Nightlife

The best sources for information about Buffalo’s music and nightlife are the Friday edition of the Buffalo News (716/849-3434) and ArtVoice (716/881-6604), a free biweekly arts publication. An ever-shifting array of nightclubs operate in the Chippewa District, along Chippewa Street downtown. Lively, upscale bars can be found on Elmwood Avenue near Buffalo State College.

One of the oldest and best-known clubs in the city is laid-back Nietszche’s (248 Allen St., 716/886-8539), offering rock, country, reggae, blues, and folk. The Continental (212 Franklin St., 716/855-3938) is the place to go for heavy metal. Folk music can be heard at tiny Metzger’s Pub (4135 Seneca St., 716/674-9897).

The Anchor Bar (1047 Main St., 716/883-1134) in Allentown is a restaurant that presents jazz on a regular basis. For more jazz, a must stop is the Colored Musicians Club (145 Broadway, 716/855-9383), a laid-back joint that was once the union local for black musicians.

Performing Arts

The renowned Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (716/885-5000) performs in the Kleinhans Music Hall (Symphony Circle, 716/883-3560). The hall, one of the nation’s best for acoustics, was designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen.

Shea’s Performing Arts Center (646 Main St., 716/847-1410, www.sheas.org) is a historic 1926 theater resembling a European opera house. Shows range from Broadway productions to opera and dance.

Theater

In the Theatre District, the 637-seat Studio Arena Theatre (710 Main St., 716/856-5650), Buffalo’s professional regional theater for over 25 years, presents both classic and contemporary drama.

More intimate Theatre District venues include the 100-seat Alleyway Theatre (1 Curtain Up Alley, 716/852-2600) and the Buffalo Ensemble Theatre at the New Phoenix (95 N. Johnson Park, 716/855-2225), which specializes in theatrical revivals and the classics.

Just west of the Theatre District is the Ujima Theatre Company (545 Elmwood Ave., 716/883-0380), dedicated to the works of African Americans and Third World artists. The nonprofit African American Cultural Center (350 Masten Ave., near Utica St., 716/884-2013) presents drama and other events in its Paul Robeson Theatre.

On D’Youville Square to the northwest of downtown reigns the Kavinoky Theatre (320 Porter Ave., 716/881-7668), a beautifully restored 250-seat Victorian theater.

© Avalon Travel and Sascha Zuger from Moon New York State, 5th Edition