Sebastian White :: My View: At Home in Buffalo Niagara

ESSAYS

My View: At Home in Buffalo Niagara

The Buffalo News | February 18, 2003
By Sebastian White

It's funny the things that come up at snooty New England parties—Buffalo is one of them.

"It's actually a pretty cool place," I sheepishly interjected when recent dinner conversation turned to mockery of (pitiful) weather in (backwater) Buffalo.

Where I come from, convincing people that 'Buffalo' and 'cool' really belong together in the same thought is a tough sell. But I've tried. Making my pitch one Maine evening, extolling the beauty of Forest Lawn, the stately old neighborhoods and the civility of Olmsted's gracious parkways that punctuate and connect them all, I found myself contemplating my own future in Buffalo.

Graduating this spring from one of western New York's numerous colleges, I, like many others, am faced with the dilemma puzzling regional economic cheerleaders: Do I stay or do I go?

The answer is complicated. What I'm certain about, however, is the genuine and sincere depth of my emotions about Buffalo and its environs after living here for fewer than four years. My perplexed family and friends are astounded by my passionate feelings for the city.

My love affair with Buffalo Niagara began early one spring morning freshman year when my friend Jason and I ventured to the Falls before leaving for the summer. It being my first visit to the roaring wonder, I stood silently with my friend on the rocks off Goat Island, precariously close to the roilings of the river below. I was awed by the sheer might of the place. Under the warmth of the new day's sun, and overcome by unanticipated feelings, I felt no desire to leave.

That day at Niagara, I felt uncertainty, too. After all, what did it say about me if I admitted that Buffalo, this supposed backwater, was cool? It was months—and a move back to New England—before I realized that on that striking day I'd found a profound sense of home in western New York, one wholly removed from my past.

Since moving to western New York in 1999, all my notions about the place and its people have changed significantly. I've grown to appreciate this glorious and (occasionally) maddening outpost on the Great Lakes. Certainly, the cliché that Buffalo's charm lies in its people is true. But what about its unique regional culture, its seductive aesthetic, its je ne sais quoi?

Today, three years after my epiphany, I feel smug when I speak of Buffalo as if it's a secret the world has yet to be let in on. The jaundiced eyes of listeners light up when I describe Delaware Avenue mansions, rave about the Albright-Knox, and glorify the city's enviable park system.

For us soon-to-be graduates, half the battle in countering the western New York brain drain is ensuring that young people understand, appreciate, and feel strong ties to Buffalo Niagara and know that a future is here for them. Unfortunately, the norm is that young people know little more about the area than the strategic locations of its many malls, the bars on Chippewa, and the fastest route out to the airport and to Canada.

These are all great things, but what about appreciation and respect for the dreams, the spirit, and the high hopes that built the region and will determine its destiny?

Living and studying in the midst of Buffalo Niagara has been a larger lesson in history, society, and community that is sure to figure prominently in my post-graduation plans. I'm hoping that concepts like 'cool', 'great home' and 'fantastic job' can mean Buffalo, too.

Ultimately, if I don't settle here, I'm sure the strong emotional pull will bring me back to the place where I grew and where, above all, I learned to see this tiny corner of the world in all its glory. I will always be thankful for, and an ardent supporter of, Buffalo Niagara.