Marooned In Buffalo

#49 arrives in (well 10 miles outside) Buffalo at 0030h (30 mins. late)

Through a combination of bad planning (by me and the city of Buffalo) I was stranded at a mall for 8 hours.

The original plan was to have a peek around downtown and visit the Albright-Knox Gallery and have dinner. Approaching Buffalo it became apparent that my plan was flawed. There is what amounts to a shelter stop near downtown with no place to check luggage. The 'big' station is in the middle of a field about 10 miles out of town. I had to be at the 'big' (it's exactly the same size as a small bus station) to catch my train to Chicago.

On the way from one to the other the train passes the abandoned and derelict Buffalo Central Terminal. I didn't know what the building was when I first saw it but was able to figure it out when I saw a pamphlet from the group trying to save the building.

The only practical thing to do to kill the 10 hours between trains is to go to the mall. Taxi fare downtown and back is between $60 and $80, out of the question. Transit is possible but it's complicated.

Folks I sounded out on the subject are very proud of the Walden Galleria, they told me it was huge with all the stores and restaurants I could imagine. Guess what, it's just a mall. Fortunately, it had a movie theatre, now I've seen Sherlock Holmes.

It wasn't impossible to accomplish my original plan but I'd have needed more info in advance.

At the last minute I decided I should get out the camera and try to photograph BCT. I am trying to cut down on the 'out the window' shots, honestly.

Now I'm stranded in Chicago. More later.

I'm away on a train trip. I don't have a lot of images in the photo barrel so posts may be sporadic and of the 'what I did on my winter vacation' variety.