The Lay of the Land

Allentown

While gay men, lesbians, and bisexual and transgendered people can be found in every suburb, town, and village of Western New York, the majority of the action, in terms of residence, commerce, and nightlife, can be found in Allentown. (Strictly speaking, its borders are North Street to the north, Main Street to the east, Edward Street to the south, and Plymouth Avenue to the west.) Yes, the city’s oldest neighborhood—dating back to the 1830s—is also its gayest. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, Allentown plays host to stunning late-19th-century architecture, quaint shops, intimate restaurants and clubs, art galleries and performance venues, and much, much more. Meanwhile, the majority of the city’s gay and lesbian bars can be found on or very near Allen Street between Main and Delaware, making bar-hopping a breeze no matter what season you pay a visit.

For more on this fascinating, historic, and gay-friendly neighborhood, click here.

Two other sections of town you should check out even if you’re only in the area for a short time are adjacent to Allentown in either direction.

The Theatre District / Downtown

The 600 block of Main Street and a handful of adjoining streets play host to Buffalo’s thriving theater scene, which over the last decade has evolved into one of the most active in the country. Here you’ll find the fully restored former movie palace Shea’s Performing Arts Center, well worth a peek for its architectural detail even if you don’t catch a touring Broadway show; Buffalo United Artists, the city’s most gay-focused theater; and several other live venues. Here, too, is CEPA , a not-for-profit photography gallery long committed to LGBT-themed visual art, located among the shops of the turn-of-the-last-century Market Arcade complex. Just around the corner are Squeaky Wheel and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, two internationally renowned arts organizations that have consistently programmed films, exhibitions, concerts, and other events by and about LGBT people, along with Babeville, the home of Ani DiFranco’s groundbreaking Righteous Babe Records and a thrilling new concert venue. The area also contains many inviting spots where you can grab a drink or a quick bite, or savor an elegant meal. As for the rest of downtown Buffalo, it’s essentially a living museum of world-class architecture; turn any corner and you’re guaranteed one visual delight after another, courtesy of the pre-eminent designers of the early twentieth century. (Much more on that subject can be found here.)

The Elmwood Village and Beyond

From its origins downtown, into the heart of Allentown, on to Forest, straight through the Museum District, and out into the suburbs, Elmwood Avenue is one of Buffalo’s best-known and most-loved streets. A quick drive (or, if you’re without a car, a simple hop on the #20 bus; schedule available here) will give you an instant sense of the city’s vitality as you pass independently owned and operated clothing and gift shops, the Unitarian Universalist Church (a key site in the evolution of Buffalo’s LGBT community over the past two decades), the Lexington Food Co-op, excellent Greek and Mediterranean restaurants, the satellite location of Talking Leaves Books, H. H. Richardson’s dazzling towers for the former Buffalo Psychiatric Center, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and, just across the street, the Burchfield-Penney Art Center (on the grounds of Buffalo State College, home to one of the most active LGBT student groups in the area), and even—for you fashion mavens—the crown jewel of the city’s fabled thrift stores, the Amvets at 1833 Elmwood. The action continues for miles, but we’ll wrap up this quick overview as Elmwood intersects Hertel Avenue.

Roughly speaking, the area locals now refer to as “the Elmwood Village” (or sometimes “the Elmwood Strip”) extends from Bryant Street to the south to Forest Avenue to the north, and from Delaware Avenue to the east to Richmond to the west. Head off Elmwood itself onto any side street in the neighborhood and you’ll find glorious residential architecture (most of these home—with their original fixtures and breathtaking woodwork still intact—were purchased for a fraction of what they would cost in a larger city), lovingly tended gardens, and an infectious spirit of community pride. (That reminds us: you’ll also find more than a few Pride flags waving here and in Allentown, all year long.)

The Elmwood Village Association maintains an informative and constantly updated website with plenty of information about things to see and do in this gorgeous area that the American Planning Association recently designated one of the “10 Great Neighborhoods in America.”