July 21, 2024 Coffee and Stone on Webster Street in North Tonawanda. “It’s a nice alternative to get this vibe, rather than going to downtown Buffalo,” said one frequent visitor. North Tonawanda's best days seemed to be past.
Now it's not only thriving – it's cool A few years ago, Linda Murray wouldn't have dreamed of leaving her Town of Tonawanda home to go to North Tonawanda to grab a cup of coffee with a friend or seeing a show at the Riviera Theatre. "Growing up in Amherst, coming over here was like, 'Nuh-uh,' " she said. "It was dark and dingy and desolate.
" Now, she visits NT regularly to do both. "It's vibrant again," she said, sipping a beverage at Coffee and Stone Cafe on Webster Street. "It's a nice alternative to get this vibe, rather than going to downtown Buffalo.
" If you haven't been to North Tonawanda in a while, you might be surprised to know that anyone would refer to it as having a "vibe." But the city that borders two of the most historic waterways in the world, whose best days seemed linked to bygone industries, is in the midst of a renaissance. On the Niagara River, where Hungarian and Polish workers at Tonawanda Iron & Steel once filled thousands of railroad cars with pig iron, luxury waterfront apartments with their own pickleball courts, dog park and boutique movie theater now rise into the sky.
At the former Wurlitzer factory on Niagara Falls Boulevard, which produced barrel organs, jukeboxes and even aircraft components during World War II, patrons now sip beer on the patio at Woodcock Brothers Brewing Co. and sample orange chocolate ice cream at Platter's Chocolates. And where mules once pulled packet boats on dusty paths along the Erie Canal on Sweeney Street, pleasure boaters now dock their craft two and three deep, venturing into the city to listen to live music at Gateway Harbor , or turning onto Webster Street to catch a show at the historic Riviera Theatre, shop at one of the growing number of boutique retailers or choose from a roster of restaurants.
– Samantha Christmann READ MORE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT Western New York native Brent Nowicki preps for executive role at Olympics: Nowicki, 45, has been in his current role for about three years. As the CEO at World Aquatics, formerly FINA, he oversees water sports, and his next big task is the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which begin Friday. World Aquatics is the governing body for swimming, diving, high diving, water polo, open water swimming and artistic swimming.
Read more Problem gamblers can bar themselves from New York's casinos: “Voluntary self-exclusion programs can be a wonderful tool for people who are trying to recover from gambling addictions,” said James J. Maney, executive director of the state Council on Problem Gambling. “For someone who is fighting that battle, restricting them from even walking into a casino really helps.
But you also need treatment, counseling and self-help groups.” Read more Todd Shatkin moving forward with dental school plan after Daemen drops out: Cosmetic dentist Dr. Todd E.
Shatkin continues to press forward with his plan for a new dental college in Western New York, even though Daemen University is no longer involved. Read more May 14 mass shooter not too young for death penalty, prosecutors say: More recent research shows that people in their late teens and early 20s "bear a strong resemblance to juveniles under 18 when it comes to their decision-making and behavioral abilities,” according to the defense filing. Read more Judge acquits Bongiovanni of one of his bribery charges: Ten days before Bongiovanni's retrial, the federal judge issued the acquittal on the charge Bongiovanni was paid an undetermined amount by strip club owner Peter Gerace Jr.
to help him and his Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club avoid federal narcotics investigations and induce the FBI to abandon an investigation. Read more DOT to outline plan for LaSalle Expressway bridge restoration: Replacement of the bridge deck, repairs to the steel girders, replacement of the bridge bearings and repairs to the concrete substructures are among the proposed measures the department seeks to undertake on the 54-year-old bridge. Read more One dead after small plane crashes near Youngstown: The pilot of a skydiving plane died in a crash a short distance east of Fort Niagara State Park late Saturday morning, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office reported.
Read more Ten Lives Club temporarily closes intakes after 'overwhelming' influx of cats: "Due to the overwhelming amount of intakes recently, Ten Lives Club has made the heartbreaking decision to close down their surrender line until Aug. 6," the rescue said Saturday. Read more Hochul says child care costs could plummet for hundreds of thousands of NY families: Calling child care costs a crisis that could force young families to leave New York for more affordable states, the governor urged eligible families to sign up for the Child Care Assistance Program.
Read more Competing bids for school bus service in Maryvale ends up in court: The district is accused of violating public bidding laws by failing to reject the bid of WNY Bus Co., a Depew-based school bus company, First Student wrote in a lawsuit filed July 3 in Erie County Supreme Court. Read more WEATHER A pleasant Sunday: Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon.
A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High of 81 degrees. Read more BUFFALO NEXT ‘For science and other people’: A look at UB's clinical trials: Some 10,000 people and their families participate in over 200 active clinical trials at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
And there is plenty of room for more. Read more Spotlight/housing: Local buyers are paying a premium: Housing prices continue to rise steadily, with the median price of homes sold during the past year increasing by 6.7%, according to the latest data from the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors.
Read more Erie County real estate transactions: See who is buying and selling properties in our weekly listing of deals. Read more BILLS Josh Allen leads a revamped Bills offense in 2024. These five moments are shaping the new approach: One quarterback in the NFL enters training camp with the same head coach but newbies at offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, center and Nos.
1-2 receivers – Josh Allen. Read more Your guide to all 91 players on the Bills' training camp roster: Here's a cheat sheet for the Buffalo Bills' roster entering the 2024 training camp. Read more SABRES Inside the NHL: A summer look at the Sabres' cap situation, for now and into the future: GM Kevyn Adams banked on locking up his young players and leaving his cap space for each succeeding year as they exited the entry-level deals.
This season is a pay-the-piper kind of year for that strategy and the GM's entire program, Mike Harrington writes. Read more PHOTOS #EveryDayAPhoto: Check out our photo series each morning to see our favorite image of the day . View more photo galleries here .
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