Favorite Business of the Day

Hertel Hardware. They have a female plumber! I love that. And every one of their employees who has come through my door has been engaging and seems to like their work. Very refreshing.

Favorite Business of the Day

Buffalo Optical, 280 Delaware Ave. The eye doctor told me to get lutein. It's a rare mainstream medical practioner who recommends vitamin supplements.

Least Favorite Business of Yesterday

The Peace Bridge. I've been here three weeks. I gather doing something to the Peace Bridge is eternally debated. Tear it down, make it wider, give it a companion bridge - something. The traffic is insane. Inside customs and immigration I did see innovative use of Google - an officer interviewing a unilingual Spanish speaker typed his questions into his P.C. and read them aloud in a most comical nonaccent.

Favorite Business of Yesterday

Santasiero's, 1329 Niagara St. The macaroni with lentils is one of the best pastas I have ever eaten. And I've been to Italy. And Little Italy. And lived in Italian Brooklyn. The lentil sauce tastes like it might have truffles in it. I can't imagine that it does, but it has the earthy, can't eat it fast enough quality. I loved the waitress, who as she scraped our leftovers cleanly and quickly into containers explained where she learned how and that waitressing was much better than being a school lunch lady. (Contrary to my assumption, middle schoolers are ruder than high school students. Apparently they cursed at her as a matter of course.) I do wish the clams in the linguine and clams were fresh, but they are plentiful. There's so much more I have to try.

Favorite Business of the Day

The Second Reader Bookshop on Hertel Ave. I bought two Wallace Stegner novels ("Angle of Repose" and "Crossing to Safety") and somehow the John the owner and I ended up discussing Nordic female singers Ane Brun and Britta Persson, drunk driving, Central New York, Montreal and Toronto, child rearing, and of course finally, the greatness of Buffalo.

Favorite Business of Yesterday

The Delta Sonic Car Wash. I love it there. The workers are nice and they do a great job. And it's so cheap that it's easy to leave a good tip. This is distinctly different from getting the car washed in Brooklyn, where the workers may have been nice but they were harried and it was expensive and not done very well and there was certainly no upholstery washing to be had. At any price. I am so happy to get into my car now, when just yesterday my stomach clenched at the filthy seats as I opened the door to get in. I am so excited (or so lame) that I wrote to both my kids who are away to tell them the car seats were clean now. I had been so oppressed by the dirt and my inability to get it dealt with by a car wash place.