Buffalo

Buffalo needs 1 day: touring Canalside, the Lake Erie waterfront rebuilt over the old Erie Canal, and trying Buffalo wings at the bar where they were invented, Anchor Bar, the same afternoon. May-September avoids the snowiest winters among major US cities. It's inexpensive, among the cheapest cities in the Northeast. It's the city where the spicy wings that carry its name worldwide were invented in 1964, and its proximity to Niagara Falls -just 30 km away- makes it a common base for visiting without paying the tourist-zone prices.