Reliving Our European Dream—in Buffalo, New York?
Where would you rather spend the month of August? In Europe or Buffalo?
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Do People Still Read Physical Books? You Betcha!
This was my first street festival where books, and the readers who love them, were the main attraction.
Why “La Famiglia e Tutto” (Family is Everything)
Sicilians have a saying—La Famiglia e Tutto (Family is Everything)—and they live by what they say.
Fingy Conners, Wild Bill Donovan, and the “Irish” First Ward
On my most recent trip back to Buffalo, I decided to take a walking tour through a different part of the city.
“Snow Sausages,” a Christmas Story of Love and Loss, December 1968
Family traditions are an important element of the Christmas holiday season, and the old West Side of Buffalo had some unique ones.
Wax Lips, Licorice Sticks and an Homage to the Corner Store
One of the things I miss most when I return to Buffalo is the family-owned corner store.
Publishing My West Side Story: It’s About to Get Real
Like every would-be author discovers, if writing a book isn’t difficult enough, the ordeal of trying to get it published tests all one’s powers of endurance.
Paying Homage to Poland, Pussy Willows, and Dyngus Day
People all over western New York are embracing the “spirit of Polonia,” even if for only a day.
“A City within a Park”
I spent many childhood days in Buffalo’s city parks. Little did I know then they were designed by America’s first and greatest landscape architect.
The Bodacious Gardens of Buffalo
When I was growing up on the West Side, little did I know that my crowded, urban neighborhood would one day host the biggest, most beautiful Garden Walk in America.
Who Speaks for the Trees?
I lived through one of our nation’s most devastating tree pandemics–Dutch Elm Disease–and I hope I never witness another.
Buffalo’s Wabi-Sabi
Like old structures, it is the flaws and imperfections that tell our stories and make us interesting.