I have been working on a project on the East Side for the past week, and after driving in and out of the the area several times, I was more shocked than usual at how it looks. Entire city blocks have vanished since I was last there, and the few that remain have decayed dramatically.
This entire city block is marked for demolition. City crews will come with bulldozers, level the houses, fill any basements, and grade the empty space. This has happened over and over again on the East Side of Buffalo over the past 20 years.
Decay accelerates as homes are abandoned. This can be seen in a pattern repeated over and over again. A few houses on a block become empty, and drug users, squatters, school kids, vandals, and others quickly move to stake a claim on the now available property. This quickly makes the empty buildings, and thus the surrounding neighborhood unsafe. More people move out and more houses become vacant, and now nearly impossible to sell. Once a block gets to a tipping point, entire blocks empty pretty quickly of all who can still afford to move out.
The problem began years ago, long before the country’s current economic troubles, which unfortunately have rapidly increased the rate of decay here the past few years. Business began to slow down here two years ago. What the rest of the country save Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and a few other rust belt cities are now experiencing, we have already gone through.
The devastation on the East Side is now clearly apparent, not in what is crumbling, but more so in what is missing. Neighborhoods have vanished, streets with no occupants now dot the area. Lone houses dot plains of block after block of empty lots. I saw a small herd of deer while I was out taking photos the other day. Deer. A few blocks from downtown Buffalo. That’s how desolate some of these areas are.
What remains of three city blocks. Most of the remaining houses are abandoned.
I saw this short video a few months ago, and sat with my mouth agape.
People can fly now, or at least glide for long periods of time. Watch how close these base jumpers are coming to the cliffs, and then watch the clip at actual speed again later in the video.
We seek to change global legislation to facilitate the emerging information society, characterized by diversity and openness. This is done by requiring an increased respect for citizens, their privacy, and the reform of rights ownership laws.
The Party has a legitimate platform, but the logo and the party’s name sold me though. Who says you’re too old to be a pirate?
Hi. I have been skiing a lot, as we have had some great snow. My sons have gotten very good all of a sudden, and it won’t be long before they are better than I am. We spend most weekends on the slopes. Will is focusing on his park skills and skis mostly switch (backwards) these days. Max is a more of a freerider, and prefers trails, cliffs, and skiing in the woods.
Here’s Max collecting the goods at the Bridgebusters Race at our home area, Kissing Bridge this past weekend. He came in second in his age group and 3rd overall out of 70 kids. Check out his incognito look. His favorite part was winning a candy bar, and some slick new Leki gloves.
Work’s been slower than usual, like everyone else. I have been trying to do some marketing, and failing, any advice or ideas are always welcome. I am more of a project manager than a salesman, and it shows. I struggle to make 50 sales calls to get that one appointment. Once I get the appointment the work gets done, but just getting them. Urgh.
I am trying to write more. Actually wrote a bunch of drafts, but never made time to edit them. So I guess I am trying to publish more. I will be updating the site and posting some stuff over the next few days and weeks hopefully.
To those that have kept communicating, thanks. Keep the faith.
