Snow Place like Home

When I walked outside at seven this morning, it was snowing. My tired frown was immediately lifted into a grin as I skipped my way to my car and texted my family that we had our first snow of the season. As the snow came down, I thought of home, which can sometimes be the snowiest city in the United States. 

I was born and raised in the greatest city in the whole world. If you’re not from Buffalo, New York, you might not see the city’s appeal. You might not understand how I could rave about this city in the way that I do. I am a Buffalonian through and through. And I am not very casual about it. I once genuinely had a friend tell me “I think that your only thoughts are about the Bills and Wegmans.” I’ve also gotten the “we get it you’re from Buffalo” when saying something along the lines of “this really is not a lot of snow” at school. Long story short, I take being from Buffalo very seriously. 

Some of the most Buffalo things about me:

1. You will never hear me say s*da, only pop. And I play pickle in the middle, not monkey in the middle.
2. I have worked at Wegmans since I was 16 years old. Yes, I’m aware Wegmans originated in Rochester. We can consider this a “Western New York” thing about me.
3. My sister works for the Bills and my cousin works for the Sabres.
4. I am a Bills seasons ticket member.
5. I could tell you where my parents were during the Blizzard of ‘77.
6. I will tell you that two feet of snow is not a lot.
7. When the Bills play on Thanksgiving, dinner time is planned around game time.
8. The only ham my family buys is Sahlen’s. 
9. My parents love to go to the World’s Largest Disco in November and celebrate Dyngus Day in the spring. 
10. I can pronounce Scajaquada, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, Chiavetta’s. 
11. It’s “THE 90,” “THE 290,” “THE 219,” etc.
12. I’ve never had Taco Bell because I don’t see how it could be better than Mighty Taco. I’ve actually never gone to a lot of chain restaurants, because we have so many local ones. I also won’t order wings outside of Buffalo and I believe we have the best style pizza.
13. Grover Cleveland is my favorite president.
14. I believe that this year will be our year.
15. I have sung the Bills Shout Song at the top of the Guinness Storehouse in Ireland with strangers who also happened to be from Buffalo. This, of course, started with me saying “Go Bills” when I saw their Bills apparel.
16. I’m just as content with an 80-degree sunny day as I am with a 20-degree snowy one.
17. When I used to wait for the bus in elementary school, I could smell Cheerios depending on the direction of the wind that day. 
18. The closest Dunkin to my house is 10 minutes away. In that same distance, there are at least five Tim Hortons.
19. One time, upon hearing the news that my cousin had his baby around noon on a Sunday, my other cousin’s first response was “just in time to watch the Bills win.”
20. My 40-page senior thesis paper is on Buffalo’s residential segregation. Because as much as I love my city, I can acknowledge its faults and the changes that need to be made.

The list goes on (and it did until I made myself cut it down to 20). The light snow flurries this morning made me wish I were (safely) home watching a lake-effect band come down. I love living in a city where I might get feet of snow overnight. Where I get to use my wood-burning fireplace and “relax, stay-inside and grab a six pack.” Some of my fondest memories with my family are the times we’ve been snowed in, with no choice but to gather around the tv and fight over who gets to sit next to the fireplace. My dad and I open the front door at least once every 30 minutes to “check it out” and see how much snow has accumulated. 

I am a Buffalonian. I enjoy these silly little aspects of my personality and the snowy day traditions. I am proud to be a product of the greatest city in the world.

• #culture
• #home
• #snowday
• #tradition