the next question: what to do in Albany?

[jt]

In Saratoga is the Casino. Albany has the NYS capitol,museum,Nature Walk area,Crossgates and Colonie Mall,Troy has some nice downtown shops. The Saratoga Battlefield which should be open I believe. Nice ride up and around the area. In terms of food if ya want cheap good mini hot dogs you gotta try Gus's in Watervliet or Hot Dog Charlies. try www.albany2go.com for other ideas. Cant wait to see all the great Cornell fans this weekend. Im an RPI fan by the way please bash away if your feel the need.

[David Harding]

It's been a few years, but we enjoyed the NYS Museum, mentioned elsewhere.  When we lived just to the west, we used to enjoy hiking and crosscountry skiing at John Boyd Thatcher State Park to the west.  That's weather-dependent, of course.

[marty]

[Q]jt Wrote:

 In Saratoga is the Casino. Albany has the NYS capitol,museum,Nature Walk area,Crossgates and Colonie Mall,Troy has some nice downtown shops. The Saratoga Battlefield which should be open I believe. Nice ride up and around the area. In terms of food if ya want cheap good mini hot dogs you gotta try Gus's in Watervliet or Hot Dog Charlies. try www.albany2go.com for other ideas. Cant wait to see all the great Cornell fans this weekend. Im an RPI fan by the way please bash away if your feel the need.[/q]

My son would like to plug Famous Lunch (Congress Street in Troy) for the mini hotdog with zippy sause topping.  (Gus's on 25th street in Watervliet has weirder ambiance.)  He would also like to point out the Harvard is the center of all that is evil in the universe.  I have already dissed and praised RIP in my other post.

Concerning Troy shopping check out Hummingbird Design if you are into jewelry and the "antique" district on River Street north of Congress if you are into vintage junk.

[jtwcornell91]

If you're thinking of driving as far as Cooperstown, one hour on the Thruway puts you in the lovely mid-Hudson Valley, which features picturesque towns like Woodstock (where they didn't hold the festival, thank you very much, but which is full of hippies and craft shops) and Rhinebeck (home of the Beekman Arms, the oldest Inn in North America).  Plus the FDR estate in Hyde Park.

Most of my experience in Albany involved driving up to watch baseball games and then getting the hell out of town.

[Beeeej]

I'll second the plug for the Plum Blossom - that alone always made the Union/RPI roadtrip worth the while.

Beeeej

[marty]

And chances are that if you haven't been to the Plum Blossum in a couple years you will be impressed with how far the owner has progressed in his woodworking/decoration of the dining area.

[melissa \'01]

Beside the airport is the albany county hockey facility (rink). They have a public skate from 2-3:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Price for skate is $3. Rentals are $3 as well. I go a lot. It is a great time.

[Beeeej]

[Q]marty Wrote:
 And chances are that if you haven't been to the Plum Blossum in a couple years you will be impressed with how far the owner has progressed in his woodworking/decoration of the dining area.[/q]

Well, I sure hope so - they've been working on it since 1997 or so!!

Beeeej

[Josh '99]

If you're looking for something to do between games on Friday (assuming they allow re-entry), there's a really good band called Sirsy playing a free show at a place called The Big House, which seems to be more-or-less across the street from Jillian's, maybe a bit further from the rink.

[DevilDerby]

Here's a few more:

For food: There's a real cool place off of 15th St. in Troy, called Ali Baba's. 15th is right off of Rt.7 on the way to Plum Blossom. It's focus is on mediteranian/Turkish food. I usuly get the durum kabob, which is spiced beef wrapped in a large pita(basically) with tahini sauce. And it's only $6. Trust me, you can barely move after eating this thing.  Two cool things about this place 1)their menu has pictures, so you know what you're ordering 2) It's in the heart of the RPI student ghetto, so it might be a little "offensive" for a bunch of OTHER red shirts to be there, oh well

For family fun: There is the Albany Institute of History and Art http://www.albanyinstitute.org/ it's just out of walking distance, but there should be plenty of parking on Saturday.  It's a smaller museum, but it has paintings, busts(enter Beavis and Butthead), and an Egyption room. Also a changing exhibit, but I dont know what that is right now.  Should easily burn a couple of hours with kids.

For real fun: Lark Street. Quirkiest road in Albany, runs between Madsison Ave. and State St.  Ride Madison Ave. from 787 until you hit a Dunkin Donut's, turn right.  Has a bunch of little shops and stores. Includes: tatoo parlor, jazz club(justin's), antique stores, a hed shop that if you mention ANYthing other than tobacco they throw you out(ShiningStar),  a decent punk mexican place a la VivaTaquiria (Bombers), Ben & Jerry's, a few more bars, and a greek house.  Across Madison Ave. from DunkinDonuts is Lionheart, a bar with good sized pool tables and REAL darts.

Hope this is helpful.

[marty]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:

 [Q2]marty Wrote:
 And chances are that if you haven't been to the Plum Blossum in a couple years you will be impressed with how far the owner has progressed in his woodworking/decoration of the dining area.[/Q]
Well, I sure hope so - they've been working on it since 1997 or so!!

Beeeej[/q]

We always wondered who in the town was eating extra large portions of sesame chicken as a reward for letting the construction occur at the same time as the meal prep! ::scream::

[marty]

I second the plug for Ali Baba.  He is one cool Turk!