Vindhya Burugupalli

RuPaul’s drag queens ‘save the galaxy’
Sophia Scime didn’t want a new car for her sweet 16. She wanted tickets to RuPaul’s “Werq the World Tour.”  The Buffalo high schooler’s birthday got a little more fierce when she was invited on stage by hostess Asia O’Hara to take part in a game during the show. Even though Scime didn’t win the contest, she left the stage smiling, knowing it was a birthday gift she would never forget.

Buffalo’s best cafes to hang out, do work
Getting out of the house –– and your sweatpants –– can do wonders for productivity. While Capen and Lockwood can get boring, and so can hanging out in your dorm, or anywhere on campus, Buffalo has some great spots to relax on a study break.  We’ve compiled some of Buffalo’s best cafes (in no particular order) you can go to for studying, meetings or just hanging out with your friends. 

Buffalo’s best thrift shops
There’s two types of thrift shopping. There’s “vintage” shopping, which essentially consists of going to high-end antique stores, spending Depop money on a worn-out denim jacket and running home to share your “gnarly experience” with your friends who aren’t cool or trendy enough to ever understand.

Glimmers of light in lackluster Buffalo
I moved to Buffalo in January from tropical paradise in Singapore.  Of course I was in for a rude awakening, what else could I have expected? I knew Buffalo was not going to be as big, advanced or as happening as Singapore or even my hometown of Hyderabad, India but I didn’t think it would be this boring and slow. 

Say ‘More w--re:’ A celebration of feminine expression
The crowd chanted “more w--re” and dropped dollar bills as Keke Valasquez-Lord entertained the audience to “Last Dance” by Donna Summer.  Club Marcella held “Curtain Up’s a Drag” in collaboration with Shea’s Performing Arts Center at the Smith Theatre Friday night. The 237-seat Black Box Theater was nearly full –– surprisingly with an older audience. It featured individual performances from Sasha Storm, Cece Vergara, Chyna Dior, Nicky Monroe, Valasquez-Lord, Winter Storm, Bebe Bvlgari and Armani, along with a group act at the end. Reigning Miss Gay Buffalo Icon Valasquez-Lord –– an entertainer in the Buffalo drag community for the past 13 years –– hosted the show. 

No car, no problem
Are you tired of the same old food on campus and itching to expand your taste buds? Many students don’t own a car, and it becomes a hassle to access places off campus that aren’t in walking distance.  But there are a few great options off campus students can access without a car by using the UB Stampede –– a service most students pay for –– to get to restaurants around North Campus and on Main Street. 

The Struts boogie-woogie by the harbor
 The Struts, currently on their “Young and Dangerous Tour” in support of their latest studio album “Young and Dangerous,” took on the rainbow-lit stage at Canalside on Thursday night and opened to the cheering crowd with “Primadonna Like Me.” Spiller dazzled on stage with his signature glittered cheekbones, black tattoo chokers, a gold fringe jacket, and an embellished green blouse.  

Fabrics, artifacts and nostalgia
A fabric store.  The memory of an old roommate.  The everyday extraordinary.

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