Well I’m a big believer in carpe diem and all sorts of neat things to do for a bucket list. So as I create my list and scratch things off, feel free to weigh in and help me seize the day, and maybe you will, too.
Buffalo & Western New York:
View the Queen City from the top of City HallExplore the newly developed waterfrontHike to the Eternal FlameExplore the Niagara Gorge and Whirlpool ParkGoing on a Jet Boat Tour of Niagara GorgeEat at the Lake Effect DinerCelebrate Dyngus DayGo to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade- Bask in the Beauty of CanalsideCurl at Canalside
Ice Bike on the Canals
Kayak on the Buffalo River
Do the Water Bikes of Buffalo
- The Fontana Boat House
- Do a history tour of Buffalo
Cruise the Erie Basin MarinaGo ice skating at Fountain PlazaGet a beer tube at Pearl StreetEat sushi at SeabarExplore Larkin Square- Attend a concert at ArtPark
Stroll through the Albright-KnoxVisit the Burchfield Penney Art CenterGo to a show at the Helium Comedy Club- Explore Hertel Avenue
- Watch a Soccer Game at Mes Que
- Grab a drink at The Wellington Pub and
Shadow Lounge Eat lunch at 100 Acres and Tour Hotel HenryHike the Tifft Nature PreserveFind a good book at Talking LeavesGo to every bar on Allen StreetGarden Walk BuffaloAttend a Game of each of Buffalo’s Sports Teams:Bisons GameSabres Game
Bandits Game
Bills Game
Eat from a Buffalo food truckBuy a souvenir from Vidler’s 5 & 10- Explore the Roycroft Campus
- Do a New York Wine Tour
Make a purchase at the West Side BazaarBuy a butter lamb from the Broadway MarketListen to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra at Kleinhan’s- Go to the Transit Drive-In
- See a movie at North Park Theater
Have fun at SkyzoneGet soaked at the Cave of the Winds- Snowboarding/Skiing in Holiday Valley
- Enjoy Ellicottville during the fall
- See the Darwin Martin House
Take in Forest Lawn Cemetery- The Midnight Bike Ride
- Go sledding on Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park
- See a Shakespeare classic at Shakespeare in the Park
Get breakfast at Sweetness 7Get lunch at Ted’sGet dinner at Mulberry’sGet a beer and a burger at Blue MonkAllentown Art Festival- Throw some hatchets at Hatchets and Hops
Taste of BuffaloCanal FestBust a move at the World’s Largest Disco- Go to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
Go sledding down the sand dunesTry a unique beer at ResurgenceThe Shamrock RunEat at 716 and explore the HarborCenterGo hiking at LetchworthCheck out the Riverworks ComplexDo a Buffalo Pedal Tour- Tour Silo City
Pig out at WingFestZip line through the grain elevators at RiverWorks
America:
Take a good, old-fashioned road-trip- Visit all 50 States (14/50 so far!)
- Visit the following cities:
-
- Anchorage, AK
- Phoenix, AZ
Los Angeles, CA- San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
- Denver, CO
- Miami, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Savannah, GA
- Honolulu, HI
- Chicago, IL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Louisville, KY
- New Orleans, LA
Portland, ME
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MADetroit, MI
- Kansas City, MI
Las Vegas, NV
- Santa Fe, NM
New York, NY
- Charlotte, NC
- Portland, OR
- Philadelphia, PA
- Providence, RI
- Charleston, SC
- Memphis, TN
Nashville, TN
- Austin, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Virginia Beach, VA
Phoenix, AZ
Los Angeles, CA- Seattle, WA
Washington D.C.
-
Party in Vegas- Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- Visit the French Quarter, New Orleans
Ride a Cable Car in San FranciscoWalk the Golden Gate Bridge- See the Liberty Bell
- Road Trip down Route 66
Visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore- See the Grand Canyon
- See Yosemite National Park
- See Mount Rushmore
- Catch an epic wave in Hawaii
Stand under the Hollywood sign- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
- Gamble in Atlantic City
- Walk down the Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore
- Experience an authentic luau in Hawaii
- Watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain in Maine
- See a show at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
- Explore the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky
The World & Beyond:
- Go to Poland
- Visit Auschwitz
- See the Eiffel Tower
- Visit the Vatican
- Tour Assisi
- Have tea in London
- Visit Shakespeare’s Theatre
- Explore Tintern Abbey
- Bathe in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
- Have a beer in Germany
- Have waffles in Belgium
- See the Northern Lights
Complete the El Camino Pilgrimage- Go on Safari in Tanzania
- Visit the Following European Cities:
- London
- Dublin
- Berlin
- Paris
Madrid- Barcelona
- Rome
- Assisi
- Florence
- Budapest
- Prague
- Krakow
- Warsaw
- Athens
- Amsterdam
- Vienna
- Brussels
- Edinburgh
- Lisbon
- Stockholm
Professional:
Complete my Master’s thesis- Publish a book, play or sell a screenplay
Publish an article in a legit magazine, journal or newspaper.Get 10,000 views on my blog- Write a memoir
- Give a TED Talk
Earn a promotion
Books to Read:
- Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
Tattoos on the Heart, Greg BoyleBetween Heaven and Mirth, James MartinOn Writing, Stephen King- The Writer’s Journey, Christopher Vogler
It’s OK That You Are Not OK, Megan Devine- What On Earth Am I Here For?, Rick Warren
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Edward Albee
What Remains,Carole RadziwillThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark HaddonThe Faith of a Writer, Joyce Carol OatesWhen To Jump, Mike Lewis- Promise Me, Dad, Joe Biden
- It’s Okay To Laugh, Nora McInerny Purmort
- Originals: How Nonconformists Move The World, Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
- Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
Miscellaneous and Fun:
Have a meaningful conversation- Go jet skiing
Be on a game show- Go scuba diving
Be utterly surprised, in a good way- Make a difference in someone’s life
Have someone make a difference in my lifeClose down a barComplete a corn mazePull an all-nighterKaraokeVolunteerGo on a service trip- Complete a reading challenge
- Sleep under the stars
- Go ziplining
- Learn a ballroom dance
Do the Tough Mudder- Complete a triathlon
Run a 5kRun an 8kGo to a legit brewery- Go horseback riding
- Go on a moonlit hike
Go snowshoeingSwim in the oceanRide a mechanical bull- Do a night of stand-up comedy
- Challenge myself
- Go on a safari
- See 5 amazing sites from around the world
- Have a bonfire on the beach
- Go on a Bros Trip
Go back in time at a themed club- Make all my family’s famous recipes on my own
See a psychicDo something nice for a complete strangerHave a night surprise me with how it ends upGo on a food crawlPlay 5 different drinking gamesApologize to someone who I’ve seriously wronged.Hug a stranger.Go to a OneRepublic concert- Go to a Mumford and Sons concert
Go to a Little Big Town concert- Go to an Imagine Dragons concert
Complete the Spiritual Exercises- Have my “perfect” body
SnowshoeShoot a gun- Ride a hot air balloon
Go zip-lining- Live in a new city
- Go on a silent retreat
Gorc Meets World 
Count me in, on all of the above!
highpitchedandalive.blogspot.com
One of the gals in your photo looks quite familiar… 2nd person from the right. Is her name Marsha, by any chance?
I graduated from OLSH in 1971–our class photo was the first “color photo” hanging on the wall in the red school and it was sorely faded.
My 4th grade class was adjacent to the then “new church” and several children (myself included) noticed when smoke came from between the bricks when the church caught fire. The original colors in the church were red, not blue. I attended the John Michael Talbot concert 2 years ago at OLSH and noted that the kneelers where we sat had been reupholstered blue… over red—there was significant wear to see the old color.
During the fire, all the children were evacuated and taken to the then public school next door where we all knelt on the gym floor, praying the rosary. That is where my Mom found me when she came to pick me up. She was in terror when she saw the fire engines and firefighters near the school. She ran up to Fr. Doyle and asked where I was, he told her that all the children were safe and in WS #5 school.
By the way, there 55 children in my 4th grade class, taught by Sister Mary Lorine who could keep control of the monstrous class with ease.
My 5th grade class was located where I believe the Chapel is now. That building contained 4 classrooms.. 2 upper, 2 lower and for lunch, we’d have to get out of class a bit early to don boots and coats in winter to walk across the parking lot to the red school. We loved that!!!
Lots of memories..both good and bad, but of all the schools that I never thought would close, it would have been OLSH.
Her name is Mandee, she goes to Canisius with me!
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Eat A fajita from the Lone Star fajita grill on Hertel Avenue. It’s a tiny hole in the wall restaurant most of the time you pass right by it and don’t even notice it but the chicken fajitas are awesome and just the fact that hardly anybody knows about it, yet its been there for the last 20 years, at least that I can remember, makes it even more special!
This sounds awesome!! I need to explore Hertel a bit more anyways!!
(Katie’s cousin) I live in Charlotte, NC!
Alex you’re going to have to give me the low down on Charlotte and the good spots to hit on the way down!