Cobblestone

My mom was visiting our 6 week old son this weekend. Yesterday we went down to Buffalo's oldest neighborhood, the end (in my opinion, the beginning) of the Erie Canal. We walked around a bit before heading to the airport to send my mom home. That's us in the first few seconds of the news video from a press conference that was being held while we were there.

Apparently the mayor and other dignitaries thought it was a good day to announce that the cobblestone streets that have long been covered over will be uncovered and restored for the Erie Canal Historic District. This district is turning out to be a beautiful area that showcases a unique piece of national history that made American agricultural and industrial might possible.

The Erie Canal opened the Midwest and beyond to the markets of the eastern seaboard and Europe. All the grain from the bread basket made its way through Buffalo and its enormous grain elevators that stretched for miles along the Buffalo River. It wasn't until the development of the interstate highway system and the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway that the Erie Canal became obsolete. Today most of the Erie Canal is still passable and is mainly used for recreational purposes. For more on the Erie Canal: http://www.eriecanal.org/

Another part of this development will feature the uncovering of a section of the actual Erie Canal that has long been buried under housing projects, sporting venues and elevated highways. In this case, regress = progress. Here is a link to the plans that are being implemented where the Erie Canal, the Buffalo River and the foot of Main Street all come together: http://www.eriecanalharbor.com/