B's of Buffalo

uffalo, N.Y., is home to one of my favorite “B”s. This letter was part of a sign for an abandoned drive-in movie theater I stumbled upon a few years ago. Despite growing up in nearby Rochester, I never had many occasions to visit Buffalo. While just 80 miles of interstate separate the two cities, the gulf between the two felt much larger.

In my youth, Rochester seemed to live in Buffalo’s shadow. Maybe it was because Buffalo landed the bigger concerts, fielded major league sports teams, and gained culinary fame for its wings. Rochester did get some decent concerts. We cheered on our minor league teams, like the Red Wings and the Amerks. I suppose Rochester’s white hots are well-known to true hot dog connoisseurs. But Rochester still felt like a second-class city.



As an adult, I have come to terms with the differences between Buffalo and Rochester. As part of this growth process, I took some time to explore Buffalo a few years back. The city has some interesting examples of faded glory to photograph, such as a massive decaying rail depot complex near downtown. Buffalo offered a wealth of letters and numbers to help me bulk up my photo collection.



I don’t know that I would have appreciated what Buffalo had to offer when I was growing up. Today, I savor the feeling of seeing a downtown or main street with fresh eyes. I love the mystery that lies around every corner. Buffalo was no exception. There are many places on my “must visit” list I hope to hit this year. I am optimistic many of these towns will be worth photographing. Keep your eyes on this website in the coming months as I prepare to make GDL Studio a reality and share the images I have found.