Allentown painted its bars, pubs, stores and restaurants with colorful art long before the rest of the city decided it was cool. The murals along Allen Street seemingly blend in with the creative, artistic fabric of Buffalo’s longtime bohemian neighborhood, from its rainbow colored sidewalks to the many galleries found on the surrounding streets.
I start my walk near Days Park by a mural of philosopher Frederic Nietzsche, who declares, “Without Music, Life Would be a Mistake.” This mural created by YAMES has for years graced the side of one of Buffalo’s legendary music bars, Nietzsche’s, which features a Celtic music jam I love to attend every Saturday afternoon. As I continue on Allen Street, I notice eccentric and offbeat colors and collages on the side of nearly every building.