COMING SOON: Silo City Rocks

I went rock climbing once in my life. I was in high school, and my best friend Kristy and I took a few days to "vacation" around Buffalo.  We didn't have a lot of money to spend, so we picked out a handful of activities we'd never done and checked them out. Why we chose rock climbing, I'm not sure, but we fumbled our way up the wall, had a good laugh and went on to the next adventure. 

Fast forward almost fifteen years later: I'm standing inside a grain elevator in Buffalo looking up at the future home of Silo City Rocks. I'm off the wall excited about this project, quickly opening my wallet to support the project. It isn't about the rock climbing to me. With one failed shoulder surgery, and the other one in need of surgery, I'm never going to be a climbing fanatic. Sure, I'll give it a try, but, it's not about the climbing. It's about progress. It's about a change of attitude. It's about taking a dream in Buffalo and making it a reality. In a grain elevator. 

Walking around the grain elevator with one of the co-owners of Silo City Rocks, Jason Schwinger, I could feel the energy and passion he has for this project. 

So what exactly is the project? Schwinger and two other co-owners have teamed up to create a unique experience for climbers in Western New York. An abandoned grain elevator in Silo City will be converted into a rock climbing facility filled with climbing walls for children and adults. Climbers will have the chance to climb and repel off the outside of the grain elevator as well. In addition to space for climbing, Silo City Rocks will be home to a yoga studio, a history lounge and more! 

In March, the owners unveiled the project to the community and the response has been incredible. They launched an Indiegogo page asking the community to donate to the project and have raised over $15,000 to date. The donations will go to support the purchase of materials to get the project off the ground by Memorial Day weekend 2013.

"Since we unveiled the project, I've gotten dozens of e-mails a week asking how people can get involved with the project. In addition to making donations, we are in need of a lot of people to help clean out the space and work on the remodel." Jason told me. If you are interested in getting involved, you can contact Jason by e-mail at jason@silocityrocks.com.

The plans for the project are big. Jason knows the full dream won't be realized by the Memorial Day weekend opening, but they plan to continue to expand and add on. Climbing classes and workshops may be offered in the fall and more events and activities will continue to be added as they can. 

Though Silo City Rocks will take up a lot of space, it will still leave a large portion of the grain elevator empty. "We hope that Silo City Rocks starts sparking other ideas from Buffalonians to continue to fill this incredible space. The possibilities are endless." Jason said. In addition to the grain elevator they will be operating out of, there are a handful more in close proximity! 

In the past few years, reuse/rehabilitation/restoration projects in Buffalo have been fascinating. With the recently renovated Statler, Hotel Lafayette, a beautiful Canalside, plans to reuse the historic Richardson Complex, and more, Buffalo is setting itself up for an incredible future. Now, add the historic grain elevators to the mix and Buffalo continues to become an even more attractive destination.  

As Memorial Day gets closer, I find myself getting even more excited about Silo City Rocks. I'm looking forward to getting my chance to explore the walls, bum shoulders and all, and see another space in Buffalo reused. If you enjoying climbing, it is a must do this summer.

If rock climbing isn't your thing, maybe kayaking is? Jason also owns BFLO Harbor Kayak (which we reviewed HERE back in 2011. Check out the website for current pricing and hours). It's another great outdoor option for summers in Buffalo. 

Whether or not climbing is your thing, you have to appreciate what they are trying to do. I'm so proud of the people of Buffalo who are thinking outside the box to create all the wonderful projects that are in the works. 

Summer 2013 is going to be an incredible time to be in Buffalo. Stay tuned for more details as they come out...

Happy climbing!

Rolly Pollies of WNY

In a time when the national obesity epidemic is talked about on a daily basis, it is important to get kids active at an early age. Rolly Pollies of WNY aims to start kids as young as six months to instill a healthy and active lifestyle. 

The infant program is just one of many programs offered at Rolly Pollies, but was one that I could tell owner Jim Fleckenstein loved to talk about. The program aims to help infants build their gross motor skills and strengthen their core for balance as they begin to explore walking. The group classes that include Mommy and/or Daddy often open parents eyes to what their young ones can do.  

All classes (offered at various age levels) are non-competitive and usually run in 9 week sessions with a specific curriculum. Class size is kept fairly small, working with a 6:1 ratio of students to instructors. Most classes max out around 20 participants to allow staff the chance to work with each student. 

In addition to all the gym classes offered for ages 6 months - 12 years, Rolly Pollies offers music and creative arts programs. During school breaks they offer short sessions to keep the kids moving, and offer other specialty classes & workshops throughout the year. They also have open gym hours where parents can bring their kids to play with any of the equipment in the gym ($10 - $15 per hour depending on age, $5 for each additional hour). 

One other great option for parents are their birthday parties.  Instead of trying to find a few hours worth of activities to keep a group of young ones occupied, Rolly Pollies offers the open gym and staff to help them with the equipment. 

They truly offer programs for all levels and work hard to not only give kids the time to exercise, but teach them about muscle groups, nutrition, and learning how to make healthy choices. Each class ends with a homework assignment where students are asked to keep track of healthy choices they made and then share them with their friends next week. 

I visited the East Amherst facility on Transit Road (they also have another location in Orchard Park) and was impressed by the colorful gym filled with so many wonderful pieces of equipment. Kids have the chance to work on the balance beam, trampoline, zip line and more. Rolly Pollies isn't your traditional gymnastics program, they offer so much more for students and parents. 

"Rolly Pollies has really become a tight knit community." Jim told me. "Families quickly become friends outside of the gym. Getting to watch kids come in when they were infants and still be with our program now makes them a part of our extended family." 

For owners Jim & Danielle Fleckenstein, owning a business in Buffalo was an easy choice, it was home. After living around the country, they both wanted to move back to Buffalo to be around family and to start a family of their own. There were no other gyms offering the services they could provide in Western New York, so they moved back and have continued to grow for the past seven years!

You can find out about all the programs they offer on their website and stay in touch with them on their Facebook and Twitter pages. 

If you have children and want to get them on the right path to an active and healthy lifestyle, a call or visit to Rolly Pollies should be on the top of your list! Now, especially as the winter months tend to leave us indoors more, Rolly Pollies can open a whole new world for the young ones in your lives. 

Pictures from around the gyms

Buffalo Botanical Gardens "Night Lights at the Gardens"

Before last Friday, I had never been to The Botanical Gardens before, true story. I'm kind of ashamed to admit that, but I guess it never really came up as an option. So when I saw the advertisements and articles about the "Night Lights in the Gardens", I made it my mission to get there! As an added bonus, my boyfriend, who typically works every Friday night, scored the night off and we made it our date night!

We started the night off at Sole, on Elmwood (blog will be coming later this week about them!) and then headed down to the Gardens. I don't get over to that part of the city often, so it was fun driving through the streets. At first sight, the Botanical Gardens are gorgeous. The white exterior and domed tops are beautiful and we couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot.

The night lights cost was $10 per person (non-members), $8 for students/seniors/members, $5 for kids 3-12, and kids under 3 are free. For just a general admission to the Gardens it costs $7 per person, $6 for students/seniors, $4 for kids 3-12 and members and kids under 3 are free. They do host other special events and you would have to check out their website

for special event prices.

“Night Lights at the Gardens” transforms the Botanical Gardens into a whimsical space filled with interactive lighting displays and soundscapes. A drum overlooking the Gardens waterfall is used to change the colors of the lights and all visitors can try it out for themselves. The Gardens are filled with a dozen houses featuring plants from all over the world. My favorite room to check out was House 4, the Desert House, filled with different cacti and agave plants.

The event also featured live music (on Friday nights only) and it was a great addition to the lighting displays. They had artwork hanging of photographs taken of The Botanical Gardens and I enjoyed learning about the history of the Gardens and how important they have been to the Buffalo community.

During our walk through of The Gardens various people were commenting on plants, telling us more about them and naming plants we didn’t know. The atmosphere inside was wonderful; a great mix of families, couples, and friends all looking for a fun night out.

I don’t have a green thumb. I’ve planted some flowers here and there outside my house and in my backyard, but I am terrible at the up-keep. I don’t know much about different plants, but the Botanical Gardens gave me so much new insight and appreciation for all that gardeners do. I went to the event just looking for something new and fun to do in Buffalo, but I left with a lot of knowledge and respect!

My only misstep, not getting to The Botanical Gardens in the daytime first! While this event was a lot of fun, I think it would have been more fun if I had gone to the Gardens before and had a better “lay of the land”. Some of the plant signs were harder to read in the dark so I am sure I missed out on learning and seeing some of the plants and flowers inside.

If you want to check out “Night Lights at the Gardens” it is only running for one more weekend (this Friday and Saturday). Check out their website for all the details on times. If you haven’t been to the Gardens yet, make sure to get there this spring and summer. In addition to the houses indoors,they have various gardens outside and I am looking forward to going back there this summer to take a look at all the colorful flowers and gardens!

The address for The Botanical Gardens is 2655 South Park, Buffalo, NY. If you would like to call for more information they can be reached at 716-827-1584. The Gardens are also available for weddings and parties and would be an absolutely gorgeous place to host a reception!

Two big green thumbs up Buffalo!

Tifft Nature Preserve

I spent an afternoon walking around the different trails here with Geoffrey on September 2nd. It was a gorgeous day out (actually a little warm for hiking) but it was fun to get outside and enjoy more of what Buffalo has to offer.

This was my first time at Tifft Nature Preserve, and we had an absolute blast. I printed out a map online of the different trails (which was very helpful) and off we went. There were lots of fun photo shots to take, and it was fun looking for the frogs, almost getting run over by a small deer and hearing the sounds of nature.

It is free to visit and a great family fun activity for those who like the outdoors. It was very peaceful and quiet, and a fun date idea too! There are benches and "look out" posts throughout the trails if you need to take a break, and a lot of "fun facts" throughout the different trails.

Greg's U Pick in Clarence Center

On Father's Day, Geoffrey, Jacob and I went out to Greg's U Pick to pick some strawberries (and when I say some, I mean a total of 17 quarts between the three of us!!). They are located at 9270 Lapp Road in Clarence Center, NY and they are open daily from 8am - 5pm.

The farm is easy to find (it's off of Transit Road) and the fields are huge. They have plenty of parking and a few small stands set up in the back with flats and quart baskets to put them in and off you go! You can also bring your own quarts to fill up as well.

We chose to go more towards the front of the farm, and we started off with a lot of smaller strawberries. A dad and son passed us as they finished up and told us there were bigger ones and a lot more further down so we took his advice and headed down there. He was right! We really picked great very red and ripe strawberries.

Strawberry picking is addicting! Once all our quarts were filled we all agreed we didn't want to stop. The fields smelled yummy, and really there's no better taste than a strawberry warmed by the sun!!

Strawberry picking is a perfect family activity. It's active, educational and an inexpensive way to enjoy the sun! The quarts cost $3.75 per quart and if you buy 4 or more they are $3.25 a quart. While it is a little pricier than the grocery stores, you can't really beat getting home grown strawberries at least once a summer!

Strawberry picking season is just about over now, so if you don't get a chance to get out there this year, keep it in mind for next summer. Early to mid June is prime strawberry picking season!

When you go, don't forget to bring a garden kneeler or something to kneel on since the patches are all low on the ground, and put on some sunscreen, there's no shade if it is a sunny day :)

Greg's U Pick Farm also grows blueberries and they will be available to pick in mid July. They will be selling them by the pound, $2.30 per pound, and I think we will go back to pick some of them!

If you want a fun outdoor activity, this is a summertime must in Buffalo :)