Bye Bye Buffalo, Tally Ho Toronto!

The town of Buffalo (pictured rainy and damp but cheerful nonetheless). City Hall and the monument to President McKinley (small white obelisk) who was assassinated in Buffalo (oops! another thing the city is famous for) in 1901.



Cara running the show at Buffalo's City Hall.....scary huh!?! Beautiful room though!



Cara the keen architect at Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex (under major restoration, a bit hard to find the actual house under all the construction) .



The Buffalo Wing Experience (wiht Tom a CouchSurfer)



The Cara and The Pollock (at the Albright Knox). Oooh Ahhh!

Hello!

So I made it Buffalo which I quite like! It's a nice city (poorest in the country I believe) with great architecture! Yesterday, I wandered around the city admiring the buildings and took a tour of City Hall (beautiful architecture of course) which included seeing the city from above on the observation deck.

Today, I went to visit the Martin House, a Frank Lloyd Wright creation, ate Buffalo Wings (something one must do in Buffalo) at Anchor Bar and spent like 6 hours at the Albright Knox Art Gallery (Friday afternoon just happens to be their free time!). The Albright Knox had some great stuff- Miro, Chagall, David, Bonheur, Van Gough...loved it!

Tomorrow...Niagara Falls and then a rendez vous with Kathryn to be chauffeured to Toronto...life is GREAT!

Random Buffalo facts:
-The first place to have electricity in the USA...thank you renewable energy from Niagara Falls! -Halloween decorations are going up fast and furious around here! I keep buying small amounts of Halloween candy...I can't help it!
- Annually, Buffalo receives a 'lake-effect blizzard' which means a whole lot of snow! Apparently the Lake causes a 'severe blizzard' which means winds of 45 mph plus blowing snow and temps 10F or below! Sounds fun hey! Remind me not to come here in winter!
-Everyone is pretty friendly (as they were in Kentucky!). The supermarket employees seem to know most of their customers...they were hugging them!
-Buffalo has proudly produced a President of the USA somewhere along the line...that seems to be a thing to be proud of no matter where you go.
-You only have to wear a helmet while cycling if you’re under 16
-An unintentionally survey of the bum population states that I am pretty (I been told that multiple times on the street...always nice...watch out!).
-Every wanted to know how buffalo wings came about?

Me neither but here we go: In 1964, Terressa Bellisimo made an impromptu snack for some patrons who were enjoying an evening at the Anchor Bar, her family's bar and restaurant. She took some chicken wings that were left over from the day, deep-fried them, added some hot sauce and served them crisp and hot. Her friends loved them and gradually other restaurants throughout the city - and eventually the world - began serving this new delicacy!

Stuck in Cincinnati...

So...plans are a changin'!!

I am stuck in Cincinnati!!! I am actually technically in Kentucky as we speak at a Days in Motel! My flight was delayed and I missed my connection (with the same airline) to Buffalo, NY so everything is now set back a day and I am seeing Cincinnati tomorrow! Ohio hey!?! Good thing I have my guide book! Crazy! All part of the adventure!

Alright gotta go to bed...in Kentucky....IN KENTUCKY!!!

Cara =)

Up Up and Away!

Hello!

The Developments!!! The Plan!!!:

I have a flight to Buffalo, NY on Tues and will stay 2 or 3 nights there (apparently Buffalo has a great Art Museum) before heading to Niagara Falls and then onto Toronto to see Kathryn and her mother, Honey. I met Honey randomly on a bus in Annecy, France. She was an exchnage teacher and told me I should look her daughter up in Lyon! And so I did! They have both returned to Canada now! I will hang out with them for a couple of days and see Toronto. Then Kathryn and I are going to Montreal! I will see Montreal for a few of days (I have a friend, Charles, whom I met in the Lyon Youth Hostel that I stayed in when I first arrived in Lyon in Sept 2006) and then its on to Quebec City! My friend Jeanna (my best friend growing up who moved away when I was little) is living there with her boyfriend and I will either stay and visit or stay and work a little while! YAY! Onward!! After that it's see the East Coast, DC and NY (friends there too!) before heading back to CA for the holidays!
P.S. I have now recovered to where a cough and a stuffy nose are a welcomed change from fever and pain! Even more Yay!

Cara and Ryan's Oregon Road Trip Adventure!

Once Upon a Time in Portland, Oregon Cara and Ryan set out on a road trip to see all that Oregon had to offer....

They headed for the coast! Welcome to Seaside, Astoria, Cannon Beach, Lincoln City, Tillamook, Coos Bay and more! They drove scenic Highway 101 from North to South taking in the sights! In Tillamook, they ate cheese, learned how to make cheese, were mesmerized by cheese production and bought cheese! They decided cheese curds are on of the yummiest things on the planet!



They ate Clam Chowder all the way down the coast! Yum! With saltines an' all!


They saw lighthouses!


They saw nature!


They stopped by Crater Lake to see what they thought was the deepest blue on Earth! It was beautiful! It was cold and windy! They hiked up to Watchman's Peak where Ryan snapped this photo of Cara and they gazed at the majestic beauty that is the second deepest lake in the world!



During the road trip, they camped and cooked egg mcmuffins.



They headed back towards Portland and saw Mount Hood and Mount Bachelor. This is Cara with beautiful Oregon forest in the background. Oregon is so green.


And then it was back to Portland! Home Sweet Home for Ryan and where Cara would plan her adventures to the East Coast of both Canada and the States. Cara has done a fabulous job of getting in touch with her friends in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, NY and DC and will be off on her next adventure as soon as she is well enough...yes, right now she is MEGA sick. Her throat and tonsils are trying to kill her! But lucky enough to be resting at Ryan's and will post again when back on the road!