Happy New Year to you all! I suppose I should apologize for my long hiatus from Broadway Fillmore Alive, which has been accompanied by a long hiatus from Buffalo. After my last post (in May 2016) I spent the summer on a multi-country trip through Europe and Western Asia, after which I only managed to visit Buffalo for two days before rushing back to my job in Iowa. I was excited to come to Buffalo for Thanksgiving…And then I spent the entire time in bed with a stomach virus. Only in the past three weeks have I been able to spend some time enjoying my hometown. And, I was very lucky to have a dear friend from my new community come to visit me.Of course I took him to many Buffalo landmarks – Niagara Falls, Canalside, the Anchor Bar. However, he was just as impressed – if not more – by the the Broadway Fillmore area. So, dear readers, when your friends come to Buffalo, don’t be afraid to show them the riches we have here. This neighborhood will only grow and flourish if we support it, treating it with pride and respect rather than stigma or fear. Visit Broadway-Fillmore all year round. Bring your friends. Take pride in our city’s rich past and hopeful future.