A building with such history and significance, it was a treat to be able to access the floor and…read moresee all it has to offer. Security check at the entrance and there are guides tours, or you can freely roam as well Restrooms were clean and the interior is well kept. Very nice architecture

What a fabulous tour we were given! And for free! So many fun facts and the age and intricacy of…read morethe architecture makes this a must see! The only US Capitol building without a dome! We thoroughly enjoyed everything about this place!

Such a neat attraction with views of 360 all over Albany and the surrounding region. The views were…read moregreat and best of all it's free! The elevator up and down goes quickly and it's a neat building overall. Interpretive signage is inside the viewing floor as well. We were very happy to have visited.

The fact that this is free should encourage everyone to come here! I have easily paid 20 bucks for…read moreviews like this in other cities! I graduated in the Egg structure and it was neat to see it from this high up. The mountains in the distance are so gorgeous and made me remember why I chose to go to college here. A lovely experience that I would say is a must do if you are ever in downtown Albany!

Russell was our guide for the tour. My wife and I are avid Ghost Tourists and try to do one in…read moreeach city we stop through. The tour takes you in a sort of quad up through the grand old state and government buildings, filling you in on the reported ghost sightings in each place along the way. The tour is scripted- as every one we've been to is- and Russell did a great job with his performance. What I like about this tour is how they make a point to let you know that if you have any stories to share about the places they're visiting they will incorporate that into future tours- a great idea to encourage people to interact. Our group was just my wife and myself and as such it was a fun time, informative and gave us a look at Albany we never would have known. Great job and wishing them all the best. Go!

My wife and I took this walking ghost tour on Friday, October 7, 2016. The tour started at the…read moreAlbany Hilton Hotel. The guide, who was VERY knowledgeable and friendly, took us up and around the capitol stopping along the way to tell the group stories of the past of supernatural encounters people have had, seen, and been a part of. The stories were full of detail and were extremely interesting, I highly recommend this tour.

The Bennington Battlefield isn't actually in Bennington but in Hoosick Falls, NY. It commemorates…read morethe Battle of Bennington in 1777 and was part of what turned the tide in the Revolutionary war. It's a beautiful state historic site with interpretive signs and trails that travel through the woods. Every time I've been there there are only a half dozen people at the site. It's a really peaceful spot to sit and think. It's only open from May through Veterans Day but you can park near the gate and walk up in winter.

This is a pretty nice dog park. It is located with a whole park complex that includes several paved…read morewalking trails, a pool area, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and fields. We have only explored the dog park area, which consists of two fenced in areas (one for "large" dogs, the other for "small" dogs) to run around in. A gazebo which provides some shelter from the sun is located in between both of the areas, and the fence runs through it. Like all dog parks, as the season wears on the grass slowly gets worn away and the gazebo gets dirtier. The cleanliness of the grass itself is entirely on the responsibility of the dog owners to pick up after their pets. I haven't had too much trouble here in that regard. Water is available for the dogs to drink, but bring a bowl (though some are usually here).

Colonie sometimes gets a bad rap…read more Perhaps because the most obvious symbol of the town is Wolf Road where it seems like all the national chain restaurants open shop to the detriment of our regional culture. Traffic gets snarled up on this arterial too, which makes it a place that some people avoid like the plague. But some of my favorite things in the region are in Colonie. Yes, there's Trader Joe's, which I am still ever thankful decided to open up an outpost in Albany. But Parivar on Central Avenue with its back-of-store kitchen is an amazing place to get delicious Indian street-food served without pretense while catching up on a bit of Bollywood and picking up some dried lentils and spice blends for home cooking projects. And it's not just the exotic ethnic places in Colonie either. Because this town is the home of Ralph's Tavern which has been feeding families wings, pizza, and mozzarella with melba for generations. In the summer there is Scoups ice cream, which is just about adjacent to The Crossings. The latter is probably the single best outdoor playground for young kids in the area, even though I wish it had more shade. And during the growing season, The Crossings plays host to a farmers market. For a suburb of Albany, this town has a lot going on.

Ah, good old Wolf Road, always evolving. I don't get back home too often, but I seem to always see…read morenew businesses popping uphere. Chain burger joints seem to be the new craze on this strip. Luckily some of the oldies like JT Maxie's, Denooyer Chevy and others are still around! Most people don't realize this busy Capital Region road used to all be farmland a mere 60 YEARS ago. My mom grew up in the South Colonie area, it has got to be wild to have experienced how much this has changed. I think there MAY be one private residence left on this road. I was looking through an old book on Wolf Road while I was home in the 518. It's by Naylor, Platt and Platt, I imagine the Colonie Town Library would have a copy. I was skimming the book and found out that a country club once stood where Colonie Center is. I lived in Albany 30+ years and it's amazing how much that mall has evolved, it's now quite nice for this region. I remember the Herman's sporting good store on Wolf Road, that moved to Colonie Center and is now long gone. I miss the days when we had Papa Gino's across from the mall! I remember driving by Jerry's Bike Shop and Cranberry Bog often as a kid, hard to believe these spots are no longer there. Platt's Deli was another popular Wolf Road institution, that was replaced by Bucca di Beppo (if I remember correctly). It's amazing how many businesses have come and gone over even just the last 20 years. 2012 brought us Trader Joe's, which has horrible parking nation wide and even in Smalbany too! I'm not quite sure why they placed this popular store in such a congested area! The traffic on Wolf Road is to be avoided at Xmas, but after living in Los Angeles, I now snicker when my friends complain about this thoroughfare.

People demonize Wolf Road all the time. There are some folks who say that they avoid it all costs…read more Others won't patronize a business if it chooses to open up a spot on this commercial stretch in Colonie. They are missing out. Sure, to the untrained eye it can look like nothing but a parade of chain restaurants. On the south end there's IHOP, PF Chang's and The Cheesecake Factory. On the north end there's Moe's, The Outback Steakhouse, and Red Lobster. And there's a lot more in between. And during peak traffic hours, it can come close to resembling a small downstate traffic jam. All joking aside, it can be some of the worst traffic in the region. But Wolf Road has its good sides too. My love for Trader Joe's is well documented, and its convenient back entrance makes the Wolf Road business accessible to anyone clever enough to use it. Then of course there is the Hong Kong Bakery and Bistro. We don't have very many authentic Chinese restaurants in the region, but this is one of them. And I've heard there are good Chinese dishes on the menu at Buffalo Wagon too, although I have yet to try any for myself. Subbers is on Wolf Road too, and if you are a fan of mozzarella sticks, you have to try their take on the form. Ted's Fish Fry outpost also offers delicious fried treats that aren't from a nathional chain. Lemondrop was revealed to have tasty boba tea. I've got to get there and order one half-sweet. And the shop also has some of the tartest tart yogurt around. And lucky for me, that's just how I like it. Off almost everyone's radar is U Mundu E Ca, the Italian market that just hosted a pop up dinner featuring locally famous chefs Brian Bowden and Mark Graham. I'm not sure if it makes up for the evils of Buca di Beppo around the corner, but it certainly comes close Benson's Pet Center is there too, which is another great regional business that has nothing to do with food. Of course there is no getting around that this small strip of activity has two Starbucks. But one of them has a fire place and the other has a drive through. So, in a way, they are totally different. The truth is, that I don't instinctively hate chains or malls either. Some of them are fine. I love great coffee, but I occasionally go for the convenience of Starbucks. The wings at The Ruck are my favorite in the region, but once in a while I'll get a hankering for a breaded wing from Hooters. Honest Weight is a fabulous store, but Whole Foods has my favorite prosciutto and great salami sliced to order. And thanks to Wolf Road and Colonie Center, we even have a Tesla super charging station. I get the problems of businesses leaving the cities and moving to the suburbs. I understand how communities can improve with rich retail areas that encourage walking over driving. And I value those things. I really do. But I'm not so blinded by them that I can't see the good in this far too reviled road.

If you ever need to cross from Albany to Troy and have to come along the turnpike-like NY-7, you've…read moreprobably had the chance to cross the Hudson River via the Collar City Bridge, you've seen nothing yet. I've been crossing several times over the last few months here with such food delivery companies as GrubHub, DoorDash and Uber Eats, only to find problems in most of these crosses (GrubHub's time yesterday was a success, I have to say...) only end in misery. I like the bridge. It ends in a traffic light in Troy's northern reaches, but it get's traffic flowing well (especially between the Northway and 787/9W areas and the upper streets of Troy just north of the Green Island Bridge to where you don't even notice that Green Island is passing underneath you unless you look closely underneath you (but then again, you shouldn't be doing that as you drive). I personally like the Green Island Bridge more, because of it's structure, but if offered, I'll deal with this bridge if and when it comes time to cross it again.

Another find, thanks to Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/troy-gasholder-building…read moreThere's not much like this fabulous building but it is definitely not open to the public. There was a gent there today when we stopped by and he opened the main gates for us so that we could get pictures. The building itself is closed and secured. If you stop by after hours and the gate is locked, you can still get a good view. So, what's this about? The Troy Gasholder Building dates back to when coal gas was manufactured and it needed to be stored so that it could be used later to light streets and homes. The building has a brick structure and the tank inside (not there, as far as I know) was 100 feet in diameter and 22 feet high, which would store 330,000 cubic feet of gas. Today, it's next to a repair yard and in the middle of a neighborhood of brownstone looking homes. There is some street parking. [Review 11508 overall, 1288 of 2019.]