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Buffalo Stories

Buffalo. Who Knew?

We’ve seen it and heard it countless times. After a day spent showing a visitor around town, they’ll stop and say, “I had no idea.” This expression of surprise has happened so often we’ve given it a name: the “Who Knew?” effect. As in, “Who knew Buffalo was such a beautiful city?” or “Who knew there was so much to do here?” It’s one of the joys of showing off our city – that moment when you realize your guest “gets it” and they’ve joined the ranks of the “FOBs” – Friends of Buffalo. It may happen sitting at a cafe along Elmwood Avenue. Or at sunset at the Erie Basin Marina as the sailboats make their way up the Buffalo River. Sometimes the jolt of the Class Five rapids of the Niagara River on a Whirlpool Jet Boat Tour is what it takes. Or a few minutes on the Hurricane Deck at the Cave of the Winds. Nobody walks away from those experiences anything less than awestruck. Back in Buffalo we’ll stroll through the Albright-Knox Art Gallery past Pollocks, de Koonings and Warhols. Even folks who don’t consider themselves art lovers know they’re in the presence of something very special. Or maybe it’s a stop at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House Complex that finally does it. Walking down the 100-foot-long pergola into the Conservatory with its replica statue of the Greek goddess Nike may finally trigger that moment of recognition, when a long-anticipated look of surprise and delight crosses their face and they turn and confess: “I had no idea.”

Click on any of the links above to share in these stories of surprise and delight. We hope you enjoy these Buffalo Stories.