All posts by Red Hunt

A former journalist and business analyst that now works in the world of travel marketing. Based in Toronto, Red Hunt has travelled to more than 50 countries over the past 15 years. You can follow Red on Instagram or Twitter.

Beer

Craft Beer Day in Buffalo

January 31, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Crossing the border into Buffalo for some US beers is a common thing for craft beer lovers in southern Ontario. Even when our Canadian dollar is dropping, the lure of different beers can be strong.

I’ve hopped over to the Buffalo area for trips as short as a few hours to stock up on supplies, but most people combine a beer day in Buffalo with at least one overnight so you can actually enjoy some beers while you’re there! So, for anyone who hasn’t done a beer day in Buffalo, here are some of my personal tips on where to stay, where to drink and where to buy some bottles to bring home.

Where to Drink Craft Beer in Buffalo

There are a few places that get top mention by many beer lovers, and a handful of them are in the Mike Shatzel’s empire. He owns Moor Pat, Coles, Blue Monk, Allen Burger Venture and perhaps other places. So, feel free to hit any of them up. Coles gets a lot of love, and while they special events and tap list is impressive, I have to admit I’ve never been a big fan of their food.

Now, if you’re in town for a hockey game or other event, the old school Pearl Street Grill & Brewery is convenient, and stopping at the nearby 716 Sports Bar at Harbor Center will at least yield surprisingly decent food to go along with the massive wall of TVs to catch the game, even if the beer selection isn’t quite as solid as other options.

Pizza Plant gets a nod for people who like beer, but may be heading over with the family, so require a more family-friendly spot. Their location on Transit Road in Clarence (close to the Griffon Gastropub, another worthy beer stop) has always been popular, but they’re just opened a new spot at Canalside, which should be a great addition to that part of the city.

Beer Samples in Buffalo at Resurgence Brewing Company

The Riverside neighborhood is a great area with Flying Bison and Hydraulic Hearth there (the beers at Hydraulic Hearth are brewed on-site by Community Beer Works). Plus, Resurgence Brewing is probably the top spot in town when it comes to breweries, although there are many many others I haven’t mentioned – these are just my personal favourites.

Where to Buy Bottles of Beer

A big attraction for Canadians heading to Buffalo for beer is picking up bottles of US beers we can’t get here at home. Grab what you like at any of the breweries that you visit, then hit Premier Gourmet. It is easily the bets bottle shop around. Chances are they’ll have the local beer you want. If you’re seeking a special brew, and can’t find it there, then Village Beer Merchant is a possible stop as well. Their selection is smaller, but they do get some beers that you may not find at Premier. For the price conscious, places like Wegmans and Consumers beverages carry good selections as well.

Where to Stay in Buffalo

Extending your beer day in Buffalo to include some actual sampling requires an overnight. The challenge here is that Buffalo is a bit spread out when it comes to hopping around to the best bottle shops, bars and breweries. Your best bet is to do your bottle shopping first, then so sampling over in the Riverside neighborhood.

View of Downtown Buffalo from Hampton Inn & Suites

Then stay somewhere close to downtown, where you can hop on the light rail train or be within an easy taxi ride or hearty walk of some of the best beer bars. For location and price, the Hampton Inn and Suites downtown hotel wins for me. It has a really solid breakfast and is close enough to all the bars and pubs. As a bonus, if you’re a meat-eater both Dinosaur BBQ and The Lodge are just minutes away, two good eating spots with decent bottle or draft beer options.

Final tip – if you’re not staying more than 48 hours in the US, then you’ll need to pay duty on any beer you bring back across the border. Sometimes they don’t mind and wave you on through even if you have alcohol any haven’t been in the US long enough to get an exception. But, don’t expect that – be prepared and have your receipts ready and expect to pay a duty surcharge when you’re crossing back into Canada.

Dinosaur BBQ - Buffalo — Local Beer Sampler and Meat at Dinosaur BBQ, Buffalo

Travel Articles

Tasty Treats at the Historic West Side Market in Cleveland

January 29, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Food markets are funny places to me. On one hand I think they are great spots, where you can buy direct from the farmers, butchers and families who are selling their products. On the other hand, they often have poor hours and prices are higher than your local supermarket.

In the end, you’re paying for freshness and getting to know the people who are behind the products you want to sell, so whether it is West Side Market in Cleveland or the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, they’re worth frequenting and supporting.

West Side Market - Sausages — West Side Market – Sausages

When I was in Cleveland I visited West Side Market after a big brunch meal at the West Side Market Cafe. Probably a smart thing as I wasn’t as tempted to stock up on sweets, treats and meats as I normally otherwise would be.

The market itself did remind me quite a bit of the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, but it had a little more structure to it. As a historic building, it is more than 100 years old and has served as an important food hub to the city of Cleveland for a long time. It has grown over the decades, and now has an outdoor area extension where the produce providers are located.

West Side Market - Cheese Shop — West Side Market – Cheese Shop

The Pork Chop Shop had some great chorizo, and I found the produce guys outside were all competitive and eager to let you sample their stuff, in hopes of a sale. The Cheese Shop and many other stalls indoors, in particular the sausages guys at Frank’s were also generous with offering up free samples to get you hooked.

If I lived in Cleveland and was having guests over for dinner, I’d likely stop by and grab some meats, cheeses or other tasty treats from the market. One thing I noticed was that there did not seem to be a lot of high quality shops serving up prepared foods. Sure, there were some sandwich and crepe options, but overall there wasn’t as much of the ready-to-eat options as I expected to find.

West Side Market - Meat — West Side Market – Meat

The area around the market was really nice to walk around too. Nearby restaurants and breweries make it an easy place to stop in for a few hours and spend half a day. One spot that did get me curious and wish that I had more time in Cleveland to do some cooking was the gnocchi place…I never knew there could be so many types of gnocchi, the pumpkin sage gnocchi sounded best to me.

West Side Market = Produce — West Side Market – Produce

West Side Market - Gnocchi — West Side Market – Gnocchi

West Side Market - Meat Vendor — West Side Market – Meat Vendor

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Coati

January 27, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

These cute little guys were scampering all around when I visited Iguassu Falls in Brazil and Argentina.

I also saw them while travelling through Central America. To me, they look like super-skinny raccoons! Not surprisingly they are from the raccoon family.

With this ring tailed coati species, their colouring and ringed tails is very similar to that of the raccoons we find here at home in Canada.

Also called a coatimundi or pizote, these cute guys are fairly social, travelling in troops. They tend to live in the forest, but can live in grasslands and other climates. Some subspecies even live in the mountains. Equally adept at climbing or digging, they have impressive paws and are able to turn their wrists around to climb down trees head first!

As cute as they are, they can be pretty mean and have very sharp teeth – so don’t think about trying to have one as a pet.

Most common in Central and South America, you can actually find coatis in parts of the US as well – Texas, New Mexico and Arizona!

Wildlife and Nature

Wildlife Watching in Buffalo and Western New York

January 26, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Looking for wildlife in Western New York isn’t as challenging as it may seem. Between Buffalo, Rochester and Niagara there are a number of parks and natural attractions that bring birds and wildlife to the area.

I gained an appreciation for the wildlife of this area while doing some winter hiking around the Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo.

Wildlife at Tifft Nature Preserve, Buffalo

Within sight-line of Buffalo, in winter, the forest at Tifft Nature Preserve opens up, allowing you to easily spot birds and follow tracks of the local wildlife, including deer. I saw a number of deer here, although they were much more skittish than the birds! In winter, rent some snowshoes to get around – tons of fun!

Hello Deer! Spotted at Tifft Nature Preserve

Birding at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Amherst

The biggest protected area on this list. Iroquois is home to one of America’s greatest icons – the Bald Eagle! While spotting the eagles here isn’t easy, try looking for them from Cayuga overlook. Other wildlife including frogs, Canadian geese and muskrats are common. Depending on the time of year, everything from woodpeckers to egrets have been seen at Iroquois National Refuge.

Urban Wildlife at Delaware Park, Buffalo

Dubbed the “Central Park” of Buffalo, Delaware Park draws in outdoor lovers any time of year. While it is a fairly developed land area, with more than just hiking and biking trails, it still lures in some wildlife. Look for creatures like squirrels, rabbits and perhaps raccoons. You’ll also find geese, ducks and other birds around the waterfront and trails at Delaware Park.

Squirrel! — Squirrels are some of the more common creatures you’ll spot in parks in Western New York

Animal Spotting at Amherst State Park, Amherst

Beautiful gardens and plenty of trails make this state park a good spot for watching, or tracking wildlife. In winter, this is another great spot to go looking for tracks of some of the more elusive creatures of Western New York, such as bobcats, coyotes, minks and foxes. For bird lovers, great blue herons and cardinals are among the resident highlights, while many migratory birds also make their way to the Ellicott Creek area. Amherst State Park is also a great place to spot deer.

Birding around Buffalo and WNY is great any time of year

Exploring Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, North Java

With wetlands, woodlands and plenty of trails, Beaver Meadow is a year round destination for people looking to get outside in search of animals. Obviously dedicated to birders, the park also attracts its fair share of other wildlife thanks to a great diversity of habitats. From owls to warblers to muskrats, Beaver Meadow is well worth exploring.

Do you have any other favourite spots to look for wildlife around Western New York?

Bat Shelters! — Bat Shelters – a great way to help our wild friends

Wildlife and Nature

The Maldives Islands – Gone Snorkelling! (Photos)

January 25, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

From the moment I stepped off the plane, the Maldives Islands were calling to me. I flew in from Sri Lanka and was looking forward to some rest and relaxation.

I’m not one to sit at a resort for very long, so venturing out to remote islands and doing some snorkelling every day was a big lure for me to get to the Maldives.

You can’t help but have a smile on your face when your daily itinerary is something like this:

Wake up to a beautiful sunrise. Eat fresh fruit for breakfast. Jump in the water and go snorkelling. Come back and drink tea and eat chocolate cake. Go snorkelling again. Catch fish. Eat fish. Enjoy a drink while watching the sun set. Repeat.

Maldives - Vaavu Atoll — Clownfish in the Maldives, near Vashugiri

What I loved most about snorkelling in the Maldives was that we’d just motor on to some random sandbar in the middle of nowhere and jump in the water. Then within minutes we’d have beautiful fish circling around, or sharks or eels or rays swimming by.

It wasn’t all big reefs and tons of coral, just amazing clear blue waters and colourful fish that were the attraction. Although there were some cool corals and reefs too, ha! The water was so warm too! My guides were pretty awesome too, pointing out rays or fish in hiding places that I might have otherwise snorkelled by without noticing.

Maldives Snorkelling - Eel — Maldives Snorkelling – Creepy Looking Eel

Fun times in the Maldives, and my boat safari as they call it was much cheaper than a traditional resort stay in these islands. More than twice the fun at less than half the price is the way I looked at it.

My only regret from my adventure in the Maldives? Having a crappy underwater camera! I wish I had my new GoPro with me when I was there…maybe I need to return to get some better photos?

Maldives - Sea Turtle — Maldives – Snorkelling with a Sea Turtle near Anbaraa

I think my biggest snorkel highlight during my days in the Maldives was seeing my first pufferfish! They are so cool when they are blown up. The sea turtles and lionfish were pretty cool too. Despite a bunch of “dangerous” creatures around, there was only one time when we had to change snorkel locations because of too many jellyfish. But, in the Maldives there is always another great snorkel spot nearby!