Let's Go, Buffalo

 

Live from downtown Buffalo, NY, USA!

Quite a day.

I was up before the alarm at 4:30 this morning. I was put together and ready to go just after five.

Unfortunately, Sean took my "between 5:30 and 6" departure literally in that he thought driving away at 5:57 would be OK.

I looked at him.

"Have we met? We always leave at 5:30."

The good news was that meant at least one local deli would be open for breakfast.

We got our sandwiches and were on the road at 6:15.

I was wearing parts of my egg and cheese along with my coffee by 6:30.

I knew these were bumps in the road.

Soon, 287 became 87 became 17 (and 86). 

We stopped around three-hour mark for the essentials -- gas in the car and a restroom break.

In a little over three hours, after 86 became 390 and 36 and 20A and 400 and 90, we turned onto 190 into downtown Buffalo.

Our first stop was simple.

He could be called "The King of Wings"

Buffalo.

Wings.

Sean called what he had at Anchor Bar (which calls itself "Home of the Original Buffalo Wing") among the best he's ever had, if not the best.

He wasn't wrong. They were pretty great.

"High fashion," we both said of our ponchos

We decided to go chasing waterfalls after that (and that might be the only Salt-N-Pepa reference on this blog -- ever), hitting the tourist trap of Niagara Falls next.

"But do the Canadian side," I've always heard.

Sure, do that if you're in it for the tourism stuff. Which, cool, Niagara Falls, sponsored by Disney!

We parked, strolled past the cheap sweatshirts, and got on the Maid of the Mist.

"Go left," Sean told me.

He was going in. All in. He told me he overheard someone say that was where to go for the maximum soaking.

It was worth it. We laughed in our ponchos as the spray of American and Horseshoe Falls doused us. It was enough that I stepped back from the railing at one point -- under the overhang -- to simply drink in the majesty of it all. Sean said he was going back in and I caught the moment on my phone.

"Canadian side," we both scoffed.

Plus, getting so close to Horseshoe Falls meant that, by definition, we were in Canada, even if we weren't on land. 

We opted to stay in the US otherwise but were grateful for our brief glimpses into our neighbor to the North.

Satisfied, and laughing all the way, we were soon back in the car, driving around Niagara Falls a little more before heading back.

The razor wire was a deterrent.

Our next stop was a nod to Canada: Tim Horton's. Sean got a muffin and I grabbed a coffee as I explained to him that Horton was a real person, playing 24 seasons in the NHL.

I also told him to Google "Love Canal" as we left Tim Horton's, since we were only a mile from the famed enormous environmental disaster and Superfund operation.

It's now just a collection of rutted roads and a lot of empty land.

We both shook our heads.

Just as we did when a biker flipped us off for supposedly cutting him off on Interstate 190.

I did not cut him off but I hope he enjoys his anger.

Oh, I might have flipped him off also.

A good eye-roll and nothing to ruin this day.

We've made it to our hotel, both tired and happy for a day I think we'll both remember.

This is only the first piece of our adventure but we're off to a heck of a start.