Niagara Falls/ Buffalo,NY

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Since I had extra vacations days to burn this year, I decided that I would head up to Buffalo, NY a little early for a mini solo vacation before the 2018 American Wine Society National Conference. This was my first time flying JetBlue airlines, and my check in at the Raleigh Durham International Airport was super easy as always (thanks to my Mom for being my chauffeur, so I didn’t have to pay to park my car for a week). I don’t really know why, but Terminal 2 at RDU is one of my favorite terminals ever (it has something to do with the fact that it is very spacious, so I don’t ever have to accidentally and awkwardly bump into strangers).

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I had a short layover at JFK, but it was enough time to comfortably go to the bathroom, grab a banana, boiled eggs, and coffee for breakfast from a kiosk, check some work emails, confirm my car rental pickup in Buffalo, remote check into my hotel, and get back on the plane at the same gate. Very, very easy traveling. 

 

 

Upon landing in Buffalo, it was a short walk to the luggage claim (bags came out quick), and a quick walk across the street to the Alamo car rental check-in. I had no issues with Alamo and rented a 2018 Ford Explorer (which was way bigger than I needed). I had originally planned on heading to the hotel to check-in, and traveling to Niagara Falls the next day, but the day was a sunny and beautiful 60 degrees (the next day was supposed to be raining), so I decided to go ahead and drive up to Niagara Falls by myself. It was actually so warm out that (instead of turning on the AC) I accidentally turned on the seat cooler (I didn’t even know that this was a thing). It was a surprising and unpleasant shock to my …um… “system”. Note to self and a lesson that I never seem to learn: Always play with the rental car features before driving down the highway, kids.

The drive to the Niagara Falls was a short 30 minutes from the Buffalo airport. Thank you to the Alamo check-in girl who told me to avoid the toll road. Parking at the mall across the street from the Niagara State Park was $5 (which was cheaper than the $10 to park at the Falls, and it was only a block walk… I actually missed the turn into the park, so it worked out well in my favor). The state park was under construction, so it was a little difficult figuring out how to get down to the actual falls, but the day was beautiful, and the walk was refreshing.

I did take a wrong turn at the blocked off visitor’s center, and I noticed a skeevy guy in a camafalouge down-feather jacket who started to follow me (although I was pretty sure he was just trying to sell me drugs, I was NOT sticking around to find out on my solo journey to the Falls). I quickly joined an Indian family touring the Falls until he stopped following (“Stay sexy, and don’t get murdered”, am I right, MFM Murderinos?) This was my first time at Niagara Falls, and it was a very… ah… “big” waterfall. I was channeling in my head … (if my brothers had been with me, then I would have probably had the courage to say it out loud in a soliloquy because I am cheeky that way) Mr. Bean’s Whistler’s Mother Speech from the 1997 classic Bean, standing there gazing down upon it… “What have I learned that I  can say about this ‘waterfall’; um, well firstly, it’s quite big which is excellent because if it was really small, you know, microscopic, then hardly anybody would be able to see it which would be a tremendous shame,” but, hey, it was a box checked off from my bucket list.

After the sun started to set, I made my way to the Hyatt Regency Buffalo which was where the AWS conference was held (luckily, the conference discounted rate was still in effect for my extended stay…. If you don’t know me personally, then let me introduce you, hello, my name is Holly, and I am always looking for a cheap deal). The overnight parking was $25 valet parking per day which was nice not having to park the monster truck I rented. This is one of the nicer hotels that I have stayed at with the conference. The staff was so friendly, and the whole experience with Hyatt was well above and beyond my expectations.

After checking in and getting settled into my room (I love a king bed and enough pillows to make a cocoon out of, but the TV was a little too large if that is even such a thing), I went in search of friends that were arriving for the conference early for a place to catch up, grab some dinner and drinks.

Unfortunately, no peasants were allowed to join during the conference committee dinner at the Anchor Bar, so I would have to make time in my trip to get Buffalo wings somewhere else. Starving, I trotted over to the whiskey bar which is literally out the hotel’s front door and across Pearl Street.

The Lucky Day Whiskey Bar is a hypster’s paradise with its exposed brick, wood beams, low lighting, and a magnificently backlit Whiskey wall. Now, let me get on my high-horse here a minute… I am young, but I look like I am even younger… I know this. One of my biggest pet peeves is walking into a store or a restaurant and getting stereotyped because of my age that I am either not going to order a lot because I am a single female diner, tip poorly, or just be a millennial pain in their butt, but if you are in the service industry provide the service without stereotyping. The hostess at the Lucky Day Whiskey Bar never came to seat me after seeing me walk in and wait politely. After giving up on my stubborn prideful moral high ground because I was starving, I asked the bartender if I could just take a seat at one of the bar’s separate high top tables. The bartender then proceeds to make me walk up to the bar to awkwardly grab and balance my own plate, silverware, water-glass and drink order (a $10 Manhattan) after starting my tab. Let me clarify, it was 7:30PM on a Tuesday evening, and the bar was empty.

Once I placed my starter food order of steak tartar ($12) and bone marrow ($18), their attitude and quality of service changed rapidly as it typically does. The  tartar was absolutely delicious and after my hangriness started to dissipate, I started to feel a little less pissed off and a lot more relaxed like I was finally on vacation. By the way, does anyone actually eat steak tartar with the croutons or does everyone eat it straight with a fork like I do? Maybe I am weird, but no one needs those bread calories mucking up my high fat dinner.

I did breakdown and use the croutons with the bone marrow because I have yet to suck the bones in public like I would if I were in the comfort of my own home. Both appetizers were delicious, and I ordered an Old Fashioned ($10) to help break up the fattiness of the bone marrow. For those of you that haven’t tried bone marrow… just do it! It is as if real butter and a filet minion had a decadent, delicious love child. Be forwarned though, your cholesterol will rise as you eat it (a little goes a long way).

After I was done eating (or so I thought), I moved to the bar from the high top with my Old Fashioned in hand to engage in conversation with the bartender (different one than the guy who made me serve myself). Staring up at the vast amount of backlit whiskey bottles on the wall, the new bartender and I started talking about why I was in Buffalo (for a Wine Society Conference), and he asked if I wanted to try something else. I asked for a 1 oz pour of something local, bourbon, smooth, smokey and second-shelf (Ha… I had to show some restrain somewhere). He did not disappoint as he presented me with a “7/23/18 batch #18 barrel aged [for] a minimum of 2 years in New American white oak tripled charred barrels” from the Iron Smoke Distillery ($6) in Fairport, NY which was exquisite.

Let me read to you the back of the bottle, “What you have here in your hands is our legendary four grain straight bourbon with apple wood smoked wheat, carefully handcrafted and aged to perfection in our small batch artisan farm distillery in Fairport, NY. We use ingredients from American farms and water from the glacier-formed Finger Lakes. The character of Iron Smoke is distinct… smooth tasting with a whisper of sweet apple wood smoke. Whiskey up! Your pal, Skully.” I am not a big fan of straight bourbon (or any hard liquor for that matter), but this was smooth, a bit sweet and extremely gentle hint of mouth-watering smoky tastiness.  I happily sipped on this and ate another appitizer (don’t judge… it is unbecoming) of Chicken Liver Paté ($8) as Tyler Westcott (in the band Folkfaces) solo performed some very folky live music saturated in a bluesy and low-down country growl topped with a bit of funk and grit reminiscent of John Lee Hooker’s “Deep Blue Sea” (throwing in a lot of puns and jokes into his set, he looks like a young nephew of zz top) with a cover of Mel Waiters “Got My Whiskey” and Mississippi John Hunt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me” prompting this North Carolinian to leave the Lucky Day Whiskey Bar very happy and satiated leaving both the bartender and the live music with a generous tip for a lovely and welcoming ending to my first day in Buffalo, NY.