Vibe: Opened in 1880 as the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, the building was designed by famed architect Henry Hobson Richardson in Romanesque Revival style. Hotel Henry is the first tenant in what will be a major renovation of the whole complex, injecting large open spaces with an art-gallery atmosphere over five floors. At any given time, the hotel exhibits about 100 pieces of art. Dramatic white corridors feature massive windows bringing in buckets of natural light with a river of blue carpet injecting a swirl of colour.

Rooms: As with any revamped building, the layout of the 88 rooms and suites vary throughout. Décor is pared-down and modern, the 18-foot ceilings,14-foot windows (with motorized blinds) and recessed lighting adding a dash of drama. Wedge pillows dress up a comfortable platform bed and an adaptable wall system keeps things orderly acting as an open “closet.” Sunny bathrooms are equipped with European-style Porcelanosa fixtures.

THINGS TO DO: IN BUFFALO

F&B: Just off the hotel’s second-floor lobby, 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry is a restaurant, bar, bakery and coffeehouse for hotel guests and neighborhood locals, offering many different seating and service options centred around one common menu. New American cuisine highlights regional products and produce with a made-from-scratch credo. Standard hotel staples are given a Mediterranean twist—marinated chicken with raita, yellowfin tuna with skordalia, seared scallops with a raisin caper vinaigrette, roasted beets and tahini. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free options cover the bases.

Extras: The hotel has a variety of spaces for workstation setups and more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, much of which is also filled with art. A 24-hour gym and a running path among the surrounding 42 acres of parkland keep guests in top form.

Off-Site: Hotel Henry is in Buffalo’s north end, within walking distance of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Delaware Park is a five-minute drive away, as is the hip neighbourhood of Elmwood Village. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House is a 10-minute drive away.

Rate: $$

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My friends all pulled a big face, screwing their noses up as if I smelled. “Why the hell are you going to Buffalo?” Morons. Because it’s right around the corner, I told them. Turns out we were on the Peace Bridge in two hours and nine minutes, and well on our way to an excellent weekend away.

A quiet revival is taking place in the Queen City: cool neighbourhoods you could picture yourself living in, old buildings and homes getting a new lease on life, once derelict parts of town now the talk of the town. We also locked into the hospitable vibe from all the nodding; people actually acknowledge your presence—in store lineups, on street corners, bellying up to the bar—like a small town. Turning off the Toronto anonymity is often like a vacation in itself.

Peg a whole day for art. Spin through the Albright Knox Art Gallery in the north end of town to absorb its incredible collection of modern and contemporary art. Follow that with a visit to The Burchfield Penney Art Center across the street, a museum exhibiting works by Western New York artists.

Pay homage to the master. Completely nerd out the restored Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House. This 1905 home is one of Wright’s architectural masterpieces. From the open-concept living areas, crazy talk at the time, to the nature-inspired embellishment of more than 400 art glass windows to the pergola through to the conservatory, now full of orchids, the home is a solid marvel. Wright’s legendary controlling nature is on full display in many rooms, especially those with built-in cabinetry—he didn’t want anybody moving the furniture around.

Fill your belly. Buffalo is a bubbling-under town on the scope of the national food scene, chefs often returning here having made their name elsewhere. We manage to eat our way through a chophouse, a diner, a whisky bar and a Southern restaurant, before our jaws drop at Las Puertas, the city’s much-lauded Mexican restaurant. This 35-seat gem in the West Side, founded by 2018 James Beard-nominated chef Victor Parra Gonzalez, who hails from Acapulco, is thoroughly and distinctly modern Mexican, yet executed with classic French techniques elevating it to top-10 status.

Dance it off. The gay watering holes in Allentown are fun, and mostly old-school, like the town itself. We start off dodging drunk pool players at Cathode Ray on Allen Street, then proceed around the corner to Fugazi, where a slightly younger crowd is throwing back martinis. Gotta love the American free-pour.

Dip south for a side trip. More art and architecture came in the form of a small side trip to the town of East Aurora, a half-hour southeast of Buffalo. Hit the trail to visit Roycroft Campus, a cluster of historic buildings that was once home to a community of Arts & Crafts movement artisans in the early 1900s. Known as Roycrofters, the group began as printers and publishers, expanding under founding father Elbert Hubbard to become a self-sufficient guild of furniture-makers, metalsmiths, leathersmiths and bookbinders. It’s a rare survival of an art colony, the story and art kept alive through several restored workshops and an excellent museum.

CURTISS HOTEL
HOTEL HENRY
INNBUFFALO OFF ELMWOOD
THE ROYCROFT INN

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Vibe: InnBuffalo is a charming B&B-boutique hotel hybrid as intimate and individual as the Elmwood Village neighbourhood itself. With only nine rooms, you get to know everyone else fairly quickly. Guests are small-hotel fans who like the comradery B&Bs generally create. The inn is also great for those who like their hotel rooms to look like they belong in a museum; people for whom “antique” is maybe a verb. The innkeeper himself stands out a mile, the epitome of hospitality—genuine, full of stories, quick with a handshake.

THINGS TO DO: IN BUFFALO

Rooms: “I sell sleep,” Joe reveals on the front porch one morning over coffee. As such, beds are extremely comfortable, surrounded by antique furniture. New and bright subway-tiled ensuite bathrooms have heated marble flooring. Rooms also come equipped with Keurig coffeemakers and free Wi-Fi.

F&B: Breakfast is king at InnBuffalo, with scones and bread-baked fresh daily, made-to-order egg dishes and fruity pancakes. It’s like Mom just asks you what you want. Have the signature spinach scramble.

Extras: The inn is a “preservation in progress,” with many original elements in tact. Common areas are filled with period furnishings, including leaded glass-panelled bookcases, coffered ceilings, silk damask wallcoverings, varnished secretaries and a basement billiards table. This is a boon for restoration students from nearby Buffalo State, who get to practice on the parts of the mansion that still need attention.

Off-Site: Elmwood Village is in central Buffalo just south of Delaware Park, about one mile from downtown. It has a reputation for being one of the city’s more cosmopolitan neighbourhoods, filled with popular independent shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is a 20-minute walk north. The Peace Bridge is a 15-minute drive away. Niagara Falls is a 30-minute drive away.

Rate: $$

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