Place Where You Live:

Buffalo, New York

Growing up in Buffalo, New York means dealing with tons of snow and sports teams that test us at every game. Now that may seem bad, but to us, it’s how we live. We get up at ungodly hours just to shovel a path out of the drive way. We scream and scream at the Bills at the Ralph every Sunday, but show up even when it’s snowing and below zero because we “Billieve”. Generations of my family grew up in the “City of Good Neighbors”, and I plan to have my kids here too. It’s a beautiful place, and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.
A universal truth: Buffalo is home to the BEST food. From beef on weck, Ted’s Hot Dogs, Weber’s mustard, Mighty Taco, chicken wings (NOT Buffalo wings)… I could go on and on. People come here for the food, and stay because of it. People who leave constantly crave it (me included) and ask for family to send it to them. We are proud of our food – it’s like our own little secret.
Another thing about Buffalo – something that I may love the most – is the people here. We really are the City of Good Neighbors, especially in times of crisis. This past November we experienced a huge, record setting snowfall. Yes, you read that right. November. Before Thanksgiving. I woke up the morning after the first night of the storm to 7 ½ feet of snow. We had to climb out of a window just to get a shovel, and found our trusty snow blower to be broken. After hours of constant shoveling in a blizzard just to get a narrow path to the street, a man with a plow came by and offered to do our whole driveway and sidewalks, and wouldn’t accept any form of payment. He ended up doing that for the whole neighborhood, and I will never forget that. That’s the kindness that we see and hope to give here.
Buffalo is such a unique place full of life. I love my city, and that will never change.