Yes, we have great winter weather. Is that all there is to life in a city?

The Arizona Republic ran its annual piece, coinciding with the first major snowfall back east, in which it basically points out to the locals that 'it's warm here in the winter, and cold in other places!' The added bonus this year was that Buffalo, N.Y. was the metro area that was blasted by snow, so the Republic got to gloat about that area's shrinking population versus the Phoenix area's population explosion.

I lived in Buffalo for two years. Admittedly, it has a lot of problems. But it has a host of assets that Phoenix could only dream of: several major public and private universities, world-class architecture, true urban life in its core (some downtown, most along Elmwood Avenue-- think Central Avenue but with cool shops, restaurants, and people), real neighborhoods, a theatre district, distinct foods and a shared culture. I went to a wedding in Buffalo a couple years back, and at one point several of the guests started chanting "Let's go, Buffalo!" as the DJ played Lloyd Williams' "Shout" (it's played after touchdowns at Buffalo Bills games and featured in the movie Animal House). Try to imagine Phoenicians ever having enough pride in our city to do something like that.

So, while I'm glad that my city is warm in the winter and isn't dwindling away like a few places back east, there's a lot more to life than nice weather. Ignore what the civic cheerleaders at the Arizona Republic would have you think; Phoenix can learn something even from much-maligned (and cold) places like Buffalo.