re: buffalo, ny

Do you know anyone from Buffalo?

Again, it may not suck as much as you think. I'll find out a bit more about it first hand in a few weeks, but I can't go around saying that a city that I've never been to sucks.

I've been to Buffalo several times...went there over Spring Break actually with the g/f.

The city was based on steel and other industries of the older industrial era. And just like every other city in the rust belt, it's been hit hard. Look at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, even St. Louis, all have been losing population to the 'white flight' for a while.

Buffalo is a VERY passionate sports town however. Right with Green Bay for the Packers and maybe Boston with the Red Sox (real Sawx fans that is). They love their Bills and they love their Sabres. Seats will be full. They damn near lured a major league team during the 92' expansion because of their willingness to build a stadium...and they still built the fricker when they had no idea whether they would get a team.

Unfortunately, Buffalo as a sports town is still in the balance. Ralph Wilson takes care of his guys, but how long will the Bills be there? The Sabres are pretty safe...hockey is smaller market anyway. But as the Bills go...TO is an effort to make the Bills relevant. Nobody complained in the early 90's about them possibly moving, because they were relevant on the NFL landscape. The population and city was still suffering though, yeah?

Basically, they haven't been able to transfer into the technology/research and development fields that have sun belt cities booming. Cleveland has at least stabalized...but Buffalo...who knows?

Yeah, the weather sucks. But if you go during the summer, it's quite pleasant.

Nice. Thanks.

EVERY Buffaloan who I know (mostly my girlfriend and her family) loves the Sabres. Passionate fans. I would think that there are other aspects of the city that would appeal to a professional athlete. And if not, then you're not too far from Toronto.

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And yes, there is nightlife in Buffalo...something tells me that is hard to come by in Green Bay, Sacramento...maybe even Portland.

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Portland is a pretty nice city with nightlife (not to mention that you are just under a 3 hour drive to Seattle which is similar to driving to Toronto from Buffalo/Detroit ).

Don't know much about Sacramento and I've never been to Green Bay at night, so I don't know much about the night life. I would have to say though, that the city would be non existent if the Packers were not there.

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Portland is a pretty nice city with nightlife (not to mention that you are only 80+ miles to Seattle which is similar to driving to New Orleans from Baton Rouge).

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portland and seattle are no where close to the same distance as BR and NOLA. more like 3 hrs.

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Gf's trying to get me hooked on the Sabres, which is no big deal. I'm not a huge hockey fan to begin with, so I guess I'll humor her.

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I wasn't a hockey fan either until I went to see a Red Wings game live. Pretty amazing experience. While I'm not suggesting that anyone who sees an NHL game live will become a fan, watching games on TV will do it no justice.

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Portland is a pretty nice city with nightlife (not to mention that you are only 80+ miles to Seattle which is similar to driving to New Orleans from Baton Rouge).




portland and seattle are no where close to the same distance as BR and NOLA. more like 3 hrs.

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Ooops, my bad. I was thinking back to when I went to a friends wedding just south of Seattle in '01 and Portland was just over an hour from there.

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is there a worse city to live in for a professional athlete (excluding some canadian cities for hockey)?

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excluding the cold arse weather, it seems like a nice little homely place to get drunk and bang bitches. (in the off season I guess)

I never thought I could adjust to living an a turrable city but it wasn't so bad afterall.

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Very true.

Neither will trying to be a Thrashers fan...

I'm convinced that the ownership actively hates their potential fan base

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Yeah, the Thrashers ownership does seem pretty fricked up. Aside from Kovalchuk (sp?) was there anything going for that team?

At least in hockey towns up north, the fans seem to get a nice response from ownership...except in ticket prices.

Me and gf walked up to the HSBC Center after just finding out the Wings were in town. The Sabres had just been eliminated mathematically, and it was a Sunday night. Cheapest ticket was up top for $58. No thanks.

I actually do enjoy watching hockey on tv anyway.

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Yeah, the Thrashers ownership does seem pretty fricked up. Aside from Kovalchuk (sp?) was there anything going for that team?

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My money says that he's gone really soon. He's basically our last "name" guy. Last Thrashers game I went to was against the Flyers. 7-0 later...

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Me and gf walked up to the HSBC Center after just finding out the Wings were in town. The Sabres had just been eliminated mathematically, and it was a Sunday night. Cheapest ticket was up top for $58. No thanks.

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Thing is, the Thrashers have a great venue, and they have some great deals on ticket prices. They also have some cool package deals, like all you can eat sections, etc.

But they put a crap product on the ice, and when they get a good team, they try to make it mediocre or worse ASAP. It's very frustrating.

I may have to go back to following the Stars, if only to mess with certain people.