JamieBLT

The weather was a rather inclement on the first day of our Niagara Falls trip so we decided to take a slight detour from the Falls that day and instead explore Buffalo, NY. for some sights, history, and of course, wings!

First stop: historic Canalside. Once the western terminus of the Erie Canal, it’s now a lively cultural park which hosts events, live music, and activities for tourists and residents. There was not a lot going on when we stopped by on account of the dreary weather, but we enjoyed walking around taking photos.

This spot also had a personal significance to me because of my ancestral connections to the area. A few Lairds from my family tree actually lived in Buffalo for a bit while they worked on the Erie Canal, and about an hour away in Eagle, NY my 4x great grandparents James and Anna Laird are buried in the Eagle Cemetery.  Unfortunately, we did not have time to venture down there. That’s another trip for another time, but it was still amazing to just be in a place that my ancestors once lived.

We really didn’t have much of a heading after Canalside so we decided to check out some antique shops we saw along the way, but they were closed! I did a little Google search and found the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like: the spot Teddy Roosevelt took the oath of office. They give a super interesting tour and if, like me, you roll with Senior Citizens who hold a lifetime National Parks Pass, the tour is free!

All this sight seeing made us rather hungry, and being in Buffalo, NY of course made me crave- you guessed it!- CHICKEN WINGS. We sought out Anchor Bar , the restaurant where this staple of American cuisine was created. Over the years, the buffalo wing recipe has been imitated and amended all over the country to suit different tastes and regions, but when you are in Buffalo you have to make time to pay homage to the O.G. buffalo wing recipe at Anchor Bar.  We kept it simple and ordered a ten count of the original recipe served with a side of celery and bleu cheese, and a caesar salad to share for good measure. My aunts aren’t big chicken wing eaters but I could tell by the “wows,” “mmmms,” and the smiles that the dish was a win. I also may or may not have politely “cleaned up” all the remaining sauce with my spoon.  Definitely recommend! 

We ended our day in Buffalo with live music and more food at Food Truck Tuesday in Larkin Square. It was a treat to sit down with locals and visitors and pass the evening with good music, good food, and good people in an awesome city.