10 Reasons to Visit Buffalo in the Winter

I love Buffalo.  I loved growing up there, and if things had worked out differently I might have raised my kids there.  But as an ex-pat Buffalonian, it’s my right to make fun of Buffalo as frequently as possible.  So, as we leave Buffalo during yet another snowfall, here are ten semi-serious reasons why visiting Buffalo in the dead of winter is awesome.  If my typing looks a little shaky, it’s because I’m shivering.

Sledding

Chestnut Ridge Park, Delaware Park, or even just whatever big debris-filled parking lot pile the plows are pushing their snow onto. Sledding in Buffalo is awesome. 

Shopping

Unlike at my local Target, which has already replaced the glove-and-hat section with bikinis, you can still buy gloves here when your kids have already lost the ones they started the trip with.

Driving

You can make a right turn here in winter without worrying about hitting a bicyclist.  Unlike the unhelmeted crazies in NYC who use bikes as their main transportation year-round in all weather, nobody bikes in Buffalo in winter.

Sabres Games

Hockey shouldn’t be played in places that are warm in the winter, it’s just wrong. Come root for a classic underdog team.

Mighty Taco

Fast-food tacos and burritos worth leaving your warm hotel room for. 

Shoveling

No, seriously. It’s great exercise.  And you might earn some pocket money.

Wings

Not “chicken wings” or “Buffalo wings.” They’re just wings. I’m a vegetarian, so I’ve never had them, but they’re a big deal around here. (And apparently, according to many Western-New-York carnivores, I’ve cracked the code on making great wings at home.)

Plus, they’re served with a lot of Bleu cheese dressing, which is never a bad thing.

Canadian beer

Again, not something I’ve ever had (I don’t drink). But it seems to be a big deal around here (the judge who officiated my wedding got a couple cases of Labatts in the deal).  And I hear drinking keeps you warm.

Chinese food in Fort Erie

Yes, traveling to a foreign country, showing a passport, and going through customs might seem like a lot of trouble just to eat lunch, but everybody does it anyway.  And while you’re there, you can pick up an Aero bar and some ketchup chips.  What else have you got to do?  You’ve already shoveled and gone sledding.

Niagara Falls

If you’ve only seen The Falls in good weather, then you haven’t seen them at their most beautiful.  The mist freezes on everything – the rocks, the trees, the stairs – and it’s spectacular. Sure, you may break a hip, but you’ll be waiting for the ambulance in a winter wonderland.