The Porter Mansion is a historical mansion in Niagara Falls once owned by the Porter family who…read moreactually 'owned' the falls and the property along the Niagara River leading up to the falls. It is now owned and being g restored by the Tatler Club which in itself is historic. A private women's club formed in 1925 when the women's movement was reshaping the country. They now are working on the preservation of the mansion and host tours ND event here. I had the pleasure of attending a fundraiser for the Niagara Arts & Curtural Center, aka the NACC, called Opera-tizer Spring Tea. It was an afternoon with lunch, wine, opera, dessert, and tea. My knowledge of opera is limited but I must say the opera singers were outstanding. The setting was beautiful and the food was great. Very enjoyable day. If you get the opportunity to check out this great place please do. 2023-42

The Hull Family Home is truly a gem, and is the only fully restored stone dwelling of the early…read more1800's in Erie county. When's the last time you visited a 200-year-old home? The home and farmstead were built by Warren Hull, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to Lancaster, NY from New England with his wife Polly and their children. Their home was also used as hotel for people traveling from Batavia to Buffalo, as well as a meeting place. The home has a total of 4 floors, 3 of which were open to the public when we were there. There's also 7 functional fireplaces. It's evident how passionate and knowledgeable the volunteers are. The house was fully restored and is beautiful. The medicinal herb garden was thoughtfully planned and is carefully maintained by their volunteer gardener. The family cemetery is maintained by volunteers from the local chapter of DAR. They have ambitious goals to make this the premier historic destination of Erie County, and have made a lot of progress towards it. They normally host a variety of events, which have been cancelled due to COVID. However they are currently open Sundays in August 2020 from 12-3PM. Admission is free, but there's a recommended donation of $5. The volunteers dress in period clothes and will walk you through the home. I encourage you to checkout their website, which has a virtual tour of the home, as well as their Facebook page, which they've been actively keeping up to date. A note on parking and accessibility. There's a gravel/grass/bumpy parking lot available on the east side of the home. The back entrance into the Lowe level is relatively flat stone, and doesn't have any stairs. There's a wheel chair lift on the outside of the home which goes to the 1st floor in the home. Within the home, there are only stairs between each floor.

This plaque can be viewed easily from your car on the side of the road. It's a busy street so pull…read moreover to view it. The plaque is in good condition, but the log cabin is no longer here, just a barn and a field. To learn more about the history, checkout the Cambria Historical Society.

History. Along the Niagara wine trail. This area has a long legacy (for the US anyway)…read more Right here, along the side of the road, is a plaque commemorating the area where the Brits were stopped from burning more area East of here. The settlers worked with the local Indians to hold back the Brits. This was long after the revolutionary war. You never knowing what you will learn if you stop to read the plaques along the way. 2575y

Located in a mostly residential neighborhood of Buffalo, this marker points out some history from…read morethe War of 1812. The marker is in excellent condition and there is space to pull over and park. The marker reads, "Near here, Job Hoisington gave his life when he held the enemy & allowed Hull's militia to escape Buffalo's burning, Dec. 30, 1813." During a battle between Capt. Hull's United States Army Militia and British forces with their Native allies, the 51-year old Hoisington single-handedly held back the enemy at what is now the intersection of Porter and Plymouth Aves, granting his fellow militiamen, family, and other innocent villagers vital time to escape one of the worst horrors of the War of 1812: The Burning of Buffalo. British forces set fire to the village of Buffalo. A number of residents attempted heroically to defend the attack, but in the end, the battle was lost. It is marker number 6, erected in 2015 by the New York Folklore Society and William G. Pomeroy Foundation. [Review 1513 of 2024 - 430 in New York - 22536 overall]

This marker stands on a relatively unexciting stretch of NY 5 with some homes nearby. The marker…read morepoints out some of the earliest settlement history. It has the same text on both sides. It reads, "David Goss, coming from Massachusetts in 1804, took up land on the Holland Purchase. His dwelling, which he converted into a tavern, was the first Public House in the Township. "To the west 3.25 mile on this, the Old Buffalo Road, stood another tavern. Legend has it that a would-be guest, identifying herself as the "Dutchess of Sligo", so riled "Inn-Keeper Blogett" that he then retorted, "I am the Earl of Pembroke" (and you cannot stay). His tavern was henceforth known as the "Earl of Pembroke's Castle". Richville became Pembroke." The marker was erected by the Town of Pembroke Bicentennial Committee. [Round number review 1400 of 2024 - 404 in New York - 22423 overall]

It's been said that Lockport residents can get to downtown Buffalo in 13 minutes flat (with flat…read morebeing the operative word, because Western NY really is, isn't it). That would never be possible if it were not for the Lockport Expressway, also known as I-990, also known as the "Road To Redemption", or "The Way, The Truth, and The Light." It's a very pretty road, not pretty in a Jessica Alba way, but pretty in a Molly Ringwald way. You can do up to 110mph on this road, but not legally. Legally you are restricted to 65mph, and when it is icy and snowy, I recommend going even more slowerererer. Each day 990 cars travel up and down it, and most of them live in Lockport (which got its name from what you should do if you live in a high crime area... Lock all Ports of entry to your house). This is where the number "990" came from. It is in no way related to the "99 position". The only reason this road loses a star is because it's a highway that never reached its full potential. It does speed the journey from the Northtowns to Lockport, and even from the rest of WNY to Lockport depending upon where you are coming from, but so few people use this road, that it seems lonely. What's more, it winds a lot, so while it is the fastest way to Lockport in terms of speed, it is a couple of extra miles to some of the less windy routes, and by windy I mean shaking it like a proverbial salt shaker all over the suburban terrain, rather than the Chicago elements battering you from between the Willis and John Hancock Tower. And if the John Hancock Tower is ever taken down brick by brick and rebuilt at the North end of this highway, then we will have to change the name of the town from Lockport to John Hancockport.

I drive this highway a few times a month. Sometimes from UB to the 290, perhaps a mile or so…read more Other times from UB back onto Millersport closer to Lockport. I like this road because it's well maintained. It doesn't seem heavily traveled either, making for easy rides. All in all, for a very short highway, it's a pleasant ride.

Much more pleasant than Colonic Circle. Don't ask…read more Another one of the beautiful traffic circles with gorgeous greenery and stately homes around the edges and streets nearby in the most beautiful part of Buffalo - which is North Buffalo. These traffic circles are both unique and spectacular and full of personality and it's a shame that every city doesn't use this kind of plan for its streets because it would make the USA a much more beautiful place. Also a much more European place but most countries around the world have figured out the wonder of the traffic circle and it's just ridiculous that Buffalo is the only place where it really exists... the nation is stuck in a very annoying way of thinking. The circles of Buffalo are nothing short of beautiful and extremely unique to the city because let's face it - most cities don't have anything like this and it makes the town unique end they should really put these at every intersection everywhere in the country because then the whole country would be more smooth - as long as I and I don't have to educate all these awful drivers on how to actually drive around roundabouts. Even the Buffalo drivers don't really know and they actually live among some of the greatest ones in the country.

Along New York 18 at the intersection with Transit Road, this marker points out where the explorer…read moreJoseph Ellicott (1760-1826) ended his northern journey. Hired in 1797 by the Holland Land Company to survey what became known as the Holland Purchase, he laid out the townships of this new land including what became Batavia New York (where he is buried) and in 1804, the Village of Buffalo. The town of Ellicott New York, among other places, is named for him. The marker reads, "Site of Stone Marking the Northernmost Point of the Transit Surveyed by Joseph Ellicott. Site of Stone Marking the Northernmost Point of the Transit Surveyed by Joseph Ellicott c. 1800 for the Holland Land Company." The marker was erected in 1985 by the Town of Newfane Historical Society. [Review 1414 of 2024 - 418 in New York - 22437 overall]