Juno Discovers Buffalo

Moving to a new city, is always and adventure, but that adventure is more fun with a dog! 

MJ, her husband Chris and dog Juno, recently made the move from Alexandria, VA to Buffalo, NY.  Juno has helped MJ and Chris discover many dog friendly stops!

Summer has now faded into fall, but that doesn't mean that we have ceased exploring our new neighborhood in Buffalo, NY with our dog, Juno.

The blocks are long near our house, so the shortest walk is still at least 20 minutes, but even then, we are walking briskly and not sniffing every tree! 

When we are not simply enjoying our morning and evening constitutionals, though, there are places to go and things to see with our furry friend by our side.

One of Juno's favorite things to do when we lived in Del Ray was to go to Art on the Avenue, a yearly street festival dedicated to local and national artisans. She always loved walking down the middle of the road where she could see everything on both sides of the street, especially before the festival got under way. 

Well, of course Buffalo has their own versions of these festivals. The Allentown Art Festival (http://www.allentownartfestival.com) and the Elmwood Festival of the Arts (http://eafa.techriver.net) occur each year in July and August respectively. We moved in after the Allentown Festival this year, but we were able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Elmwood Festival! Juno enjoyed checking out the booths and listening to live music.

 

We always have to fuel our early morning walks with some caffeinated beverages, so we have found a few coffee shops that accommodate dogs.

 

Spot Coffee (http://www.spotcoffee.com) has several locations around the Buffalo area, and the Elmwood Avenue location features a large outdoor patio where pups can enjoy a drink of water while their humans have some coffee.

Cafe 59 in Prospect Hill (http://porterave.cafe59.com) recently opened on Porter Avenue and has a cute little patio area outside for dining. They serve their canine patrons homemade dinosaur-shaped cookies which Juno found delicious.

Allentown also has its own unique dog-friendly coffee shop in Cafe Taza (https://www.facebook.com/CafeTazaAllentown). This tiny shop has bar seating for maybe eight people, standing room for just a few more, but also allows dogs to come into the shop with their humans and enjoy a biscuit or two while they wait. We know that this will be a favorite of ours on the blustery days to come, although the lack of space means that other people and dogs will be vying for the same space!

We couldn't be more thrilled with our new neighborhood and its dog-friendly atmosphere. Just like in Del Ray, neighbors put out water bowls for their four-legged friends, and nearly everyone is willing to offer a friendly pat on the head or a belly rub. What more could a dog want?

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"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." -- Socrates

 

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Leash in Hand, Dog by My Side: Exploring a New City, 10,000 Steps at a Time

 

 

 

Before relocating to Buffalo, NY from the very walkable Del Ray section of Alexandria, VA, my husband and I considered what kind of lifestyle we wanted in our new city and thus, what neighborhood might best suit us.

Buffalo, NY, it's pretty close to Canada!

 

We looked at several well-known walkable areas in Buffalo. Each area features unique architecture and an individual neighborhood culture: 

 

Parkside - Located adjacent to the Buffalo Zoo and the 350-acre Delaware Park (http://www.bfloparks.org/parksystem/majorparks/36/delaware_park), Parkside showcases some of the best of Buffalo's housing design with a handful of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and broad parkways with lots of green space rolling down the middle of the divided road.

 

Hertel - One of the up-and-coming areas in Buffalo, this area features a lot of new growth in restaurants and independent shops and boutiques.

 

Elmwood Village - Located near the center of the city, Elmwood's unique artistic vibe is fueled by great local talent. From the professional musicians playing at Kleinhan's Music Hall to the Albright Knox Art Gallery's world-class collection and independent artist and musician studios dotting the area, there's no lack for cultural experiences here.

 

Ultimately, we settled on the Village for its proximity to a multitude of restaurants and shops, cultural attractions and cool Queen Anne style architecture. In the end, this central location has us only minutes from the neighborhoods previously mentioned, as well as only 5 to 10 minutes from downtown and the Canalside waterfront (http://www.canalsidebuffalo.com/).

 

Despite its reputation for snowy winters (any Western New York ("WNY") native will tell you that most of that reported activity actually occurs south of the metro area), Buffalo and WNY also has a great reputation for great weather with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures throughout the rest of the year. This translates to good walking weather.

 

So, leash in hand, my husband and I have begun exploring our new 'hood, one step at a time. Fortunately, our lab mix has always loved to walk and is always game to go on an adventure. 

 

In the mornings, we typically head north down the broad street in front of our house. Walking in this neighborhood provides much to look at. Beautiful Victorian mansions feature well-planned gardens showcasing flowers in constant bloom, unique greenery, and whimsical sculpture. Tiny cottages get into the game with showy postage-stamp front yards and secret garden sanctuaries.

 

We turn the corner and head into the heart of the commercial district for the Village. Even here, carefully manicured border gardens line the parking lots. People stop to say hello and pat J's head before continuing on their way. 

 

With so much to see, it's easy to spend an hour simply walking around. We are certainly not speed-walking, but we are getting in a good leg stretch before breakfast. My pedometer measures an average of nearly 5,000 steps just for the morning jaunt, so with a minimum of 2 walks in a day, getting those 10,000 steps in is a pleasurable breeze.

Juno, exploring her new environs

 

We are looking forward to exploring more of our neighborhood and our new city with our canine companion and as we do, I'll share more of our discoveries.

 

Where do your PawsGo?  Share your neighborhood walk with us!  Send us a tweet or a message through Facebook!

MJ Courchesne is a freelance publishing consultant, writer, and part-time personal trainer with a passion for gardening, walking, wine, and travel. She lives in a restored 1890s Victorian home situated in the heart of Buffalo with her husband and lab mix, Juno. Her new blog can be found at http://nickelcityboomerang.blogspot.com/.