5 More Summer Places To Love When Summer's Over
It's cool to go here when it's cool!
A couple of weeks ago we had some fun kicking around places you can go that are better in the off season. This week is supposed to be a little cooler — not that we can’t continue doing summer things, however perhaps we will be more in the mood to think ahead.
I was asking around to find out what other off-season pleasures we had to look forward to. Thank you to everyone who offered ideas! Please keep them coming. There is a comment section down below and all input is welcome.
Delaware Park. And any park. It drops a few degrees and you would be surprised, suddenly it is just you and the dog owners. Those screaming soccer players and the referees’ whistles, gone. Gradually there will be less danger of being hit in the head with a golf ball. (I almost was, last year. A quarter inch difference and I might not be writing this!) Eventually, when the snow falls, these parks can feel like a different world. I love going cross-country skiing in Delaware Park. It’s magic at twilight when the lanterns flicker on. And I love landscapes like this one.
Delaware Park in winter. Photo by the Author. .
Ida Goeckel on Facebook said, “I would say just about any park in the Fall is crisp and full of color and serene. Also I love a good Oct./Nov. walk through Forest Lawn.” So do I! How could I have missed that? Autumn calls for walks through the cemetery. I love how around the ancient religious feasts of All Saints (All Hallows) and All Souls (the Day of the Dead), the Scripture readings at Mass are all about the end of the world and the life after this one. Forest Lawn, definitely a fall destination. And a winter destinatiion. Here is a photo I took, complete with animal tracks.
The Schoellkopf Wishing Well in Forest Lawn. Photo by the Author. My artist friend Cindra Jean McLaughlin suggested the Botanical Gardens on South Park Avenue. She writes: “It’s quite rejuvenating to take in the sight and scent of all the green tropical foliage and flowers in the cold dead of winter.” Yes! And winter brings the poinsettias to the Gardens. I love the way it looks at Christmas time.
The Botanical Gardens at Christmas. Photo by the Author. .
It’s great to go in fall or winter to Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Depew. For this suggestion we thank Susan Smukall-Brayman, who writes: “We love Reinstein woods in the winter… looking and identifying animal tracks... catching a glimpse of the wildlife We saw a lot of deer, winter birds and a red fox. It’s free, and so calming.” I love this suggestion. I only recently went to Reinstein for the first time — it was part of the Winter Hiking Challenge I did last winter. And I have to say, I love it on a brooding day. Here is a picture I took on a subsequent visit. One day maybe I will see a red fox!
Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve on a brooding day. Photo by the Author. Jazz singer Mari McNeil has a great idea. “I’d add the new AKG, in the Gundlach building, 2nd floor, cafe,” she wrote. “It’s a new space with a lot of light, and looks out on Buffalo from up high in a new way. Perfect for a snowy day. Or, if one isn’t a member, or doesn’t want to pay admission, the courtyard with its vaulted mirrored ceiling is spectacular. Lunch or coffee from Cornelia is wonderful.” Thank you, Mari! I second this opinion, recommending the gallery formerly known as the Albright-Knox. That courtyard! I was just there last week…
MKG’s photo of the AKG. … when the air conditioning felt great. And just as it’s cool in the summer, I bet it will be nice and warm in the winter with all that sunlight streaming in. Plus, that crystalline ceiling will make it will look like an ice palace.
So much to look forward to!
Keep the suggestions coming. Is there any particular park you appreciate in the fall or the winter? Any place that you love in the summer — but you love it more when it’s cold and snowy?
What have we missed?