Walk Buffalo through its Olmsted parks
Buffalo was laid out with broad avenues and a connected system of parks, and its architecture is among the best in the country. FOG keeps the map dark until you walk it, so the parkways and neighbourhoods are yours to uncover.
Avenues and parkways
Buffalo's plan radiates from Niagara Square, where the art deco City Hall stands with an observation deck at the top. Frederick Law Olmsted designed a connected system of parks and parkways here, with Delaware Park as the centrepiece and tree lined parkways linking it to circles and smaller parks.
Elmwood Village, north of downtown, is a long walkable strip of shops and old houses. Allentown, closer in, is a historic district of narrow streets and murals.
Waterfront and architecture
Canalside, at the old western terminus of the Erie Canal, is a revived waterfront with boardwalks. The Riverwalk follows the Niagara River north. Architecture fans can walk to Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House near Delaware Park and to the Guaranty Building downtown.
A strong route: Canalside, City Hall, up Delaware Avenue past the mansions, through Allentown and Elmwood Village, and a loop of Delaware Park.
Winter
Buffalo is famous for lake effect snow, and winters are long. Summers are pleasant and mild, and autumn is beautiful along the parkways.
The city grid is regular and fairly dense, so neighbourhoods fill in solid blocks and the parkways draw broad curves between them.
How FOG keeps score here
FOG starts with the whole world under fog. Every place you physically walk clears a circle of roughly 400 feet around you, and that ground stays clear for good. It keeps working with the app closed and the screen off once you allow background location, so the walk to dinner counts as much as the planned loop.
There is no account, no sign-up and no cloud. The trail lives on your phone and nowhere else, and you can export a GPX backup whenever you like. Exploring is free; one purchase of FOG Unlimited adds the higher ranks, all five character paths and history import, with no subscription.
Questions people actually ask
Who designed Buffalo's parks?
Frederick Law Olmsted designed its connected system of parks and parkways.
Is Buffalo walkable?
Downtown, Allentown, Elmwood Village and the park areas are very walkable outside the worst of winter.
Is my location uploaded anywhere?
No. There is no account and no cloud. The map is stored only on your phone, and you can export a GPX backup yourself.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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