Bushwick → Buffalo: where do older millennial hardcore kids live before the suburbs happen?

My fiancé and I are moving back to Western NY and seriously considering Buffalo as our next stop before we inevitably do the whole marriage → babies → suburbs song and dance.

We currently live in Brooklyn (Bushwick specifically) and love it, but we’re ready for something a little slower without feeling totally removed from things.

From my research, Elmwood Village keeps coming up as the obvious fit, but I wanted to sanity check with locals and make sure we’re not overlooking other areas.

Ideal situation:

• walkable neighborhood

• restaurants, coffee shops, and bars nearby

• at least one solid neighborhood dive we can become regulars at

• good restaurant/bar scene since my fiancé works in the industry and will likely be looking for bartending work

For reference: we are very “older millennial Bushwick.” Our first date was at a hardcore show, if that tells you anything.

Would love any neighborhood suggestions or areas we should check out when visiting.