Buffalo, NY

A Moments Clarity

Buffalo New York - Some call it The Queen City others The City of Good Neighbors. No matter how you refer to it, there is something undeniably unique and enchanting about the toughness and grit of its people. At one time the city was the world’s largest grain port before transitioning to a powerhouse in the steel and manufacturing industry. It wasn’t until deindustrialization took place that their economy started to decline like many other great US cities.

As an outsider looking in, it looks as though those hard times are what built the real character of the city. You can see it in the faces of the communities on the south end in the First Ward, or in the tenacity of the until recently, downtrodden Buffalo Bills Fans. However, for me, I see it in the buildings, it’s the history and stories that each block tells that consumes me. This is the reason, that I love and cherish every visit I have to this great city.

You see, the true beauty in traveling is that it provides perspective. If your journeys includes exploration, both physical and psychological, and you allow yourself to be immersed in the moment, inspiring things can happen. We live in a world of materialism and the desire to consume more often grip the foundations of our souls. We chase things we don’t need in an effort to fill a void that was never meant to be filled.

The answers we seek are not found in mass produced items that found their way onto a shipping container and eventually into our homes. They are found on the streets of Buffalo, the alley ways of Troy, NY and the coastline of Lake Superior. New “things” will only patch holes but never bring long-term relief. It’s the experiences we have alone, it’s the realizations of what we lost, or the map of where we want to go that will stay with us forever.

So in conclusion, it is here that you will find me, on the streets. I will continue hunting and searching for a new meaning. The beauty is in the pain of life, and we can only see it when it hurts, just right. In our moments of clarity we should embrace the unending pain, the endless beauty, and follow our journey down every street we find ourselves on.

Thank you Buffalo, NY, I’ll always love you.