Posted by Occasionally, I get the random inspiration to hop on a train and spontaneously visit Western New York’s most populous city of Buffalo. The drive to downtown is approximately 75 minutes and the train or bus ride is about the same. So of course, I took the train.
This past Sunday, I decided to put an exclamation point on the weekend and take Amtrak train 281 from Rochester’s Louise Slaughter Station to Buffalo Exchange Street station. I jumped on the train in Rochester at 5:30pm and hopped off at 6:53pm. I brought my amazing Onewheel XR with the goal of shredding the city which seems to be made for micro mobility.
When I arrived in downtown, I immediately rode my magic carpet ride of joy to Tappo, and enjoyed a Martini and some meatballs, as I had not yet had dinner.
After refueling, I zipped around downtown a bit, taking photos and video of one of my favorite Rust Belt cities in action.
Eventually I hopped on a the Metro Rail and, well, just kind of rode the train. Contrary to the pessimism of many who have never ridden Buffalo’s light rail/subway, it connects downtown with many city neighborhoods, and I find it to be a very nice “spine” for Buffalo’s transit network. But today, it was just about taking the train north, getting off, and heading back downtown in the spirit of the public transit nerd that I am. Also, I didn’t have much time… my bus home was leaving at 8:45.
Once I was back downtown, I took a couple more minutes to cruise around.
Eventually I passed Streetlight Brasserie, a restaurant and bar with a very unique look and feel. I stopped in for a few minutes before I departed Buffalo.
Finally, I hopped on my bus and headed home. Greyhound was right on time, and my trip was comfortable and uneventful. I splurged and purchased the neighbor-free option so I could sprawl and get a little sleep on the way home.
The final leg of my journey was several miles from the bus stop home, floating on my amazing Onewheel. Those who have ridden one of these machines know that it is the greatest combination of practical mobility and mind-blowing fun.
This is far from the first time I’ve posted about the short, spontaneous day trips that I’ve taken to other cities using public transportation and micro-mobility. But I suppose that’s the point. I want to repeatedly show how easy it can be to take a train, a bus, a bike, a scooter, or a Onewheel, or any combination of these, and sculpt a beautifully spontaneous few hours of travel. On the train to Buffalo, I had a lovely ride and caught up on some emails to family. While in Buffalo, I enjoyed a couple wonderful local establishments, and helped dispel the negativity around its public transit system. I satisfied my own adventurous spirit as I explored the sights of the beautifully historic city on my Onewheel. And I caught up on sleep in prep for work the next day.
All of this in about 5 hours. As I get older, a natural sense of complacency continuously knocks on the door. We can all fight this with very little money and effort by pushing to expose ourselves to different environments and experiences. I purchased my tickets for this trip one hour before leaving. And I feel like a better person for it. But also, it was just a freaking fun night.
Find those nights, those moments, those chances to see something different than you’re used to. If you keep an open mind, it can change you. That’s what cities and great communities can do.