[This message has been edited by Gilbert B Norman (edited 04-13-2004).]
sojourner Member # 3134
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The train station (which is new) is actually in Rensselaer (ren-suh-LEER), just across the Hudson River (which is narrow there) from Downtown Albany. The chief hotel in Downtown Albany is the Crowne Plaza, which is an Intercontinental Hotel (but not a Holiday Inn). They have Triple A rates but are still higher week nights than weekends; however, on weekends they are often sold out to conventions etc if you don't book in advance (which you can do because you can cancel up to day of arrival with no penalty). The hotel is on the State St at the corner of Lodge. State Street there is a very steep hill btw! but it's a good location otherwise; you can walk to Jack's Oyster House, 42 State St, which has fantabulous rack of lamb at a reasonable price and is my favorite restaurant in Albany--lots of pols go there for lunch and they have the dinner menu all day. You can walk up the hill (that is west) to the State Capitol, which has an attractive small park in front, and the Empire State Mall, Nelson Rockefeller's famous (infamous) extravaganza, which includes underground walkways, fountains, some state museums, etc etc. West of that (i.e., at the "top" of the Empire Plaza area), side streets like State (narrower there) or Hudson) have nice Georgetown-like townhouses and lead to Lark St, with more restaurants; further west of that and parallel to Lark, on the eastern boundary of the larger Washington Park, is Willet St (or Willis? I forget), which has the nicest of these townhouses and apartment buildings. Also on the more main Washington Ave (which also goes up to Lark St) still east of Lark I think is the newly renovated Albany Institute of History & Art, with small but often nice exhibits.
A shorter walk--very short, in fact--from the hotel, this time going down the hill (east, toward the river), is the old D&H Terminal, a gorgeous building now used by the state university, I believe; and, from Broadway (or Pearl? I forget--ck at the hotel) a little further north is the entrance to this new nice brdigelike walkway (over I-787) that leads to Corning Park right along the river. North of that also on the river is Quackenbush Sq (at the foot of Clinton St, walk up Broadway or Pearl to Clinton and go right), which has a very nice little visitors center-cum-historical museum (possibly closed Sunday?), Nicole's Bistro, which has good French food, and the Albany Pump Station/C H Evans Brewery, with micro-brewed beers, burgers etc.
Even staying downtown at the Crowne Plaza however, you will need to take a taxi from the train station to your hotel (if you aren't driving, I mean), so you can stay further uptown or in Colonee (a suburb; but Albany is small) if those lodgings are better for you. My favorite of the suburban hotels is Desmond's up in Colonee near the airport, but there are hotels somewhat closer near the uptown state university campus on Washington or Western Av, I think maybe a Holiday Inn is one of them. There is also a Days Inn on Wolf Road in Colonee, likely inexpensive, and you can go across to the Colonee Mall/Macys etc and shop.
maryann Member # 2585
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Thank you both so much-and-I hope we'll have good weather to check out all the good places to go. We'll be there at the end of Oct. but if not, we'll eat at the Oyster Hse.!
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