While the dream was great, and it started off well, it seems that this blog will have to close down. For those of you who came by regularly, thanks. For those of you stumbling upon this site, take a look around. There are some bits and bobs to inspire you to visit my two home towns: Greater Niagara and Dutch Country PA.
Have fun exploring,
Bridgette
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Saturday Artisan Market Canalside Buffalo
One of my favorite things to do over the course of the summer is to visit the local fairs. Now, I will admit, the county fairs and firemen's fairs usually put me off because I don't like carnivals. What I like visiting are the artisan fairs, historical fairs and farmers markets.
Both Buffalo and Lancaster have a long history of festivals. This coming Saturday (June 7), Canalside in Buffalo (across from the First Niagara Center where the Sabres play) will have it's Saturday Artisan Market. The market showcases handcrafted goods from local artisans, and usually takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
The Saturday Artisan Market has jewelry, pottery, birdbaths, photographs, purses, ponchos, soap and other goodies. The prices are reasonable, and you can meet the creator, ask for a custom order, or simply enjoy what others can do.
The market opens at ten and runs until five. There is plenty of parking, and one of the nice things is the museum there as well called the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. Not to worry, it's on the list of explorations.
If you visit the Saturday Artisan Market website (link above) you can see their schedule and a list of artists who are there.
Both Buffalo and Lancaster have a long history of festivals. This coming Saturday (June 7), Canalside in Buffalo (across from the First Niagara Center where the Sabres play) will have it's Saturday Artisan Market. The market showcases handcrafted goods from local artisans, and usually takes place on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
 |
| One of my ponchos, available at the Market |
The market opens at ten and runs until five. There is plenty of parking, and one of the nice things is the museum there as well called the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. Not to worry, it's on the list of explorations.
If you visit the Saturday Artisan Market website (link above) you can see their schedule and a list of artists who are there.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Long Time Gone
It's been almost two months since I last posted, and for that I am sorry. I've been working on gathering up stories, ideas and what-nots for the blog. We should be back to a more regularly scheduled posting in the weeks ahead. The second to last weekend of June looks to be a little hairy since I will be heading to a funeral in Lancaster PA.
Come back to visit and learn more about the two places I love so much.
Come back to visit and learn more about the two places I love so much.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Broadway Market
Finally, after twenty years in Western New York, I made it into Broadway Market in Buffalo NY. Since Easter is two weeks away, Broadway Market just opened April 4 for the 2014 Easter season. It's open year round, but the big Easter kick-off was on the 4th of April.
Today happens to be my mom's birthday, so this year, she and I went up to Buffalo leaving at seven. A little over an hour later, we arrived at Broadway Market, parked in its free parking, and entered through a pair of double doors into the center of the market. When we arrived a little after eight, the market was just beginning to open. It opens daily at 8 am, but make certain to visit their website for events and holiday hours.
Broadway Market was founded in 1888 as a place where people could purchase their daily food items. Primarily known for its Old World food items, the Market is the go-to place for many people in Buffalo during Easter season. In fact, it's probably the busiest time of the year.
What I found interesting about the place was the variety of food available from almond pastries to traditionally Polish treats. Broadway Market was in the heart of the Polish portion of Buffalo, and many of the traditional foods they have are from Eastern Europe.
For me, when I go down the ethnic food aisles in the local grocery store, I find Mexican and Chinese cuisine. I rarely find anything beyond that, but today, I found other items. One of the odder items were the butter lambs - it's a tradition in the area, but I don't know why. There were Polish Easter eggs both real eggs and wooden eggs which are given as good-luck gifts, or talismans for the year. The egg is a symbol of fertility and hope because from it young are created.
The back part of the market was the meat section including the normal fish, pork, and steaks, but you can also buy tripe and pig snouts. I'm not nearly as adventurous with meat as I am with fruits and vegetables.
If you're visiting Buffalo, make certain you stop by at Broadway Market. It's worth a look, and you can find something sweet to brighten your day.
 |
| View from Upstairs |
Broadway Market was founded in 1888 as a place where people could purchase their daily food items. Primarily known for its Old World food items, the Market is the go-to place for many people in Buffalo during Easter season. In fact, it's probably the busiest time of the year.
What I found interesting about the place was the variety of food available from almond pastries to traditionally Polish treats. Broadway Market was in the heart of the Polish portion of Buffalo, and many of the traditional foods they have are from Eastern Europe.
For me, when I go down the ethnic food aisles in the local grocery store, I find Mexican and Chinese cuisine. I rarely find anything beyond that, but today, I found other items. One of the odder items were the butter lambs - it's a tradition in the area, but I don't know why. There were Polish Easter eggs both real eggs and wooden eggs which are given as good-luck gifts, or talismans for the year. The egg is a symbol of fertility and hope because from it young are created.
The back part of the market was the meat section including the normal fish, pork, and steaks, but you can also buy tripe and pig snouts. I'm not nearly as adventurous with meat as I am with fruits and vegetables.
If you're visiting Buffalo, make certain you stop by at Broadway Market. It's worth a look, and you can find something sweet to brighten your day.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
March Madness
For those of you into sports, you realize that March Madness is the NCAA big basketball tournament. This year, Buffalo hosts some of the first rounds of the game, so downtown Buffalo is a hopping place this weekend.
For others, like me, who don't follow sports too much, March Madness was our weather this week. While the photo below was taken late last year, it does show what my week looked like:
Add to it, this morning when I woke up, the world looked like the first photograph. We had no snow earlier this week, snow on Thursday which remained through Friday then no snow Saturday morning. Yes, welcome to Western New York in March - it's mad out there.
I think most of us in the Mid-Atlantic are ready for winter to end. It's been entirely too long, but we're in the midst of another cold-snap. The only encouraging thing about all of this: it's March which means April and May approach. Eventually, we'll keep the snow away ... eventually.
One can only hope.
For others, like me, who don't follow sports too much, March Madness was our weather this week. While the photo below was taken late last year, it does show what my week looked like:
Add to it, this morning when I woke up, the world looked like the first photograph. We had no snow earlier this week, snow on Thursday which remained through Friday then no snow Saturday morning. Yes, welcome to Western New York in March - it's mad out there.
I think most of us in the Mid-Atlantic are ready for winter to end. It's been entirely too long, but we're in the midst of another cold-snap. The only encouraging thing about all of this: it's March which means April and May approach. Eventually, we'll keep the snow away ... eventually.
One can only hope.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Inaugural Museum
Buffalo and Lancaster are both home to former presidents, but only Buffalo is the home to an inaugural site: The Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site.
The museum is open daily, but the only way to actually see the house is to take one of the tours with the first one at 9:30 am on weekdays, and 12:30 pm on weekends. I happened to be there on a slow Saturday in early March. You can click visit the museum's site (here) to see about pricing.
The house itself was built in the 1840s as officer headquarters for the Buffalo Barracks, but in 1883, it was purchased as a wedding present by Dexter Rumsey for his daughter, Mary Grace. She married Ansley Wilcox, a local lawyer, and the family lived there until 1933.
The house sits on Delaware Avenue, one of the main north south streets in Buffalo, and home to many of the old beautiful mansions. Sitting just south of North Street, the home is in what was once considered the society center of Buffalo. Many of the old mansions have now been destroyed or turned into office buildings or hotels, but you can still get a glimpse of Buffalo at the turn of the 20th Century.
The tour itself takes about an hour and walks you through both the house and the events surrounding the inauguration. One of the pieces I most enjoyed was a ten to twenty minute overview of the American culture Roosevelt faced: the balance between the workers and the owners, race relations, gender inequalities, and the nation on the global stage. Much of it I knew from history, but much of it I didn't know.
When the overview is finished, the tour takes you to the room where the inauguration took place. I found this room the most interesting because it actually has actors playing the scene for us. There are no actors, just a voice recording, but it sounds as though you are in the room with them. For a writer, it was absolutely fascinating to see the combination of actual location with invisible acting.
Once finished downstairs, the tour goes upstairs for a visit to Teddy's Oval Office which is more interactive. The last portion of the second floor is a rotating gallery so what I saw will probably not be the same someone else might see.
All in all, I found the tour to be interesting and educational. I don't know if it would work for children much under school age, but it would work for those in school and older. If you are a history buff, or even just someone who likes the Victorian Age (though technically, Teddy was president during the Edwardian Era), the Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site is a place to visit.
 |
| Taken in early March |
The house itself was built in the 1840s as officer headquarters for the Buffalo Barracks, but in 1883, it was purchased as a wedding present by Dexter Rumsey for his daughter, Mary Grace. She married Ansley Wilcox, a local lawyer, and the family lived there until 1933.
The house sits on Delaware Avenue, one of the main north south streets in Buffalo, and home to many of the old beautiful mansions. Sitting just south of North Street, the home is in what was once considered the society center of Buffalo. Many of the old mansions have now been destroyed or turned into office buildings or hotels, but you can still get a glimpse of Buffalo at the turn of the 20th Century.
The tour itself takes about an hour and walks you through both the house and the events surrounding the inauguration. One of the pieces I most enjoyed was a ten to twenty minute overview of the American culture Roosevelt faced: the balance between the workers and the owners, race relations, gender inequalities, and the nation on the global stage. Much of it I knew from history, but much of it I didn't know.
When the overview is finished, the tour takes you to the room where the inauguration took place. I found this room the most interesting because it actually has actors playing the scene for us. There are no actors, just a voice recording, but it sounds as though you are in the room with them. For a writer, it was absolutely fascinating to see the combination of actual location with invisible acting.
Once finished downstairs, the tour goes upstairs for a visit to Teddy's Oval Office which is more interactive. The last portion of the second floor is a rotating gallery so what I saw will probably not be the same someone else might see.
All in all, I found the tour to be interesting and educational. I don't know if it would work for children much under school age, but it would work for those in school and older. If you are a history buff, or even just someone who likes the Victorian Age (though technically, Teddy was president during the Edwardian Era), the Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site is a place to visit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)