By QINA LIU
qliu@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1613

Reporter Dan Herbeck of The Buffalo News was on vacation, yet he was just a five-minute walk from the newsroom.

Herbeck is known for co-authoring the 2001 New York Times bestseller "American Terrorist" about Timothy McVeigh with his colleague, Lou Michel. Like many others, he recently was enjoying Buffalo's Inner Harbor.

He and his wife, Joyce, of Tonawanda said they read an article about the renovations being done at the Buffalo waterfront and decided to check it out for themselves.

"We're excited," Joyce said.

Dan pointed out that other cities have waterfront attractions; now Canalside and Central Wharf bring the same appeal to Buffalo.

That's what brought the Cultrara family to the waterfront, too. Brothers Leonard and Thomas grew up in Buffalo, but now Leonard lives in San Francisco. When he came back a few weeks ago to visit Thomas and his wife, Mary, they brought him to Canalside.

"Buffalo's really nice," he said.

"Nice" is one way to describe the signs of summer on Buffalo's Inner Harbor.

Office workers are queuing up for hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream during their lunch breaks. Kelly Wahl of Lackawanna and Ken Misochok of Buffalo, meanwhile, were kayaking recently - an activity that Wahl said is "exercising and relaxing." A grandmother takes a picture of her grandson aboard the USS Little Rock in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. Aboard USS The Sullivans, right next door, naval park docent Dan Candella leads a group of children on a tour of the ship.

"Now we give back to these kids a little bit of history," Candella said. "It's good to be teaching these kids."

But those aren't the only opportunities to learn and vacation in one's own backyard.

Buffalo Place foreman Roger Browning said there is 138,000 square feet of lawn, which he waters three times a week. It's the perfect spot to play a game of football or Frisbee or gather for M&T Bank's Thursday at the Square.

What about the sandbox on the wharf? It's a great place to build that sandcastle and pretend you're at the beach.

If you prefer to be "on" the water rather than "by" it, there are boat cruises provided by the Queen City Ferry service or aboard the Miss Buffalo II.

And don't forget those colorful plastic lawn chairs for sunbathing or reading. 

I know my next vacation will be to the waterfront, perhaps to see the Buffalo Lighthouse.