Buffaloed Again

Buffaloed Again

By Andy Lopusnak, AndysPictures.com

November 2-3, 2013

Two months after starting the 2013 NFL regular season in scenic upstate New York, I’m back in Buffalo for the Week Nine matchup against the Bills and the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. When I was here right weeks ago, I shot a bunch of new things that you CAN READ ABOUT BY CLICKING HERE. 

There was some stuff I missed out on. However, much like the previous Saturday I was in Buffalo, it was rainy and crappy making my photographic journey a bit gloomy.

Check out my expanded Buffalo galleries BY CLICKING HERE.

CITY HALL OBSERVATION DECK

After checking into the hotel, I walked the block and a half to the Buffalo City Hall to go to the 28th floor observation deck. It’s free and open whenever the building is open. Previous, it was only Monday through Friday, but the city added Saturday hours this past summer. I hope next time I’m in Buffalo, the weather is good because this is a great spot.

ST. ADALBERT’S BASILICA

This 1891 Polish Cathedral style church was designated America’s first Basilica in 1907. However, the Vatican decided to merge two parishes so it’s only open on special occasions. I was lucky enough to be there when one of someone was dropping off stuff for one of the rare masses and he let me take a few shots of the interior.

St. Adalbert’s Basilica is a brick exterior church with 36 stained-glass windows. The church’s namesake, Adalbert of Prague, is the patron saint of Bohemia, Poland, Hungary and Prussia.

MCKINLEY MARKER

I searched for the exact place where President McKinley was assassinated back in 1901, but couldn’t find it last time. After some research online, I found that there’s a small marker in the middle of the road marking the spot where the Temple of Music once stood (that’s where he was shot). I drove by it numerous times before finally finding it. If you’re ever in Buffalo and looking for it, the McKinley historical marker is located in front of 30 Fordham Drive.  

I AM NUMBER ONE

The Chiefs has the worst record in the league last year and were rewarded with the first selection in the 2013 NFL draft. They selected Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher. After snapping a few pics of him on Sunday, I added Fisher to my #1 Overall NFL Draft Picks collection. I now have 21 former overall #1 picks, including the last 13. This game featured three former #1 overall selections. In addition to Fisher, there were the top picks in 2005 (Alex Smith) and 2006 (Mario Williams). CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY GALLERY OF #1 OVERALL NFL PICKS.

CHIEFS 23, BILLS 13

Kansas City’s defense had two returns for touchdowns, including Sean Smith’s 100-yard interception for a score, to beat Buffalo 23-13 to go to 9-0 on the season. The Chiefs outscored the Bills 20-3 in the second half despite allowing 470 total yards. It was Kansas City’s first win in Buffalo since 1986, which was the fourth NFL start of eventual Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly who threw three interceptions

For the Bills, undrafted rookie QB Jeff Tuel became the third different Bills starter this season and looked good early with a 59-yard touchdown strike to Maquise Goodwin, but was picked off twice. Buffalo RB C.J. Spiller had 116 rushing yards on 12 carries. 

TIME LAPSE: HIGH SIDELINE & HIGH END ZONE

I got two really good time lapses last time I was here and decided to go with a high sideline view this time. In addition, I returned to the high end zone; but with the Hero 2 (because the battery is so much better). Hopefully, I won’t be back in Buffalo in 2013. The stadium is getting a $130-million renovation before the start of the 2014 season; so it’ll look a little different next year (which is beyond a good thing since Ralph Wilson Stadium looks more like a high school venue than an NFL one). You can read all about the renovation BY CLICKING HERE.

UP NEXT: Cincinnati at Baltimore

It’s back to Baltimore (again) for the Bengals-Ravens marking my fourth game covering these two division rivals. I’ve photographed the Charm City so many times that I truly hate getting a game here. Sadly, I’ve already been assigned another game in Baltimore in two weeks (vs. NY Jets).

FALL BACK

I hate going back to Standard Time. Yes, I get an “extra” hour of sleep before the Bills game; but the hassle over the next six months is just not worth it. Studies show that a majority of Americans hate it too and yet other studies show that it doesn’t save electricity (the main reason it was implemented after World War I). I’m just glad I don’t live in the most northeastern parts of the USA, where the sunset will now be at 4:26pm (and as early as 4:02pm by early December). There’s no reason to have the sunset before 5pm.

BEST OF THE BLOG

Here’s a collection of my top shots from Buffalo….

 

-- AndysPictures.com --