1. Quality and Reliability
2. PRICE
3. Amount of Time it takes to get your pictures.

We could list price again because wedding photos unlike a low quality generic Sears Studio family photo aren’t cheap.  In fact, in our research of Buffalo Wedding Photographers, most won’t list a price on their website.  To most people looking to not throw away money, this should be a red flag.

For us, one high quality Buffalo Wedding Photography studio stands out.  Kaz Photography (www.Kaz-Photos.com) sums up what you should be looking for.

Kaz Photography has extremely high quality packages ranging from what might be the least expensive in buffalo to the highest end you could ever dream of.

We recommend that if you or somebody you care about is beginning wedding planning in Buffalo or anywhere else in Western New York to check out the link below.  We guarantee you will be happy.

http://photos.kaz-photos.com/weddings

More to follow!

Update: 2:01pm

The earthquake was felt as far away as Syracuse, Olean and Toronto.  So far there has been no power outages reported.

Update: 2:11pm

Preliminary reports are showing the Earth Quake was centered in Quebec Canada.  The quake ranged between a 5.5 and 5.7

Update 2:15pm

The Earthquake was a 5.5 and originated 12 Miles below the earth.

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Pictures are worth a thousand words, these videos are worth millions.

Link: Runway 3.0

Hot Buffalo Exclusive!

“Reclaim and Re-use” is the modern mantra!  This is for a very good reason.  Not only does reclaimed materials look better than modern day copouts, it is better for the environment.  More than likely, reclaimed materials will last much much longer than newer ones.

That being said, their is a modern day shortage of sandstone cobblestones as seen above.

Our community sources say that there isn’t an unclaimed cobble around.  This isn’t just Buffalo’s problem.  It’s not just Western New York’s issue.  Every cobblestone from here to Iowa is claimed.

What is the reason for this?  Buffalo used to be known for it’s surplus red cobbles.  Fortunately for the reader, Hot Buffalo knows the reason.

ECHDC!  Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation.

Our sources have the ECHDC buying every red cobble they can get their hands on.

This would lead us to believe that major road work in the inner harbor is right around the corner.

Let’s hope progress actually does resume soon.  In the meantime, guard your cobbles.

Pierogi are a HUGE Polish tradition.

If you want to know how to make them in 8 minutes, here’s a soon to be famous video on how how one of favorite Polish ladies has been making them at her restaurant for 41 years come this May.

It’s a hiking group (I bet you couldn’t guess) started by Chuck Saia and Chris Henning for people that love all those things and more.  Events are planned and listed on their website. One such event was recently done in conjunction with the Powder Keg Festival and featured a different twist on what most of us think of when we think of hiking.  Instead of walking on a nature trail or in the woods, they hosted a 3+ mile hike along Buffalo’s waterfront, giving everyone that participated an up close look at the historic side of Buffalo’s place as the Queen of the lake.

Many more events are planned and membership is free and you don’t have to be a hard core hiker to join.  They have a “no hiker left behind” rule and the hikes maintain a pace to allow for everyone to stay together.  Their next event is April 17th at the Iroquois Wildlife  Refuge.  A great opportunity to check out what the buzz is about and let’s face it….I could stand a little exercise before beach season!

Buffalo News recently wrote about “Both Sides” of the Sycamore Village Development.

- Housing Upgrades – at any cost
- Sycamore residents devoted to East Side revitalization

A small jaunt east out of Downtown Buffalo will bring you to Sycamore Village.  Sycamore Village is an upscale development in one of the poorest parts of Buffalo.

House range from a $225,000 colonial that sells for $176,000 or a $215,000 one for a mere $90,000.  Don’t worry about the taxes because there aren’t any for the first 10 year.

The catch?  Your family has to make less than $50,800.

It is very reasonable for a $50k/year family to be able to afford a $90,000 home, it is less likely that they can afford a $176,000 home (that could be taxed as a $225,000 home down the road).  It might not even be a good idea for a single person family to buy that much house with a $50,000/year income.

Buffalo is devoted to East Side revitalization, but are they doing it “Smart”? 

Does it make sense to bar higher income families from a section you are trying to revitalize? 

Does it make sense to offer too much house to a family that may not afford it?

How do we fix this without simply throwing money at it?

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Sundays at Just Vino are known as “Green Dot Sunday”.  Any previously open bottle of wine has a green stopper in it.  These “Green Dots” are all HALF-PRICE.

This give you a chance to try that expensive bottle that you’ve been too frugal to indulge in.

Just Vino isn’t making much money on Sundays, but according to co-owner Jeff, it does “Pay for the Lights”.

Let me start with a little background about “yours smoothly”.  I love music!  All kinds of music; underground hip-hop, old time country, heavy metal, experimental, avant-garde, classical, etc.  Hell, I even own an album of Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc.) recording noises into a tape recorded while setting in a hotel room… and I love it!  I also hate mainstream music.  If you really want to find good music, then don’t turn on the radio.  That’s the last place you’ll find good music in my opinion.  Well possibly on satellite radio because there are so many options.  You’ve got to be able to find something palatable, right?  So there’s the skinny on what I dig.  

When I stumbled across the advertisement for the show in the Art Voice and I was surprised.  I usually have something like this on my radar screen but I missed this one.  So I contacted a few of the crew to see if I could persuade any of them into coming with me.  I found one taker but many still decided that staying home in a vegetative state was a better option.  It’s not easy getting “30-Somethings” out on a work night.  Boy when did THEY get so old? 

We arrived at Mohawk Place at approximately 8:30 and as always I misjudged the time that the opening act would go on, so we did what anyone else would do in this situation – sit patiently and drink!  PBR’s with Jack is my typical poison when in Rome, and this night would be no different.  We enjoyed a few and while we waited Lucky stopped by and thanked us for coming to the show.  I told him that we had seen him open for Hank Williams III a few months back and were excited to see him back in town.  We also said hello to his fiddle player Natalie Page Monson.  (Our friend “Hot Buffalo” has had a school boy crush on her for quite some time and I figured a properly placed picture message would do the trick and get him to come down for the show.  Wouldn’t you know it – it worked!  Making our head count three.) 

The Steam Donkeys hit the stage about an hour after we arrived.  These local legends always offer up a great show.  They were solid as always and primed the pump with their brand of honky-tonk.  It was a very nice way to kick off the night’s music. 

When we had spoken earlier with Natalie, she had told us that forty tickets were sold before the show and she was pretty happy with that number.  I would estimate that there was double that when Lucky went on.  Not too bad of a crowd considering it was a cold, snowy Tuesday night in Buffalo. 

Lucky and his crew covered all of their hits and plenty of material from Johnny Cash, great uncle Ernest Tubb and many other country legends.  (Let me tell you that the combination of Lucky and Natalie is reminiscent of the legendary duo of Johnny Cash and June Carter.  Boy that gal has some pipes and Lucky is no slouch either.)  At one point our good friend “Hot Buffalo” yelled out a request for the song “Bakersfield” and they played it without hesitation.  They played two sets and really set the house on fire.  The night concluded about 12:30 and we stayed just long enough for one shot with our new fiddle playin’ friend. 

What more is there to say but; Great tunes, great friends and a great show!  The best Tuesday night I’ve had in years!!  (…and the hangover on Wednesday coupled with a twelve hour work day was a small price to pay for that kind of enjoyment.) 

So the next time someone tells you that real country music is a thing of the past or there is nothing to do in Buffalo, tell them to go stick it where the sun doesn’t shine! 

Thank you Lucky and the Modern Day Troubadours!

(http://www.myspace.com/luckytubb) 

BTW – Kudos to Scott Leary (the new owner of Mohawk Place) for updating the sound system.  If you have not attended a show at the Mohawk Place since, you don’t know what you are missing.

Come out and show your support for Buffalo’s Olmsted Parks, this Sunday. Bring your family and friends to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Fillmore and Best in Buffalo.
Meet by the MLK Jr., Monument at Noon.

Here is how you can help
The Conservancy’s trustees met in special session yesterday and drafted a community action plan that includes:
•
A Public Rally in support of the Olmsted Parks to be held this Sunday, December 13 at Noon in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Everyone is invited to attend, meet at the large statue of MLK by the Fillmore and Best entrances to the park.
•
Sign the Olmsted petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/BOPC/petition.html
endorsing your support of the Conservancy’s work over the past 5 years.
•
Call the Mayor’s office and voice your concern.
•
Write letters to the media endorsing the Conservancy’s work and sharing park memories.

BE THERE SUNDAY!