Buffalo By Choice

Bikers - Buffalo has great cycling routes!

Real Laplaine — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:44:30 +0000

I recently met briefly with Peter O’Keefe of O’Keefe Shaw & Co in Buffalo. I happened to be having lunch with Marti Gorman at the Towne Restaurant on Allen, when she introduced me to Peter. In talking, he mentioned his avid interest in cycling and I came to learn from him later on about the many bike routes that exist in Buffalo. Having come from Canada originally, where I USED to bike around Ontario, and then having moved to LA for 25 years where cycling is less prevalent than here, I got interested in just how many bike routes existed in Buffalo. Oh my god, Buffalo caps anything I’ve seen in a while. Surfing the net I found 19 pages of bike routes around Buffalo or out of Buffalo, including, a great one that starts in Buffalo and goes around Lake Ontario on the Canadian side and back. 544 miles. In another day and age I would be jumping that route. But it’s worth mentioning because I’ve been to Europe many times, and when you see how many people bike over there and how healthy and trim the people look too, Buffalo offers a great opportunity for people who enjoy that life style. So pack up your bikes and explore the Niagara region.

Biking

Buffalo - Attractive to Job Seekers

Real Laplaine — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:14:41 +0000

Seems that Buffalo holds more lure to job seekers than we may all realize. In posting recent ads to locate skilled talent to fill positions for my client companies, I have been inundated with emails and resumes from applicants in Florida, Michican, PA, MA, North Carolina, Texas, California. Many of these people are born and raised Buffalonians or formerly WNY, now looking to come back. While these people are seeking jobs - it seems that many of those that I spoke to are also wanting to come back “home” for other reasons. In more ways than one, this place is attractive. Could it be that people find something here that is not readily available in other places?

WHY Buffalo - continued…

Real Laplaine — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:18:31 +0000

The following was sent in to me by Doug Janese of Lewiston NY, in response to a blog I posted last week about WHY BUFFALO. I think this is nicely stated.

“Our perceptions are often colored by just what we see at a quick glance. But typically seeing the real nature of things takes more careful look. We have all heard a great deal of negative things about the city of Buffalo, many times by people who have never spent more than an hour there. At that first glance it may appear that it is bit “rusty and dirty”. No one can dispute the fact that like many older American cities it has been on an economic decline and has suffered in appearance and infrastructure because of that fact. But alone that isn’t the honest measure of any city.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Buffalo New York was one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. The Erie Canal and it’s access to the Great Lakes made the city a hub of commerce. Lake freighters and rail lines serviced the heavy industry there, transporting the grains and raw materials of the mid west to the industrial north east, and the durable goods of New England back to the heartlands. Large manufacturing businesses built new factories and European immigrants in search of a better life settled in the area by the thousands to serve that vast labor market.

Little of that commerce remains there today, but the legacy of that prosperity still remains in both the architecture and the cultural diversity of the community. We can all list dozens of marvelous structures that can rival those in any other American city. Others may point to areas of the city in need of rehabilitation or complete rebuilding. But cities arent just a grid work of streets and a collection of buildings. And any intelligent measure of a city cant be made by looking at brick, board or stone, but is more honestly and accurately characterized by

that city’s residents. They are the single most important component to the ‘quality of life” equation.

In that most crucial area, Buffalo New York absolutely shines. And for that reason alone it should be apparent to all but the most casual observer that there is no “ex city” to be found there.

What is found there is a community that may not be perfect in its appearance, but has a heart of gold. Many communities make that same claim in their real estate advertisements or with their Chamber of Commerce brochures, but it is an honest-to-god reality in Buffalo. The people there are warm, caring and hardworking. They will give their time and efforts to any good cause, readily donate money to others with a greater need even when their own pockets aren’t full, and stop to help a total stranger in the middle of a snow storm. Many work long, hard hours at lower wage jobs, yet they still find a smile or a laugh to easily share with others at the end of their day. They are the city of Buffalo, and that single resource alone convinces me of the potential of the town, and makes me hopeful for its future.

I may live some 30 miles to the north, but I actually have spent a great deal of time in Buffalo. I realize that the city’s true nature isn’t readily apparent at a glance, but perhaps cities are much like people. If we don’t look beyond their outer appearance, we will stay blind to what is actually there.”

A Message for America (and Buffalo)

Real Laplaine — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 07:09:01 +0000

On Jan 20th, 1961 an American president elect said these words to the world:
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”
That President was John F. Kennedy.
Those words hold true today, possibly even more so than in 1961 when he articulated them in his inaugural speech.
It is trying times that tests our spirit, our character and our fortitude.
Through the course of the history of America, you will find leaders and people alike, stepping forward to mold the fabric of the country so that it pushes through difficult times and comes ahead, better than ever.
The forefathers of America, who secretly penned the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution of America, did so at a time when America was on the threshold of becoming another pseudo-oppressive-slave to a regime at the time that was crushing the life from its new vibrant veins.
Abraham Lincoln, in the face of a devastating civil war, navigated his country through a crushing period, and with intelligence, charisma, inspiration and hope, he pushed forward to help America persevere through daunting times.
In any period, when times test us, when economics challenge our survival and threaten what little or moderate luxuries we have earned to our lives, these are times when people must step forward and act on the basis of what can be done for others and for their country.
To act otherwise is to invite anarchy, confusion and desperation, and certainly a loss of hope.
The man who refuses to let his fellow man go down, who stands up and stays true to the course, and leads others, is the man that will help form the culture that your children and their children and children’s children will know and grow up within.
Not all of us will be leaders in the limelight. But all of us can do something to push forward, with hope, with drive and with optimism, to win the day, and make the future brighter.
Life is what you make it, not what is handed to you. And certainly, it is not anything like what the media would have you to believe.
What America needs now is to hold the torch that started America. America is still the bastion of freedom on earth. The world watches America, and despite any complaints otherwise about America this and America that, the benchmark for freedom resides just beyond the portal guarded by the statue of Liberty – the hallmark of everything that stands for America and that America stands for.
If the economy worries you, then work harder.
If you are worried about your own future, help another guy with his.
Be loyal to your friends.
Be true to your integrity and your principles.
If it looks like the pillars of our culture are shaken and crumbling, then help build new ones.
Cultures change – but people will always be here.
The real capital in America is not money. It is THE PEOPLE.
So let’s build America people. It is YOUR country after all. Unless of course we are going to stand back and leave it up to one new president elect to solve it all.
He can’t do it by himself.
We can – if we all act within our individual sphere of influence to make it better, inspite of all the propaganda being spoon fed to us that would have you lay down your arms and your life to some hidden, unseen influence.
If you live in America, BE an American.
American’s once showed the world that they would never allow their lives or their liberty to be challenged.
Make it so.
Real J Laplaine

Heavy hearts in Western New York today…

Colleen Kulikowski — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 01:01:12 +0000

Sad day in Western New York….

Late last night a plane crashed in Clarence NY and with it 50 lives were lost. The plane crashed into 6038 Long St., not far from the Clarence Center Fire Hall on Clarence Center Road.

Western New York is a close knit community and we are all dealing with the realities of such a tremendous loss. Everyone in our community of Western New York is thinking of the families and their loss today.

Read the rest of this entry »

Buffalo - “You Got Heart”

Real Laplaine — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:24:31 +0000

I have to comment here on something.
I’m a new guy in town. I hail from Canada, moved to the states in 1976 and have lived the last 25 years in Los Angeles, but I spent about 15% of that time outside the country travelling the world.
I crash landed in Buffalo, quite unexpectedly last year, having no intentions of moving to this city, but finding that I actually really liked Buffalo. Surprisingly for me after having lived in a megatroplis ala monster-tinsel-sprawling-whatever Los Angeles, seeing London, Paris, Sydney, Amsterdam, and countless other cities around the world. Uhh, why Buffalo? And you know, people here in Buffalo ask me the same question. Why the hell did you come to Buffalo from Los Angeles?
For several months I usually answered the same way. It’s a nice city, nice cool architecture, LOVE the Elmwood district (where my wife and I relocated to) etc.
But after attending some local networking meet-ups, reading blogs, and such about Buffalo. I realize what it is about Buffalo that I really like. People here are ACTUALLY friendly. Case in point. Los Angeles, while it is a great city in some ways, one of the richest in the world and certainly the headquarters of the film industry and other industries too, is like walking in a fishbowl when it comes to people. Compared to Buffalo, people in LA don’t talk to you. I think that in one month in Buffalo, I had more people that I didn’t know, make eye contact with me, smile (a real smile) and say hello, than in 25 years in Los Angeles. LA is called the Tinsel town and not for no reason. It’s a town of transients, Hollywood wanna-be’s and a lot of very agressive people trying to get rich or whatever. But Buffalo, the people are actually friendly. My god. You can walk down a street and they say hi. It’s a “big town” with small-town heart. That is very marketable - I must say. Buffalo cannot compete with Los Angeles, NYC, Chicago, Boston or Houston in terms of steel-chromed skyscrapers, expensive parking meters and all the glitter that money offers. Unfortunately, Buffalo’s past administration hasn’t been progressive enough, or agressive enough to ensure that this city rode out the rough times and developed with the times, unlike other cities that have done so and have come out ahead. But all of that notwithstanding, and no doubt, Buffalo WILL catch up eventually, Buffalo has heart. It has a quality that honestly you cannot find everywhere in America, or elsewhere. Here people are STILL friendly. Buffalonians haven’t bloated their heads or their ego’s or their pocket books to the point where the “other” guy is no longer important enough to say hello to or to smile at or to give a friendly hand. So as much as I love the Elmwood district and some of the charm of Buffalo, I think intrinsically, Buffalo can market itself as one of the friendlier places in America. Not only a place where the housing market is good, or where there are great colleges, or a decent place to raise a family, but a place that still epitomizes the foundation that made America AMERICA. Friendship and values. Money won’t save the world. But people will.

The Quiz - continues…

Real Laplaine — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:10:26 +0000

Ok folks, here comes the quiz – see if you can figure out what these legends have in common. I picked just a few out of MANY, that I thought would be household names and you would go “ahha, of course I remember him/her for…! “Hopefully these people will put a smile or two on your face. Here we go:

Louise Bethune (1856-1930). She was the first American woman to have made her living as an architect.

Eugene Speicher (1883-1962). An award winning portrait, landscape and figurative painter. In the 1920’s, he became known as one of the best portrait artist in America. He became the Director of American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1945, and was an associate of National Academy of Design.

Jack Yellen (1892-1991). A Polish-American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for his collaboration with composer Milton Ager. He wrote the lyrics to more than 200 popular songs of the early 20^th century. Two of his most recognized songs, still popular in the 21^st century, are “Happy Days Are Here Again” and “Ain’t She Sweet”. He was introduced to the Songwriters Hall of Fame 1972.

Fran Striker (1903-1962). A writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. The characters Lucas Striker and Amy Striker in the 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger were named in honor of Fran Striker.

Harold Arlen (1905-1988). A composer of popular music. Having written over 400 songs, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. His 1938 song “Over the Rainbow” was voted the twentieth century’s No. 1 song by the Recording Industry Association of America. Arlen and Ted Koehler’s (lyrist) partnership resulted in a number of hit songs including the familiar standards “Let’s Fall in Love” and “Stormy Water“. With lyricist E.Y “Yip” Harburg, he composed songs for The Wizard of Oz. The most famous of these songs is the “Over the Rainbow”, for which they won two Academy Awards. They also wrote “Down with Love” a song later featured in the 2003 film Down with Love. In the 1940s he teamed up with lyricist Johnny Mercer and continued to write hit songs like “Blues in the Night“, “That Old Black Magic”, “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” and “One for My Baby(and One More for the Road”).

Amanda Blake (1929-1989). An actress best known for the role of a red-haired Saloon proprietress “Miss Kitty Russell” on the longest-running television drama, CBS’s Gunsmoke series 1955-1975.

Grover Washington Jr (1943-1999), was a jazz-funk/soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with John Klemmer, George Benson, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Manigone, Herb Alpert and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of the smooth jazz genre. Some of the genre’s most memorable hits including “Mr. Magic”, “Black Frost” and “The Best is Yet to Come”. In addition he performed with other artists including Bill Withers on “Just the Two of Us” and Phyllis Hyman on “A Sacred Kind of Love”. He is also remembered for his take on a Dave Brubeck classic, called “Take Five” and for his hit “Soulful Strut”.

Michael Bennett (1943-1987). A musical theater director, writer, choreographer and dancer. He won seven Tony Awards for his choreography and direction of Broadway shows and was nominated an additional eleven. Bennett choreographed and sometimes directed some of the best-known Broadway shows from the late 1960’s to the early 1980’s including Promises, Promises, Follies, Company, A Chorus Line and Dreamgirl.

Tim Russert (1950-2008). Television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press. He was a Senior Vice President at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program. He was a frequent correspondent and guest at NBC’s The Today Show and Hardball. Time Magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world 2008.

February Waterfront Real Estate Report

Colleen Kulikowski — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:56:06 +0000

Waterfront Homes of Downtown Buffalo NY Real Estate Market Report

The city of Buffalo is a Waterfront City with a rich history. The city is dedicated to creating a waterfront that is publicly accessible resulting in a focal point for recreational activity and social opportunity. Downtown Buffalo has some spectacular waterfront homes to call home! The waterfront community in Buffalo is full of opportunity.

Current Market Conditions for Waterfront Condos & Townhouses:

As of February 3, 2009

There are currently no pending sales for Waterfront Condo Sales in Buffalo NY
There are currently 18 active condos/townhouses for sale in Buffalo with an average list price of $392,316 ranging from $119,900 to $850,000
There have been no closed condo sales year to date for the Buffalo Waterfront

Selection of Active Buffalo Waterfront Condos for Sale

	406 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 224,900 Built in 1991 1100 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 327926 (IDX)
	704 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 389,900 Built in 1991 1992 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 313543 (IDX)
	1102 Admirals Walk Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 479,900 Built in 1991 2303 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 311337 (IDX)
	101 PORTSIDE Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 549,900 Built in 1989 3337 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 322837 (IDX)
	180 Rivermist Dr Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 599,900 Built in 1988 2610 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 313018 (IDX)
	208 Rivermist Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 509,900 Built in 1988 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 3 Full Baths , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 327212 (IDX)

	252 Rivermist Buffalo, 14202 NY $ 450,000 Built in 1984 2185 sq. feet 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths , 1 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 293198 (IDX)

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Provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
RealtyUSA (716) 743-5297

Something That Possibly You Didn’t Know

Real Laplaine — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:58:04 +0000

Our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, are formed and touched by the greats. People, who through history and through their actions created something that left footprints that formed our society today. Each of them was the first, the best, the biggest, the most beautiful, or the smartest in that field, and we not only respected and admired them for their accomplishments, but our own lives are better today because of them having lived and/or crossed our paths. This continues everyday, and our present and our futures are influenced,whether it be that they invented something that enhanced our lives, or they entertained us and made us dream again, that maybe, just maybe, we too can make a difference. Indeed we can, everyone of us. We may not all be stars on stage, or inventing the next better mousetrap, but we surely can continue and build a better life for ourselves, those we love and for our future generations to come. I give you a quiz here… see if you can figure out what these people have in common! Is it that they became famous? Yes, of course. But that’s not the answer. The people you are about to see and hear about on this blog, ALL share one thing in common….

Buffalo Community Profile - Black Rock

Colleen Kulikowski — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:10:49 +0000

Background about Black Rock

This waterfront community is bordered by the Niagara River and the Scajaquada Creek. Views of the Niagara River and Fort Erie Ontario. Home to Riverside Park has a mixture of marinas, restaurants and residential homes.

The Riverwalk trail links the community to Downtown Buffalo and the Tonawandas. While the Scajaquada Creek Trail links to the historic Olmsted Delaware Park.

Influenced by the Erie Canal, there are several large industrial complexes that define the residentail areas. The Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad was chartered in 1833 and opened in 1834, operating a horse-powered line from downtown Buffalo north to Black Rock, now the east end of the International Bridge. The line was mostly built on state land next to the Erie Canal. Today Black Rock is home to Rich Products.

Selection of Black Rock Homes For Sale:

	368 Dearborn Buffalo, 14207 NY $ 36,000 Built in 1910 1464 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 1 Full Baths , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 315532 (IDX)
	362 Dearborn Buffalo, 14207 NY $ 69,900 4 Unit(s) Built in 1900 3450 sq. feet MLS Number: 327381 (IDX)
	384 Dearborn Buffalo, 14207 NY $ 36,500 Built in 1900 1256 sq. feet 2 Bedrooms, 1 Full Baths , 0 Half Bath(s) MLS Number: 327604 (IDX)

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Provided by Colleen Kulikowski, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
RealtyUSA (716) 743-5297