Buffalo, here we come again…

Friday 28 September 2012

That was the title of my posting before the disaster happened and the whole posting disappeared.  As I don’t have the time, or the wish at this moment, to recall and regale the whole story I will try and make do with the most important parts and the pictures.

In short, we have visited Buffalo yesterday.  Buffalo is renowned for its fine old buildings.  We have visited a few, and I have taken photos of course.

Ellicott Square Building - built in 1896 - Italian Renaissance style
At the time the largest office building in the world - costs: $3.5 million

Ornate entrance (awning covered because of restoration works)

Beautiful elevators in the lobby

Mail box for outgoing mail
(collected through the glass chute above) 

Close-up of elevator door

Interior courtyard with two sets of stairs and a marble mosaic floor
of imported Italian marble (again in 1896!)

Ornate glove lamps and glass ceiling of the interior courtyard

A church (name unknown)

Brisbane (!) Building

City Hall  (1930 - Art Deco) with McKinley Memorial in the foreground

Train in Main Street - the rides above ground are free

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery (1841)

 Since it was rather cold and windy in town we decided that we wanted to return to Niagara Falls after lunch for another visit.  This time we stayed on the American site and visited Niagara State Park on Goat Island.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and exploring Goat Island.  Of course we went back to the falls and walked along the rapids, which are just as imposing as the falls themselves.  As this is the right climate for them, we again saw plenty of squirrels, even black ones.  We did not even know they existed.  

We walked from Goat Island to three smaller islands, called The Three Sisters, hence the pictures of a few bridges. 

You’ll also see a picture of the inventor Tesla.

I happened to mention that I didn’t really know him, but I did after all!  It wasn’t until Winnie and Els mentioned him and his inventions in a private email (thanks girls!) and then I remembered the Tesla coils.  We dealt with that at university.  Well, long live my memory! LOL (And it is also proof that my posting did exist before it disappeared…)

Ah well, I am not going to babble on any longer.  Following are the pictures:

American Rapids Bridge

View from the pedestrian bridge towards American Falls

American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls in the foreground

Maids of the Mist (boat on the left)

Beautiful autumn colours

Inventor Nikola Tesla

A little black squirrel

Trying to get a close-up...

Tall viewing tower with restaurant and outside elevators

Horse Shoe Falls seen from the American side

The bridge to one of the Three Sisters 

Mother nature starts splashing her colours

Rapids between the smaller islands

Birds enjoying a calm spot in the wild waters of the river

The American rapids again

Overlooking the rapids