Mulligan's Brick Bar - Allen St.

Looking for the perfect spot for a relaxed or fun happy hour out? Brick Bar (located at 229 Allen St.) in Buffalo has got you covered! With a big bar in the front and back of the building, darts, a pool table, televisions for you to catch a sports function, and unique decor choices, you could never say you're bored there. Its the spot to be. They have an outdoor patio located in the front of the building so you'll be able to catch all the action that happens on Allen St. without having to leave the bar. Its one of my favorite places to go on Allen. Friend them on Facebook and check it out sometime!

-B

Let's Go Buffalo! Blue & Gold

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Buffalo Sabres game vs. the Boston Bruins with my Dad. The game was held at the First Niagara Center (FNC) which is located in downtown Buffalo.

While the Sabres lost the night we attended, it was nice to have the opportunity to sit in the 200 Level where we could order food and drink from our seats if we didn't want to go to the stands. It was a nice "luxury" to have for one night, since a majority of the time I am sitting in the "nosebleeds" 300 level section.

The FNC venue was formerly known as HSBC Arena, until the bank was bought out by First Niagara a year ago.

Did you know?!? The venue has been open since September of 1996 and since that time has hosted over 11 million people for a variety of entertainment and sporting events.

FNC is not only home to the Buffalo Sabres, but also another Buffalo sports team the Buffalo Bandits. The venue offers guests with the opportunity to have private functions held in a party suite. It also has a Sports Hall of Fame display located outside the Sabres Store and Sabretooth's (the Buffalo Sabres mascot) house, a fun place to take the kids before, in-between periods, or after games. To receive more information on these features, click here.

Right now if you make your way down to the FNC you will notice construction taking place. In efforts to revitalize the City of Buffalo's Waterfront, Terry Pegula, the Owner of the Buffalo Sabres, put a plan together for the Webster Block. Included in this project are two new ice rinks, a hotel, retail shops and restaurants. For more information or to stay up-to-date on the project you can follow it here: Harbor Center Development.

A tip of advice: If attending an event you may want to leave earlier than planned as parking can be difficult to find, also be prepared to wait after a game or concert if you parked in a parking ramp as traffic gets backed up. If you don't mind walking, finding a parking lot a couple blocks from the FNC is the best way to go. You'll get out faster, its cheaper, and you even sneak in some exercise.

While the Sabres and the Bandits haven't had the best seasons, maybe the revitalization down by Canalside will boost spirits not only for the fans and residents of Buffalo, but the professional athletes that play for our sports teams.Sometimes we all just need a fresh start and maybe this "project" is that step in the right direction.

-B

What is Dyngus Day?

With it being a week since the Polish festivity I thought I would write about what Dyngus Day really is. Dyngus Day is a celebration held on Easter Monday in Poland. In tradition, boys dump water over girls they like and then spank them with pussy willows. In modern times, it is known as guys squirting girls they like with squirt guns and the girls chasing them away with the pussy willows. This tradition has been traced back to the 15th century. Dyngus Day in America is most notably known in Buffalo, NY according to Wikipedia. Other big Dyngus Day celebrations take place in Chicago, IL. "The Buffalo Dyngus Day celebrations only started in the 1960s as an effort by the Polish-American community in the city to find a new focus for its identity. It proved hugely successful, to the point that a local newspaper claimed that "everybody is Polish on Dyngus Day. It has become a fusion of Polish and American traditions, with polka bands and Polish food accompanying American patriotic songs sung in English.Party-goers dress up in the red-and-white colors of the Polish flag and carry balloons saying "Happy Dyngus Day" in English." (Wikipedia.com)

While there are a variety of places to go for Dyngus Day in Buffalo the east side of Buffalo is one of the biggest hot spots to go for the celebrations. The parade kicks off at the Broadway Market and makes its way down Fillmore Ave. to the Central Terminal grounds where this year they were host to the festivities outside the building due to renovations taking place. Below are some pictures of the new set-up. Food trucks lined the outskirts of the entrance before you made your way into one of the tents that served a wide array of alcohol and food.

Like people say "everyone is Polish on Dyngus Day." Mark it in your calendars, next years Dyngus Day is Monday, April 21, 2014.

-B

Happy Dyngus Day!

Happy Dyngus Day! For more information on today's festivities take a look at the Dyngus Day Buffalo website below for all the information you need: schedule of events, times, locations and prices- Dyngus Day Buffalo If you're celebrating today, don't forget those pussy willows and squirt guns!

Can't wait to share more on this Polish Celebration with you later in the week!

-B

A Little Celebration at 26 Virginia Place in Buffalo

On a narrow and occasionally quiet street lies nestled a wonderful restaurant and bar called Scarlet . Located in the Allen district of Buffalo, I heard great things about this place from some of my friends so I thought why not kickoff my birthday celebrations with a happy hour there. For it being my first time and having a party of 20 come in unannounced, I didn't know what to expect, but to my surprise the staff impressed me. They were friendly, courteous and the prices are reasonable. Because of the good experience I had, it left me wanting to come back for another visit again soon. If you've never been I recommend it and if you have been there before what are your thoughts? I'd love to know.

-B

For more on Scarlet, "Like" them on Facebook: Scarlet Restaurant

St. Patrick's Day Buffalo Style

St. Patrick's Day in Buffalo is always known to be one of the biggest events in town. Crowds of people, young and old, line the street up and down Delaware Avenue to enjoy the parade. Here are some pictures from yesterday's chilly parade day. If you attended the parade what did you think of it this year?

-B

Some Boutique.Bridal.Party Fun!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Boutique.Bridal.Party at the Hotel Lafayette. For only $8 a ticket, my friend Shanna and I tagged along to show our support, give our opinions, and to check out all the pretty vendors while our friend Kate, the Bride, received more information from a variety of people.

Kudos to Anatomy and City Lights Studio for putting together a bridal boutique party that was pretty, classy, simple, and enjoyable all while showcasing some of the best people in the business and highlighting the gorgeous Hotel Lafayette.

Some of my personal favorites were Bella Belle Shoes, Love Mia, Elizabeth Dugan Hairstylist and Makeup Artist and LeeAndi's Designs

(For a full list of the participating vendors go to boutiquebridalparty.com )

 -B

"A Marchful"

As we go through the last day of February, we enter one of my favorite months, March! Some may not feel the same way as me because the weather is gloomy, the month can feel somewhat long and people feel like there's nothing to do around town. But really there is plenty to do. Here is a list of some events happening in the month March around town:

• Dance Marathon to benefit the Alzheimer's Association (March 1)
• Wines of the World (March 1)
• Lewiston Cocktail Festival (March 2)
• Shamrock Run (March 2)
• Rihanna Concert (March 8)
• Buffalo Rugby Club - Player Camp (March 8,9)
• Buffalo Home & Garden Show (March 8,9,10)
• The Old First Ward Parade (March 16)
• The St. Patrick's Day Parade on Delaware (March 17)
• Blues & Brews event at the Ellicott Square Building (March 22)
• Carrie Underwood (March 26)
• Easter (March 31)

If these events don't appeal to you or if you're on a tight budget and don't know what to do, be creative, make holiday decorations for St. Patrick's Day or Easter. Attend one of the many parades around town, or even try your hand at making at-home versions of shamrock shakes, cupcakes, or cocktails.

On the horizon for me - a launch party, birthdays, trips, and lots of fun events. Whatever your month of March is like, I hope you find a little luck and a pot of gold along the way.

-B

Polar Bites 2013

Last week I had the pleasure of attending one of my favorite events in Buffalo. Polar Bites. Polar Bites is a annual event that benefits the Buffalo Zoo. A variety of restaurants, breweries and wineries fill the upstairs of the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center every February and guests have an opportunity to try samples of food and drink. Guests also have an opportunity to bid on some auction items and purchase animal artwork. If you ever have an opportunity to attend this event, do so! It is fairly priced (purchase pre-sale tickets for $35) and you're guaranteed to have a fun time out.

-B

Back in time to see the Dinosaurs & Time to get ripped off

While I don't like to write about bad events, I feel as though I have to write about an event I attended this past weekend, that left me and my family disappointed. The Buffalo Niagara Convention Center was home to Discover the Dinosaurs this past weekend and while crowds of people attended, a lot of people walked away thinking why did I attend this?

The event was publicized on local TV and radio and sounded like an exciting must-see event, but after walking through the 10 minute maze of dinosaur statues, it was pure disappointment. Half of the dinosaurs were displayed throughout half of the upstairs of the Convention Center while the rest of the smaller dinosaurs were just thrown in corners, as if the people in charge didn't have time to put them in appropriate spots. On the other half of the room upstairs, they had face painting and dinosaur rides. While there were activities for the children everything had an extra cost and nothing was really included with the admission price except walking through to see the 10 dinosaur statues, if that.

For a ridiculous price ($17 for adults 12 and up, $15 for 65 yrs and older and children 2-11 yrs $20) it was a big rip off in my opinion. The only rewarding part of this event was that my 2 year old niece enjoyed herself. If this event comes back to Buffalo next year I would tell anyone to save their money and go to the Buffalo Zoo or Niagara Falls Aquarium instead.

-B

The lovely East Aurora, NY

Over the weekend I headed down the 400 to the lovely East Aurora, NY. About a 30-35 minute drive from Buffalo, Main Street in East Aurora is lined with specialty shops, great restaurants, preserved homes and churches.

For a village that has a population of 6,236 (back in 2010 census) it offers a wide array of activities. From shopping, to eating, to going for a wine tasting at Salut Wine and Spirits or beer sampling at Aurora Brew Works, you can also take the family ice skating at the Healthy Zone Rink . East Aurora is also home of Fisher Price's Corporate Headquarters, and a landmark, the Roycroft Inn.

It's a nice village, that has that "old town, USA" feel to it when you are visiting. If you ever have a chance to spend an afternoon there, you will enjoy it.

-B

Some fun facts about East Aurora, NY:

• East Aurora was one of the first communities to successfully block a Wal-Mart store, in 1995 and again in 1999. The act was led by a community group in an attempt to preserve the small town values, and help support privately owned businesses.
• Former President of the United States, Millard Fillmore and his wife, Abigail lived in East Aurora, NY from 1826-1830.
• The town was the home of the inaugural owner of the NHL Franchise Buffalo Sabres, Seymour H. Knox. The Knox Estates, now known as Knox Farm is a 633-acre New York State park.

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready for some football?!? Superbowl Sunday is just a few days away and while the Buffalo Bills aren't playing in the game you can bet I'll still be watching along with the millions of other people. I'm indifferent to either team winning as I like both the Baltimore Ravens (I liked them more when they had former Buffalo Bill, Lee Evans on the team) and the 49ers.

More importantly I'm excited to see one of my favorite performers Beyonce perform during the Halftime Show. Earlier this month I entered in the Pepsi contest to try and get on the field for her performance, while that's not happening, the pictures I submitted may still be used during her performance which is still pretty cool.

While the main point of the Superbowl is watching the football game, we all gather at someones home or go out to a bar or restaurant to watch the game. Food is an important factor for this big event whether your staying low key or doing it up big. Below are some of the best Superbowl party foods to have for your party. Now let's just hope the game is fun and entertaining!

Top 5 Foods to have at your Superbowl Party

1. Chicken Wings (that's a given)
2. Chili
3. Pizza
4. Dips/Spreads (spinach dip, chicken wing dip, bread dip, cheese platters, crackers, etc)
5. Vegetables (for those watching what they eat)

-B

FLURRIOUS!

This past weekend, I, along with my sister and niece attended FLURRIOUS! an annual winter festival that takes place in Delaware Park. It's a free event open to the public that provides fun activities throughout the day.

This year, attendees had a variety of activities to participate in, such as, kickball, snow tennis, ice hockey, or sledding in the park. The weather was perfect for this all day event. Snow was on the ground and the temperature was in the mid 20's, making it a perfect winter day.

Food and drink were available for purchase and live music played as visitors were walking around. Overall its a great winter event to take the family to or to grab a group of friends and form a team for one of the kickball tournaments.

 

So Long, Farewell to The Mohawk Place

Whether you've ever been to a concert there or not, The Mohawk Place was and will remain in our hearts to be a Buffalo Landmark in downtown Buffalo. Bringing in a variety of bands and people from all over the world throughout the last 20 something years. This venue created memories and instilled a little Rock N' Roll in all of us. This past weekend they closed there doors one last time, going out with a bang - celebrating a kick ass farewell weekend.

While we will always have the memories, it just won't be the same. In the words of the staff "Well now, everything dies, baby, that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back..."

-B

Strike a Pose

Elmwood Ave.

Over this past weekend, my friend Lacey took some photos of me for my blog. While I can say with confidence, I could never, ever, be a model, it was fun to take some pictures for a few hours. Take a look at a few of my favorite shots below.

 -B

                    On the stairs of City Hall    

             

              Buffalo "All-America City"    Strike a pose on Main St.

                               

                                           Delaware Park

                                

                             

                                                      SHOUT

All photos you see here were taken courtesy of my amazing friend and amazing photographer Lacey J.