The Buffalo Wing Tour of Buffalo

Ask a foodie, and the city of Buffalo in upstate New York has one main claim to fame: it’s the birthplace of the buffalo wing.  And as you’d expect, every restaurant and bar in town has their own version—many of them pretty delicious. In the battle for “best wing,” though, some contenders rise to the top. These are a few.

The Anchor Bar invented the buffalo wing… of course it has to get top billing in a wing round-up. The owner at the time whipped up a batch to feed her son and his friends, who scarfed the deep-fried, spicy, blue cheese-accented invention and swiftly returned for more. Thus was an iconic American bar snack born.  (Or that’s one version of the story. There are others, but they mostly all take place in the Anchor kitchen.)

Architecture of Buffalo

Although its roots are industrial, Buffalo came into its own as an artist in the mid-19^th century. When its more cosmopolitan neighbors stumble upon reminders of its thriving cultural scene, they always act shocked—but the truth is, art and architecture have thrived here over the past 150 years.

It started with Elbert Hubbard, a businessman turned visionary architect/writer,  who founded the American Arts & Crafts movement and lured some of the country’s finest talent to Buffalo at the turn of the 20^th century. Hubbard established the Roycroft Campus in neighboring East Aurora; it was the community for Arts & Crafts artisans until 1938.

Buffalo's Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage

Buffalo, New York, already boasts one of the largest Frank Lloyd Wright collections in the country. Now architecture enthusiasts can admire the reconstruction of three Wright buildings at the Darwin D. Martin House Complex, the city's finest architectural treasure. This is the first time in America that demolished Wright structures have been restored to their original state.

Photo credit: Buffalo, NY (Stephen Zimmermann/Wikipedia)