Talk to me about Buffalo, NY

[2kwik4u]

Email signature was setup today. Reading this hit me like a load of bricks. Huge mix of "F yea!" And "OMG am I really in charge at this level?'



Commute from Louisville to Buffalo has begun as well. Only 6more months of that.....I can already tell it's gonna be hard.

 

[mpecoraro]

Email signature was setup today. Reading this hit me like a load of bricks. Huge mix of "F yea!" And "OMG am I really in charge at this level?'

View attachment 213411

Commute from Louisville to Buffalo has begun as well. Only 6more months of that.....I can already tell it's gonna be hard.

Congratulations...and welcome to the neighborhood!

 

[John McLaughlin]

Well as we have been talking about Buffalo’s snowfalls. I just want to let you know that here on the Eastern shore of Maryland we are going to have our ow major snowfall. Yup we are due to get five minutes of flurries here. Now I am going to show you how we will describe this phenomenon.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Well as we have been talking about Buffalo’s snowfalls. I just want to let you know that here on the Eastern shore of Maryland we are going to have our ow major snowfall. Yup we are due to get five minutes of flurries here. Now I am going to show you how we will describe this phenomenon.View attachment 213428View attachment 213429

John, hope you got that new snow blower primed and ready to go! ?

Jim

 

[John McLaughlin]

John, hope you got that new snow blower primed and ready to go! ?

Jim

Even though the one flurry stopped hours ago I am going to the garage to charge the battery right now. Just in case a second flake drops.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Email signature was setup today. Reading this hit me like a load of bricks. Huge mix of "F yea!" And "OMG am I really in charge at this level?'

View attachment 213411

Commute from Louisville to Buffalo has begun as well. Only 6more months of that.....I can already tell it's gonna be hard.

It’ll be hard for sure, but, in the end it’s a big positive move for your career and your family. Fortune Favors the Bold!

 

[flyingnugget]

@2kwik4u

Soooooo, how’s the move to Buffalo working out for ya this winter? ???‍
Just giving ya a hard time with all that snow so far..

Congrats on the the new position..

 

[Stefanoar210]

We just moved back to Buffalo from Syracuse and I almost forgot how bad the snow gets. Luckily we moved north of the city and only got about 3ft. Boating will be new for both of us in Buffalo this year.

 

[2kwik4u]

Small update for the jetboating internet friend base.

Signed a lease on a rental house this morning. Just south of McKinley Mall. Address is officially Blasdell, but we're in Orchard Park schools. Figured the market for housing was tough, and renting for a year will give us some flexibility on timing and finding the right home. Also helps stabilize the finances so we can figure out what we can really afford in terms of housing. Speaking of which, rent for a 1,600sqft house is over DOUBLE the mortgage on our 2,400sqft house we have now. I know we bought 8yrs ago and prices have jumped a ton since then, and I also realize we have a 3.1% rate and that's not really possible anymore.....but DAMN it's expensive for housing up here.

In other finance adjacent thoughts. Shelly told her company she was moving. They denied a fully remote position, so as of some time around Memorial Day, she'll be out of work. We're thinking she'll take the summer off to be with the boys before looking for something new. Even then, depending on finances, she's likely to not return to the corporate world. She's a VP of Marketing for a small regional bank now. She can clearly return and continue that career, but I get the sense she's probably over that life. My crystal ball tells me she'll find something to do with the school system so that she's off work the same days as the boys, and her income doesn't have to drive our household budget anymore.

The new job is going OK. I started saying I was drinking from a fire hose. Drinking from a Lava Hose filled with Piranhas is a little more accurate. I've inherited a TON or problem jobs, and the leadership vacuum from the previous management leaving was pretty deep. It's a lot. CEO is pretty happy with my progress, and it's getting "smoother" as I get into it. I'm only 50 days into my tenure, so I'm trying to not be too hard on myself at this point, it's going to take a while to really come up to speed at this level.

Boys are still kind of "meh" about the whole thing. 12yr old doesn't seem to mind too much. 5yr old doesn't seem to care. My best friend (pontoon boat guy) and neighbor is going through a rough patch and somewhat self destructing. That sucks for him, and is making things awkward during my departure from the local area. We've started having "going away dinners" with her friends. We're still a few months out from moving, but her friend group is pretty big, and we all have kids. Sooner is better so we don't lose an opportunity.

Stressful times all around, but everyone seems to be keeping a positive vibe currently. I'm sure we'll have a bittersweet departure when we officially leave, but that's a problem for another day.

 

[2kwik4u]

Shits getting more and more real every day.

 

[Coult45]

Wait till you find yourself in pictures like this with friends and family. Then you'll know the shit has gotten real. I'll see you at pregame. Dress warm...

 

[2kwik4u]

Wait till you find yourself in pictures like this with friends and family. Then you'll know the shit has gotten real. I'll see you at pregame. Dress warm...

View attachment 215528

The rental house is just behind Berts Bikes on 20. We're within walking distance of the stadium!

Shoot me a DM when you're out and I'll come tailgate!

 

[PJFan1977]

Graduated from University at Buffalo about 23 years ago. Spent most of my life in Rochester, just down the Thruway. The snow is no joke, some winters are no big deal, others you won't believe it. Lake Effect Snow will be a common expression in your vernacular. Others mentioned lake access... I boat constantly on Lake Ontario, probably a big of a hike for you. Chautauqua Lake is fun - been travelling there my entire life for vacations in the summer. Would be perfect size lake for your boat - that said, it's a very weedy lake so watch out for that. Definitely attend a Buffalo Bills game and tailgate beforehand. Sabres games are fun too but they've been so bad for so long it's difficult to watch some times.

Look into downhill skiing or snowboarding in the winter time. It's a ton of fun and really makes the season go by quickly. I find myself wanting more snow from November - March for that reason. Holiday Valley and Kissing Bridge are both reasonable drives for skiing.

Darien Lake amusement park (Six Flags) is pretty close too. Plenty of rides and they hold outdoor concerts there all summer.

And of course, get you some authentic Buffalo Wings!! LMK if you have any questions about the area.

 

[PJFan1977]

From a Bills game a few years back...

 

[gthh]

A small list of good advice and benefits I can think of about living in Buffalo

learn how to pronounce Scajaquada and Cheektowaga

Live in or near Wheatfield NY / Grand Island and you will be fine with the snow-they hardly get any during the winter.

Buy a portable generator and have your house wired for it. You will need it every 3 or 4 years.

Buy a two or three stage snowblower that is over 8 Hp

Do not send your kids to Buffalo Schools.
The Williamsville school District is-one of the best.

You are only 20 min or less away from Niagara Falls.

State of New York at Buffalo is the largest University campus in the system and the best (imo) bang for the buck in higher education.

Boating on the River is fun and you have places to dock and eat. Dockside in the Tonawanda is my favorite. Https://stepoutbuffalo.com/guide-to-boat-friendly-waterfront-restaurants-in-wny/

Boating Lake Erie-not so much. Can get pretty rough out there and there is plenty of navigable water in the river.

Only a 1.5 hours trailering to the finger lakes region- deep glacial lakes. Canadaguia lake is my favorite. Every lake has a different appeal but all good boating/ water sporting lakes

 

[2kwik4u]

@gthh Thanks for the info.

How do you feel about Orchard Park Schools? Good? Bad? Working out of Silver Creek, so we've settled in Blasdell for the next year. I can see the cranes for the new stadium from the driveway for reference.

Don't need a snow blower just yet. HOA comes with snow removal for all driveways and sidewalks. I get to put that off for a year. House doesn't have a generator hookup, however, it's a rental so I doubt I can add it.

@PJFan1977 Thanks for the info as well.

I can definitely see us taking up skiing/snow sports at some level. I've always loved riding a board on the water. If I can figure that out on land I'll probably be happy enough.

Made the drive up yesterday with a UHaul trailer. Mostly uneventful aside from the trailer coupler rattling/clanking the whole way. Unpacked and slept on the couch last night. TV didn't make the trip safely, has a couple lines in it now, oh well, it was a cheap TCL unit anyway. It'll keep working for the boys I'm sure.





Finally.....The state of affairs for living arrangements until June. Haven't lived like this since I was in college.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

That's nice.
Lets see the work bench in the garage!

 

[2kwik4u]

That's nice.
Lets see the work bench in the garage!

Garage is TINY in this house (20x20). If I get a couple of cars and some bicycles in there I'm going to be really happy. Door is 7ft high, so I "should" be able to get the boat in there, but I think I'm going to have to get those caster lifter things to slide it over against the wall. That's to figure out another day though.

I really don't think I'm going to be able to get the workbench into the garage. I suspect it's going to end up in the basement.

 

[gthh]

Orchard Park and Clarence school districts are other excellent schools. Unfortunately You moved into a housing stock shortage.
You can use school district maps to help guide your house hunting experience. https://buffaloniagara.org/wp-conte...NiagaraRegionalMaps-PublicSchoolDistricts.pdf

Hope you enjoyed your two days of warm weather! Welcome to Western New York!

 

[2kwik4u]

Small-ish update.

Been commuting to Buffalo since January now. I'm ready for that part of my existence to be over. 7.5hr drive, or a 7-8hr flight (1 connection min, and 45min bookends between airport and home). Not to mention the boys are getting tired of facetiming me every night. I, seriously, don't know how people maintain long distance relationships. This shit is hard!

On the good side though.......Indiana house hits the market on Monday. Just confirmed the movers for June 3rd. Also, had the family up here for Spring Break week. Toured the boys school, wife got to look around the community some. Entire family seems pretty upbeat about the move in general, so that's a good thing.

Still have to get the boat and pickup truck up here. Figure I'll make a drive one way a few times, and bring those up 'piece meal'. Truck will come up loaded with garage stuff like the workbench, and jack stands, and that kind of crap. Suppose I could tow the boat up with it when I come. Not sure the old girl would like 8hrs with that kind of load, but I might consider it.

Talked to an accountant about the home sale. Guess you don't have to pay taxes on the gains if you lived there for more than 2yrs, and it's less than $500k. SO.....good chance we're going to take that cash and pay off a crap load of stuff. Should make the transition to a single income a little easier on us.

Feel like there's light at the end of the tunnel now, just hoping it's not an oncoming train!