<p>Planning an overnight stay in Buffalo; parent and 3 college aged kids. Driving from Toronto. We plan to shop and dine. Which would be the best/safest area to stay. Will have car. Any recommendations gratefully accepted.</p>
<p>[Residence</a> Inn Buffalo Cheektowaga: Suites and amenities for corporate travel and relocation](<a href=“http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bufri-residence-inn-buffalo-cheektowaga/]Residence”>Residence Inn Buffalo Galleria Mall | Extended Stay Hotel in Buffalo)</p>
<p>Marriott has a very nice Residence Inn close to the Walden Galleria which is a great place to shop. You can get a suite there which also includes a kitchen. It’s an easy drive from there to the outlet stores, too, if that’s also on your list.</p>
<p>My D stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown last fall and was very impressed by it.</p>
<p>If you stay in downtown Buffalo, definitely try the Anchor Bar on Main Street (home of the original Buffalo chicken wings). Albright-Knox Art Gallery if you have time. Lots of fun places to eat/shop on Elmwood Avenue. Good luck.</p>
<p>Oh please, don’t stay out in Cheektowaga. At least not unless Walden Galleria is really the centerpiece of your trip.</p>
<p>We usually stay at the Hampton Inn downtown. It’s right in the middle of what is now a lively nightlife scene. Sometimes too lively – parking can get tight, and reveling can make its way into the elevators and hallways. We have also stayed at The Mansion, an elegant b&b maybe half a mile from the city center, but that’s pricier.</p>
<p>To do . . . definitely the Albright-Knox, which has a better modern/contemporary art collection than anything in Toronto. And the new Burchfield Penney Art Center across the street from it. You might also try to make reservations to tour the Darwin Martin House, a really nice, well-restored Frank Lloyd Wright house. (There are a bunch of Wright buildings in Buffalo, but that’s the only one with a good tour.)</p>
<p>Shopping . . . I dunno. Apart from price, I would go to Toronto from Buffalo to shop for most things. If price is the big attraction, go to the outlet mall in Niagara Falls. Also Premier Wine & Spirits on Delaware Ave. in Kenmore, which is a really great, large wine store with very knowledgeable staff and good prices.</p>
<p>Food . . . ditto the above. The few times I eat out in Buffalo, half of them we go over to Ming Teh, a Chinese restaurant right on the lake in Fort Erie, but it wouldn’t seem special at all in Toronto. Rue Franklin is a nice, high-end restaurant (maybe THE nice, high-end restaurant . . . I certainly haven’t been anywhere else I would recommend). There are some places locals swear by that I would avoid like the plague – e.g., Chef’s.</p>
<p>For cheap eats, Anchor Bar was never anything special in the past, although maybe they’ve upped their game. Anchor Bar’s claim to having invented Buffalo wings is not unchallenged, by the way – there are equally strong claimants in the African-American community. And pretty much any bar in the city does a credible job at them – there isn’t some huge mystery to it.</p>
<p>Then there is Ted’s Hot Dogs, which are the best hot dogs ever. Various locations in the suburbs. Worth a trip, if you like hot dogs. And onion rings. The other local specialty is “beef on weck” – a roast beef sandwich on a salted hard roll called kimmelweck. You used to be able to get these everywhere, too, but I think it has been dying out (having failed to go national like wings did).</p>
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<p>Since she did, indeed, list shopping first and made no mention at all of exploring the city itself, being located close to the Galleria and easy access to the outlet stores was the reason I suggested the Residence Inn, especially for four people. She said this was an “overnight” trip which, to me anyway, meant one night. Although I agree with you that choosing Buffalo over Toronto for shopping is usually pretty silly, thousands of Canadians do it everyday!</p>
<p>Thousands of Canadians do it every day, but I thought it was mainly at the outlet stores, or for stuff like alcohol that’s fussily regulated in Ontario. Is there any advantage to shopping at Walden Galleria vs. the Eaton Centre?</p>
<p>I’ve never seen it as a huge advantage but I’m not a big shopper, so what do I know. 
A lot of people go down for groceries although the difference in prices is not what it once was. When I’m in the U.S., I admit to including a stop at a grocery store but that’s usually to pick up some things that I can’t get here. Especially when I’m in your neck of the woods, I stop and get some favorite items that I enjoyed when growing up in NJ. As for the Galleria vs. the Eaton Centre, I think the differences are more limited than they’ve ever been. There are very few U.S. stores that do not have Toronto stores although for some you’d have to hike up to Bloor St. rather than head to the Eaton Centre.</p>
<p>One last tip as you’re driving around Buffalo – Frederick Law Olmsted (landscape architect for Central Park) designed the park and parkway system for Buffalo. Delaware Park, the jewel, was unfortunately cut up by roads, but the “parkway” part includes Chapin Parkway, Lincoln Parkway – broad streets with lovely homes. And many examples of early 20th C architecture (thanks JHS for pointing out the Martin house). Louis Sullivan, Eero Saarinen, McKim Mead White, H.H. Richardson. </p>
<p>It’s a wonderful town.</p>
<p>Take a look at Trip Advisor - people seem to recommend the Hampton Inn and Embassy Suites mentioned above. Also, the Mansion on Delaware Avenue.</p>
<p>Have a great time.</p>
<p>If you plan to visit the Albright-Knox gallery, make sure and check whether it will be open during your stay.</p>
<p>While on a visit, a friend of mine (from Toronto!) and I went out of our way to visit the gallery, only to find it was closed on Tuesdays, the day we were there. :(</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your very helpful and interesting replies…you would be surprised how many U.S. stores are not in Toronto…there is a distinct difference between the shopping experience/variety/price you get on the other side of the border! </p>
<p>Appreciate all the tips including sightseeing; probably won’t get to that this trip but will certainly keep in mind for the next time since between them, they will be studying in Canada for a while yet.</p>
<p>Especially on weekends, there are more Canadian shoppers at Galleria mall than Americans. Canadians love that mall and I admit it is a great mall. It seems like just about everything is there. It is the only mall in the area worth going to except for the outlet mall in Niagara Falls. You will probably run into many of your own neighbors at either one of those malls! </p>
<p>I too recommend either Hampton Inn or Embassy Suites downtown. There is a Marriot right next door to Galleria Mall that does offer deals for Canadian shoppers from what I have heard. The Mansion is very nice and you even get your own butler but it is expensive. </p>
<p>If you stay in Cheektowag, by Galleria Mall, then you will be limited to chain restaurants. You will find PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, Melting pot, Friday’s, Olive Garden etc. Not much else worthwhile nearby. </p>
<p>You will have better luck finding non chain restaurants if you stay downtown. From downtown to Galleria Mall will take about 15 minutes. To the outlet mall will take about 30 minutes. Rue Franklin is nice but pricey. Other very good restaurants in the area are Hutchs, Left Bank, 31 Club, Chop House, Tempo, Olivers. But those are also expensive.</p>
<p>If you are looking for reasonably priced food that is good and not overly fancy, there are several on Elmwood Ave downtown. Panos, Coles, Toro’s are just a few. Papaya is near Embassy Suites. I don’t know the name of the either restaurant in Hampton Inn or Embassy Suites but I have heard that they are decent. Other good downtown restaurants are Mothers, La Tee da. </p>
<p>You can also shop on Elmwood Ave. There are several quirky stores and boutiques that have some different things. Not much in the way of clothing though. Also, there is a great spice store called Penzey’s located on Elmwood that is worthwhile stopping in. You will find candy stores, cupcake shop, dessert stores on Elmwood too. Good coffee and desserts at Spot coffee. </p>
<p>Enjoy your trip to Buffalo!</p>
<p>My last tip: if anyone in your family likes chocolate, check out Fowler’s (there’s one on Elmwood plus other locations). Locally owned chocolate manufacturer with wonderful selection. You haven’t lived until you’ve had their sponge candy.</p>
<p>Sending you a PM…</p>