High above Buffalo, residents and visitors were encouraged to get an up-to-date view of the city’s latest developments. It’s part of the annual Take Another Look event which celebrated Buffalo’s resurgence on Saturday.
On various floors of City Hall, including the outdoor observation deck, the event featured aerial tours of the city’s development, food and drink from local eateries and vendors, as well as buffalo themed holiday shopping and crafts for kids.
Buffalo by Choice Executive Director and event organizer Marti Gorman said the timing of the event was intentional, to show out-of-towners and Western New York ex-pats visiting for Thanksgiving what the city now has to offer.
“We’re looking at what you can see from the observation deck as well parts of the resurgence that you can’t see,” explained Gorman. “For instance, in the opportunity Buffalo hall, we’re going to be showcasing career opportunities. Not because it’s a career fair, but because we need to get people to stop saying that untrue old refrain, ‘Oh I’d love to move back, but there are no jobs.’ Because it’s not true.”
Gorman said Buffalo’s unemployment rate is just above four percent and that there is opportunity of all sorts in both jobs and real estate. She said organizing the event helps her fulfil a personal need to dispel people’s old perceptions of Buffalo as a city in decline with a resurgence that won’t last.
“I hear a lot of skepticism because they are still of that old mindset. And quite frankly, this resurgence has happened so quickly, it’s difficult to get your arms around and there have been false alerts in the past. But this one, I really am convinced is real,” said Gorman.
The event also featured an opportunity for visitors to take part in Story Corp’s Great Thanksgiving Listen. WBFO’s Chris Jamele was on hand to help record and preserve the stories of a generation of Buffalonians.
