Buffalo a Top Arts Destination, say Magazine's Readers

Readers of American Style Magazine have elevated Buffalo to the top spot in the magazine's ninth annual poll of leading arts destinations.

Buffalo placed first in the mid-sized category, rising all the way from no. 23 in 2005.

The publication's editors wrote, "Sure, it's cold, and often snowy. But indoors, you'll find a surprising amount of art in a variety of venues, including the Albright-Knox Gallery and the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, which relocated early this year to a renovated Methodist church owned by musician Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records. Architecture buffs will want to make a pilgrimage to the Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin D. Martin House Complex. Three of the five buildings on the complex had been demolished in the 1960s, and are the first Wright buildings being reconstructed from the ground up. The complex remains open for tours during construction."

Albuquerque, N.M., held onto its second-place ranking, followed by Pittsburgh, Scottsdale, Ariz., and New Orleans.

New York City was first among big cities and Corning placed third among small cities.