Brad Hahn, executive director of Explore
Buffalo, discusses the influence of mob activity as part of a monthly tour
through the West Side. The West Side Mob Tour, one of many tours hosted by
Explore Buffalo, looks into the harsh lives of the mob families that made their
secret livings as bookies, loan sharks and coordinators of other illegal
activities, while they led prominent lives in the public eye. Even today, Hahn says, many traces of the
past exist, although the quality of life in the area has greatly improved. For
more information on the tour, contact Explore Buffalo online at
www.explorebuffalo.org. The last tour of
the season is scheduled for 10a.m., Oct 26 in front of Providence Social
Restaurant, 490 Rhode Island St. By Taylor Gesel and Nathaniel Smith