Getting around Buffalo

[North America]

I will be visiting Buffalo for a conference shortly and to cool my heals, I may check out some local restaurants, Bars and Pubs. Can anyone suggest a good Italian restaurant (Not Olive Garden) and an Irish themed bar. I may need help getting around Buffalo-Niagara area.

[rocketmail009]

We've visited Buffalo on our way to Niagara Falls, certainly go to the Anchor Bar (but order only Buffalo wings & beer).

Niagara Falls are a short drive from Buffalo, I suggest taking the 4 hour tour on the American side (it's actually longer so set aside a day) and then walking over to Canada for the view.

[moon]

Buffalo is New York state's second-largest city, with a metropolitan area population of nearly 1,200,000. Buffalo is the cultural and economic center of the Western New York region. Once a bustling industrial center, famous for its smoke-belching steel mills and automotive plants, Buffalo now serves as home to renowned art galleries, diverse entertainment, world-famous architecture, vibrant ethnic enclaves and internationally recognized universities. Despite its many fine assets, Buffalo remains essentially a working-class city suffering from the after effects of de-industrialization and mass blue-collar unemployment.

[jerymac]

Buffalo is best seen by driving. The downtown area has plenty of one way streets, but is laid out in a grid format (designed by the same folks as Washington DC), so even if you miss a turn, you don't have to go particularly far out of your way to find anything.