Bird Island Pier

I can’t believe I’ve missed this view my whole life.
Best way to get here: Park at Unity Island Park and make the complete walk, passing through Broderick and onto the Pier. You’ll hit the end of the Pier within an hour. It’s a lot of walking but I don’t know of an easier way to get to the end of the Pier without it taking some time (from the nearest access point, Broderick Park, it takes 25 minutes to reach the end of the pier, so make sure you do this trek with enough time to complete it. As Fox said, there’s only one way back.)
The views, the walk, the gushing water, the sun beating down on you, passing under a bridge that connects two countries… it’s all a part of this amazing experience right on this pier. You’ll have to dodge your fair share of geese droppings, but again, all part of the experience. This is BIRD Island Pier… who do you think runs this place?! ;)
Let’s talk about the views. You get a decent view of Buffalo, but I think the best view is looking back at the Peace Bridge and how far you walked to get there. Also looking beyond the pier, you can see the windmills off of Route 5 churning in the distance. I was mesmerized and stared at the twisting mill. How amazing! How beautiful! Something I passed by in the car was now being looked at from a different perspective.
There’s not really a walk like this one in Buffalo. You get all of the views and feel the heart of the city, all in one walk. It’s special, and kind of hard to articulate.
I would encourage any person to make the walk, be it a tourist or a lifelong resident. It takes awhile to get to the end, but well worth it. I’d recommend the walk with a loved one… I’m sure you’ll have your own introspective thoughts that will flow easily with a significant other. It’s that kind of place. If not with a loved one, the walk is great alone as well. Sometimes, becoming self-​aware of the beauty around you is just as important as experiencing it with a loved one.

If you have absolutely no interest in walking out on a little rocky peninsula path right under the Peace Bridge, then you can rename it the Bored Island Pier.
For me personally, this wonderful spot which is an extension of Squaw Island Park to the south, is a very romantic place to walk. Take your significant other out here (or just your hand, if you’re single), and walk all the way under the Peace Bridge and way out the other side, out into Lake Erie close to the «house on the water» and almost all the way to downtown. It’s a pretty spectacular walk. One of the best walks in the city, and one of the most beautiful places you can imagine, in the summer.
And in the winter? One of the most hellish!
And there’s no way back except the way you came… so don’t make the walk if you can’t make it back!