Since today is the book launch for Black Ice, Book Two of the Buffalo Trilogy, I thought that it might be of interest to my readers to see parts of Cosi McCarthy’s West Side as it looks today. The neighborhood I describe in my novels is real, even if Cosi and her family are not, and for those readers who have never been to the West Side of Buffalo, I want you to know things have improved in Cosi’s old ‘hood!
Every year, my sister and I participate in “Garden Walk Buffalo,” an annual event that is now the largest garden walk in the United States.https://moxiegardiner.com/2021/07/31/the-bodacious-gardens-of-buffalo/ Many times we have visited other areas of the city, like Elmwood Village and Central Park, with grand old Victorian houses and large, spectacular, wrap-around gardens. This year, however, to celebrate the launch of my new book, I suggested that we walk the streets that Cosi would have walked, to see how they are faring more than 50 years later.
As recently as the last decade, Buffalo had some 4,500 vacant homes, many of them on the West Side. [1] A program that the city called the Urban Homestead Program allowed residents to buy these homes for $1, as long as they repaired the home and lived in it for at least three years. By the looks of things, many took advantage of it. As anyone who has paid attention to the real estate market, Buffalo’s inner city (at least parts of it) have experienced quite a rebirth. The average house on the West Side is now selling for around $200k.
One reason is that this section of the inner city has plenty of natural beauty. From Niagara Street you can see the beautiful Peace Bridge to Canada and the mighty Niagara River. A bit closer to downtown you can view Lake Erie and the once bustling waterfront, with its harbor, grain mills, steel mill and heavy industries. The West Side has always been a melting pot of immigrants and laborers, where modest homes are crowded onto narrow streets, with a church—and a bar—on nearly every other corner back in the 1960s when Cosi McCarthy was a young girl.
My sister and I were pleasantly surprised to find that much of the old neighborhood has changed for the better. Many old homes have been improved and repainted in vibrant colors, and are accompanied by lovely, private gardens in the small back yards. New restaurants and businesses are popping up on Niagara Street and several government programs continue to help residents reclaim the inner city.
Some readers have commented that my books have painted a somewhat bleak picture of Buffalo. Like many Rust Belt cities, it suffered serious financial difficulties when the industrial landscape changed. I am happy to say that all around me, I see signs of Buffalo making a real comeback. Perhaps one day, it will return to its former glory as one of the most important cities on the Great Lakes. Will the final book in the Buffalo Trilogy talk about a “Buffalo Renaissance” during Cosi’s lifetime? You’ll have to wait and see!
Do you live in Buffalo? What do you make of the changes you see in the inner city? Please share your thoughts in the comments, below!
Moxie Gardiner is a writer, gardener, and traveler who grew up on the West Side of Buffalo, NY. In a previous life she was a journalist, magazine editor, speech writer, and policy wonk. Back in the day she made three solo parachute jumps, flew in an F-15 fighter jet, and crawled through mud pits at the Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama. She now meditates, grows tomatoes, and enjoys a good online Zumba routine at home on winter evenings. Virgin Snow is her first novel, and as of this writing, Black Ice, Book Two in the Buffalo trilogy, will be out in the world on July 31, 2026.
[1] For more information on Buffalo’s Urban Homestead Program see https://wnyc.org/story/buffalo-abandoned-homes-selling-for-1/
Love your blogs!!