Tuesday 9/27/2016 Buffalo, NY (The Re-Imerging City)
These past few weeks have been intense, mostly in my personal life. I had to do an emergency move to another studio in San Francisco and I got an extremely inconvenient hand injury (Iām currently typing with one hand) but I refused to let that stop me from visiting my friends in Buffalo and exploring a bit in the often over-looked āCity of Good Neighborsā.
Iām not sure how Buffalo has been slept on this whole time but from the looks of things, itās gonna blow up in a lot of ways in the coming years. Also, I came on the right weekend too, the Bills practically murdered the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday so everyone out here was in a great mood lol.
Because Iāve visited before, as a stranger passing through, Iāve had the opportunity to meet a few people and make friends. My homie Eddie, a local barber at Rust Belt Barbering, was cool enough to let me to stay at his apartment during my visit and gave me a tour of the 716 from the eyes of a true Buffalo native; Along with some other friends and local business owners who introduced me to the underground bike scene here.
The nightlife wasnāt too different from what Iām already used to. The drinks were strong, the women were beautiful (no, seriously, the Buffalo-Niagara area has a lot of beautiful women), and the vibes were super lit.
On Saturday we went to The Waiting Room for āHip-Hop Karaokeā night, which was made up of a very happy and very mixed crowd. There were white people, black people, latinos, asians, old, and young. Everyone was for the most part socializing with their immediate group while at the same time radiating an approachable energy that allowed everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. As for the event itself, the venue was great, and the performances were really entertaining and the music was danceable. Shout-out to the group running that show that shit is awesome.
By the way, I was hammered and threw up in one of the urinals.. sorry Waiting Room staff, I did my best to keep my mess as neat as possible.
On Sunday I went with my friends Joe and Sam, 2 local business owners, to a large underground biker community gathering in Downtown Buffalo. At the first meeting point we got a rare opportunity to watch Buffaloās own Truey V shoot his music video, going dumb on the hood of his murdered-out Jeep, with at least 25 bikers circling the truck. I didnāt get a chance to speak to him much but he had an honest and genuine look in his eye. At one point in towards the end of his video he yelled out āI LOVE YOU BUFFALO!ā It was pretty sick, Iām glad I was there to experience that moment.
After the first meeting spot the entire group of bikers, which consisted of around 60-75 people, hit the street, going through red-lights, playing music, drinking beer, smoking weed, and enjoying the freedom that is peddling down the open highway. Although I was literally the last one to arrive at the second meeting point (I rode the whole thing one handedā¦ yeaup.) I was glad I pushed through. The second meeting point was the Albright-Knox Museum entrance, where it had all 60+ riders partying comfortably all over itās staircase. It looked like scene out of a youth-movie back in the day.
I had the pleasure of meeting one of the core group members of āThe Rideā, Alex Loukataris. A bright 19 year old who named is fixie bike Downtown Brown, then married it. He told me about a little bit of the groupās history and how they manage the route so they can keep all the participants safe while at the same time having the time of their lives. He explained to me how they make sure everyone who participates stays safe, for example: Every time the bikers cross a street with a red-light, they yell out āClear!ā to let the riders behind them know the road is clear. Also, one of the core members will stand in front of the cars at the light while the riders pass so to make sure no car diver tries to act crazy. Trust me, these kids will fuck you up if you step out of line!
Today is my last full day in Buffalo before I head back home to the West Coast but I can already feel myself wanting to to come back. I want to follow up with the interesting people I met and continue meeting more people in the area. From what I see Buffalo is regenerating from being a forgotten city for the past few decades and the good people who live here are ready for growth as well. New businesses are popping up and the daily culture continues to refine itself. Opportunities are expected to sky rocket and the transplants are expected to come in flocks. Who knows, maybe Iāll be one of them.
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