buffalo, have been hoping to turn into tourist destination for arts, architecture, and history. With this level of recognition, it looks like that may be happening.
Many of us at UB, however, will never know the great things that the city has in store. North Campus has evolved into a completely autonomous entity; you can take a bus the short distance to grocery stores, live in on-campus apartments, and eat on-campus. Even when people head into the city, many aren't there to enjoy Buffalo itself, but to experience the many bars it has to offer.
True, the Queen City does have a multitude of quality watering holes, but digging a little deeper is an extremely rewarding experience.
Buffalo's City Hall easily pops out as the quintessential landmark of the Nickel City. With its dominating silhouette over the downtown skyline and beautiful art deco styling, it is nearly impossible to miss on any trip into the city.
Just looking at City Hall would leave you severely lacking in Buffalo experience, though. Delaware Park is arguably one of the most beautiful areas in the whole state. Its designer, Frederick Law Olmstead, also designed Central Park, and said that he preferred Delaware to Central.
Forest Lawn Cemetery sits right next to Delaware Park, and although somewhat macabre, it is just as amazing. From a powerful statue of Indian chief Red Jacket, to a mausoleum designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright bring a resting place to life. If you're so inclined, the grave of funk superstar Rick James and many other famous names are interred at Forest Lawn.
Events like the National Preservation Conference draw great attention to Buffalo, and do a lot to shift the view from a downtrodden city waiting to die to a vibrant metropolis on the cusp of recovering from a long streak of hard times using resources that have luckily been protected from harm.
The biggest resource that is still untapped to repair Buffalo, however, is you. If we all took an interest and developed a love for the community that UB has been built upon, a real recovery would not distant.
The burden doesn't lie completely on us, though. The city government needs to treat itself well all around the year, rather than waiting until a big event to clean up the city.
Buffalo will rise again, and we can and will be a part of it.
