Beautiful decay...a few things I saw while riding my bike yesterday

The city of Buffalo is really something. It has such an incredible and important history in our country, but it has also fallen on hard times in previous decades. These days it is n the upswing, but there is still decay. Primarily on the East Side. And that's primarily where I like to go on urban bike rides as of late. If you have any sort of Buffalo family lineage that dates back more than a couple generations chances are you have roots on the East Side of Buffalo. The German/French side of my family arrived here somewhere in the mid 1800's (or earlier) and lived on the East Side for generations, and the Lebanese Side of my family migrated here around 1920 and also lived on the East Side for generations. I have done some minor geology research and it's interesting to locate houses where ancestors once lived (some houses are gone and are vacant lots) and other locations. The image above, for example, is of the now shuttered and fenced off St. Ann's Church and Shrine, a place where my family worshiped for generations before I could even have been imagined. Anyhow, I'll stop waxing on about it. But I have to add, that while so many are "down" about the condition of this area of the city, I have to say that I find it not only really beautiful but also peaceful. Click any photo for a larger view.

Urban Simplicity.