The Buzz: This Week in Buffalo
Glamorous groceries, waterfront weirdness, and wherefore art thou, Romeo?
Quote
“It’s like my TV.”
— Overheard at Saturday’s Met Opera Simulcast when the transmission cut out
Aldi Glam, and All That Jazz
First, a word from our sponsor, Lounge Academy — the Friday happy hour at the Hyatt where Howard, the guy Buzz married, plays and sings the Great American Songbook. Last week, actress Katherine Lucas lit up the room in a show-stopping glitter dress for her birthday. That’s her in the photo, stealing the scene. Buzz, envious, asked where she got it. Her answer left jaws on the floor: Aldi. Not just any Aldi — a German Aldi. You know how in America they’ve got that one rogue aisle of random buys — sneakers, steam cleaners, soap-making kits (to name three things Buzz has bought)? Well, in Germany, Lucas told us, it’s not an aisle. “It’s aisles and aisles.” We are so there. We love Aldi. What’s the German word for “dress”?
Buzz Spotted With Pope Francis
Our friend Brenda Atwood sent us this photo from her sister-in-law and wrote: “I hadn’t realized you met Pope Francis!” We hadn’t realized it either, so we sat up and took notice — and sure enough, there were over the pope’s forehead, plain as day. That is unmistakably us!
It must have been a blast, being in the pope’s inner circle. Did we go out that night and celebrate so hard we forgot the whole thing? Or were we — as Catholics say — bilocating, being in two places at once? Either way, we’re honored to have made the guest list.
Romeo, Romeo …
Buzz is launching a new feature on MaryKunzGoldman.Substack.com called “What’s New at the Zoo,” and we’re kicking it off with Romeo, the Eastern black rhinoceros at the Buffalo Zoo. What’s in a name? Plenty — Romeo’s a stunner. Here’s a closeup of the big guy, courtesy of the Zoo.
We were admiring him along with the usual rhino regulars when a staffer dashed by and called out, “If you yell his name, he’ll wiggle his ears!” Demonstrating, he bellowed: “ROMEO! ROMEO!” — and sure enough, Romeo turned and gave a little ear shimmy. Buzz can’t wait to test this trick, camera ready. We suggest everyone give it a shot — Romeo will hear thee, prithee!
From Show House to Our House
The Buffalo Junior League Decorators’ Show House runs until May 18, and Buzz had a great time exploring it. We loved the third-floor dining room, “Orange You Glad You’re Here,” designed by Bhakti Sharma of the Biba Studio. We went to Goodwill and found vintage tablecloths and avocado green napkins. Then we went home and did our best to recreate the third-floor dining room, “Orange You Glad You’re Here,” designed by Bhakti Sharma from the Biba Studio. We chronicled our transformation and detailed our Goodwill haul here. Now all we need to do is fix a busted dining room chair, dust the piano (why is there an upright in our dining room?), and keep our cat Jeoffry from jumping on the table — and then, baby, Parkside Tour of Homes, here we come!
The buzz
Buzz finally made it to the Outer Harbor for the first time this spring — all bundled up, parked in an Adirondack chair by Buffalo Harbor State Park, watching the waves roll in. A fine view, but what’s with the chaos? That park and Wilkeson Pointe down the road are both a mess — fenced off, torn up, mysterious construction everywhere. They were perfectly fine before! … However, hope floats at Canalside, where the Moondance Catamaran and other craft are stirring to life. Our friend Ryan Lysarz summed it up best: “Sunday, no boats. Monday, boats.” We’re ready. Ahoy!
Mary Kunz Goldman is known in Buffalo for having written the Buzz Column, a popular feature in The Buffalo News, for many years. She is the author of two books, “Pennario” and “Sketches of Buffalo.” Enjoy her independent Substack publication at MaryKunzGoldman.Substack.com.
Do you follow the “Aldi Aisle of Shame” Facebook Group? It’s a hoot!
Lots of fun stuff going on there!