Buffalo, NY Road & Travel Enthusiasts Meeting - July 29, 2023

[roadwaywiz95]

By the way, how long do you expect the road tour to last for?

I'd expect the tour to wrap up by 5. After the lunch, most of the meet tours usually take a few hours, and this one is not taking up a huge geographical footprint.

Yeah we have to be done with the tour in the 5:00-5:30 range, b/c a lot of us (25+) have somewhere else to be at 6:05 (aka the game). So we'll have to try to strike a balance between having the tour take as long as it can, while also keeping an eye on the clock.

[Duke87]

Heyyyy so if anyone was thinking of using the NFTA rail line to get around the parking situation, be aware it isn't actually running downtown this weekend, it's only running in the underground section north of downtown. Substitute shuttle buses are provided if you trust them.

So I may be cruising for parking after all.

[roadwaywiz95]

Heyyyy so if anyone was thinking of using the NFTA rail line to get around the parking situation, be aware it isn't actually running downtown this weekend, it's only running in the underground section north of downtown. Substitute shuttle buses are provided if you trust them.

So I may be cruising for parking after all.

For those interested, a link to the NFTA Metro Rail site is below. On it, click on "Schedule B" to see the shuttle bus schedule and route. Pickups & dropoffs will still be made at the Allen station for those riding the line north of downtown:

https://metro.nfta.com/schedules/single-tracking

[Brandon]

Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999

Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.

So...what are we to make of this weather report?

We've had road meets in complete deluges.  Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.

[Rothman]

Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999

Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.

So...what are we to make of this weather report?

We've had road meets in complete deluges.  Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.

Right.  I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.

[74/171FAN]

Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999

Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.

So...what are we to make of this weather report?

We've had road meets in complete deluges.  Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.

Your meet from last year was the first thing I thought of when the rain all but postponed the NASCAR Chicago Street Race earlier this month.

[hbelkins]

Not necessarily a blizzard, but the 2010 Christmas southeast Pennsylvania meet was held while a pretty decent snow was falling. (I found my pictures from the meet on a SD card yesterday.)

And the 2013 Pikeville/US 460 meet featured a stop at a Dairy Queen in Grundy, Va.

[Rothman]

Not necessarily a blizzard, but the 2010 Christmas southeast Pennsylvania meet was held while a pretty decent snow was falling. (I found my pictures from the meet on a SD card yesterday.)

And the 2013 Pikeville/US 460 meet featured a stop at a Dairy Queen in Grundy, Va.

Grungy, Virginia...

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999

Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.

So...what are we to make of this weather report?

We've had road meets in complete deluges.  Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.

Right.  I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.

Unless it's being held in Jacksonville where a 10% chance of rain may get it axed.

[roadwaywiz95]

With us now within 48 hours of meet time, here's one final overview post from me. It's going to be a long one — you've been warned.

For anyone who may not have seen them, here is one final set of links to all of the relevant meet itinerary documents for Saturday:

Pre-Meet Walking Tour Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pxob520cjw3gy2u/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20Pre-Meet.docx?dl=0

Pre-Meet Walking Tour Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ehu7hgryj1q3umtqndd0n/Buffalo-Road-Meet-Pre-Meet-Printer-Friendly.docx?rlkey=zsmp2mzs9x4e3dlmf4agwlhty&dl=0

Meet Driving Tour Itinerary:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rpv1e0wbixoc3qy/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20FINAL.docx?dl=0

Meet Driving Tour Itinerary (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/know2cy3jssdhd0/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Printer%20Friendly.docx?dl=0

Meet Driving Tour Supplemental Guide (Optional Document):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/152q76k6125slnl/Buffalo%20Road%20Meet%20-%20Appendix.docx?dl=0

Meet Driving Tour Supplemental Guide (Optional Document) (Printer-Friendly Version):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ce44s9ev3t59vket0sqeg/Buffalo-Road-Meet-Appendix-Printer-Friendly.docx?rlkey=55z0wp0vimj7dt1t1g2t32zt7&dl=0

Next order of business deals with lunch and the restaurant. I mentioned before that I made the reservation for us, so we're all set there. I don't think I shared the menu with you folks, so I'm sharing that here at the link below. Might be a good idea for you folks to start thinking about what you want, since we'll have a lot of people wanting to place orders at once. (It's not likely that we'll be getting separate checks, more likely it'll be one check per table, so you have about 48 hours to prepare yourselves for that.)
https://pearlstreetgrill.com/food-menu/

Another thing I'd like to remind everyone of is something that came up over the weekend regarding the Buffalo Light Rail system. Track work downtown will suspend operation of the light rail above ground through downtown this weekend. Those of you who were planning on clinching the line this weekend are out of luck, however you can still ride the segment below ground north of Allen station and replacement shuttle bus service will run in place of the above-ground line between the Canalside and Allen stations. Information about system & schedule disruptions and a map of the shuttle route is available as follows. Click on the link below and navigate to "Schedule B"  to view relevant schedules and maps.
https://metro.nfta.com/schedules/single-tracking

Again, a reminder about parking downtown. My comments on the matter made in posts from July 21-22 still stand and I encourage folks to do whatever they think is best. Carpooling to/from the downtown area is a great idea that some have proposed, and I encourage folks to look into that option with their fellow attendees if they find it worthwhile.

Lastly, let's talk about the weather. The picture being painted by multiple sources as of the writing of this post suggests significant rainfall Friday night and into Saturday morning, with clearing in the afternoon. You should come prepared for the possibility of rainy weather at times throughout the day. Any adjustments to the day's events that I deem necessary will be announced during the course of Saturday. Please do not look for updates on the Forum or on Facebook prior to then.

The following items deal with the after-party ballgame at Sahlen Field, so if you are not attending this, please disregard the portion that follows.
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First pitch is at 6:05 PM ET! As far as tickets are concerned, we will have a couple extras on the day of, in case there are any last-minute entries. Those of you who have not yet reimbursed me the $25 per ticket can do so on Saturday. I accept cash and Venmo as options. (If you choose the latter, I'll provide you with my user info privately.)

Again a reminder that as part of the luxury suite experience, we reserved a catering package for folks to share amongst themselves. The package contains the following items:
(2) bottles of red wine (*** I will be covering the cost of this 100% ***)
(1) "Field of Dreams"  Suite Package (serves around 15-20 people), which includes:
40 medium wings w/ celery/carrots/bleu cheese
2 large pepperoni pizzas
18 beef on weck sandwiches
1 case of assorted coke products
1 case of assorted potato chips/pretzels

The above package was priced at $468, to be divided between people who wish to contribute. There's no one price that will apply to everyone and I ask that people police themselves and contribute what they think is a fair amount given what they take. For example, for 18 people the average cost would be $25 per person, but your amount and experience will vary from the average, so please contribute accordingly.

We also have arranged a special greeting message that will be displayed on the Jumbotron around the 5th or 6th inning during the game, welcoming "Road & Travel Enthusiasts of North America"  to Sahlen Field, so be on the lookout for that.
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And with all of that, I think we've covered everything essential. I want to thank all of you in advance for making the trip and contributing to what will hopefully be a memorable weekend for all. See you all on Saturday!

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Let's talk weather for the meet for a moment. Early forecasts in Buffalo for Saturday from the National Weather Service is calling for a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80°F. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=42.89563000000004&lon=-78.88274999999999

Makes me wonder if we've ever had a meet in a blizzard.

So...what are we to make of this weather report?

We've had road meets in complete deluges.  Port Huron 2012, Memphis 2019, and SE Chicago 2022 come to mind.

Right.  I would think weather would need to be quite extreme to affect a meet.

Froggie held the last New Orleans roadmeet under the threat of a hurricane (Gustav)

[roadwaywiz95]

Just a friendly reminder to keep your EYES TO THE SKY if you plan on being out and about this morning, as there will be rain moving through at times. The pre-meet event is on as scheduled, however you will be able to find me down at Canalside shortly in case anyone wants to head down earlier.

[Mr. Matté]

Bring your jacket and/or umbrella if coming to the pre-meet, just starting to rain, but should clear up by lunchtime.

(And right now we're hiding out at the Tim Hortons at Main/Marine)

[Alps]

unofficial attendance count: 39
congrats to Mr. Wiz for not just beating my meet record, but blowing it out of the water here! a great time with faces I don't see often enough.

[Rothman]

Wiz did a great job with the meet.  Great times, good laughs...and the Jays beat the Yankees.

[andrepoiy]

Thanks for hosting the meet. Enjoyed it.

[SSOWorld]

Wiz did a great job with the meet.  Great times, good laughs...and the Jays beat the Yankees.

Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking </sarcasm and comment that has nothing to do with it>

[roadwaywiz95]

I'm a bit late in chiming in here, but I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who came to western New York last weekend and took part in this event. As you've probably already seen above, yes, we made some history with one as we set a new benchmark for attendance at a single event. Yes, I'm very proud of what this meet turned out to be, but I also feel that there is still room for improvement and still-larger turnouts in future renditions. I hope that many years from now, we'll all look back on last Saturday as just another incremental step rather than a sort of culmination of things.

The history of the road meet is full of a wide variety of cities, hosts, personalities, highlights, and lowlights. It's been my honor since 2021 to add my own chapters to the collective story of these events and our community. I owe so much of my inspiration to the people who came before me and I hope that I've done them all proud with what I've been able to put together for you all since then. I know there's at least one more of these "chapters" left in me - the New Orleans National Extravaganza is coming up in mid-February and it'll be here before you know it. So it'll be time soon for me to put this one to bed so I can focus on what's next.

Speaking of what's next, and to help tie a bow on all of this, I'd be interested in people's feedback regarding the day as a whole or anything in particular. This can be anything from the meet notes, to the tour itself, and also the after-party ballgame, which in my opinion was a really cool experience in its own right. Feel free to chime in below, and hopefully we'll be in touch again soon!