A Curator Shares Her Ideal Buffalo Weekend
By Tiffany Gaines
As a New York City native, I love when friends and family visit Buffalo. I take them to familiar favorites, the places that showcase Buffalo’s vibrant history and culture and make this city feel like home.
On Day 1, fuel up for adventure with a start at Unapologetic Coffee, 1375 Main St. The sustainability-minded, Black women-owned coffee shop has a warm atmosphere of culture, and community. About two miles away is Elmwood Avenue with its leafy Victorian neighborhood of shops, restaurants, cafes – and museums! Start at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave. As a curator there, I’m proud the diverse exhibitions and artists, and of the history of Charles Burchfield and his watercolor landscapes that seem to hum and vibrate. This is a good place for a warming bowl at the museum’s Roux Soup Bar and Cafe.
Cross the street to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood. Stroll through the new exhibits at the new three-story glass cube-like Gundlach building. Follow curvy windowed bridge to the original 1905 gallery and take in the historic campus and renowned international collection.
Head outside and explore the AKG commissioned murals on buildings and walls in the neighborhoods all over the city. Take in the Freedom Wall’s collection of portraits celebrating the legacies of local and national African American trailblazers at the corner of Michigan Avenue and East Ferry Street in East Buffalo. From there, keep going for two more miles to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor. Discover the stories of musicians with Buffalo connections, like Aretha Franklin. See the 1845 church and refuge built by freedom fighters. Tour the house museum where the minister lived who was instrumental in starting the local NAACP.
Dinner and drinks? Connecticut Street is my favorite stop. Try a milkshake cocktail, sweet potato fries and fried chicken sandwich and lots of vegan options at Mister Sizzles, 346 Connecticut. On the next block, at 365 Connecticut, don’t miss Southern Junction’s award winning Indian-fusion barbecue.
Start Day 2 by sipping a good morning brew at Golden Cup Coffee, 1323 Jefferson Ave. You will be on an iconic street in a historic African American neighborhood. This Black-owned coffee shop makes grits that taste like they’re from grandma’s kitchen. It’s surrounded by landmarks like the Challenger Community News, founded in 1963 and publishing weekly papers on Wednesdays, and the Frank E. Merriweather Library. Stop at the Tops supermarket at 1275 Jefferson where you can pay your respects at a memorial and remembrance site for Buffalonians lost in the massacre on May 14, 2022.
Down the street at 1382 Jefferson, Zawadi Books, named for the Swahili word for “a gift,” has been a community staple for nearly 50 years. A six-minute drive away is another one of my favorites: Fitz Books and Waffles, 433 Ellicott St., has Belgian-style waffles you can hold and eat while perusing books that “reveal hidden histories and motivate us to be agents of change.”
Niagara Falls is about a 30-minute drive and an easy trip to the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, 825 Depot Ave.The museum tells the story of the freedom fighters who helped people escape slavery and find safety across the bridge in Canada. It’s a great reminder of how much history is right here.
As afternoon turns to evening, make your way to Buffalo’s waterfront where the sunsets mesmerize at the horizon. Canalside, a downtownpark and promenade along the old Erie Canal, features the Buffalo Heritage Carousel, a restored merry-go-round built a century ago at a now-defunct local factory. At the day’s end, wind down with dinner and drinks at Deco Lounge, 69 Delaware Ave.The stylish bar serves small plates and cocktails, sometimes with live music.
