The day before
I made the plan to visit Buffalo on a whim, after ending my work day on Friday. It was a long week with a heavy workload. I was skeptical about being able to finish my share of the work on time, but after some trust exercises and late night work sessions, I made it through. It had been a while since I felt satisfied with my work contributions, so I guess it made me feel lighter when the week ended on a good note, which prompted me to make a plan to do something fun.
Buffalo wasn't the first option. I was hoping to visit Niagara Falls, but the trains were cancelled due to scheduled maintenance. While checking the bus options, it appeared to me that Buffalo wasn't that far away. I had seen ads of "Visit Buffalo" on the train a while ago. It seemed like a lively town with lots of things to do, at least that is what the ads conveyed.
I am not a risk taker when it comes to trip planning. I spent about 3 hours researching the commute options, popular local spots, local transit and more. I made bookings for the bus trips through Trailways and Flixbus, and for two other locations to visit - The Buffalo Naval Park and Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site. The relatively cheap bus prices was another motivator for this trip. I was all set.
Bumpy start in the morning
I packed my bag with basics - Bottle of water, Passport, 2 bananas, deodorant, headphones. On the way out of the building, I picked the weekend issue of the newspaper. I was hoping to read it on the bus ride to pass time.
I could not get enough sleep the night before. I probably woke up 4-5 times hallucinating that I had missed the alarm. Part of the reason for this worry was the fact that I had been getting only 5-6 hours of sleep for the whole week, which is way less than my ideal 8 hours. It may have also been the excitement of this trip that probably kept me awake, just like it used to on the nights before school picnics.
Visiting the US has been a dream for the last 16 years. The first time I visited Niagara Falls, my phone network accidentally crossed over the US side while being on a zipline, and that too felt fun 😅. Another time when I was visiting Niagara Falls for the total solar eclipse, I had crossed over to the US to check if they actually just let you through with a Canadian passport. It worked and I had roamed around for about 2 hours before returning, after feeling spooked by the eerie silence on the American side of the town.
This time felt different though because it was a proper town/city in the US and not just some bordering region. Still, I had set my expectations low because Buffalo was less than 30 minutes away from the Canadian border and I was expecting more of the same as we see in Toronto, just slightly Americanized.
Due to the lack of sleep, I was already feeling drowsy on the short train ride to the bus station. I did not get a coffee, thinking that it might be good idea to get a short nap on the bus. Not a good idea in hindsight.
I got to the bus station early by about 45 minutes. On the way there, I was so zoned out and jittery that I had stepped on the opposite side of the escalator. 🤦♂️ I was also feeling a bit impatient, probably another side-effect of being sleep deprived.
The bus arrived on time. The driver checked our tickets and travel documents before boarding. I found out later that this bus was going all the way to New York, maybe I'll consider doing that next time, but the travel time is a whopping 12 hours 😱💀
The bus driver was a polite well dressed man with a sharp haircut. This is relevant later. The ride was normal for the most part. I travel halfway along the same route during my commute to work. I tried reading the newspaper but promptly fell sleepy by the time I got to the 2nd page. I napped 2-3 times along the way and switched between reading the newspaper and calling family members back in India.
As we neared the border, the sleepiness was replaced by excitement. Crossing the US border will never not be boring for me, especially considering all the news about ICE agents and US immigration in general. Who knows, maybe they'll reject me for some odd reason.
The bus driver echoed my sentiment. He warned all passengers to stay in the bus until he asks us to get down, and not to loiter around their office. He joked that the US border agents were an odd bunch, and one shouldn't even cough without their say-so.
The wait time at the border was painfully long. We were in a lane for about 30 minutes which was later closed, so we had to merge into another one. Overall, it took about an hour to get through.
For the border crossing, we were de-boarded with all our belongings, and asked to form a queue in the adjoining office. The border agent asked about my purpose of travel and my past travel history, to which I answered factually. I mentioned about a banana in my backpack, after reading an advisory about declaring fruits and vegetables in baggage. Better safe than sorry.
All passengers made it through, luckily no drama. We reached Buffalo after about 20 minutes thereafter.
First Impressions 😬
As the bus rolled into the city, I could identify some of the locations from my online research but what stood out was the empty streets. It looked like a ghost town. The infrastructure was decent, but I could spot only 2-3 people on the street during a 5 minute ride in their downtown area.
The bus arrived at the Buffalo bus station. Things felt off from the onset. There were about 2 dozen people at the station and most of them seemed poor or homeless. They were loitering around. I spotted the restroom. It had a dingy vibe but it worked.
I looked up the route to Buffalo Naval Park on my phone, it was only a 15-20 minute walk.
The streets were mostly empty. On my way, about 80% of people that I saw seemed to be wandering around purposelessly. Many of them had a defeated look on their face, just sitting on a bench near the street or the bus stop. There was a group of about 20 people standing near a van, different age groups and races, debating about something with fervor. This group too didn't seem well off, they were most likely homeless or without a job.
As I made a turn towards the lake, the street became eerily empty again. The buildings were huge and imposing. Most office buildings were made with large concrete blocks instead of brick. The parking lots were huge and mostly empty. Sidewalks were not consistent and disappeared into under construction areas. People in Toronto honor the signal and wait for their turn. The signals in Buffalo seemed odd. Their placement was confusing for a pedestrian and they prioritized cars first. I jaywalked most of the time because there were barely any cars on the street. I saw other locals doing it too later in the day, seemed it was the norm.
Naval Park 🫡🇺🇸🚢
I arrived at the Naval Park which was on the lake. It harbored 2 ships and a submarine. I was most excited about this part. My father worked at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai for 35 years of his life. During summer season, I often got to visit his office where we got to tour the Indian Navy ships. It is one of the fondest memories from my childhood. During the last years of his career, he worked on building submarines which I thought was extremely cool. I got to see one under construction at a dock in Mumbai.
At the Naval Park, I was greeted by an old gentleman, possibly in his mid 70s, and another person in his late 50s. They were both wearing a Navy jacket. It was apparent that they are served time in the Navy at some point and were retired.
The older man started with a 5 minute long overview of the ships that were docked there, their brief history and the instructions for my self-guided tour. The USS Sullivans (smaller ship), USS Little Rock (bigger ship) and USS Croaker (the submarine).
I had to follow the yellow strip placed throughout the ships and the submarine for the tour.
The USS Sullivans was named after the 5 Sullivan brothers who all lost their lives during World War 2. It was the most any single family had lost during the war. I walked by the sick bay where they housed sick sailors, I jokingly said to another visitor "You wouldn't want to be in there". He immediately corrected me saying that he wouldn't mind being in there. Sick people need to be taken care of. He mentioned that he had served as a fireman for 26 years.
By this point I had realized that even though the City of Buffalo was only a 30 minute drive from the Canadian border, the accents and cultured differed by a lot. I am quite used to the Canadian accent to the point that it seems like the normal way of speaking English. The Americans however speak in a heavy assertive tone. I loved it! It was hard to keep up with their accent as they spoke quickly and used common local idioms in between.
I continued touring the ship and couldn't help but marvel at the quality of engineering and the thought put into it, especially for something built in the 1940s. Pretty much all the systems were analog with bulky wiring and pipes. It was like stepping into a different era. It felt strangely superior to modern tech which can be sleek and compact but lacks in character, and can feel fragile.
I could spot similarities in the arrangement of rooms at different levels of the ship in comparison to the Indian ships I had seen before. The tiny rooms dedicated for senior officials were compact but comfy, considering this was on a war ship. I could imagine people who lived and possibly lost their lives on these ships. It carries so much history, it felt overwhelming and humbling to walk along these cabins and think of all the lives spent in there.
I got to sit on the huge machine gun with dedicated wheels for adjusting the aim of the gun. Another person sat on the left hand side who was adjusting the aim sideways while I moved the aim top down. It was a fun moment where we were both in awe of the machinery.
The tour seemed never-ending, so many cabins and routes. I kept checking the time to make sure it's not too late for the next spot to visit. I wanted to spend more time on the ship and I will probably return with some friends next time.
I went back to the retired Navy officer who had greeted me earlier with some questions about the flags I had spotted on the ship and about life on the submarine.
USS Little Rock, unlike it's name, was a huge ship. Large wide deck, spacious community halls and lunch areas, bigger cabins, multiple levels of observation decks, big kitchens. It contained multiple rooms dedicated to special groups of people who contributed during the war, for instance the Polish and other European countries.
At the heart of the ship was a missile launcher. This was a large room with the ability the house at least a couple dozen missiles. It had huge grid like structures where missiles could be stacked and moved before deployment. These missiles were at least 20 feet long and massive. Their noses were quite pointed.
Next was the submarine USS Croaker. They curated the tour nicely going from the small ship to the large ship to the submarine. It looked like a standard submarine with tight internal spaces, as is expected. The machinery seemed incredibly complex and it felt like it would take a lifetime to learn the ins and outs of such a complex system.
The tour was complete. I felt gratitude towards the navy officers who were kind enough to patiently share the history of the ships and answer my questions. They were really passionate about the navy. The engineering was inspiring and reminded me of the great achievements by Americans during periods of war and other explorations.
Lunch
I had about 90 minutes until the next booking of Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site tour. I was craving fish and chips, so I looked for options on Google Maps. I decided to go to an Irish place called The Banshee.
The place was charming. It felt like it had been there for at least 50 years if not longer. There were a bunch of people at the bar in sports jerseys. It felt like a scene right out of a movie. I ordered quickly - Fish and chips with cranberry juice on the side. The food arrived in about 15 minutes
I kid you not, the fish was bigger than my face. It looks normal sized in the picture but it wasn't. Overall, the portion size was 3 times my usual meal. It is a common trope on the internet about American portion sizes being large, but it was strange experiencing it first hand. It also came with a side dish of mashed peas and potatoes. I did my best to finish the plate, but had to let go off some fries in the end. I was going to be late for the inaugural site tour.
As per the map, it was only a 15 minute walk away. I was too full to walk at a fast pace, but I tried my best.
As I paced towards the site, following the map and trying to figure out the next turn, a man sitting on his front porch of a tiny house called me in the most American voice you can imagine. "Hey, you okay there? Do you need any help?". I asked him about the route to the site and he quickly gave me a rundown of the street names and the general layout. I asked him if he knew any cafes nearby. Another lady walked past us, he called her and asked about whether she knew any cafes. She seemed quite friendly too and shared a couple of options.
In years of living in Toronto, I cannot remember a single instance of getting into a casual chat with strangers on the street. People usually keep to themselves and seem to be busy with their own thing, with a few exceptions. But in Buffalo, people interacted freely with others in the community. I observed the same at the Irish place, on the streets, and on the ship.
As I was running late, I thanked the two strangers and continued on my way. I heard the guy sitting on his porch cheer towards the lady "Go Bills" as in Buffalo Bills, their football team.
A Starbucks was right in front of the Inaugural site but I did not have enough time to grab coffee, so I proceeded without it.
Teddy Roosevelt Inaugural Site
It is called the inaugural site because Teddy Roosevelt, the then vice president, took his oath of presidency at this place, after the preceding president was shot and had passed away.
At the site, I was greeted by a group of three people working at the front desk. There were about a dozen people already waiting for the tour. Most of them were elderly.
At the beginning of the tour, the guide asked us about where we were visiting from. I was the only one from Canada. The remaining were from Kentucky, Ohio, a family from Europe and some locals. It was an interesting group. In Toronto, it is extremely common to see people from mixed backgrounds and nationalities, but in Buffalo the number of immigrants were limited. It was refreshing to see a group comprising primarily of Americans.
The tour was going to be about an hour long. It walked us through the history of how President Roosevelt came into power. It painted a vivid picture of the realities of those times through audio-visual presentations and the stories shared by the guide.
The guide seemed like a quintessential American. He had a good sense of humor and kept the group entertained and engaged throughout the tour.
Because I had not had coffee/tea throughout the day, and being sleep deprived and after having had a heavy lunch, I started dozing off during one of the presentations. Luckily the room was dark and I was sitting in the corner, so no one noticed, hopefully 😅.
The tour was quite informative. I enjoy learning about the US presidential history. I've been a fan of the National Treasure series of movies, so this felt to be in a similar lane.
The house itself was very beautiful and elegant. Most of the furniture was as old as the house, or at least matched the house in aesthetics. It felt serene and pleasant as the late afternoon sunshine gleamed through the windows.
On the way back
After the tour was over, I had about an hour left to return to the bus station. Earlier in the day, I had found out that the famous Buffalo wings originated from the Buffalo city. The place known for good Buffalo wings was only a few minutes away from the inaugural site. However, I was too full from lunch to eat anything new, so unfortunately I had to let go off that idea. I am hoping to return for the wings some other day.
I intended to catch the street rail car on the way back. I had read that it was free for the patch that runs above ground level. It was hard to find the street car station though, so I decided to walk instead.
The streets were still mostly empty. At one of the corners, I saw a group of 6 people standing in line sideways and reading from a book. They had spread some pamphlets and books on the sidewalk. It was hard to guess what they were reading, but it seemed like a support group of sorts.
Another thing I noticed was that there was a church on practically every street. I think you could reach a church within 5 minutes of walking in any direction. The churches were quite tall and had similar outer design. As I walked past one, I felt the urge to walk in and take a peek. It had been a while since I visited a church. It seemed like the service was on.
I asked a person who was leaving about whether I could sit inside for a few minutes. He said that it shouldn't be a problem. There were about 50 people in the church, mostly at the front, a few people kneeling in the back. The lady on the mic was going through a list of announcements about upcoming church activities. The stage also had a small group of clergies overseeing the service. The atmosphere felt rich and holy.
Soon after, the group of clergies started walking through the aisle, one of them bearing a cross, another one wearing a tall head covering which was similar to what the pope would wear. As they walked through the aisle slowly, music started playing in the background. It sounded like the church organ.
As the service ended, I saw the attendees meet and greet each other. There was a strong sense of community in the church which felt endearing. On the way out, I shook hands with the clergies and thanked them.
I could see more people on the streets than earlier in the day as I proceeded towards the bus station. I walked past a train station, the Buffalo savings bank, and a street fair with a live performer. I spotted a few teenagers in funky goth outfits. Near one of the buildings, I could hear drums playing, probably someone practicing inside their house. These are all random things but it felt interesting. Buffalo seemed to have a lot of personality, in its people and the architecture. It was unlike my usual urban sterile experience walking in Toronto.
As I got closer to the bus station, I could spot more homeless people on the streets. They were not bad or troubled people, they seemed quite normal but you could tell that they were struggling. One of them approached me asking for a dollar for the bus. I did not have any cash on me. He later approached me again at the bus station.
On an unrelated note, the blunt "wait" message at the signal is such an American thing 😄
Return journey
The bus station was filled with even more seemingly homeless people in the evening. There was a large group of people on one corner comprising of older men and women of different races and some young teenagers. They were talking amongst themselves quite enthusiastically.
As I was buying water, I saw a lady bus driver getting coffee and a pizza slice for one the guys hanging out at the bus station. He was very pleased about it.
Although the people at the bus station seemed to be struggling, none of them were aggressive. They were interacting quite a lot amongst themselves and there seemed to be a lot of socializing going on there.
My bus had arrived at one of the gates but it was still 30 minutes till departure. The bus driver was a tall black man with a big belly. I asked him if it was okay to sit in my seat. He said in a heavy American accent "You board the bus when I tell you to board the bus". It didn't sound rude, just very assertive 😄 Quite the opposite of the bus driver from my morning bus.
The ride back was uneventful and swift. It took less than 10 minutes for the border crossing. I listening to a few classic songs on the way back - "Let it be" by the Beatles, "Stand By Me", "What a wonderful world". Returning to Toronto felt like coming back home, like it used to feel when returning to Mumbai after a long trip.
Buffalo seemed like a nice city. The residents were definitely struggling, but they also had a strong sense of community. I felt grateful towards Toronto and all that it has to offer. People in Toronto have their own struggles but it also provides a lot of opportunities.
People seem happier and well off in Toronto. Streets are cleaner and public amenities are well maintained. There are more people on the streets at midnight here than there were in the middle of the day in Buffalo. I was back home by 9pm.
This trip was quite special. It exceeded my expectations and gave me a memorable experience of a tiny slice of America. I am hoping to make more trips within Canada and the US in the coming months.