Yoga at the Gardens

{Pre-class}

One of the biggest things I need to learn is how to relax, so I've made it a mission to try and take yoga to help me find a way to just "chill out" from time to time. Last week I went to Yoga at the Gardens - at the Botanical Gardens. The class is led by Leanne from Crescent Moon Yoga . It was pretty full and a pretty unique atmosphere, that I personally think helped me find my "zen."

I have only taken one other yoga class before and it was hot yoga a couple years back, so I didn't know what to expect, but to my surprise I wasn't as lost as I thought I would be. I did however feel like I didn't get that intense workout in that I'm used to getting when I take other exercise classes. I think that is the toughest part for me to learn from this - that even though I may feel like I'm not doing anything I really am.

The class was $15 (or if you want to take the full 10 weeks its $100) OR if you have BCBS health insurance the class is free. Its from 5:30-6:45pm on Wednesday evenings. To learn more check out the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens site.

-B

{I sat next to this lemon and lime tree inside the gardens}

{New artwork displayed on the Gardens}

A Saturday at the Steel Plant Museum

{The staff are so friendly and informative and answer any questions you may have}

The Steel Plant Museum hosted Steelfest this past Saturday and there were a handful of local vendors on hand making for great conversations with new people {Linwood Candle Co., Lloyds Taco Truck, Rusterior Designs, Peg's Hardware, the list goes on}. The event was free to the public and you could walk around the museum and learn about Buffalo's Steel History. For something I don't know much about, it was pretty cool!

This is a neat place to take school groups or if you're looking for an activity to do with your kids this summer, this museum should be on your list of places to go. The museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter

-B

Here are a few pictures that I took from Saturday's event.

{I loved seeing the knick knacks in the glass display cases}

{Old fashioned juke box}

Shea's

Shea's Performing Art Center - a beautiful place where magic happens. Not only have great plays come and gone from this venue, but there have been a handful of events that have taken place there as well. I'm excited to head there tonight with my Dad for the Phantom of the Opera show. Its been a few years since I've last seen a play there, so I'm looking forward to it. The venue has beautiful detailed décor through out and in a sense even though we aren't in NYC it reminds me of seeing plays on Broadway. -B

Down at the Market

The Broadway Market - a staple on the East side of Buffalo. I remember heading to the market often as a child when I lived on Fillmore, now I find myself visiting during the Lenten season and maybe once every other month. I hate when places that have so much potential get a "bad" rep because the area they are located in may not be the greatest. The only thing is, the market is open during daylight hours and is probably safer to visit than some other popular places in town that are open late into the night. I have a lot of childhood memories at the market and I'm looking forward to visiting in the upcoming week for Easter. If you've never been or haven't been in a while you should definitely pay a visit, with vendors like Gridlock Lacquer and Hands and Paws Cookie Treats  its bringing a new life back into an historic building.

-B

St. Stanislaus

A place that I grew up in and till this day a place that I love is St. Stanislaus. I attended grammar school there and even after I left that school, I would attend Church there. Every year I head there during Easter to get the Easter basket blessed. The Church is so beautiful and even though it is located in a not so great area of the city, it brings a light to that part of town.

-B

A Place to Be A Kid

A place where anyone can be a kid, the Buffalo Science Museum. Each year there is always at least a handful of events that draw me in. Today, its Messfest! Science is messy and today you can get ooey and gooey and have fun doing it! Have a great Sunday!

-B

Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square - a place where I spent a lot of my Thursday's listening to music and drinking some beers at Thursday in the Square. Now that it has moved to Canalside, the square is still pretty lively - with the new Buffalo Niagara Visitor's Center, Hotel Lafayette and the Hilton Hotel, I'm glad to see people still coming to that part of downtown.

Happy Saturday!

-B

Spring!

Its only appropriate to share one of my favorite places to go in the warmer months on the first day of Spring. That place is the Botanical Gardens. While I don't have a "green thumb" at all, I love walking through and smelling the fresh flowers and seeing the greenery. What's pretty cool are all the events that take place too, yoga at the gardens, drawing classes, egg hunts and much more. Happy First Day of Spring. Have a great weekend!

-B

A Natural Wonder of the World

Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, its only about a 30 minute drive for me and I take it for granted. I think growing up so close to it, I just think of it as another place to go to walk around, but forget how important it is to many people around the world. It is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year.

-B

Delaware Park and the Elmwood Village

Another part of Western New York that I love is the Elmwood Village and Delaware Park. Being able to walk up and down Elmwood and visit different shops and restaurants can make for a fun day and if you're not from the area it can be a unique experience. What I love even more is walking around Delaware Park and making a pit stop at the art gallery or history museum. The amount of activities you can do in the summer months around the park is one of a kind, making Buffalo a pretty awesome place.

-B

Animals!

The Buffalo Zoo and Aquarium of Niagara Falls are two of my favorite things in Western New York. I love animals and to be able to learn more about them and visit them in our area is pretty cool. Some cities aren't lucky to have a zoo and/or aquarium, so when I hear some people say these places aren't as great as other big cities, we should be thankful we even have any in "our backyard." If you take the time the next time you visit the zoo or aquarium you will see they actually have more to offer than you think.

-B

The Broadway Market

Growing up on Fillmore Ave, the Broadway Market has been a permanent staple in my life since I was a child. While it was more of a "booming" neighborhood when I was younger, now it is only a hot spot to go during the Easter season. People {I lose that word loosely} are scared or have a bad perception of the area where the market stands in their head. While I will agree that the neighborhood has deteriorated as I've gotten older, the market still has a lot to offer. The last few weeks I visited the market to pick up some essentials, such as meat from Lupus Meats and homemade pierogi's from Pott's Deli. Not only are these staples that have stood still at the market for years, there are also wineries that offer wine sampling, Gridlock Lacquer offering handmade nail polish for sale and Hands and Paws Cookie and Treats that offer doggie treats for man's best friend. There are also a handful of other local stands that sell seasonings, baked goods and misc. items.

Its sad to see what I think is a staple in Buffalo, falling apart and not being able to get the funding it needs to replace the roof or fix the cracks in the floor. Sometimes you need to put a little more into a building than just a coat of paint. I think the City of Buffalo should put more than just a few hours of their time into this Buffalo staple and market the Broadway Market as a place to go throughout the year and not just at Easter time...

Its great to see all the great things happening down at Canalside, but in my opinion there are other areas we should focus are attention on as well and not just half ass it {excuse my language}. The Broadway Market is just a short trip away and my hope is that people can see the life that it still has and what it could be if it just got a little more TLC.

Broadway Market on Facebook and Twitter.

-B

{Those are some big pickles!}

{A look inside the market}

{They have plenty of horseradish if you need any}

M&T Bank First Friday's at Albright Knox

The first Friday of every month M&T Bank and the Albright Knox offer First Fridays. Free admission on the first floor to the public. From 10am-10pm you can walk around and experience some of the amazing art the gallery has on display. If you want to walk around upper levels there is an additional fee.

At the beginning of the month I took the day off and spent it with my niece. For an almost four year old this was a great event to take her too. While she thought the Lucas Samaras, Reflections, aka the "Mirror Room" was the best, her attention span started to run out after about 30 minutes. With it being a beautiful day we walked on the outside grounds and took some nice photos.

Prior to this visit, it has been about 5 years since I was last inside the Art Gallery for a leisurely experience, so it was nice to walk around and experience it with a kid who has a vivid imagination.

I highly encourage anyone to take part in such a great event that takes place the First Friday of every month. The next one coming up is on Friday, November 7, 2014.

-B

{Snapping photos inside the Mirror Room}

{If you look at this for more than a couple seconds you get dizzy, or at least I did}

{One of my favorites on display}

{Anyone want to play some tic tac toe}

A Sweet Taste of Seafood

{Photo credit: Just a Blonde in Buffalo}

The other night my friend Nicole and I met for dinner and drinks at the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria building which now is home to Oshun Restaurant. Open for lunch and dinner, Oshun has an oyster bar and variety of seafood selections.

Recommended by our waitress, Nicole and I picked 3 small plates to share {Clams, Mussels and Calamari}. The mussels and calamari were both our favorites, sweet and a little spicy. The clams were ok, but left a "fishy" after taste.  We also ordered dessert - I'm not a big dessert person, but the warm cookies with salted pretzels and homemade vanilla ice cream was the second best decision after the Malbec wine I had ordered!

Overall, I loved the history that was used as part of the "art deco" décor. Add that element with the food and great company and it makes for a nice evening out!

-B

{Oyster bar}

Lovely Lewiston

Every time I go to Lewiston, I'm simply amazed at the beauty there, from Artpark to Old Fort Niagara it is simply amazing, especially in the summer months. My friend Lauren and I decided to spend a Saturday afternoon just walking around and taking in that "small" town feel. We first stopped at Artpark where we were able to be "big kids" and make some clay pottery for free. We then walked around and saw some of the sculpture artwork that was in the park.

After Artpark we hit up the ever so popular Silo to grab some lunch and ice cream, from there we walked down by the water and saw the Whirlpool Jet Boat tours that take place by Water St. Landing. We didn't have enough time to take a jet boat tour, but it is on my list of things to do. We drove through the Main St. and just looked at shops and restaurants that filled the street. It was a relaxing afternoon just exploring the "hidden treasures" that are only minutes away. Have you ever been to Lewiston? What are some of your favorites places to go when you're there?

 -B

#ArtparkWed

I don't make my way to Lewiston that often, but this past week my friend Lauren and I caught the Sara Bareilles concert for their Coors Light Wednesday concert series. You can't go wrong, for general admission, tickets were $11 and you we got to see a pretty talented artist. Artpark is such a pretty place, for those who love nature, music and being outdoors I suggest taking the pretty drive up to Niagara county and spending a day exploring and seeing what its all about.

-B

{ Sheltering ourselves from the rain }

{ Coors Light Wednesdays #cheers }

{ The pretty rainbow on our way home }

My Good Luck Elephant

Saturday I was lucky enough to finally meet the one animal I am literally in love with at the Zoo, no not Luna {though she is up there} it was Surapa the Asian Elephant. She has been at the Buffalo Zoo since she was a baby. Elephants are one of my favorite animals ever, so having the chance to meet her up close, feed her celery, watch her paint and do some tricks was one of the best things I've ever had the opportunity to do. Having my niece and sister with me made it even more special. Mindy her trainer was awesome, she gave us a background on the elephants, the elephant house and what she does there. Overall it was a great time and I couldn't be luckier. I was able to cross something off my bucket list. While we were there we also stopped by to see Luna and Kali and many more animals. Don't forget that you can see the animals at Buffalove Fest on May 30 at the Zoo. Proceeds go directly back to helping the animals!

-B

{ trunks up mean good luck }

{ she has some artistic skills }

{ showing off her moves }

{ I love this picture }

{ the lion was looking at us when we were waving }

{ up close }

{ what are you looking at?!? }

{ just having a good time }

{ morning swim }

Buffalo's Cherry Blossoms

This past weekend was the last weekend for the Cherry Blossom festival that was taking place at the Japanese Gardens in Delaware Park. Sunday was a great day to take a stroll and snap a couple of pictures. Tents were set up and you could learn about the activities going on during the day.

I opted out and decided to walk around the gardens and capture some photos of the Cherry Blossoms that were in bloom. The parking lot was full of cars and people we setting up for a picnic when I was there. Overall it was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon and appreciate the nature around the Buffalo History Museum. Seeing the cherry blossoms in bloom was a nice reminder that spring is here.

-B

May {To-Do's}

{ Maxi dress from Ooo La La Boutique. Matt & Nat bag, you can find at Anna Grace on Elmwood. Stay up to date on the events I have coming up on my events page }

Happy Cinco De Mayo!! Today is a great day to celebrate some delicious margarita's at Cantina Loco! The month of May for me is a month to continue to get things done. By that I mean spring cleaning, organizing, traveling at the end of the month, training for the half marathon next month, trying new things & visiting new places {Newbury Street & The Boat House specifically} and kick starting a variety of events that are coming up throughout the summer that I have a part in.

What are some things you are looking forward to this month?

-B

Dyngus Day Wrap Up

Dyngus day has come and past and while I enjoyed my time with friends I must say I have to voice my "concerns" on how I feel about the event this year. Going down to the Polonia District in the east side of Buffalo is a tradition. It brings back memories of my old neighborhood, where I grew up and celebrating at the Central Terminal is a great time.

This year there were crowds and crowds of people, more so than in past years {I think the nice weather had something to do with that}, but with that came no sense of organization on the event planners part, people were cutting through fences, more garbage lined the streets than normal, the bands didn't stick with the tradition of playing just Polka music, I'm sorry but in past years that's all that was played, no modern music was played. There was no TYSKIE beer {how can you not have Tyskie Beer at Dyngus Day}, I thought there was a "lack of security" and I felt $5 per drink ticket was fairly high. Where does this money go to? If you have Sobieski Vodka or a beer sponsor, sponsoring your event, where does the money go from ticket and drink sales? Does it go to help renovations at the Terminal or Churches that are still open on the East side of Buffalo? I would like to know.

I don't like to be negative, but after attending this past yea,r all of these questions arose and I thought I would put it out there. All things aside I had a good time, the weather was great, the company was better and I'm looking forward to 2015, hopefully back inside the Terminal.

-B