Bundled Up in Buffalo

I’m home in Buffalo and believe it or not, we had a green Christmas! I feel like when I’m in DC I spend a good amount of time doing PR for my fair hometown. Because, admittedly, we have a pretty bad rep when it comes to weather. Most of the time when I tell people i’m from Buffalo, the immediate follow-up question is “Don’t you get a lot of snow?” or “Wow, isn’t it always freezing there?” Well, yeah, the whole lake effect thing can be a real hassle. And the whole four straight Super Bowl losses doesn’t exactly help.

BUT we have wings. Lots of wings. And delicious pizza. So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice.

Every time I come home, I always make a list of places to visit and it’s always super ambitious. Time flies from the moment I get off the plane and it seems like despite my best efforts, there are still places that don’t get checked off each visit. Chestnut Ridge Park kept getting the short end of the list stick so I really just had to buckle down and pay my childhood stomping grounds a visit.

In the summer, Chestnut Ridge Park hosted my family’s annual reunion picnic: My cousins and I would spend hours down by the creek catching guppies, exploring the woods and the day would end in a massive SuperSoaker/water balloon battle. Note to self: Jean short overalls aren’t the most comfortable when they’re drenched. It was 1998 and they were cool so I paid the price for style.

But in the winter, my family would go back to the park completely bundled up from head to toe. You know the scene from A Christmas Story when the mom’s layering the kid up to go outside? Pretty much a daily occurrence but when we’d head to the park with sleds, it was layers to the extreme. Which let me tell you, made carrying your sled up the hill no easy feat. Ohh, childhood memories…

L.L. Bean Boots // Cable Knit Sweater // Marley Lilly Blanket Scarf // J.Crew Factory Puffer Vest // DL 1961 Florence Jeans // Coach Mini Nolita Satchel

(In case you don’t hail from WNY, the white building over my shoulder is the Bills’ practice field and beyond that, the city skyline of Buffalo, home of the greatest people and wings. In that order.)