UBfan

Carpenter Ave and Carpenter Park will always have a special place in my heart, since my aunt and uncle lived there when I was a kid. We spent a lot of time running in the park and going around the neighborhood with the kids from the street. Because the street is tucked away and doesn’t cut through directly to Sheridan or Eggert, it’s safe, quiet, and isn’t plagued by mall traffic. It's a nice neighborhood for people who want to be active outside.

I lived here for a short time after high school and loved this street. It’s fairly quiet, with lots of sidewalks and trees. It has an old-fashioned neighborhood feel, with lots of people who have lived there for years. I liked that I was close to Boulevard Mall, Wegman’s, and getting to the 290. It’s close enough to downtown to get there easily, but still feels like you’re in the quiet suburbs. All around, a great place to live.

I'm not a big bar/club person, but Chippewa is the best place to go in Buffalo if that's what you're looking for. It’s always a young, hip crowd of students, locals, and business people in town for a night or two. Although I don't usually stay for the latest of the late-night activities, there are some great places to eat or get a drink before or after going to a show. Bacchus Wine Bar has some great appetizers that can double as tapas, and I love the giant wine goblets full of corks. Another great choice is the Chocolate Bar—fantastic desserts and the absolute best chocolate martini you could imagine.

The best things about Broadway St. are the Broadway Market and the ChocoLogo candy store. Although the future of the Market seems uncertain given politics and the economy, we’ve certainly tried to support the businesses as much as we can. The clean up on November 1st will certainly help improve the area. As for ChocoLogo, yummy! They’re known for truffles, but I think their sponge candy is even better—about the best in the city. They also sell cute chocolate buffaloes, which are fun for sending to friends and family out of town.

I love the history and beautiful architecture along Delaware Ave, near Delaware Park! My favorite house is a Gothic Revival, but there are many beautiful homes that have been restored. I really WISH we could afford to live here, but this has always been a wealthy area (they don’t call it Millionaire’s Row for nothing). As an alternative, we come to the park every fall and spring to walk and take pictures of the trees changing in the mansion yards. The viaduct in Delaware Park is another great place for photography, too. If you go down to the Japanese Gardens around sunset, you’ll also see cranes flying between the edge of the reflecting pond and the small island in the pond. Great place to come as a couple, with family, or alone.

Elmwood is one of my favorite places—there’s great nightlife, culture, some of the best urban preservation you can ask for. I’ve lived in bigger cities and Elmwood compares with the great places to see and be seen. Especially in the warmer months, it’s a great place for sitting outside with coffee or a drink. For Halloween, we did the Haunted Pub Tour through Allentown, which was really fun. It starts on Elmwood at Cozumel (go for dinner if you’ve never been there—we had the fried cactus strips and Mexicali shrimp, which were delicious—their seafood dishes are always great). Also on Elmwood is one of the best music stores for wind instruments, McClellan Music House. Stop in and support a local music store that has staff that actually know their craft.

Unless you’re a college student, Sweet Home is a hard street to live on. It’s noisy, rents/mortgages are high, with lots of traffic, and you’ll find UB students walking through your yard at all hours of the day and night, often littering and sometimes puking in the grass on the weekends. Not conducive to family life! We lived in Colonie Apartments, which is right near UB and the 990, and it was loud. As a woman, I’d never feel comfortable walking by myself at night along Sweet Home, and we know many people who had cars broken into and outdoor property vandalized. It’s convenient to Amherst amenities, but that’s the best thing about this street.

North Bailey has a lot of great homes and yards with big trees (mine included), but it’s become a real drive through street, especially closer to Maple. Traffic speeds through, it gets really congested around the holidays, and drives seem to have very little respect for residents walking dogs, riding bikes, or playing with children. On the plus side, we’re very close to all the shopping, restaurants, and entertainment (AMC Movies, laser tag/go-carts). I wouldn’t buy a home here at this point if I had to do it over again, but we’re not dissatisfied enough to move.

Meyer Road is one of those nice, tucked away streets that lets you forget that you're smack in the middle of the suburban sprawl. I lived there for a year and it’s one of my favorite Amherst areas. It has more of a traditional neighborhood feeling, where the homes are unique, not planned. It’s quiet and safe to walk along (although there are few sidewalks, so you have to walk on the street in the winter, which isn’t ideal). You’re close to all of the Amherst amenities (UB, Boulevard Mall, Sweet Home School District schools, etc., and numerous restaurants, shops, and stores). There’s also a 2-building apartment complex, Boulevard Towers, which is a very well-kept complex which seems to attract all ages and people from diverse backgrounds. I'd recommend it for everyone who wants to be close to the city, but not downtown.