Buffalo, I discover, is an unexpectedly fascinating city with many different architectural styles which I feel compliment each other.  First impressions are rather different to the hustle and bustle of noisy, exciting Chicago!  I was here in 1969 mainly to see the Arcade and Attica Railroad. 

The overnight journey from Chicago was an experience.  The sleeping car I was travelling in was immediately behind the two locomotives, coincidentally numbered 88 (leading) and 99 trailing.  Again, my accommodation was subject to the mandatory sounding of the locomotive’s chime horn, e.g. at every level crossing which did nothing for a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.  Actually, I don’t feel too bad.  It’s a beautiful day, surprisingly for August, not too hot.  The taxi journey journey on high-speed highways with no traffic congestion was around 20 minutes, with little change out of a 50 dollar bill.  No walking to the station then! However, I have just discovered that the Maple Leaf train  that I shall catch on Wednesday leaves from Buffalo Exchange Street, 1.1 miles from the hotel.  I had breakfast on the train and then again at the hotel. My room is on the 6th (top) floor. It looks as if other parts of the hotel are higher than six floors.

The taxi driver offered to take me to Niagara Falls, the American side.  There’s a bus service to Niagara that I am interested in taking.  It’s half an hour from here. 

I’ll try a power-nap before exploring this rather different part of the world, with no intention of being overly adventurous.

My long-suffering travel agent has come up trumps (that’s a bit unfortunate, right now!) with the hotel. It looks brand new, is spotless and spacious, with swimming pools and even a library. Access to everything, even the elevators, is by tapping your key card. That ensures comfortable security. Despite being slightly groggy after the overnight train journey, which again I thoroughly enjoyed, I only had a momentary power nap before my initial exploration of Buffalo. The weather is remarkably pleasant. Gone are the overwhelming climes of the humid high nineties Fahrenheit of Washington D.C.

Crossing the road at Zebra Crossing in Buffalo has become hi tec!  Press the button in the normal way, and a voice booms out, “Wait!”   At the appropriate time, it tells you which road to cross. You couldn’t make it up!  The city seems (like Chicago), spotless. There are no crowds, tourists, or hop-on hop-off buses, but a decent selection of restaurants and hotels. 

It’s quite good to arrive early by train and leave late after the final night.  This way, four nights in Chicago were equivalent to just under five days; two nights in Buffalo, like almost three. 

Despite two (dodgy) breakfasts – just about everything is full of sugar – I became desirous of something to eat at lunchtime.  The jetlag is no more, and I am now sleeping the same hours as in the U.K.  Chicken soup and pizza were the order of the day at a restaurant highly recommended by a Buffalo policewoman.  It is nothing like as expensive here as in the high-end establishments in Chicago and elsewhere.  This is an authentic town, still with elegant buildings, but none or little (so far) of the razzmatazz of the major cities.  The City Hall is enormous and magnificent. I need to read more up so that any description I share is reasonably authoritative. 

I have all the time in the world to mess up.  The fabulous City Hall is my landmark.  And I am rather pleased that I covered (in error) the whole train system.

Eventually, I made it to the Erie Canal Harbour close to where numerous U.S. Navy craft are preserved and presumably decommissioned.  I also ascertained a number of river trips.  I did feel the “coincidence” of being at two military related events in two different cities on two consecutive days.

I took the little train back to where I set off in the wrong direction.  In fact, that little error helped me see just that little bit more of Buffalo.

I am enjoying this encore tour enormously.

Many thanks for reading, David, Hampton by Hilton, 19.16 hrs 12th August 2024.

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