Spring came late to Buffalo in 2014 but it came. And this year, there was something special about it. Buffalo held its first Cherry Blossom Festival at the Japanese Garden by the Buffalo History Museum from April 23 - May 4, 2014.

The view was beautiful, once I found it. The blossoms dominating the scene with the Buffalo History Museum providing context in the background. The morning sun was finding its way through the clouds and through the trees, spotlighting the grass below and lighting up the white stone of the building. I can still smell the air!

The Buffalo History Museum was previously known as the Buffalo and Erie County Historical society; the name changed to the current Buffalo HIstory museum in 2012. Its building was built in 1901 for the Pan American Exposition. It was designed by Buffalo architect George Cary in the Grecian Temple style to resemble the Athens' Pantheon from the south.

The Japanese Garden is a small oasis within Delaware Park just behind the Buffalo History Museum. It was a gift from Kanazawa, Buffalo's sister city in Japan, in 1972.

References:

- Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival
- Navigetter Buffalo