The first sentence of an article from the NY Times:
“Frustrated by decades of watching friends and family flee New York’s second-largest city for warmer climates, healthier economies and sunnier images, a group of Buffalo boosters gave a party this weekend…”
A party in Buffalo?! No….. (sarcasm here) The Queen City may have the distinction of having the most celebrations of this, that, and the other thing than any other Rust Belt City:
Allentown Art Fest
Elmwood Festival of the Arts
A Taste of Buffalo
St Patrick’s Day (Parade)
The Greek Festival
The Italian Festival
Dingus Day
I did something a few weeks ago that I guess symbolizes my current thoughts on the city of my youth: I removed the Buffalo Rising website from my browser bookmarks. Not, mind you, due to the quality of content. There is no question the site is well organized, written and designed. But the site began to seem to me like the scene from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, in which the cheerleader tries to rouse the apathetic student body at a pep rally. (They grunt, groan, roll their eyes, and throw wadded paper at the squad…) The image of a proverbial Sherri Oteri and Will Ferrell screaming in an empty gym is too bleak for me.
As far as I know, there are no “Up with San Jose” or “Rally in Silicon Valley” like events here. They’re not needed. Such WNY events are subtle commiseration fests to temporarily distract you from the fact that the winters are 6-7 months long (READ: sun disappears for 7 months), you hate your job and the lack of other options/opportunities, and that the city is doomed to repeat past political folly.