DoStuffOnPurpose

With my wife at the Goo Goo Dolls tonight. My phone got wet and I couldn't make it do anything so I am reposting this sweet vid from @jenhoppe (great capture). Totally drenching rain, not as bad is 13 years ago but still pretty bad. Awesome show. ====== Really special connection Goo Goo Dolls have with their home city and Buffalo with them. Great reminder that music really is art, not the garbage that is given to us as music but true real music. Great time tonight. ====== #Buffalo #buffalony #musicisart #musicisart2015 #googoodolls #albrightknox (at Albright Knox Art Museum)

Our ride took us from Lasalle Park all the way to the foot of Hamburg St on a perfect brand new bike path. (If you arent dragging two toddlers if will take you all the way to the otter harbor and half way to mexico I think.) This place was a ghost town for decades, now it is a literal traffic jam of cars and kayaks trying to get into the water. ====== In 1881 this was the original site of the first buffalo rowing club so amazing that it has been restored and is getting used for the same purpose 135 years later. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #mycity #buffaloriver #buffalohistory

Took the girls to Greekfest today. Made it past the food tent and vendors (and amazing Greek donuts) to the santuary where an amazing Greek man was giving a crash course in the Greek Orthodox faith. Every hour, for an hour, all day. He did an amazing job explaining the how and why of this incredibly old and traditional denomination. The girls are standing at the Iconostasis which seperates the alter/sanctuary from the rest of the church. These gates are only used by the priest during very specific times of the mass. This is to acknowledge the importance and holiness of the alter where they believe the miracle of the Eucharist happens at every mass. Really amazing stuff. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #buffalove #greekfest #greekfestival #church #greekorthodox #buffalohistory (at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church - Buffalo, NY)

Greek word learned today: Theotokos. It is the word used to describe the act of Mary giving birth to God. The Greeks do not believe that there is a sufficient enough translation into English to describe the incredible act by Mary in one word so they don't even try, they keep their native word for this. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #buffalove #buffalohistory #greekfestival #greekfest #church #cathedral #history #architecture #greekorthodox (at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church - Buffalo, NY)

Complete behind the scenes tour of a 1921 candy factory? You know it! Still operating with the original equipment, so amazing. Best learned fact: the employee get to eat candy on the job, seriously. ====== #buffalo #buffalove #buffalony #wny #preservationissexy #preservation #buffaloyoungpreservationists #parksidecandies #candy #candyfactory #shoplocal #r2d2 (at Parkside Candy Co.)

@pushtheatre at @albrightknox for first Friday. The first Friday of every month is free at the museum, kids art activity, theatre with a focus on it being kid friendly as well as.a bunch of other cool stuff for adults. A great free way to experience a great part of our city. ====== It may not look like it from this pic but they a being bugs ====== #buffalove #winterBUF #wny #buffalony #buffalo #albrightknox #firstfridays #theatre #art #familyoutings #mycity

Our family attended mass this morning at Corpus Christi which was in the news this weekend for being unable to afford their rising utility costs. As a member of The Church at Buffalo Janelle and I felt when we read about their issues it was important to attend, show support and place out offering in the basket. As well as attend the lunch fundraiser afterwards (I can't say no to authentic polish food). ====== The church was founded in 1898 and the building was completed in 1909. It has come close to closing before, in 2003 the Franciscan Friars decided they could no longer support the church a movment to save the church was created and was surprisingly successful. The complex and congregation was taken over by the Pauline Fathers and has stayed open, even sending a new Priest from Poland. ========= We attended the 10AM mass which is entirely in Polish. Yes that's right, Janelle and I with four kids under 8 in an entirely Polish Mass. The kids did pretty amazing and the experience was incredible. It is clear to see why ths mass is so important to the Polish community, you step inside and for an hour they worship God in their native language. Close your eyes and you are in Poland. ====== After mass we went across the street to a fundraiser to help with the astronomical heating bills. The food was homemade and great. Our first experience eatting Chruściki (pron. HROOSH-chee-kee) a bow-tie shaped fried pastry, delishious. ======

It has been awhile since I have posted a detailed history post but it’s not every day that there is a chimney with its own Instagram account, and I didn’t waddle a very long way through 4 feet of snow for nothing sooooooo here we go ====== TECHNICALLY she is just a pile of rocks but technically you are just a stack of water with some calcium and fat thrown in so read on and learn something! She was built in 1750 by the French (eww I know) but despite their many many faults apparently the French can stack stone. ====== It began as part of the French fort along the Niagara when the place was part of “New France” (eww again I know). Don’t worry though, in 1759 the Brits came through and in typical French fashion they burned down their own fort down out of fear and ran away. The Fort was rebuilt, with a house reusing the chimney until 1796. The house changed hands a few times until becoming a tavern in 1809. The tavern was burned down during battles surrounding the war of 1812 but again the chimney survived. In 1819 an Inn was built around her sturdy frame, but the Inn was moved without her a few years later leaving her once again naked but not afraid. The land was purchased in 1840 by a general and a house was built once again and was used until it was torn down in 1889. ====== The land was purchased by the Niagara Falls Power Co in 1890 and the first efforts to save her began, including a song being written. (if you know about a preservation project in WNY that dates back earlier than that please let me know.) In 1902 she was moved brick by brick, in 1942 she was moved again, this time to a park. The Robert Moses Parkway was constructed in 1962, slicing the park in half, and leaving our poor girl in the dumbest place imaginable. She stands there to this day, on the embankment of the exit leading to John Daly Blvd. ====== You can follow her many zany adventures at her account @theoldchimney. The plan is to move her to the otherside of the highway into the park along the river sometime later this year. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #buffalohistory #buffalove #winterBUF #wny #learnstuffwhileyoulikestuff #history #niagara #niagarafalls #chimney #LiveNF

#snowbeard #icebeard #myfavoritedarkness

Crazy close to downtown the Sattler Theater/Broadway Theater/Basil’s Broadway Theater. Built in 1914 after the wooden theater burnt to the ground. ====== After its closing in in the 60’s it became a mosque that Malcolm X and Mohammad Ali both visited. It went through a bunch of religious organizations hands but has been empty since 1996. A non-profit has been trying to bring it back since 2008 with not much luck yet. ====== This place is begging to be cleaned up and turned into a concert venue. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #buffalohistory #architecture #buffalove #winterBUF #wny #learnstuffwhileyoulikestuff #history #development #theater #forgottenbuffalo #eastside

It’s hard to keep up with the progress downtown but here we go again. The enormous old AM&A’S on the 400 block of main st was purchased by a NYC tourism group. Hotel, Chinese resturant, bakery, medical center, the whole shabang. They plan to have the building full everyday of the year with tours from NYC to N Falls, as well as the Buffalo area. Huge boost to the lower section of Main St!====== When it was first built in the 30’s the Buffalo News called it “an outstanding example of the best modern design”. In recent years the interior got so bad no developer would touch it and it looked like no one would ever take up the challenge. ====== The cool colored glass walkway over the train that attaches the old store to the Main Place Mall has not been used in a loooong time. It is included in so many pictures of Buffalo and Main St, can’t wait till people are walking across it again. ====== #buffalo #buffalony #wny #architecture #bridge #buffalove #winterBUF #train #mycity #mainst

At different points throughout everyday I think about #sierraleone. Last night it was a dream, I was here again, at the burial of a new friend’s 5 year old son. (The father is in red plaid) ====== The boy suffered an “episode” in the night and never recovered, most certainly an undiagnosed and untreated condition that he had had since birth. I visited the family home to express my condolences. It was a Muslim home that I had never visited before but I was quickly ushered in. The mother came running towards me and gave me a crushing hug (we had never met before but I had hired her husband the day before). My face covered in tears I showed her a picture of my four children having a friend translate to her that I was crushed by her loss, having children the same age. She buried her face in my chest and sobbed. She was pulled away after a few moments and the father shock my hand but didn’t let go, he just shoot there staring at me holding my hand tight. He whispered “thank you” and walked me back outside as the funeral began. ====== The family insisted I stay for the funeral, even clearing a space in front for me and the @letthemlol employees I was with. It was a extremely simple and quick ceremony and the boy was laid in a shallow grave directly behind the home. No casket, no flowers, no marker. Just the Imam carrying the boy and laying him in the earth. ====== Of all my trips this was a very special and tragically common moment in village life for me to experience and is with me almost constantly. This is why we fight the fight. If the fight is to be lost I vow to go down swinging. ====== #sierraleone #salone #cleanwater #godownswinging #letthemlol #ltlol #nonprofit #ngo

I try to eat lunch here all the time but the line is always so long and I am impatient. Now with Main St open it is even busier. Yesterday I got there at 10 and the line was short. An early lunch was worth it though. ====== The Otto Store Building/Theater Place is awesome. 1896 the Buffalo born arcitect Ed Kent designed this place who was actually aboard the Titanic when it sank! (Yeah he died). His body was recovered and he is buried at Forest Lawn. He was recognized as a hero in the tragedy having gone back below deck several times to help people into life boats. You can not make this stuff up. ====== The building is pretty unique, it looks like several people had input and instead of going with one style they put three different buildings on top of each other. ====== #buffalo #buffalove #buffalony #architecture #sheas #deli #suesdeli #mycity #titanic #forestlawn #nofilter #mainst

You know it, you kinda like it, you stare at it in confusion from the 190...It's the Buffalo Gas Light Company and/or Illuminating Gas Company and/or Iroquois Gas Company and/or National Fuel Gas (or what's left of it). ====== Built in 1848 with the stone facade being added in 1859. The gas works were 10 yards from the Erie Canal docks. The canal is now filled in but followed the path of what is the 190. They took coal, burned it and turned it into a form of natural gas for heating and cooking. ====== The facade was designed by Buffalo's first arcitect John H Selkirk. Everything was torn down in 2000 except the front wall, and even part of that didnt make it. An enormous brown field was left that no one wanted to tackle until Blue Cross built their new headquarters here, incorporating the facade into the design. ====== In the late 90's, before they were torn sown, Dominic Hasek looked to turn the buildings into a youth hockey center (then that whole relationship with Buffalo went to crap of course). ====== #buffalo #buffalony #buffalohistory #architecture #niagarariver #niagara #reuse #learnstuffwhileyoulikestuff #history #development #buffalove #winterBUF #wny #mycity #eriecanal