Subconsciously directed by the radial street pattern and daily commutes, when Western New York faces inward it focuses toward the Erie Canal Harbor, City Hall, the Lake Erie shoreline and the mouth of Niagara River. In to work, out to home. In for a Sabres game, out for the Bills. In for dinner and a show, out for a movie and trip to the mall. Such a forward and back mindset is understandable but self-limiting, and can skew our perspective when considering possibilities for exploration. As we work to improve a couple miles of lakefront in downtown Buffalo, we unintentionally turn our collective metaphorical back on a second coast almost as near but far less frequented.

If Niagara Falls is the place you take out-of-town relatives when they visit, then further to the north, the sweep of the Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario is…what? Lewiston has succeeded in marketing its art fairs, jazz festival, free concerts at Artpark and shoppy/eaty Center Street, and does a respectable business as a cool hang out. But beyond? For many WNYers, there may as well be dragons there.

Let me offer a few reasons to keep driving north on the Robert Moses Parkway, so seldom trafficked that weeds grow in the cracks between the concrete slabs.  Drive down the Niagara Escarpment and the sweep of the possibilities open, Canada’s Queenston Heights memorial pinnacle dominating the terrain across the river, and (if the weather cooperates) verdant fields and forests stretching to the horizon to the north and east. First comes Youngstown and it’s charming timeless main street. Then Old Fort Niagara, the oldest continuously occupied military site in North America. Its 1726 French chateau makes Buffalo feel new. Then conveniently numbered creeks (4 Mile and up), corn and cabbage fields, farmer’s markets and apple orchards, bluffs and shoreline estates, two wineries, Wilson and the Boathouse restaurant, Olcott and its beach and marina, and finally, our destination, the Singer family farm.

I personally know exactly one Singer, Vivianne, who I met during a volunteer clean-up effort for The Nature Conservancy. More specifically, I and my sons were doing the clean-up. Vivianne, a bright-eyed outgoing woman with a hint of an English accent, was doing the hosting of TNC, though she wielded a mean rake herself. The Singers have owned land along Lake Ontario for several generations, and while much is cultivated for crops, they kept a substantial portion in its natural forested condition. That private nature preserve is now home to some rare old tree specimens – black birch and wild black cherry among them – and plenty of hard-to-spot songbirds. It was for those songbirds that The Nature Conservancy wanted a visit, and my boys and I were happy to help. Viv was equally appreciative of the assistance, and rewarded my sons with dark chocolate covered cherries from her new endeavor, Singer Farm Naturals.

Vivianne and her husband Tom have opened quite a modern outpost along this Lake Ontario farm road. Housed in a restored nineteenth century barn insulated by hay bales, and powered by panels from local Solar Liberty, Singer Farm Naturals is the foodie end of the family farm. Tom specializes in garlic, 22 varieties that he says are as unlike each other as the many strains of apples. Add in dried cherries and cinnamon covered apples, chocolate covered treats, blueberries and peaches and cookies from local bakeries, plus opportunities to U-Pick your own. When I recently visited cherries were out of season (just a short July window this year) and apples aren’t due til the Fall, but U-Dig potatoes were still an option. My kids jumped at the chance to play in the dirt.

Tom grabbed a heavy, four-tined potato fork and led my gaggle out into a nearby plot. Next to the barn and behind the solar array Tom has laid out his garlic and potato fields in the natural sandy soil. I am more than a little jealous – my home garden is so clay bound that I must compost and roto-till constantly just to keep it loose and productive. It’s perfect potato harvesting time; the leafy upper plants are dying off, and the underground tubers are as big as they’ll get. We start with a purple variety, a startlingly royal shade, as Tom easily overturns one section at a time and my children dive in to the Easter egg hunt. My first grab is for the mother potato, the “seed” planted by Tom earlier in the year. It collapses into wet mush in my hand, much to the laughing delight of my children. Tom teaches the kids about how the potatoes grow, which are good to eat and which have gone bad from exposure to the sun, and the differences in each variety. My haul after ten minutes of work was 12 pounds of purple, red and fingerling spuds. That they were a fraction of the supermarket price was hardly the point. Far more valuable was the knowledge of exactly where they had come from and the enjoyment of watching my sons do the harvesting. 

Polarsun Century Police Car Who couldn’t like a car company with the motto: “Show yourself, live a wonderful Life.” No, it’s not Exhibitionist Motors; it’s the Chinese manufacturer Polarsun Motor Holdings Ltd., makers of such vehicles as the Polarsun Century, Polarsun SUV, and the Polarsun MPV. You can see for yourself Polarsun’s “…chariness and sincereness [...]

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Demolition work is underway on two sites marking the start of two development projects.  Ellicott Development demolished the former Allentown Athletix' racquetball courts along Allen Street just west of Delaware Avenue.  Ellicott is converting the remaining portions of the health club into ten apartments and possibly commercial space (rendering below).  The property neighbors the firm's Bellasara apartment building, the former University Club. 

Allentown Athletix Health and Racquet Club closed late last year after a twelve year run.  Ellicott Development's Del-Al Group LLC purchased the property on December 30 for $215,000. 

Two original buildings and the area that was formerly a courtyard and enclosed years ago will be renovated into "approximately 10" one and two-bedroom apartments with 800 to 1,200 sq.ft. of living space.  Several of the units will have mezzanine lofts.  Eleven new parking spaces will be installed where the demolition work is taking place.

Rendering from The Allentown Neighbor

At Main and High Streets, a one-story medical office building was demolished in recent days (right).  Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation is clearing the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus site to construct an $80 million, seven-story, 350,000 sq.ft. building (below). 

The new office building, at 1001 Main Street, will occupy about half of the Main/High/ Goodrich/Ellicott block.  The rest of the block is reserved for future development and is likely to be where a new Children's Hospital is constructed. 

Kideney Architects designed the building which will have two levels of underground parking and possibly a connection to the Allen Medical Hospital light rail station. 

Women & Children's Hospital outpatient surgery center will occupy 65,000 sq.ft.  UBMD, a physicians group associated with the University at Buffalo, is take 60,000 sq.ft. of space. 

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Meg Cheman:

If you've ever seen author Sarah Vowell on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," then you've experienced her wicked wit and no-nonsense historical perspective.  In Unfamiliar Fishes, Vowell takes on the history of our fiftieth state during a period in the nineteenth century, from the first New England missionaries to the "orgy of imperialism" when the United States took control of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.  Impeccably researched and smartly presented, Unfamiliar Fishes offers history from the perspectives of native Hawaiians as well as the haoles, who are, as Vowell tells us, "all the pasty-faced explorers, Bible thumpers, whalers, tycoons, con men, soldiers and vacationers who have washed ashore since Captain Cook."

Conflict was inevitable during the years of heightened missionary zeal which just happened to coincide with the golden age of whaling. Missionaries were gaining more influence over the high chiefs to prohibit sailors' "bad behavior" at a time when hundreds of ships were visiting Hawaii each year. The captain of a U.S. Military ship was particularly unapologetic for his crew's vandalism and threats against such prohibitions. It was purported that "he had rather have his hands tied behind him, or even cut off, and go home to the United States mutilated, than to have it said, that the privilege of having prostitutes on board his vessel was denied him." Ironically, even as the ban on cavorting with disease-ridden seamen saved lives, other diseases brought by the missionaries - measles, smallpox, cholera - ran rampant, prompting the natives to say that the "house of worship built by the haoles is a place in which they will pray us all to death."

Vowell brings to life the many colorful and historical figures of the time from Henry Obookiah, the first Hawaiian Christian, and Hiram Bingham who led the first company of missionaries, to King Kamehameha the Great who united the islands, and Queen Liliuokalani, the last graduate of the school designed to Americanize the royal children and the last Hawaiian Queen.  Read Unfamilar Fishes for a fascinating, unique look at the history of our 50th state.

A car careened off the edge of the Scajaquada Expressway, plummeting 35 to 40 feet to Niagara Street.

Coaches always say they want to win in the preseason, but they also want to gauge where certain parts of their team’s game stands. Bills head coach Chan Gailey had to be very pleased with what his ...

Accused of falsifying asbestos reports

Shawne Merriman's Buffalo debut went about as well as it possibly could have.

The Bills and Bears opened up their respective preseason schedules Saturday night, with Chicago defeating Buffalo 10-3. Bears backup QB Caleb Hanie ran for 2-yard score for the game’s only touchdown.

Despite the somewhat ugly scoreline, there certainly some positives for the Bills:

- The first-team offense looked pretty decent. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was fine (7-for-9, 44 yards) and everyone seemed comfortable. Fred Jackson had a very nice run early.

- TE Scott Chandler had a few early catches, and Fitz commented later that he has very high hopes for Chandler.

- QB Brad Smith was very effective running out of the Wildcat (three runs for first downs)…and I’m sure we’ve only scratched the surface of how Chan Gailey plans to use him.

- The Bills recorded nine (?!) sacks as a team, highlighted by brilliant back-to-back sacks by LB Shawne Merriman. “Lights out” was certainly that tonight. He looked fantastic. OLB Danny Batten, who missed his entire rookie season in 2010 with injury, also had two sacks.

… [visit site to read more]

THE BASICS: This political fantasy by Bernard Shaw, written during England's gloomy, tumultuous Great Depression, has rarely seen the light of day. The first Canadian production was, in fact, at the Shaw Festival, in 1986. This new version, adapted by Canadian playwright Michael Healey, runs in repertory at the Court House Theatre at Niagara-on-the-Lake, through October 8th. The play runs 2 ¼ hours with its single intermission.

THUMBNAIL SKETCH: The action takes place in the cabinet room at Number 10 Downing Street. Britain's likeable but weak-kneed and dithering Prime Minister gets a crash course in Marxism, and attempts to turn the country overnight into a Russian style communist dictatorship. A variety of colorful visitors, with strongly divergent viewpoints, descend upon him, but are able to agree on only one thing --this is a really bad idea! So Sir Arthur Chavender's revolution is quickly derailed, but dreams of an imposed, radical revised, utopian society continue, in the form of a couple of potential in-laws/PMs-to-be...

THE CAST, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: The cast of 15 is generally able, but not very colorful. Peter Krantz and Steven Sutcliffe share top billing as the "born again Marxist" PM and his conservative antagonist, Sir Dexter Rightside. I liked them both, but neither one wowed me. Shaw vet David Schurmann--as the affable, impoverished Duke of Domesday--and Cherissa Richards--as Dame Adhira Pandranath, a very embittered, titled, Indian entrepreneur--get my votes for best in show. Ben Sanders inexplicably shouts out all his lines as the PM's son, David. Mary Haney, so wonderful in DRAMA AT INISH, is wasted here in a "nothing" secretary role.

Adapter Michael Healey has started the play in what used to be about its middle, shifting much of the helpful introductory material into Act II, by means of a massive flashback. This is bold, but senseless, robbing the piece of its natural dramatic arc. ON THE ROCKS is talky, yes, but the talk is most invigorating. Heck, it's why we came! Happily, there are no long, uninterrupted speeches to bore us here. Joseph Ziegler's direction is most serviceable. There are lots of parallels to our present day world, and we do not miss them. The production values are Shaw-solid, but not exceptional.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Kudos to Jackie Maxwell and Co. for rescuing yet another worthy opus from literature's vast dustbin, and bringing it to our collective attention. I have a number of quibbles (as you know, unless you have merely skipped down to this section) but hey, when are you ever get to see this play again?! Shaw enthusiasts and CNN junkies should make a special point of attending! Rounding down a little bit this time, I will give ROCKS a respectable.

*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)

ONE BUFFALO:  This means trouble.   A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both.  Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.

TWO BUFFALOS:  Passable, but no great shakes.  Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic.  Unless you are the sort of person who's happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.

THREE BUFFALOS:  I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater.  If you don't go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.

FOUR BUFFALOS:  Both the production and the play are of high caliber.  If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.

Witnesses became part of a 'wall of heroes'

For those of you who only follow my Bills work, I am no longer with WECK 1230 AM. I’d like to ask you to come back to nickmendola.com later in this week for a big announcement on a relatively-massive future endeavor. In the meantime, follow me  for bunches of in-game thoughts on Twitter and join my friends list on the Facespace.

On to the reactions. Feels good to be back.

I love this photo:

– I want to love Thomas Chandler Gailey and Buddy “Buddy” Nix. It would be downright Tinseltown for two old Southern gentlemen to come up North and go all “Replacements” on the NFL, but is there reason to believe? Can two men take this long to “come into their own” as a head coach and general manager. The latter is easier to believe, as Nix will tell you he never planned on becoming a GM, but it wasn’t too long ago that we were all saying “Chan Gailey? That Chan Gailey” as we heard he’d become the new Bills coach.

I never watched “The X Files,” but I want to believe.

– First game impressions matter, and Marcell Dareus did not disappoint. Trivially, I love when you have a big D-lineman rocking No. 99 — or a linebacker with No. 55 — but real talk: that kid is a big, strong man. The Bills can’t afford to miss on a No. 3 overall pick and Dareus was the guy I wanted. I’d like to be right. Thanks, Marcell. On Twitter, we had a “President Dareus” joke going around. Anyone else want it as a nickname?

– It took all of one drive to remind me that the Bills will be fine with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. He’s decisive, has an adequate arm and more than enough pocket presence. I think as a Bills fan you have to prepare yourself for this season as a judgment on whether he can be a starting quarterback for three years or more. Remember, the Bills need to make the decision ASAP. While Fitzpatrick is the ideal team guy, if he makes it through the season to unrestricted free agency, it may be hard to turn away from the dollars that will likely be offered by big spenders in better-regarded organizations.

– Aaron Maybin… yeesh. I am beginning to genuinely feel sorry for him. I understand he’s rich, but there is no way he could’ve possibly imagined how poorly he’d perform at the NFL level. Marion Barber basically pancaked him on one blitz pick-up. Can he catch at all? I’d rather work him out at tight end for the rest of camp than pretend he has a prayer at being an outside linebacker in the NFL.

– Speaking of tight end, I grimaced when Scott Chandler couldn’t corral Fitz’s slightly overthrown pass on the first drive of the game. He’s a big target and made a catch later, but I hope the Bills have a plan to go after a No. 1 tight end, whether on the waiver wire or something. If Lee Evans is worth a fourth-round pick, then a serviceable tight end should be available in some fashion for much less.

– I’m going to make ‘roids quips all year, but if Shawne Merriman’s Bills debut is any indication of where the linebacker stands… wow. For years, I’ve lambasted Merriman for having a light switch tattooed on his forearm, but did you know he got his nickname by knocking four players out of a game in one half during high school?

– Kraig Urbik struggled in the contest. While I recognize it’s one game — and thought the Bills fans Tweeting for his release were overreacting — trusted compadre Mark Ludwiczak of Bills Digest says Urbik has looked bad for much of camp.

– Felton Huggins has an extremely long neck.

– Aaron Williams was definitely a rookie for most of the evening, but made two plays that showed why he was drafted so high by the Bills. First, his cartoonish speed in catching up to Johnny Knox on a long kick return, then his late third quarter interception sealed the evening’s “wow factor.”

– If I stick with my fantasy football team name of “Nude Fat Guys,” I’m excited for a new wrinkle to my drafting. I’ll say, “Here in the fifth round, I’d like Stevie Johnson to be a Nude Fat Guy.” If you grimace, it’s better than the five years we were called “Chest Hair Casserole.”

– Levi Brown had a very poor evening and we learned that either the Bills have zero depth on the offensive line or the Chicago Bears have the deepest defensive line in the history of football.

– The Bills got rid of Marcus Stroud and drafted Dareus to join Torell Troup, Spencer Johnson, Kyle Williams, Dwan Edwards et. al. All of the sudden I’m thrilled with their D-line depth? This is probably wrong.

– Nine sacks is pretty good considering that was a half-season total a few years back.

– I love the original “Jeremiah Johnson” starring Robert Redford, but if they remake it they should cast Fitz.

I’m going to save the normal Immediate Reactions features for the regular season. Also, coming soon… the 2011 season debut of the Bills Rap!

Email: nick@fcbuffalo.org

They are houses of infamy, sites of horrific crimes that gripped the community. But what happens to these homes after the crime scene is cleaned up, the TV cameras leave and the headlines give way to other stories?

Results of nonbinding vote come just hours after Texas Gov. Rick Perry entered the race.

Jamestown girl was taken from home and taken to deserted road before she escaped.