Message for Former Buffalonians

[Honda Rider]

I left Cheektowaga for Florida in 1973 after 20 years in the area and a tour with the Navy in Iceland. I was sick of the cold and snow. I have never lost my love for the Buffalo people, the food (Anchor Bar, John & Mary's Subs, Ted's Hot Dogs etc). Plus, I have never lost my love for the Bills & the Sabres. I return once in a while to visit relatives and attend a Bills & Sabres game. The only thing I have lost my love for in the area is the BS going on with the NFL, the Bills and Toronto (I won't go into that crap).

The Buffalo area will always be my home...Florida is where I live and where I play golf and ride the motorcycle 12 months a year (with some exceptions).

Buffalo natives always know a transplant because we always wear our BILLS hats, shirts and have genuine Buffalo Wings at poker games.

I'll be in the stands when the Bills come to Jacksonvile on Sept. 14th.

 

Corky in Jax

[mcjeff215]

I wear my Bills shirt, jersey and car decal with pride.

 

I've got a Bills plate and two Sabres decals on my car. It's my "heritage symbol." Much like all of the confederate flags one sees on cars around here.

[Big Turk]

Because you CAN go home again. F. U. Let me say that again. F.U. Thomas Wolfe. I can, and have, come home again. And I have no patience for the whiners on this board that say they can't. And as has been stated by another poster, thanks for starting this topic. This is something I've been meaning to say for a long time.

 

I have to say I agree 1000% with you man...I chose to move home too, and I too took a paycut, and lost the majority of my wife's salary she was making as a teacher in Ohio(she only subs here because there is a waiting list for elementary teachers like 500+ long and no openings), but I never regret it a day in my life.

 

I still remember the day my wife finally "got" what it was like to be a part of this community. It was during the aftermath of the October storm that knocked out power here for 3 days(we were lucky---my parents were out for 7). It was a Sunday afternoon and the tree and electrical crews from all over the country were in the area trying to work to restore power for us. They were exhausted, having worked nearly around the clock for days trying to get things back up and running throughout the areas. My wife watched out the window as about 20-30 people from those places all huddled up to figure out a plan of attack. She then watched in amazement and actually called me from downstairs to see our neighbor across the street and 2 other people staying with her(she was one of the lucky ones to have a generator going) bringing out huge bowls of soup for every last one of the guys and cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows. They then told them how much they appreciated what they were doing and that if they wanted anything else, to come let them know and they would make whatever they were able to for them. We both then watched as about 20 people spontaneously came outside from area houses and began applauding them, before they even did anything. After all this happened, she stood there silent for a few moments and then said "I think I understand what you were talking about" . I asked "about what?" and she said about how I was always telling her about things that happened that made this place special that I could never really put into words...she said she couldn't imagine something like that happening in other parts of the country, especially when things had been so bad...I kinda laughed to myself and thought sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words...

 

 

If you believe in something strongly enough then fight for it...don't run away from the problem and hope someone else can fix it someday. Help fix it---be a part of the solution...that is what I moved back here with the intention of being....

[keepthefaith]

I would like for every Buffalo "transplant" to take a good look at how they portray their former city, either in person or in a medium (message board) like this. Tim Russert left the area to take a position to better himself professionally, just like many people on this board have. However, in a disturbing trend, many of those same former Buffalonians have nothing but negativity and sarcasm at the city that they grew up in. Tim Russert epitomized Buffalo and never, ever spewed negativity about the city that he loved. I for one would hope that many of you who mourn his loss would look in the mirror and maybe, just maybe, think about why so many people loved him. Not only for what he accomplished, but for what he did to the morale of the people who live here. He constantly told people about what a great place Buffalo, NY is and he was damn proud of his roots. I would hope we would all do the same. You will never be forgotten Tim! Go Bills!

 

Left the WNY area 14 years ago. Still have family and several friends there. Get back to Buffalo a couple times a year and always enjoy it. Would like to spend more time there. Even my kids who have been raised in suburban Chicqago love making those trips. Took a Chicago friend to a Bills game at the Ralph a few years ago. Drove 9 hours from here on a Friday night, had a fun Saturday in Buffalo, went to the game Sunday and drove 9 hours home. Everyone I know here knows I'm a die hard Bills fan and I often receive Bills stuff as gifts from friends and co-workers. 10 years ago I took a chartered bus to Indy filled with local Bills fans to see them play the Colts. Buffalo is a great place to raise a family and I'm fortunate to have been raised there.

[the_franchise]

I left Buffalo before I was even in grade school and I've always considered it my home. I grew up in North Carolina (Live in Florida now) but have always supported the Bills and Sabres along with the entire area. When people ask where I'm from I tell them Buffalo. Then I get my balls busted from being born there, which used to bother me, but with as much as I come home I still feel like I am as much of a part of the area as someone who has lived there their entire life and then it doesn't bother me in the least way. When I go home, its not to Greensboro, NC where I grew up for 15 years of my life, but rather Buffalo. I've only been to Sabres games in North Carolina and have never been to a Bills game, but that doesn't stop me from wearing my Bill/Sabres Jerseys, Keeping my Flutie Flakes on my dresser along with my Bills Mask. And just as every Buffalonian should do, I wont forget where I came from. Hopefully I can go to either the Jacksonville or Miami game this year.

 

One of the fun things I have done there was when I was maybe 16 or 17 I worked at Freedom Fest for my Aunt Janet, I made some decent money for a 1 day event and I really just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the day. Spent the majority of it the next day in Hamburg.

 

Some of you might have known (or heard of) my cousin Jacob Pfister who was killed in Iraq on April 19, 2005. (Doesn't really have much to do with this topic) But he was another huge Buffalo Sports fan and a fan of the place in general and just thought I would throw this out there. Another person from our home town to make us proud.

Information about him

 

No, I didn't grow up there, but yes I love the area like its the only thing I've ever known.

 

[plenzmd1]

Funny, my wife is always amazed ay how I wear my Buffalonian roots on my sleeve. She says( with accuracy i might add), that it is never more than 5 minutes into a conversation that someone knows I am from Buffalo. But, I also love DC, and all the wonderful things that DC can represent.

 

I now live in Richmond, wonder of I will get there with this town.

[JPicc2114]

Matter2003 , where did you go to college in St. Louis?

[Big Turk]

Matter2003 , where did you go to college in St. Louis?

 

SLU...I was a Billiken

[stinky finger]

That is why the Bills moving to Toronto or anywhere else would end my fandom. Ultimately it is not about the Bills. It is about Buffalo.

Amen.

[RayFinkle]

Because you CAN go home again. F. U. Let me say that again. F.U. Thomas Wolfe. I can, and have, come home again. And I have no patience for the whiners on this board that say they can't. And as has been stated by another poster, thanks for starting this topic. This is something I've been meaning to say for a long time.

Ahhhhhh Buffalo, how I miss you.

[SouthernMan]

Yeah, I was wondering if that was the place he was referring to. Great food! I'm about 5 miles outside of delivery range, but that's where we get our pizza from whenever we're slightly too lazy to cool. My wife loves that stuff (and she's from here).

 

As an aside, you folks need to start making those Italian Sausage subs you get up north... with the Provolone and mayo an whatnot. I miss those!

 

As for being an ex-Buffalonian.. you'd damn well better believe I'm proud of it. Everyone I work with knows that's where my work ethic and value system comes from. Family has always been blue collar steel folk. Well, we've a few police officers and career military within the pedigree. I take southern friends to sporting events and most of them are simply amazed at how every one of us pulls together behind our teams. They're starting to understand that it's not just sports -- it's a symbol of who we are!

 

At some point, we'll move home. It's going to be a while, but that's okay. I still see myself as a Buffalonian every day. I'm just living in Georgia. Everything else is just the same.

 

 

Exellent AUTHENTIC fish frys from Gallas. Thanks Bob!

Great wings too. None of that asian spice, sprinkled cayenne, marinated wings, and all the other crap wing sellers do to ruin our hometown delicacy.

And yes - it would be great to have the famous Buffalo-style sausage w peppers & onions and/or"Royalé" Italian sausage & Cappicola hot subs.

Mmmmm.

 

Jeff - welcome back to civilization and away from the shadow of Bartow. I assume your commute has improved tremendously.

[mcjeff215]

Exellent AUTHENTIC fish frys from Gallas. Thanks Bob!

Great wings too. None of that asian spice, sprinkled cayenne, marinated wings, and all the other crap wing sellers do to ruin our hometown delicacy.

And yes - it would be great to have the famous Buffalo-style sausage w peppers & onions and/or"Royalé" Italian sausage & Cappicola hot subs.

Mmmmm.

 

Jeff - welcome back to civilization and away from the shadow of Bartow. I assume your commute has improved tremendously.

 

Oh god yes. I can make it to work in 30 minutes now and the people are *much* friendlier. I've a theory that those up in Bartow are mad at the world due to their economic situation.

 

Yeah, and thanks to the Gallas boys, I'm 10 minutes from REAL food!

[Endzone Animal]

I left Buffalo for Florida after graduating college in 1989. The primary reasons were weather and economy, and I have built a good life here in the nearly 20 years I've been gone. Still, my Buffalo lingo ("pop", the hard "a", etc) remains as strong as my affinity for all things Buffalo, and the difference between the WNY area united together as one vs the transient culture of Florida is as striking as ever.

 

I still miss Buffalo very much, but more out of nostalgia now than anything else. I think about my family still there (both alive and deceased), the food, sports, old friends, etc...but I am very conscious that not living there for the daily grind separates me from the real, everyday WNYer - and while my heart is always with Buffalo my reality is here in South Florida.

 

I go back with my clan once or twice a year for a long weekend, but over the years it has developed the feel of visiting my past more than returning to my real world...a strange and surreal sensation that I belong here with every fiber of my being, but at the same time belong to another world and am just guiding a tour of what once was but will never be again. It's bittersweet to go back, because I see all the things I miss and love, but don't have to experience any of the misery and gloom of everyday life, which is essentially what bonds the Buffalonian together far more than the Bills or the Sabres - that idea of being a tougher breed who doesn't just cherry pick a few selected restaurants over a long weekend, but takes the punch of life that comes from living through the good, the bad and the ugly that WNY has to offer.

 

In that sense, I am self-conscious during my flights in when I visit. I feel in a sense that I ditched the town, either because I didn't have the stomach for the fight, or because I thought I was too good for this town and turned my back on them like so many others, or maybe a combination of both. It's a wierd mixture of pride and shame that comes over me, as I drink beer, eat wings, and pretend nothing has changed, when really it did and I was one of those who didn't have the mettle or the loyalty to hang in there like most of my family and a few friends did.

 

It's a wound buried beneath the surface that never has entirely healed. This conflicted sensation manifests as my plane lands at Buffalo Airport, looking at the people and feeling a bit like an embarrassed tourist in my own home town. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I live where I live, love my wife and kids, and appreciate how wonderful it is to sport shorts and a t-shirt under palm trees on New Years Day, and I sincerely don't want out of the world I have, but that gnawing feeling in my gut that I somehow let down my roots by taking this path when I hit the fork in the road stirs everytime I go back to my old hometown.

 

Sorry about my ramblings, but this thread has brought all these dormant feelings to the surface. Lastly, like a previous poster said, if the Bills really do relocate to Toronto I'll never root for them again. It's 100% about Buffalo to me...

[bourbonboy]

My story is different from most - I was born and raised in Philly, and was a die-hard Broad Street Bullies fan when the Flyers were in their 1970's hey-day. I went to college in Rochester, and after spending a little time in California, I returned to western NY and took a job in Orchard Park in 1988. It took me only about one year to lose my allegiance to Philly and fall in love with the Bills and Sabres. The Bills were easy to love - Jim Kelly and company would stop in for breakfast at the Orchard Park cafe right below our office, I'd see Thurman out at the town park at lunch, ran into Cornelius Bennett at Long John Silvers once.....they were regular guys. The Sabres weren't doing as well, but I actually had season tickets for them, and a regular season win over the Bruins was as good as any Bills win.

 

I live in Rochester now, and still travel to at least one game per year. But what makes western New York so great are the people. The people are the first things that I talk about to out-of-state friends and family. Way more friendly and down to earth than those in Philly, and Buffalo natives who move out of the area are quick to discover this.

 

To me, this is the biggest part of what keeps Buffalo natives loyal to both the city, people, and it's sports teams. 'Nuff said!

[buckeyebrian]

Exellent AUTHENTIC fish frys from Gallas. Thanks Bob!

Great wings too. None of that asian spice, sprinkled cayenne, marinated wings, and all the other crap wing sellers do to ruin our hometown delicacy.

And yes - it would be great to have the famous Buffalo-style sausage w peppers & onions and/or"Royalé" Italian sausage & Cappicola hot subs.

Mmmmm.

 

Jeff - welcome back to civilization and away from the shadow of Bartow. I assume your commute has improved tremendously.

 

Speaking of the "Royale" sub - is Casillo's rebuilding on Transit after the fire? Visited a year ago, had not seen Dennis in 25 years, he remembered me and asked me about my brother as well.

[eball]

The only negative thing I've ever said about Buffalo since leaving is that I didn't mind getting away from the 6-month winters. In fact, one of the first things I say to folks when I tell them I'm originally from Buffalo is, "it's a great place to live from May through October."

 

If you asked anyone who knows me to tell you three things about me, I'm willing to bet >90% of them would include "huge Bills fan" in their list. I've taken friends on "road trips" to Bills games and shown them around the city -- in each case they've left with a greater appreciation for the area and have changed their perspective on the city.

 

I'll always be a supporter of Buffalo and WNY, even if I don't have plans to return there permanently.

[BuffaloBilliever]

At the age of 11, I was asked what I wanted to do when I was older.

 

My sincere answer, was to start a business in Buffalo so people would stop leaving and the economy would prosper.

 

How sad is that? I could've said freaking President (not anymore), fireman, whatever, but I actualy had an economic goal for the city. Gotta love how I was raised/how Buffalo changes people.

[mcjeff215]

At the age of 11, I was asked what I wanted to do when I was older.

 

My sincere answer, was to start a business in Buffalo so people would stop leaving and the economy would prosper.

 

How sad is that? I could've said freaking President (not anymore), fireman, whatever, but I actualy had an economic goal for the city. Gotta love how I was raised/how Buffalo changes people.

 

Ha. I like that. That about sums up the buffalo mentality, eh? I still think that way, honestly. I'd love to move back up and start a tech shop, perhaps outsourced support or something as I'm sure there would be cheaper labor and real estate.

[Thirdborn]

I would like for every Buffalo "transplant" to take a good look at how they portray their former city, either in person or in a medium (message board) like this. Tim Russert left the area to take a position to better himself professionally, just like many people on this board have. However, in a disturbing trend, many of those same former Buffalonians have nothing but negativity and sarcasm at the city that they grew up in. Tim Russert epitomized Buffalo and never, ever spewed negativity about the city that he loved. I for one would hope that many of you who mourn his loss would look in the mirror and maybe, just maybe, think about why so many people loved him. Not only for what he accomplished, but for what he did to the morale of the people who live here. He constantly told people about what a great place Buffalo, NY is and he was damn proud of his roots. I would hope we would all do the same. You will never be forgotten Tim! Go Bills!

 

 

What kind of message are you sending out about the people of Buffalo, with an Avatar like that?

[Chef Jim]

I would like for every Buffalo "transplant" to take a good look at how they portray their former city, either in person or in a medium (message board) like this. Tim Russert left the area to take a position to better himself professionally, just like many people on this board have. However, in a disturbing trend, many of those same former Buffalonians have nothing but negativity and sarcasm at the city that they grew up in. Tim Russert epitomized Buffalo and never, ever spewed negativity about the city that he loved. I for one would hope that many of you who mourn his loss would look in the mirror and maybe, just maybe, think about why so many people loved him. Not only for what he accomplished, but for what he did to the morale of the people who live here. He constantly told people about what a great place Buffalo, NY is and he was damn proud of his roots. I would hope we would all do the same. You will never be forgotten Tim! Go Bills!

 

Buffalo is a great place to be from. However there are many greater places to live. Everyone I know, work with or work for know I'm from Buffalo. I'm proud of my roots but even prouder I took a risk many years ago and moved elsewhere.