Moving to Buffalo, NY. Advice?

[Arelian]

So it looks like I'm moving to Buffalo in the next month or so and I'm just looking for some general things about the area. Any places that I should avoid at all costs, great places to eat, things to do, etc. I'm also looking for a good gaming store (tabletop, mostly) and from what I've seen you pretty much have to go to Rochester for things like that. Is this still true?

I've never really been up to the area besides very short shopping trips with the family when I visited them in Toronto, so anything anybody could tell me would be fantastic!

[Howie Roary]

http://www.approvedgasmasks.com/images/evo5000-mask.jpg

[Priran]

all I know about buffalo is that loganberry soda is apparently a thing, and try the wings

[Cleverness]

I hope you enjoy alot of snow in the wintertime.

[Cephius]

FYI Buffalo is one of the cities that was hardest-hit from the recession in New York and it shows. Manufacturing is down almost 50% in the last decade and it's like driving through a ghost town in areas. Hope you're not looking for a job! Anyway I don't remember what restaurants I went to when I was up there but stay clear of the Anchor Bar (where buffalo wings were invented) because it's pretty much turned into a tourist trap. You can get good wings literally anywhere else.

[Izzy]

Start watching Bills and Sabres games. It's literally all we had when I lived there.

[Meat]

buffalo? is that out on long island?

[Izzy]

FYI Buffalo is one of the cities that was hardest-hit from the recession in New York and it shows. Manufacturing is down almost 50% in the last decade and it's like driving through a ghost town in areas. Hope you're not looking for a job! Anyway I don't remember what restaurants I went to when I was up there but stay clear of the Anchor Bar (where buffalo wings were invented) because it's pretty much turned into a tourist trap. You can get good wings literally anywhere else.

I enjoyed the Anchor Bar after Sabres games. I guess it's mostly local around then though.

[Meresgi]

Buffalo NY? You may as well move to Detroit if you want to live in a city with nothing :D

[Zimman]

Born and raised in Buffalo. Downtown is shot, pretty much mostly ghetto or corporations. Everyone lives in the suburbs. Never go downtown unless its for a Sabres game, work or a rare restaurant. There are a few clubs down there, but they're over run by 18-21 yearolds. If you want to go drinking, go find a random bar down the street, they're seriously everywhere. Plus they all have cheap beer and good food, open till 4am.

For places to eat, got to hit up Pearl Street Bar & Grill, Chefs and Duffs. One thing Buffalo is good at, is food.

I don't tabletop game much, but I have a buddy that does that stuff. I'll reach out to him and see what the scene is like. Any games you're looking for specifically?

Feel free to ask anything. I may not be checking BG as much till monday, but will answer whatever.

[Meresgi]

For places to eat, got to hit up Pearl Street Bar & Grill, Chefs and Duffs. One thing Buffalo is good at, is food.

This is always funny to me. I come from a shitty city up in NY too, and if there was one good thing about it, it was the food. God I miss that fucking shit. Seems the poorer an area is, the better the food is to a certain point.

[Seraph]

Born and raised in Buffalo. Downtown is shot, pretty much mostly ghetto or corporations. Everyone lives in the suburbs. Never go downtown unless its for a Sabres game, work or a rare restaurant. There are a few clubs down there, but they're over run by 18-21 yearolds. If you want to go drinking, go find a random bar down the street, they're seriously everywhere. Plus they all have cheap beer and good food, open till 4am.

For places to eat, got to hit up Pearl Street Bar & Grill, Chefs and Duffs. One thing Buffalo is good at, is food.

Everything in bold is truth (and the specified places listed are all downtown. There are some really good places in the suburbs too). My personal opinion is that Duffs is getting as overrated as Anchor Bar, but that's a personal thing. I know of several hole-in-the-wall joints that are nothing to brag about but make some ridiculous wings and beef-on-weck, depending on your tastes.

The drinking scene is pretty shitty, and most of the people I know are too broke to go out partying so we just drink at someones place. Most of us are either married already or hopelessly single, so there is no reason to go trolling for pussy, and a few of us make better drinks than the bartenders around here.

All things considered, the place isn't quite as bad as it's reputation given that people love to bash on Buffalo. Winters are somewhat annoying with the weather, but most of the people here have gotten very good at handling it so it's not so much an issue. This year it only snowed a few times, and I think the most show we had at the ground was something like two feet. Mind you, it's usually worse, but the Summers are pretty nice as long as you don't mind a little bit of humidity due to air coming off of lake Erie (nowhere near as bad as say Florida though).

When people speak of the downfall of Buffalo in the recession, they are literally talking like 1929 shit, not the recent 2008 hiccup. Buffalo hasn't been big since the turn of the last century (1900 not 2000) when they used to ship shit by boat instead of trains. With that said they didn't crash anywhere near as bad as some other cities, but to be honest it's because we never really experienced the bubble here to begin with... >_>

I personally find the people to be a little more blue collared and friendly than people in Rochester, who generally come off as a little preppy, but otherwise the two locations are pretty similar, if you have had any experience with that. Totally more mellow than people in NYC, but you can say that about almost anywhere.

Also, as for the tabletop gaming, haven't done anything serious besides in house D&D, so I cannot help you there. I know a few guys who are more serious into it, so I can find out where they get their stuff if you are really curious.

If you have any other specific questions, like specific food locations or whatever, fire me off a PM and I'll be happy to answer them. ...and remember, misery loves company.

[Sepukku]

I would buy a snow shovel. And stop enjoying sports. Seems like an okay mid-size city every time I pass through on my way to Niagara Falls / Toronto. Just very, very snowy. No word on the culture and the social scene; not like I visited their zoos or stopped for a drink.

[Izzy]

I would buy a snow shovel. And stop enjoying sports. Seems like an okay mid-size city every time I pass through on my way to Niagara Falls / Toronto. Just very, very snowy. No word on the culture and the social scene; not like I visited their zoos or stopped for a drink.

Hater.

[Seraph]

I would buy a snow shovel. And stop enjoying sports. Seems like an okay mid-size city every time I pass through on my way to Niagara Falls / Toronto. Just very, very snowy. No word on the culture and the social scene; not like I visited their zoos or stopped for a drink.

The zoo kinda sucks, but I would say it's good enough for one visit. Toronto zoo is way better. Ditto for the science museum.

[Arelian]

I'm a little worried about the winter since I'm moving from Charleston, SC but I'll learn to deal with it, I suppose! The only reason I ask about the gaming store is because I've found it's usually a good way to meet friends when I move to a new area. I am expecting to visit Toronto relatively often as my family lives up there and it's a muuuuch bigger city.

Is it really that hard to find a job? My Dad is convinced I'll be able to find one with relative ease (especially since I've gone a year+ without finding a job here in Charleston. Damn having a college degree and no restaurant experience in a tourist town!), but if it's really that bad I may have to reconsider.

[noblemountain]

My girlfriend is from there, but I've only visited once...and it was in January. They talked about how mild this winter had been and how warm it was the whole time I was there. (it snowed about 6 inches in an hour or two) It was cold as hell and we're visiting in the summer from now on. lol

[Xno Kappa]

buffalo? is that out on long island?

I think it's mad north up there by Yonkers or some shit.

[Seraph]

Is it really that hard to find a job? My Dad is convinced I'll be able to find one with relative ease (especially since I've gone a year+ without finding a job here in Charleston. Damn having a college degree and no restaurant experience in a tourist town!), but if it's really that bad I may have to reconsider.

What type of job? Tech jobs are rough around here. Manufacturing jobs are better. It's quite a service town, what with the whole food thing, but don't expect to be making a ton doing that.

[Arelian]

I'm honestly not very picky. I'd rather not work in a factory, but meh. Whatever I can get, lol.