Art

Map: The First Ward

by / Jul. 20, 2016 2am EST

If you’re in the mood for a bike ride/pub crawl…


 1  GENE MCCARTHY’S / 73 Hamburg Street

They used to run numbers here, now they run the Old First Ward Brewing Company. Fine, house-made beer, fine pub fare. This Is Not a Pale Ale pairs nicely with the potato soup.


 2  COOK’S BAR & GRILL / 222 Katherine Street

Just down the road that is not a road from McCarthy’s is Cook’s, which is decidedly not a microbrewery: The perfect order here is a cold, longneck bottle of anything, maybe a shot, and on Friday the fish fry. Bring your jukebox money.


 3  MUTUAL RIVERFRONT PARK / 41 Hamburg Street

A great place to launch a kayak or canoe, with fine views of the Buffalo River’s grain elevators. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, visit the little museum dedicated to Buffalo’s waterfront history.


 4  SILO CITY / 100 Silo City Row

This Saturday, July 23, 6:30pm: Senso di Voce, oboe (Megan Kyle) and voice (Esin Gundez), performing baroque music in the acoustic majesty of the elevators.


 5  BUFFALO BAR & GRILLE / 307 Louisiana Street

For all the buzz about the First Ward, very few make it to this obscure little pub. More people should. Tell John The Public sent you.


 6  SWANNIE HOUSE / 170 Ohio Street

It might be the oldest continually running bar in Buffalo. Who knows. The owner was recently interviewed by CNN about local politics. In warm weather, the back patio here can’t be beat. Great food, too.


 7  BUFFALO RIVER FEST PARK / 249 Ohio Street

The gazebo offers a nice respite from the sun. This Wednesday, July 20, 6:30pm, on the stage: the Disco Duck Band, which is exactly what it sounds like.

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