City Crasher: Three Snapshots, Recipe of a Buffalo Kid

We all work hard.  Every day we go to work, and we tell ourselves that our day will come and maybe we’ll be able to do those little fun things we all love to do.  I’m here to let you know that nothing is stopping you from those little fun things we all enjoy.  In fact, the little fun things are all around Buffalo and we should be proud to live in a place with those opportunities.  This aside, it’s been a long week.

The connection is this: I went to Town Ballroom for the first time this weekend.  I saw Bad Religion this Friday.  It was a great show, and supposedly their second venue show in Buffalo.  Slightly hard to believe for the 27-year-old punk band, but that’s not important.  What was important is that I saw an incredible group of people enjoying themselves completely.  There was one girl who just glowed with excitement.  The band still owned the stage and the souls of all listening.  I saw them 10 years ago, and they still kept me grinning.

Town Ballroom is a great venue. They were smart and put in as many bars as they could, as well as maintaining what appeared to be original decor. Who knows if the moldings were original. I don’t much care except that I appreciated the aesthetic, the music and the fans.

On a somber, but uplifting note, I also participated in “Walking Eyes.” Walking Eyes was started by an incredible woman that I have the absolute honor of knowing.  Her name is Rebekah Williams.  Bekah organized a group in response to the Elmwood rapes and assaults around Gates Circle.  Every night, the group has walked the area of the assaults.  Lately, it’s been once a week.  I believe the next night is Friday.

I walked Sunday night. It was a relaxing but incredible experience.  Bringing visibility and awareness to this issue was great.  It’s powerful and validating and sends a sign to abusers that we as a neighborhood and a community aren’t taking this anymore.  I spoke with Bekah about other communities that this behavior wouldn’t be permissable mainly due to the fact that the community would be responsible for each other, and take care of each other.  If someone abused another, it would be taken care of by the community.

The question begs to be asked where we went wrong?  There is the annual “Take Back the Night” happening as well.  I encourage people to support this.  Seven oclock, this thursday at UB South campus.  When assaults and rapes happen to your family, it might wake you up to the issues we’re facing.  Hopefully it will never come to that.

The third defining activity this week?  It wasn’t activism, it wasn’t fanaticism, it was doing what a Buffalo girl does best—watching the game at Sterling Tavern on Hertel.  God Bless Hertel, first off.  I’m really loving this area of buffalo.  It’s comfortable and relaxing and the twentysomethings are taking over.  Take that as you will, good or bad.  Sterling is a nice, relaxed bar.  Great tap choices, and John, the bartender, is one of the sweetest gentlemen I’ve met in a long time.  The clientele is varied, but always sweet, and it truly is a place where everyone knows your name.  I’m jealous that I’m not a regular, to be honest.  I had the cheese perogies (oh dear god so good) and my friend had a burger (which he loved).  So hockey, food and beer ARE the key to a Buffalo kid’s heart.

So, to sum up my week, Bad religion at Town Ballroom was a great show, I’m still angry over the assaults, but proud of the large crowd supporting the neighborhood, and Sterling was a relaxing place.  No, there’s no connecting factor this week.  These are snapshots of different parts of Buffalo that I was lucky enough to be a part of, as well as important news affecting our lives.  This is Buffalo.  This is my neighborhood.

Posted by on 10/16 at 09:59 AM