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Magazine gives Buffalo high marks as arts destination

By Maki Becker

 For the second year in a row, AmericanStyle magazine has named Buffalo the top arts destination among the nation’s mid-sized cities, beating out Chattanooga, Tenn., which took second, and Pittsburgh, which placed third.

The designation comes as the result of an annual reader poll, which named New York City as the top city with a population over 500,000 and Santa Fe, N.M., as the top city of less than 100,000.

Readers lauded the opening of the new Burchfield Penney Art Center last year as an example of the city’s commitment to the arts, the magazine said in an announcement Thursday.

Local tourism officials freely acknowledge that the honor is reader-driven and that local groups had been actively encouraging Buffalonians to cast a vote for their city to ensure a top ranking again.

Edward J. Healy, spokesman for the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau, said taking first place is really a testament to the enthusiasm people in Buffalo have for their city and their desire to promote it.

“People in Buffalo want to be a part of the solution,” Healy said. “Casting a vote for Buffalo is a relatively easy way to do something.”

Healy added that Buffalo residents are hardly the only ones trying to stuff the ballot box. “Believe me, other [tourism bureaus] are doing the very same thing,” he said. “They want these superlatives to throw around, too.”

The AmericanStyle poll is one of many national accolades Buffalo has earned over the last few years to the delight of tourism and arts leaders here. Just recently, the New York Times travel section named Buffalo one of 44 places to visit in 2009 and the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Nickel City one of a dozen distinctive destinations in 2009.

“I think all of this has a cumulative effect,” Healy said. “It makes it easier for people to think well of Buffalo. It gives us credibility and cachet. One thing leads to another. That’s what it feels like right now.”

The complete lists of the top 25 arts destinations in the three categories will be featured in the June issue of AmericanStyle magazine.

mbecker@buffnews.com