r/Buffalo

On Monday, over in the Dyngus parade area, around Clark and Paderewski, I witnessed a cop — I didn’t get his name, but he had shiny blonde hair, beard, mustache — berate a child and her guardian/relative.

A young girl, maybe 8-9 yo, with a kids’ backpack, was being dropped off by a male relative in a minivan. It seems the driver/relative wasn’t entirely aware of the road closures and had stopped briefly to figure out how to turn onto the cross street.

Blonde Cop flew *off the handle* at her and the driver for no reason. He cursed, with plenty of f-bombs and was irate, escalating the situation to the point where the girl *ran* away in fear, down the block, alone.

When pedestrians noted the yelling and stopped to see what was going on, the blonde cop jumped into his golf cart and sped away.

Blonde Cop, if you’re reading this: You’re an ass who hurts and bullies the weak.

Children (and not just white children…) deserve safety and respect.

Shame on you.

What an embarrassment for you and for the city.

Article claims he died of natural causes, moved to Florida in recent years.

Went on production for this show at the end of summer 2025. It was an 11-day tour and we did the entirety of the Empire State Trail from Buffalo to New York City.

Full disclosure: it was a credit card tour. We stayed in hotels mainly because I had to offload media and we needed a safe place to store all of our camera equipment. We also had a support car meeting us from location to location, but it was kind of unique doing an entire bike tour mixed with a show. It worked like clockwork, we literally had to bike segment to segment, adding mileage onto the trip and making sure we hit those segments on time. 

For this trip, we were averaging about 60 miles a day, and filming about four interviews per day. On top of that, we usually built in a mini segment (either a meal at a restaurant or, in each city, I organized a group ride with local cycling groups and we filmed those as part of the episodes. Syracuse had the biggest turnout with hundreds of people and Albany was a close second, so those gave us some really great visuals. Those are episodes four and six).

Rig-wise, I was riding my trusty All-City Space Horse with 34mm tires. Those are wide enough for the crushed stone on the trail. If we were doing more off-road I’d go wider, but this worked. I kept fenders on for all-weather since we were riding rain or shine to make interviews and production days.

The crew was small, just me and my cinematographer. He was riding a Dost Kope e-bike that we rigged out with cameras (Insta360 X5, DJI Action 4) and I had a GoPro 360. On the back rack of the e-bike, we also had DSLRs in our cam bag for interviews. We used digital lavs for audio to keep it light. Since this is a public media show, we also worked with PBS member stations across New York State for production support. In each region, we coordinated with the local station to bring on a videographer for a couple days as we rolled through, which helped a lot with coverage.

We took one lighter day around day six—we filmed some B-roll and scenery, but really it was to give us a bit of a break from racing interview to interview, so not interviews at all. That is actually where it felt like a real bike tour again. Mixing TV production with a bike tour honestly undoes most of the leisure part of touring. But we also wanted to present this as a way to take a trip, and the Empire State Trail is a really good entry point for that.  

There are a ton of amenities - hotels, motels, public restrooms, canal towns spaced out well so you can stop, refill water, get food. It’s not that intimidating for a newcomer. You don’t have to do the whole thing, you can stop in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, and hop on Amtrak back. I’m a longtime cyclist and have bike toured a bunch before. I did the Empire State Trail back in 2021 (Buffalo to NYC) plus weekend trips out to the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Jersey, etc., but I really wanted this show to be an entry point for people to see and think "yeah, I could do that as a vacation", even if its an ebike or whatever.

For the show itself, we were working with a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, so we focused on climate change solutions. Bike touring/bikepacking fits into that pretty naturally. We stopped at a lot of New York State Parks, talked to scientists and conservationists, and also hit restaurants to make it feel like a travel show. That was important to me, I wanted it to feel like a travel show, not just a doc.

We also worked in local music from different regions. I’ll sometimes ride with an earbud in when I tour, so having a kind of “soundtrack” felt right, and it gives each place a different feel.

I did a lot of outlining and scripting before production (questions, how segments would connect) but once you’re actually out there it’s a different game. Weather changes, delays, random stuff happens. We got caught in a pretty intense rainstorm, dealt with downed trees after a microburst, late summer heat, and just running behind because I couldn’t memorize stand-ups half the time. 

I feel like the first episode gets at what the show is, but each episode has a different flavor. The next one in Rochester is a bit more humorous, with more natural moments and more riding footage to follow in the series.  

Anyway, would love for folks here to check it out if you’re into it. Also can answer more questions! Please help public media! (We're in a tough spot now).

so i'm student but also work part time at airport and have to be there around 4:30 am which means leaving my place near elmwood at like 4:15. my route goes through summer street that becomes best street and then i get in 33 to airport.

the thing that makes me so frustrated is these traffic lights. every single morning i get stopped at practically every red light on this stretch. when i calculated the time, hitting all reds adds about 6-7 minutes to what should be 4 minute drive. doesn't sound like much but when you're already tired and there's basically no other cars in road at that hour, it feels ridiculous.

i keep thinking they could make these lights sensor-activated or even just put flashing stop signs during overnight hours. sitting alone at red light in 4 am when intersection is completely empty just seems like waste of everyone's time.

maybe i'm just being impatient because i'm not morning person, but this small thing really gets under my skin every day. anyone else deal with similar stuff on their commute?

I just wanted to share that SNK FUEL on Lake & McKinley has (regular) gas for $3.71/gallon. Everything by my house was $4.19.

If you've got paint that's outlived its lifespan sitting around there's a free event to get rid of it at Buff State on April 18th. You have to pre-reg and can do it at the link provided, which also tells you what you can and can't bring for recycling.

I tagged this as 'News' because I didn't think any of the other tags fit. :p

My girlfriend's father is Vietnam vet and his house burned down few days ago. We're trying to help him get back in his feet but not sure where to start. He has place to stay with us temporarily but literally lost all his belongings.

Already been to VA office and they gave us some phone numbers to call, but wondering if anyone here knows about other local organizations that help veterans in situations like this? Especially need info about getting basic clothes, household items, that kind of stuff.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated. This whole situation has been pretty overwhelming for everyone.

Does anyone know which (if any) of the landlord rating apps/websites are most popular in Buffalo? I’m surprised they haven’t become more ubiquitous lately. Seems like a solid win for tenants if we could get organized on one main app.

Hey all, I’m working on a little project &, like the title says, I’m trying to compile a list of the Top 40 most iconic buildings or structures in and around Buffalo. I’ve come up with about 32 so far, but I’m hitting a wall & could use help bringing it home.. any thoughts? See my list (in no particular order) below:

- City Hall

- The Electric Tower

- the Sentinel (Erie Basin Observation Deck)

- Highmark Stadium (old)

- The Colored Musicians Club

- Buffalo Central Terminal

- Buff State Bell tower

- Peace Bridge

- Courthouse

- Seneca One

- Shea’s

- AKG (Delaware Park)

- AKG (Elmwood Ave)

- North Park Theatre

- Kleinhams Music Hall

- Temple Green

- First Presbyterian

- Buffalo Connecticut Armory

- “Keep Buffalo a Secret” mural

- Sahlen Field

- Niagara Falls

- Silo City

- African American Heritage Corridor

- MLK Park

- M&T Center (Golden Dome)

- Lafayette Sq

- Holy Angels church

- International Prep School

- UB South Campus

- Scientology Building

- Botanical Gardens

- Our Lady of Victory National Shrine

Are there any cool events going on for bicycle day (April 19th?)

What are your guys' thoughts on the three candidates competing for the 149th Assembly district? (coastal parts of Buffalo and the entire town of Hamburg)

The three candidates competing in the primary are Kevin Deese, Adam Bojak, and Karen Hoak. I've heard a lot of good stuff about all of them, but ultimately, I don't live in that district, and it won't be up to me to cast the vote. Therefore, I'm curious to hear who the folks in this sub living in 149th are supporting and why.

gas prices are outrageous. its a cheaper option for me as my vehicle is a flex fuel

I am looking for a very affordable moving company, I study full time and have a part time job, looking for the best options as there is not a lot of heavy furniture and moving out within 20 min of distance (cambria- north Tonawanda area)

Any buffalo runners have any primary care doctor recommendations in the area? Preferably somewhere in the general area of lancaster to East Aurora area.

I ask specifically for runners because the office I go to, basically every doctor dismisses concerns and things I'd like tested because "you're young and super fit". so anyone with good experiences with doctors that understand our specific concerns would be great.

Anybody know where I can buy Diastatic Malt Powder in the Buffalo area?