Why, Despite Its Problems, I Love Buffalo
And Why You Might Too
One of the worst parts of living in a relatively anonymous part of the US is listening to other people talk about it. I happen to live in one such city, Rochester, NY, which lies about an hour east of a similar city, Buffalo — you know, the one that’s been in the news.
As recent events have shown, our part of the country is an afterthought — that is, of course, until something bad happens. Then we get to listen to the New York Times and NPR tell us how awful, economically depressed, and racist we are. (Even though the lunatic who opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo came from 200 miles away.)
So rather than deal with that, I’d rather just tell the story of Buffalo myself.
Where Is This Place Anyway?
When people hear New York, they immediately think New York City. Trust me when I tell you, I’m not talking about New York City (NYC). I’m referring to the part of New York State that’s not in the immediate NYC area, also known as Upstate New York. And somewhere in that vast wasteland — around 375 miles away from NYC — is New York’s second largest city, Buffalo. As Buffalo finds itself in the western part of the state, it anchors a region known as Western New York, a subsection of Upstate New York, if you will.
