Stopped by, unannounced with family, (out of state), one member is a member of the Florida bar,…read moreinitially, wanted to see the NYS Capitol. Greeted by a very professional security staff officer, explained our request and was provided a tour of the courtroom by the press secretary who had an awesome knowledge of the building and the justices who have served. Would highly recommend a visit. Beautiful building with a great history.

Go in and ask for a tour when court's not in session - a rather reticent tour guide who doesn't…read morevolunteer much information but will answer your questions will bring you inside the pretty courtroom, you can take all the pictures you want, and then you leave. 15 minutes, tops. And they have pencils with double erasers made to look like gavels, which they'll give you at the end!

A lovingly restored and maintained historic home, with a one-room school house, a large barn, and…read morelots of history to explore and learn.

Cute little historic complex, which I'll describe in detail below, that pays its way for the Town…read moreof Colonie as a reception hall specializing in weddings. I can't comment on the weddings but it looks like a very good value for a small wedding and a charming, spacious setting. The historic complex has three main "attractions". The first is the Pruyn House itself, an odd combination of a federal brick and greek revival mansion, built in the first third of the 19th century for Casparus Pruyn and family. Pruyn was the agent/collector for Stephen van Rensselaer III, the last Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, the feudal remnant of the Dutch empire in the US that lasted in its odd legal form until the middle of the 19th century. It is not the main site of business, but it does speak a bit to the social history around the Patroonship system. There are interpretive placards in each room, including one on the Anti-Rent Wars that broke up the Patroon system finally. Most of the rooms have period furnishings in them, although not a full restoration, and as such it's a nice illustration of 19th century elite living but not exactly a full recreation. The upper floors have rooms that double as offices for the curators, so there are also modernized touches around. Even so, it's a moderately interesting look. There's not a lot of interpretation but enough to figure things out. Outside the main house is a lovely flower garden, and two more buildings. One is the Buhrmaster Barn, an early 19th century barn that was moved from a position close to the Mohawk River, and the old Verdoy school, which was moved from its location near Route 7 in 1995. The barn is used for receptions and programs, and has some very interesting intact woodwork but is, well, you know, a barn used for wedding receptions. It's nicer than a real barn but not as interesting. The Verdoy school house, though, is one of the best intact one-room school houses in the area, and they have a few desks and some props (I can't call them artifacts) left out, which I am guessing are used for school groups to come in, with some modern seating. It's worth a peek inside - the kids enjoyed playing school for a few minutes - but it's not a complete re-creation either. It's all free (donations accepted) and despite the relative lack of interpretation it should be of interest to those interested in local history, old houses, or just a pleasant walk around some grounds. There are picnic tables and a big open space in the rear, and I don't know if they care if you come and use it as a picnic spot, but I would recommend it as such if you're looking for one in the area and want to spice up your stop with a little history.

Came for the fireworks on the Fourth of July, beautiful area must definitely come back to visit to…read moretake him the history of the area.

Beautiful modern statue of real life person Uncle Sam! The small park is in Troy, NY close to the…read morewaterfront. Several plaques to read. Parking. Bus stop. Benches to sit. Review: 5+

Troy's Uncle Sam [Troy NY]…read more Keep your eyes open or you might miss this shiny silver statue of the Uncle Sam Monument who stands facing River Street. The statue identifies him as "Uncle Sam Wilson." The inscription on the statue says that he was born in Arlington MA. He was a New York meatpacker who supplied barrels of beef to the U.S. Army (who were preparing to go to war with Canada) during the war of 1812. Rations of meat were uncommon back then and when asked who supplied it "Uncle Sam" was mentioned. The barrels were stamped "U.S." and since then the kindness of Uncle Sam and United States were associated. He is buried in Troy NY at Oakwood Cemetery. Other inscriptions on the monument says: Troy's Citizen - America's Uncle The big thing is not what happens to us in life But what we do about what happens to us. U S of AMERICA N A C M Originated during War of 1812 L E This was a nice statue with a cool history behind the man. Review #3013

This is one amazing sight!…read more It's a gigantic granite monument that rises up nearly 100 feet high in the center of downtown Troy- more or less where River Street, 2nd Street and Broadway collide. It was dedicated way back in 1890 to remember the soldiers and sailors of Rensselaer County who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. You'll see an ornate 4-sided granite base with all sorts of plaques and sculpted panels, a 50-foot granite column, and an attention grabbing 17 foot tall bronze statue of the Goddess Columbia who is standing on a cannonball and holding a trumpet and a sword. Quite the multi tasker she was! Some of the inscriptions on the base include the dates "1776", "1812", and "1861-65" . You'll see the words "To the Men from Rensselaer County who fought for Their Country on Land and Sea." The bronze sculpted panels are gorgeous -you'll see infantry, cavalry and artillery scenes and a sweet picture of the naval battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac (look at the way the artist captured the motion of the waves). The monument was rededicated in 1991 and has a place of honor in downtown Troy, which was vibrantly alive when I was there yesterday. Downtown was crowded with a terrific Farmers Market.

If you own a business, and don't have a Chamber of Commerce membership, you should definitely check…read morethem out. (Note: This is not the "Albany-Colonie" Chamber of Commerce; this is the "Colonie" Chamber of Commerce. As far as I know, they are not related.) For a membership fee of $275 a year for a small biz (less than 11 employees), the two main benefits you get are group health insurance rates, and emailed invitations to mixers and networking events. There's many other benefits too -- leads group, listing in the directory, member-to-member discounts, etc. I've been a member for over a year. They seem well organized and deliver on what they promise. Catherine, the health insurance contact, makes a point of posting the latest CDPHP and Empire New York rates/information on the website as soon as they become available. She's also quick to answer your questions, which is good, considering how confusing the whole health insurance thing has become. (I don't know if they are still doing it, but they used to do an Associate membership, where once you purchased your full membership, you could invite another business to join as your associate for $100. If they're still doing this, two or more friends with businesses can pool resources and bring the membership costs way down.)

All of the officers that work here is awesome and amazing people that I ever met and chief Cox is…read morethe best boss ever I look forward to help you out with the everything

Probably the WORST physical structure in the Albany police department. It's gotten more makeovers…read moreand facelifts than Phyllis Diller. It did get a revamp of the holding cells a few years ago but it seems that the old style of policing is fading for a new touchy feel approach. Seems odd that with stricter gun laws there's more crime. Remember the late 1980's?? As Paul Butterfield sang, "better days". Not the cops fault as the mayor really controls the force. Sorry, as Dave Aloisi would say "but I digress". Forgive any misspelling Dave. When Donald Trump said SHITHOLE he was speaking of the old Division Two building. Even the rats don't like it. Many fine officers, present and past. Some gone before their time. To many of the personnel; police, civilian and repeat offenders, South Station is home.

This is my fire district/fire house, and also my polling place. It's nice to have it quite close to…read morewhere I live. I've met some of the firemen who work here and have been pleased with what I heard and also their positive opinion of the fire house/district. They offer a lot of community services and assistance. Voting here was straightforward, and there were plenty of volunteers on hand to assist those in need. They serve the hamlet of Westmere very well.

Westmere Fire Department is simply amazing! Not only do they provide outstanding protection from…read morefire hazards, they also go above and beyond to support their local community. Recently, they were kind enough to donate to the Caitlin Clancy Memorial Golf Tournament in support of the Guilderland High School Scholarship Fund. In doing so, they helped provide scholarships to seniors in the Guilderland Central School District. We are so grateful to have organizations like this in our community, who choose to give back and spread goodwill.