Don't just drive by Buffalo's architectural gems. Take a couple hours and hoof it downtown to check out the sights -- they are truly beautiful. Start at the E. B. Green and William S. Wicks-designed Market Arcade at 617 Main St., just north of Chippewa Street. Built in 1922, the arcade now houses shops, cafes, and the visitor center. Continue south on Main; just south of Chippewa is Green's neoclassical, Beaux Arts Buffalo Savings Bank (1901), now the M&T Center. Continue down Main Street past Lafayette Square and imagine the 19th-century great orators Daniel Webster and Henry Clay speaking there. Now, on summer Thursdays, there's live music here from 5 to 8:30pm. On your right is the 352-foot Liberty Bank, adorned with two reduced-scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty. At Church Street, on your right, is the gorgeous St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral. And on your left, the Ellicott Square building; with 500,000 square feet, it was the world's largest office building for 16 years after it opened in 1896. Step inside to see the majestic interior courtyard with its glass roof and Italian marble mosaic floor. It's also a good place to stop and try Buffalo's take on the roast beef sandwich, called Beef on Weck, from Charlie the Butcher Express, right in the lobby. Cut over Swan Street to Pearl Street, and on your left is E. B. Green's Dun Building, named for Robert Dun, who founded the nation's largest credit-reporting agency, Dun & Bradstreet. Walk north on Pearl Street, and just before Church Street on your left is Louis Sullivan's stunning Guaranty Building from 1895, with its terra-cotta tiles. Make a left onto Eagle Street and then an immediate right on Niagara Street, down to the Buffalo City Hall, an Art Deco gem with a brightly colored crown. Go up to the 28th-floor observation deck (free) for a great panoramic view of the city (tel. 716/851-5891; Mon-Fri 8am-3pm). Continue up Court Street, make a left on to Pearl, and finish with a coffee at Spot, 227 Delaware Ave. (tel. 716/332-2299), at the corner of Chippewa, where people flock at all times of day and night.
