70 miles west of Rochester; 398 northwest of New York City

It's the eighth largest city in America, with more millionaires per capita than any other American city. It's an industrial hub that hosted a world's fair. The country's top architects are flocking here to design and construct landmark buildings, including the world's largest office building.

At least, this is what I'd be writing about Buffalo if it were 100 years ago. It's no secret that Buffalo has seen better days, but the legacy of its past -- one that's being renovated with some modern quirks thrown in for good measure -- makes Buffalo a worthwhile stop for a couple days' stay.

I grew up in nearby Rochester, and all I knew about Buffalo was that it created the chicken wing and it got more snow than anywhere else in the universe. My loss. When industrialists realized that the Great Lakes/Erie Canal/Hudson River route was the way to get things from America's heartland to Europe, it inspired a boom. And those businessmen put their money back into the city: They brought Frederick Law Olmsted, fresh off his creation of Central Park in New York City, to design Buffalo's park system. They summoned architects Frank Lloyd Wright, H. H. Sullivan, and E. B. Green to fulfill their every architectural whim for business and personal space, and many of their treasures still stand downtown.

The economy is still hurting, but Buffalo is forging ahead with renovations anyway, and the result is a couple of cool hotels and some fantastic restaurants. Though you can cover all the sites here in a couple days, it's also easy to base yourself here for exploring western New York, since the city's easy to get in and out of.

Oh, and just for the record: Chicken wings aren't the only quirky food this city created; and though the city does indeed get some 90 inches of snow each year, it also averages 85 days with temperatures over 75.