“The Queen City” Buffalo, NY
I love Buffalo, NY! I might be a bit biased as my grandparents lived there and we would visit about once a year. However, its a special place with great food, wonderful sights and fun activities that I still enjoy going back to, even though my loved ones are no longer there.
Growing up, when someone would ask where we were going on vacation and I said New York, they always thought NYC. When I said, no Buffalo, often the next question was will you also go to NYC. I have gone to Buffalo for decades, but until recently had never been to New York City because there are 400 miles between them. So unless you really like driving I wouldn’t plan on combining a trip to Buffalo and NYC. You could make a vacation out of visiting Buffalo and Toronto, but Buffalo is capable of standing on its own for a vacation destination.
The City of Buffalo is located in Western NY. It was the terminus of the Erie Canal, is 30 minutes from Niagara Falls, and 2 1/2 hours from Toronto. Her most well known nickname is “The Queen City” so called because Buffalo is the second largest city in New York state. She is also the second largest city located on the Great Lakes.
Travel Tip - It’s okay to stay near the airport here
Buffalo is one of the few places that I will say its okay to stay near the airport. This is because the airport is on the smaller size and located in one of the towns close to downtown. Buffalo has quite a few neighborhoods and villages surrounding that would be nice to stay in. They have their own spots to visit and are close to other things you’ll want to do or eat at.
Elmwood Village is very popular. It has lots of local shops and artisans. Along with coffeeshops ,pubs and restaurants. It has been names of of the 10 best neighborhoods in the US by the American Planning Association.
Downtown itself has many historical buildings, as well as being close to Canalside, if history is more your thing than shopping. Canalside has some museums, a beautiful waterfront and the terminus of the Erie Canal.
I’m partial to the Village of Williamsville, northeast of downtown. Williamsville has its own Main St with shops, restaurants, 2 different parks and its where my grandparents lived. There are several hotels right on Main St. and others nearby.
On my most recent trip to Buffalo I was joined by my mom and aunt. We thought that an Airbnb would be better for the 3 of us. I found the cutest little house 5 minutes south of Williamsville in Cheektowaga.
“No Place Like Home” was in a nice neighborhood with plenty of sidewalks. It’s close to main roads and highways to get places easily, but was very peaceful. The hosts were very responsive and left us some snacks to welcome us to this very cozy Airbnb!
It was so nice to come back at the end of the day and have a space to relax, eat diner if we hadn’t gone out. And sit and talk in the living room with the fireplace on. There were some games in the cabinets if you wanted something else to do besides the tv. This was such a good base for visiting in Buffalo, the space and the location. It didn’t hurt that my favorite ice cream place was 6 min away. If you would like to see if it is available for your stay I’ve put the link here.
Don’t miss The Food of Buffalo! It’s more than just wings.
