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We're making a 3 day 'trip to nowhere' in late February and our schedule has us waiting in Albany from 11am until 7pm. Any ideas on what we can do or places to see during that time? Looks like downtown is accessible by taxi and bus which is nice, but what is there to see?
Thanks, Dave
TBlack Member # 181
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Dave,
There's not much to see in Albany, across the river from the station for that length of time. I'm going to make an assumption that you're coming down on the train from Vermont and waiting for the westbound Lakeshore Ltd. If this really is a cruise to nowhere, why not consider staying on the train from Vermont all the way to NYC, seeing the scenic Hudson River valley, and then in NYC your options will be greatly multiplied.
Tom
Tanner929 Member # 3720
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Geeze TBlack, Albany is the capitol of NY State, if you take the CDTA Route 14 will take you from the AMTRAK Station into downtown Albany. You can visit the NY State Museum. They have trolley tours or DUCK boat tours History tours architectual tours. Get on the Web try Hello Albany www.helloalbany.com or albany.org with a link to cdta.org Bus Route 14 will take you downtown from the Amtrak Station. The old Union Statiion is on Broadway beautifully restored. Here is a link for the tours http://www.albanyaquaducks.com/ Expend your horizons you'll find you wish you had more time. There's more to the Empire State than the Isle of Manhatten. Enjoy and write us how your trip went.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Au contraire, there is QUITE a bit to do and see in downtown Albany, although in February you may not be able to walk around outdoors as much as you like. I would also check websites or call ahead to everything to make sure museums and other sites and restaurants are open the day you are there--days and hours of operation may be curtailed in winter, and some restaurants may go on vacation . . .
The New York State Capitol on State Street, 518-474-2418, is worth seeing. It's not domed; more gothic, I'd say, with rather picturesque elaborate stonework. Free tours are offered, though these can be full; it would be best to phone up at least a month in advance (the earlier the better) to book the tour. Be sure to bring all your ID info (the same as you need to travel on Amtrak) when you come to the Capitol; there is more security here than in other places. Also, don't try going up all those main stairs, esp if it's icy; when we were there, the door of that main entrance was locked anyway! We used a side entrance on the left at ground level--when you phone up, find out where to enter. The 45-60-minute tours were free, offered 3 or 4 times a day (in September anyway) possibly only on weekdays and began off the lobby.
Across from the Capitol on the left side as you face the main entrance is the huge fairly new Empire Plaza with many new state edifices--when you see the architecture (not my cuppa), you'll see why I call them edifices! The open plaza area itself (which has some modern sculpture etc) will likely be cold and windy in February but there are underground passages in the complex that the state workers all use (one of which has a fast-food court). The place you want to visit (other than perhaps the food court, though there are better places to eat downtown!) is all the way across the plaza by the Madison Avenue side (so do use those underground passages in cold weather), the New York State Museum, 518-474-5877, http://www.nysm.nysed.gov.]www.nysm.nysed.gov. Last I heard this was definitely open daily except for major holidays. It is also free. There are a LOT of neat things on display here, from natural history taxidermy to an impressive little NYS gem-and-mineral collection to a life-size Iroquois longhouse, fire engine, a NYC subway car, an Automat dispenser, and a working carousel--DO make them turn the carousel on so you can ride it, even if you think you are too old. (You might want to phone ahead to find out if the carousel will be working all day or when is a good time to get there; the person operating it probably goes to lunch or something!) Really, the carousel was the highlight for me, though the subway car a close second. There are also special exhibits, including a very moving and fascinating one about 9-11 that I think has become a permanent addition. There are one or two fast-food places right in the building, too--a Subway fast-food restaurant, I think I saw, maybe up near that carousel (which was on the top floor, as I recall). Oh, another Empire Plaza highlight is the knight in armor in the lobby of a different building on the plaza, I believe the building named for former Albany mayor Erastus Corning (Albany was as big a machine as the Daley machine in Chicago, and Corning is pretty famous hereabouts).
Past Madison Avenue at 138 Eagle St is the Executive Mansion, residence of NYS governor, 518-473-7521. I doubt you will have time to make it here, and it's open to the public only on Thursdays by appointment far in advance; and you cannot see much from the outside.
Back at the NYS capitol, across from the Capitol on the RIGHT side as you face the main entrance, past the impressively columned State Education Building (or at least, it used to be the State Education Building) two or three blocks up Washington Avenue (a bit of a hill, though nothing like the State Street hill BELOW the capitol--see info below) is the Albany Institute of History & Art, 125 Washington Av, 518-463-4478, www.albanyinstitute.org. As far as I know, it's open Wed-Sun year-round, but maybe not till noon in February? You can check the website. Last time I was there, the entrance fee was $5. This is a small but rather nice little museum, especially when they have an interesting special exhibit--one time when I was there, they had a fascinating exhibit of Dutch masters (Albany is historically a Dutch town, like all of Old NY) made especially interesting because many of the paintings were accompanied by artifacts that appeared in the painting--you know, a bunch of burghers around a table with a vase on it, and then the vase would be in a glass case in front of the painting. It was pretty neat! But that exhibit has gone back to Holland. . .
If you were continue up Washington past Lark Street (where all the hippies meet, sort of) you'd come to Washington Park, lovely buildings along it esp on Willis (or is it Willett) Av on south side of the park but also on upper State Street and most of the other the streets between the park back down to at least Dove (one block lower than Lark) but this is not something to do in February unless the weather is unseasonably warm. (And I doubt there are architecture tours in Feburary, but you never know; could be something going on weekends.)
Back at the Capitol, the aforementioned hill on lower State Street leads down from the main entrance of the Capitol. It really is a big hill, esp bad in winter, which is why you should take your taxi from the train station to the stuff already mentioned and catch the taxi BACK from the lower part. You will pass the city building (with clock tower) just across the little park in from of the capitol, then there is a very old and nice Episcopal Church on the left, then on the right is Jack's Oyster House (42 State St, 518-465-8854), getting a little overpriced but still pretty good, and open daily for lunch and dinner last I checked . . . but anyway, at State and Broadway, bottom of the hill, is the old D&H train building, a neo-Gothic extravaganza that is the coolest building in Albany for my money. It's now part of the state university system, but there are sometimes special little exhibits inside, and I think you can go in anyway, at least on weekdays.
If you then take a left on Broadway, you come to a walkway (over the ugly riverside highway) that will take you down to the Corning Preserve along the Hudson River. This is quite nice in nice weather but probably not the thing in February. There is a shipyard area too (once we saw the Half Moon replica here) but I suspect this is all warmer weather stuff only. . . (including the Duck mentioned above in someone else's post)
If you continue on Broadway several blocks (passing the old Union Station) to the foot of Clinton Street, there is Quackenbush Square, which has an information center and nice little museum with local history, a neat model of Dutch Albany, even a planetarium, as I recall; , plus some good restaurants. However, I think that (other than the restaurants) this complex is only open maybe April to October. But you can phone and find out, the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau (which is housed here, at least in warmer weather) is 518-434-1217, 800-258-3582, www.albany.org.
About a block up Clinton (past the old theater) and then taking a right and going a few blocks over is the Ten Broeck Mansion, 9 Ten Broeck Pl, 518-436-9826. Hours when we visited were Th & F 10-4, Sa & Su 1-4, and it was $5. Garden is nice in season. I have no idea if it's open in February, though a lot of these sorts of places will open up for you by appointment. However, you probably won't have time for this anyway, unless you are very interested in early history/architecture.
BTW, the two restaurants at Quackenbush Sq are Nicole's Bistro (518-465-1111), a pricier French place that did serve lunch, at least on weekdays, in the (heavily restored) Quackenbush farm, the oldest building surviving in downtown Albany; and a rather pleasant microbrewery restaurant in the back of the square, Albany Pump Station/C. H. Evans Brewery, 10 Quackenbush Sq, 518-447-9000.
Two other dining places we liked last time we visited (but perhaps not convenient in the short time you are there):
El Loco, 465 Madison, 518-436-1855, this is UP Madison just above Lark St. Good inexpensive hippie Mexican with tasty whole wheat tortillas, brown rice instead of white, good salsa, Dos Equis. . . . This is our favorite Mexican in Albany, and definitely cheaper than some of the others
Hai Au, 137 Madison, 518-935-2573. A Vietnamese restaurant a few blocks down from the state museum; I think serving dinner only Tu-Su.
There are many other restaurants, e.g., near thePepsi Arena (which is sort of behind Jack's on that side of State Street down the hill) and also on the other side of State Street on Pearl Street or Broadway (again, down the hill); also up the hill on Washington across from or above the Art Institute and on Lark Street (and Madison near Lark). Most of them we've never tried. There's a Caribbean place we like that has a dirt cheap lunch buffet but it's on a kinda seedy street a bit too far up Washington (past Lark). Sometimes right by the Capitol there are also outdoor ethnic food wagons set up for lunch of state workers, some good, but I suspect not in February . . .
Finally (sorry this is so long) there was a travel article on Albany ("Albany, Hub of the Empire State" by a David Wallis) just a week or two ago in the NY Times. Travel articles remain free indefinitely at the Times website, although you do have to sign up (it's free) to access any articles.
TBlack Member # 181
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Well I had no idea! Thanks guys for setting the record straight. I must be near-sighted to have missed all of that. Or maybe I'm just drawn to the big city and the Hudson River Valley.
rresor Member # 128
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Well, I've been to the Pump House restaurant and the New York State Musuem -- had an exhibit of NYC advertising posters and similar stuff last time I was in.
If you visit Empire Plaza (and don't get blown away), contemplate the architecture and think of how it reminds you of Joe Stalin...
rresor Member # 128
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Sorry, in my post above NYC = New York Central (the railroad)
sojourner Member # 3134
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Rresor, that is so funny your mentioning Stalin; in my post I almost put "architecture by Albert Speer"! It is truly Rockefeller's Folly. But inside the museum has plenty good stuff.
TBlack, the Hudson River Valley is lovely as well . . . and you definitely want to do that train ride between Albany and NYC some time too, Mr Burden. Best time is fall when the foliage is turning--say, Oct 18-25 (it turns earlier further north). Be sure to sit on the right side of the train (engineer's side) heading south or left side heading north. Also, the ride north to Montreal is exquisite north of Fort Edward--and for that you have to sit on exactly the other side of the train
The whole length, NYC to Montreal, is IMO the prettiest train ride in the East. Though the Cardinal is very very nice too. . .
Tanner929 Member # 3720
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Sojourner,
I agree the Trip from the city to Montreal is one of Amtrak's best routes. And yes its seems any public works done in the 1970's inspired by some ones love of cement.
Dave Burden Member # 88
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Thanks for all the information about Albany! We are coming in from the north (Rutland, VT) and taking the LSL over to Chicago. These tickets were bought with Amtrak miles and our original plan was to go to NYP and back up to Albany, but Amtrak wouldn't let us book it that way for free.
We may buy the Albany-NYP-Albany leg anyway, but with the good information about Albany we might just hang out there and explore a bit.
Dave
Amtrak207 Member # 1307
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WARNING! Don't burn up a layover on the platform taking pictures. I was in the process of being yelled at by someone who felt the need to imply I couldn't take photographs of trains and felt the need to point out the station cameras work. I haven't been back since. Second, there should be plenty to do as far as the Capitol and museum and mansion and buildings and the silly-looking Egg. A good arts and entertainment magazine for the capitol region may be found at http://www.metroland.net/ Aside from that, a day trip down the Hudson should not be ruled out.
Dave Burden Member # 88
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Update on our plans. We bought the extra legs from ALB to NYP and back again so we will not be staying in Albany. We will have two sets of tickets to get us from Rutland, VT to NYP, all in Bus class, but that should not be a problem.
On the return from NYP to ALB we are also in Bus class, but leaving at 3:20p arriving in ALB at 5:50p which will be plenty of time to catch the LSL at 7:05p. Question is, we have two bedrooms on the LSL from ALB to CHI. Obviously they will not be in use from NYP to ALB. What are our chances of trading in our Bus class seats from NYP-ALB and simply getting on the LSL from NYP at 4:00p?
Thanks, Dave
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Dave - I wouldn't think that would be a problem to upgrade to the sleeper all the way from NYP. As you indicated, it is unlikely that anyone would reserve a sleeper from NYP to ALB. Call AMTRAK and have "Julie" transfer you to a "live agent" and request it. Or you may want to get on the train and try upgrading after you have boarded -- that MAY be a littler cheaper for you, but I don't know......
Dave Burden Member # 88
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RRRich, the problem is a little more complex than simply upgrading to a sleeper. We got the ALB-CHI tickets free (Amtrak Rewards), but we really wanted to go from NYP-CHI. So now we have NYP-ALB on another train. Problem is you can't buy the NYP-ALB ticket on the LSL... So we'll be trying to talk our way onto the LSL in NY with tickets from another train. Hopefully we can find an understanding ticket agent in NYP to work this out. If it doesn't, at least weill have Bus class seats up the Hudson to ALB.
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