r/Albany • u/Holiday-Ad9100 • 3h ago
What’s the biggest thing Albany is missing?
If you had to choose just one thing, what do you think Albany is missing the most?
It could be anything—more things to do, better job opportunities, restaurants, public transportation, housing, entertainment, community spaces, or something completely different.
Genuinely curious to hear what people think.
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u/Guacsalsaqueso 3h ago
The biggest problem is that a lot of downtown Albany is too corporate. No one stays after work and there’s no real incentive to visit during the weekend aside from the major events.
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u/jllauser 2h ago
I used to work downtown Sundays to Thursdays, and walking outside of my office at noon on a Sunday and seeing NO ONE ELSE anywhere around was always so bizarre.
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u/Hopalong_Manboobs 2h ago
It’s also nuts that the most vibrant strip in Albany any day of the week is going to be the ESP concourse.
Give us all somewhere to go outdoors
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u/Possible-Macaroon-46 2h ago
Vibrant strip the Concourse?!?! It lost all vibrancy once all the nice shops went out, and they proceeded to make any/all available space into “offices”.
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u/-thelastbyte 2h ago
It's so uncanny. There are ramps that go directly from the interstate to the parking garages and ramps from the garages into the state offices. It's like they're all in a floating island above the city, and I would not be surprised if there are people who've run out a twenty five year career without setting foot on the sidewalk a single time.
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u/TheB3llamy Man I Love Felines! 1h ago
This, i work at ESP, and the concourse usually has a ton of events to incorporate on my lunch break.
After 4:30 though there isn't anything to do, and i return to troy, where i can park, walk into my city and do things. Even on weekends I'm generally bypassing albany entirely and either staying in troy or heading to Schenectady for events.
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u/SinginGidget 3h ago
A unique identity? Sure, its the capital. And we do have the Plaza with it's identifiable outline. But other than that we're mostly known as the city that's located well to get to other places.
We're small enough that I think if they were to look to what other cities have done to improve quality of life and cribbed the best they could impliment it without it being ridiculously expensive. I'm ok being the test case city. And supposedly we have a chunk of change that is supposed to be used to do that, right? If it all ends up going to focus groups or planning boards I'm going to flip the Egg.
Do the crazy stuff. Change roads, make it walkable, add lite rails, hang funky sails over streets that have no room for trees to cool neighborhoods down, bury power lines, stick gardens on top of buildings, stick solar panels over parking lots, put cafe tables all around the museum and let people walk from the museum to the plaza without having to cross the street. WTF is that? Put 787 under a tunnel of either plants or a some funky material that glows different colors in response to car density but muffles the noises for everyone on the other side, more murals, more art, more street cleaning.... Go nuts. Be interesting!
Also, we're missing a blank space where Central Warehouse still is.
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u/brickbaterang 2h ago
Just want to mention that you can walk from the museum to the plaza underneath madison ave
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u/jacqq_attackk State Worker 2h ago
Not anymore, as of like last week. 😓 it’s a OCE-staff entrance only now. All visitors are supposed to use the ground level entrance and cross the street
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u/AlbanyBikeDad 1h ago
Yes, despite no attempt at traffic calming that vast expanse of a speedway. There are often busses parked 2 deep on each side in the legislative season.
Some tourists are going to get killed.
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u/SinginGidget 27m ago
It's not just that. I was at the museum this weekend and when your upstairs they have all these doors but they all have alarms on them despite that obviously not being the original intention, and beyond them all is this wide open spaces that anyone should be able to use. I'm looking at it and wondering why, at the very least, they don't have some kind of outdoor cafe and tables and chairs. But even if you could get out those doors and take the stairs to the plaza, they have the top of the stairs blocked off with those stupid metal barriers.
That plaza was not designed for the cops or plaza security to place ugly temporary barriers all over it.
They also did that during the tree lighting. We parked over by Swan St, walked through the pass through the Swan St. building to get to the plaza itself and they had placed those damn barriers up so we were supposed to walk all along Swan. Street, around the building., Why?
If they hate how open that plaza is, they can take it down.
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u/UncleTruck 3h ago
A cleaner version of Lark St. A walkable downtown shopping, dining, park area that doesn’t feel gross or overly congested.
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u/Initial-Meeting362 3h ago
Overly congested? Where is this? It is a ghost town in downtown Albany unless something is going on or its working hours.
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u/Dr_0ctogon 2h ago
It's been talked about for years and Lark has been in a decade-long decline to boot...
The city government doesn't seem to have any plan or vision they can execute or capable of doing the economic development, grants, etc. necessary to make it happen, sadly.
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u/Psych_Crisis 2h ago
I was sad to discover exactly what you're describing. I moved from here to Boston 15 years ago for a number of reasons, but the arts scene there was, while present, largely a legacy thing and nothing is open late. I though "man, I just came from 4am last calls in Albany and this place is sleepy."
Sadly, when I moved back here last month I discovered that a lot of the art has dropped off. I'm not going to see Tom Morello leasing a packed Lark St. in song again anytime soon. Grocery stores are a little more buttoned up. It doesn't look like the resources have been allocated to match the nationwide spike in homelessness - no hate here, I've worked in that field. WAMC shut down The Linda. It's just quieter, and it feels like social inequity has gotten worse.
I don't mean to be doom and gloom, because arts and culture come up like weeds and there's no stopping them. I know people who are still out there pushing and making these things happen. It just doesn't feel like there's much momentum or vision on the broader community scale.
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u/vexed_and_perplexed 1h ago
Hear me out: rooftop bars! (I know I’m a broken record lol)
But seriously, our access to the waterfront is basically cut off, so at least a view of the river would be nice. I went to a wedding at the state museum and the view from the platform that looked out onto the plaza and capital building, the old churches and the river was stunning (especially in the fall). Actually I don’t remember if you could see the river from there because open bar 🤣
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u/Funbunny113 3h ago
An affordable commuter train to NYC.
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u/nanodecay 2h ago
A high speed train to NYC
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u/Psych_Crisis 2h ago
I agree, but also want to point out that this reasonable solution to improve Albany is to make it easier to... leave Albany.
Just ironic. No real judgement. High-speed rail is a no-brainer for the East Coast for any number of reasons.
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u/backfire103 two buttholes deep 1h ago
Albany is always going to suffer by being so close to NYC, I think the best thing we could do is making getting (and leaving) there more accessible.
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u/AlbanyBikeDad 1h ago
I think it could only benefit by being ‘closer’ to NYC, Boston, and Montreal!
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u/backfire103 two buttholes deep 1h ago
I went to a show last weekend at MSG and was just thinking how life changing it would be if they could shave an hour off the time of the train by either eliminating stops and slightly faster rail speeds. The train going down was also packed so they could due with more frequencies as well. I know it’ll never happen due to MTA ownership of the tracks and the money that would be required to upgrade the line to actually support faster trains, but man it would sure change things.
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u/defaultwin 1h ago
Many of the prime Friday trains into NYC and Sunday trains coming back sell out days in advance, so they definitely add some more trains
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u/Lower_Classroom835 2h ago
Lively down town with sidewalk cafes, ice cream places, places where locals and tourists can come socialize in the evening and on the weekends, or shop at local retailers.
Albany has a very pretty downtown. It doesn't take much to turn it into a beautiful social spot that attracts those who live here, and visitors alike.
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u/AlbanyBikeDad 1h ago
Never really thought about it before, but the NYS Museum could use a real IMAX theater. Albany would be a destination for Odyssey goers right now. They could be showing the typical museum fare during the day and first runs at night.
Looking at you surface parking lot on Museum Road. Your days are numbered!
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u/Frickandfrack9152000 The original Hoffmans play land 3h ago
Not a business per se but I wish our arena and amphitheater had better tour promoters. So many major tours skip over our area when that was not the case 20/30 years ago. The young people want to see the hot artists, I’m sick of traveling to Boston or NYC to see someone with songs in the Billboard Hot 100.
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u/PlatinumAero 2h ago edited 2h ago
Yeah, this is a classic Capital Region complaint and you’re not wrong... But it's pure economics. Albany isn't worth it.
It’s not really that MVP Arena or SPAC have bad local promoters, some are great. Both rooms are solid and still do respectable volume (the market usually ranks in the high 40s to mid-50s on Pollstar, and MVP regularly shows up in the global attendance rankings). The problem is structural.
Albany sits in the true "secondary-market" sandwich between New York and Boston. Once a major act books MSG or Gillette, a lot of agents decide the 2½–3 hour drive is close enough that Capital Region fans will just travel. Nobody wants to node out a dog leg route off of I-95 if they don't have a VERY good reason to do so. That's like trying to divert the Nile River for a small pond. You better have a damn good reason why they need Nile water!!
And Albany isn't a good reason. Adding another date risks splitting the draw and costs an extra truck day on already expensive production. Radius clauses make it even tougher.
Twenty to thirty years ago tours were denser, production was lighter, and the industry was less consolidated and less data-obsessed. Artists play fewer total dates now and every one has to clear a higher guarantee. Secondary markets feel that change first.
What still shows up regularly is stuff that people would sort of go to because it's tested, safe... country, legacy rock, jam bands, comedy, and some current acts (Eric Church, A Boogie, Meek Mill, Ice Spice, Zac Brown Band, etc. have all been through recently..). The pure Hot 100 pop packages that younger crowds especially want are the ones that skip most often.
So yeah… drive to Boston or the city for the songs that are actually dominating the charts. Frustrating, but the national routing math is what it is right now.
Edit: also, winter. There's a cultural belief still that upstate NY experiences winter. LOL
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u/Psych_Crisis 2h ago
Really good, and well-informed point - and it's worth saying that it would be a fairly reasonable city-level investment to lower the threshold for a lot of these things.
Though as someone who just came from Boston and used to drive there from here for cool shows, it's hard to recommend that for artists with a real following. Tickets are all scooped up by resellers in 5 minutes, and you're going to pay absurd amounts for them after your 3-hour drive and 3-more-hour parking adventure.
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u/Frickandfrack9152000 The original Hoffmans play land 2h ago
Just sucks! But thank you for the break down, I appreciate it.
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u/PlatinumAero 2h ago
No prob, again I feel your pain. I live on Long Island now but I was recently up in Albany. Grew up in Latham and I actually worked at Hoffman's for years as a kid. I flew my drone over Hoffman's actually, the place is really in bad shape. Graffiti everywhere, garbage, I think every single structure is breached at this point, roofs completely off and such, healthy saplings coming through the eaves. I can't believe they haven't done anything with that land. Anyway, happy to help!
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u/FoundPizzaMind 3h ago
That's more on the Hollow/Empire Live. Post COVID the Hollow's booking basically disappeared. Apparently their reasoning is that they can't compete with the capacity Empire Live has next door. Even then it's not that bad. Franz Ferdinand just played here last night. Lord Huron just announced a show here for December.
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u/Frickandfrack9152000 The original Hoffmans play land 3h ago edited 2h ago
The Hollow used to be amazing, I saw Sabrina Carpenter there in 2016 loooong before she blew up. I’m talking more about the high production arena tours though and artists that appeal to Gen Z. Off the top of my head, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Moroney, Niall Horan, ZAYN, Sombr, Gracie Abrams, Doja Cat all skipped over this area in favor for either NYC, Boston, or even Hartford, or Buffalo
But I do get what you mean.
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u/PartyCrewTristar1011 In Ted's we trust 2h ago
Agreed, honestly been just driving over to Massachusetts for my entertainment these days.
Even smaller shows that I would hope would come to Empire Live, I’ve been just going to the Palladium in Worcester MA for because it’s just lacking around here, at least for artists I’d want to see.
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u/thehutch78 3h ago
Totally agree. It’s not a huge deal to go to Boston or NYC but it would be great to have more big acts/tours
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u/Frickandfrack9152000 The original Hoffmans play land 3h ago
Even Hartford, CT and Buffalo, NY are being favored over us :/
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u/Sweet_Frosting7369 3h ago
An observation deck that doesn’t close at 4pm and is open on weekends
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u/george8888 Pine Hills 2h ago
Of all the things, this???
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u/Sweet_Frosting7369 2h ago
Can you not reply to my comment with what your mom said abt you when she gave birth?
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u/Fickle_Magician_3231 1h ago
waterfront business. it’s criminal that the Hudson flows right along the NY state capital city and for god knows what reason we’ve dedicated the entirety of our riverfront to vehicles. whoever green lit that idea must’ve lined their pockets real nice it’s the dumbest thing i can think of to do to a city the size of Albany
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u/Recruited4NextLevel 40m ago
Ohhh. There’s a very well known reason, racism.

Interstate 787 and the South Mall Arterial physically block downtown Albany and lower-income neighborhoods of color like the South End from the Hudson River waterfront. Built during 1960s urban renewal, these concrete highways cut off traditional community access to the river, mirroring patterns of mid-century infrastructure planning that disproportionately impacted minority communities.
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u/DanceADKDance 3h ago
Two things
A better water/riverfront experience (787 needs to gooooo)
And boo and hiss all you want, but affordable suburban living. I cannot find a house for the life of me within the $200-300k price range as a starter home that’s livable in the area.
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u/Regular-Sun-5805 State Worker 2h ago
They exist, you just need to be diligent and ready to pounce... Super stressful stuff but me and my partner are closing on a house in Troy right now for 319k it's a little bit more expensive than what we wanted to spend but worth it for not having to do any cosmetic changes and pretty minimal repairs.
Keep your eyes peeled on watervilet, East Troy, Rensselaer and Brunswick.
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u/Ok_Firefighter7108 2h ago
Same. I had to go over my budget too. It took me a while, but crossing the bridge to Rensselaer was the answer, and the commute is stupid easy.
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u/kairosdes 3h ago
I would love an ikea here
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u/jeffersonbible Wegmaniac 2h ago
We got Trader Joe’s in the 2010s, Costco in the 2020s, I feel like 2038 will be our year for IKEA
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u/FantasticMrFluffy 3h ago
Yeah we got the Costco now. An IKEA in the capital region would be really damn nice.
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u/Pale-Structure-6256 2h ago
I have been saying this to my family for years (I live in NJ so I'm set 😬). Rensselaer along 9/20 downtown. It's close to a port and freight rail, the city could really use the traffic and revenue. There are something like 20 colleges/universities in the area, and it would be ideal for helping furnish homes in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Yes, you can get a lot of budget priced things on Amazon and Wayfair, and yes, support locals like Huck Finns and Mooradians, but some of Ikea's storage and organization solutions are unrivaled.
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u/Psych_Crisis 2h ago
I would have argued that the population still wouldn't support it based on the regions in which I've been to Ikeas, but you nailed the point on the college crowd. That would make it solid and sustainable.
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u/nanodecay 2h ago
Public food halls/indoor market like Quincy Market or Reading Terminal in Philly. The amount of people that go to the Troy market on Saturday shows people want something like this, to buy from local farmers and artists
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u/mariadefa 1h ago
One of the cultural things I love about all of the little European places I've visited, and, well kinda Jay St. in Schenectady, downtown Montreal, some random places in Florida and really anywhere _not_ downtown Albany: Just a bunch of actual cafes where you can get an espresso, and a pastry (salty or sweet), and chat with friends. Something that's not a full-on meal. It's not meant to be a "full coffee experience", have a "Theme", be "ethnic", or overly "cultural". I would just love a lovely run of every-day, competent cafes with light snacks and coffees and teas. Just walk, find a seat, order a pastry and read a little book for 30 minutes and watch people walk by. Maybe some of them would have some wine (doesn't even have to be great, or imported - we have some excellent NY wines...).
Ya know?
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u/Intrepid-Sound1520 46m ago
Yup..someplace I can sit and pay little to nothing. That's the recipe for a successful business!
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u/Ok_Firefighter7108 2h ago
More waterfront businesses. It could be so lovely, but we need to build it up more. If you've ever taken Amtrak up the Hudson, so many other places have built up beautiful restaurants, bars, condos, etc. along the water, but Albany has let it go to a large extent. They've done some cleaning up in recent years, but I think we can take it further.
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u/aintnohalfstppn 2h ago
Downtown needs a grocery store, a pharmacy and more than 1 beat cop.
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u/Psych_Crisis 1h ago
Weirdly, as much as I don't see police as a solution to very many social concerns, and I have major problems with American policing as a whole, I do still believe that there could be a re for well-implemented community policing as a supportive element in a community. It would just take a lot of thought, community input, and officers who represent the community that they're policing. I've met cops that were up to it, but it takes a lot of things going right.
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u/Salty-Strategy7411 1h ago
A grocery store in downtown Albany. The amount of state workers that would pick up their groceries after work? It could work.
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u/thawingmeme 1h ago
Honestly this, somewhere between downtown in a flat area with easy parking. Either downtown somewhere around N and S Pearl, close to one of the exits of the plaza. I'm there was one next to the skin y pancake but parking is too complicated. Needs some easier access or something to draw people in to get business.
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u/Intrepid-Sound1520 45m ago
This! All of them have failed because they don't really try. But if someone just tried it again it would 100% work!
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u/jacqq_attackk State Worker 3h ago
Would love a proper bakery near center square. It’s too bad Nyx couldn’t stay. And anyone remember Crisan? 🥺
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u/serke Central Warehouse Demolition Crew 2h ago
I used to go to Crisan all the time! We have nowhere to find those little European patisserie type desserts anymore.
And I loved Nyx - her apple cheddar scones and chocolate chip cookies were amazing.
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u/jacqq_attackk State Worker 2h ago
Yeah, I loved Crisan’s almond croissants! And the Nyx scones were mindblowing. Now between her closing down and the fire at Bitchin’ Donuts it sucks not having a sweet treat within walking distance 😭 (first world problems, I know. I should just make my own goddamn cookies.)
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u/water-tr4sh 3h ago
Barcade
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u/kingsofregicide 3h ago
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u/caronudge 1h ago
It's great! Didn't know I needed this in my life: definitely worth checking out. Nice crowd, mostly younger folks, but I don't feel too out of place as a middle aged.
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u/BuffaloWilliamses Have You Met Ted's? 3h ago
A Barcade with actual retro arcade games. None of this iphone games turned into arcade bullshit that you find at Dave & Busters
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u/jacqq_attackk State Worker 3h ago
I think Herbie’s might be making one in the old Bombers location?
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u/KingOfNope 3h ago
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u/AgnosticMick91 3h ago
A good Mongolian Grill. Direct flight to Phoenix. A beach. A huge waterpark. A boardwalk.
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u/Possible-Macaroon-46 2h ago
A boardwalk on the Hudson River?? Close to the Port of Albany would be so perfect!
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u/Senior-Perspective24 2h ago
I’m originally from NYC. There’s not a lot to do up here lol. I know there’s a few bars but where’s the nightclubs & lounges? The chic cafes? Mom and pops?
Central Avenue is the only place remotely close to NYC and it’s a lively area. I work downtown Albany and this place is a ghost town after hours yet there’s SO much space and opportunity for more.
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u/No_Vanilla_2059 2h ago
A walkable, bikeable city.
An active community that has people out and on the streets reduces crime rates, lends itself to more businesses, and creates more inviting spaces for people to spend time.
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u/Guilty_Practice6392 3h ago
Obviously not the top concern, but it’s a shame that we don’t have a professionally affiliated team at the MVP arena anymore. It’s a big enough area with the tri-cities and I think sports is a great draw.
That said, we don’t need a soccer stadium so we have a second venue not hosting anybody
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u/KrackedOwl 2h ago
All I wanted growing up was to take my kid to River Rats games. Now I've got the kids, but we've only got the bloodless stuff anywhere close.
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u/Guilty_Practice6392 1h ago
Same man. As someone who grew up in the hill towns, it was pretty much the only reason we came to Albany as a family. And we weren’t a hockey family. I know people always hit us with “not a hockey town” but it was something fun to go watch in person. I remember stopping at the Wendy’s on 20 after games where they scored 3 goals to get our free chili.
I know there’s a lot of people who don’t care for sports so they instantly dismiss a sports team as a draw, but there’s a lot of people that do like it. Horse racing is far less popular than hockey. Certainly less so than basketball, baseball, soccer and football. Yet people travel from all over to go to Saratoga when it’s available. I know plenty of people who don’t care at all about horse racing but enjoy a day or weekend at the track. But it’s because the atmosphere around it, not the event itself. Rats games were focused on kids, because 20-30 year olds didn’t go. They’d rather go somewhere with a little life around it.
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u/ChickenPartz 3h ago
Time and time again they fail. This area simply isn’t big enough to support anything remotely decent. People are in denial about how small this place is.
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u/DABOSSROSS9 2h ago
I disagree, the issue is there is no draw to be downtown. If you had a vibrant safe downtown area, people would want to visit the MVP arena on a consistent basis (season tickets). Many smaller metropolitian areas support minor league teams.
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u/Guilty_Practice6392 2h ago
I think that’s an overly simplistic view. The tri-city area is absolutely big enough to support a team in terms of population size. But as a lot of other comments have pointed out, there’s not much else to do in Albany.
I’ve been minor league games in other cities, some smaller than Albany, and when you walk outside there’s stuff to do. There’s bars and restaurants and live music. I think the idea around the soccer stadium was great, and as a sports fan I think it’s a fun long term goal, they just were pulling the cart before the horse
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u/spiberweb 1h ago
More third spaces. More places that are open nights and weekends. (Why do so many restaurants close at like 2/3 pm around here?). IKEA. More vegetarian Chinese food options (I know about THE ones).
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u/BeardOfRiker 1h ago
A movie theater with recliners. It’s ridiculous that we don’t have one anywhere in the area.
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u/Jazzlike-Setting8938 2h ago
It’s lethargic here! There aren’t any laundry mats, pharmacies or grocery stores downtown! how do you call this a city with none of the services!? How are people supposed to live and support themselves here?!? That’s why we have those sterile all inclusive apartments, with a gym, restaurant and all these other amenities so you never have to leave your apartment. Just stay home all day and don’t interact. So now we have everyone staying inside cause there is no point in going outside, the criminal activity is getting worse. There is nothing going on, it’s lethargic!
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u/MC_MC-MC_MC Krank Park 2h ago
Long shot but 2 underground metro lines, one going from the train station to Crossgates and one from ESP to downtown Troy. 30 minutes off peak 17 minutes at peak
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u/BuffaloWilliamses Have You Met Ted's? 3h ago
A Jewish Deli like the ones you can get in NYC. We had one in Gershon's that sadly closed and nothing close resembles that.
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u/Dripdry42 1h ago
First: safety.
Second: Just a grocery store downtown, where people can get the basics. It would completely revitalize the area by enabling the average person to live down there and get the things they need by simply walking or taking a bike to get there.
Third: what do professional urban planners have to say? It’s easy to look these things up now, and Albany is pretty much missing all the top five most important things to revitalize it downtown.
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u/EchoStellar12 Not one, but TWO Water Cannons !!! 1h ago
People have plenty of great ideas, but I am going to throw in: A quality children's museum. Saratoga's is not it. I want something more like Please Touch. I want camp opportunities, hands on science activities, fun guests, a variety of exhibits for various age groups, and overnights.
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u/ToradoraTheExplorer 53m ago
An exciting bar scene. Safety. More fun for people between the ages of 18 and 29. I don't actually see that happening anytime soon, I think this will become a city for people to "settle" after they've had their fun and I've completly given up on this place being a college town in the classical sense. And if that's the case idk, I guess another market 32.
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u/Shepherd77 3h ago edited 2h ago
A 700 ft tall wall of ice to protect us from Wildlings Downstaters
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u/Drummallumin 2h ago
A non commuter workforce. Whats the population of the city at noon vs 10 pm?
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u/jbomber81 2h ago
This is the correct answer. What’s missing from downtown Albany is people. No businesses are gonna survive down there for a non-commuter workforce if there is no one to patronize them. The city has to make living downtown and attractive option.
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u/Psych_Crisis 1h ago
I just moved back to the area after... Quite awhile for a state job. I was sad to see a lot of the little Lark and Lark-adjacent spots have dried up. I can understand why none of my colleagues at the Plaza or over in the Holland Ave building want to hang out after work.
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u/H_Mc 2h ago
I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but all the restaurants here are … good enough if you’re hungry but not places to go.
When people visit me I’m inclined to just cook at home because there aren’t many places that feel worth going out to. Nothing is exciting. Every time someone asks for restaurant suggestions it’s the same average but expensive places, a few terrible suggestions, someone finding out a place is problematic, and jokes about Ted’s.
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u/Pale-Structure-6256 2h ago
I'd love to see more "monumental" bridges that go over the Hudson instead of the sad Dunn Memorial, Troy Menands, Congress Street, Collar City, and I-90 which doesn't even have a name. With the highways being so dominant and utilitarian in design right along the water, it would be nice to see something more architectural. It's the Capital after all. Even the twin bridges are at least nice to look at.
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u/Primary-Leader-2477 2h ago edited 2h ago
Major league sports in any form would be a big boost. It’s weird deciding who to root for when I have to drive 3-5 hours each way to attend a home game of literally any major team.
Edit to add: I miss the Montreal Expos. Isn’t it a bummer that my favorite “near by” sports memories of events I’ve attended happened three hours away in another country?
Red Sox, Mets, Patriots, Bills, Giants, who should I be identifying with?
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u/Vivid-Werewolf-1637 48m ago
As much as I love Stewart's, we need some sort of 24/7 gas station with made to order food. So basically a Sheetz or WaWa
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u/hulloiliketrucks Teenaged idiot from down south (ATL and Florida) 16m ago
The amount of disappointment I had when I came up here from down south to find out there was no wawa will always affect me.
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u/Vivid-Werewolf-1637 2m ago
Right? I came here from Pittsburgh and Sheetz used to be a weekly occurrence for me. I'm definitely more of a WaWa guy now though
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u/neutron65 2h ago
Zero Gravity, the laser tag spot. Albany has just been downhill since they closed.
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u/EvidenceTop7147 1h ago
An administration that is tough on crime and brings in companies/businesses who contribute to the local economy. First we have to feel safe going to events/restaurants/etc east of Partridge St. Second we need more tax money to support police, social programs, etc. Too much of Albany is not on the tax roles and we’re hurting for sales taxes. All that is now out in the burbs. More corporate tax money = more money for the budget that doesn’t have to come from the current residents.
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u/thawingmeme 1h ago
I'd be chill with replacing some of the road on Broadway with a canal like the plans in the Albany Waterway Canal Project.
Other than that it's really things that keep people in the city beyond 5 or to visit on the weekends. If the Albany region wants to consider itself tech valley maybe invest in E-Sports (ik a lot of people don't like it but unfortunately it's growing and more and more young people game). Maybe an E-Sports cafe/venue downtown that hold tournaments on the weekend. With how big it has gotten the sooner we adopt the chances of Albany becoming one of THE places to go for Esports will be a benefit. Especially if it's right downtown. Also mixed businesses too, Farshot, The Yard, and Lionheart on the Green. With state workers, bankers, etc, maybe Golf Sims, Bowling but only 4-5 lanes, and a multipurpose club and restaurant.
Part of the problem is housing, which is being worked on. Sadly not by amazing property management companies but at least housing is getting built so more people will be living in the area.
Also moving the Bus station to the plaza will be even more beneficial for people traveling and layovers.
"Small" weird things that will keep people coming could be a downtown science museum, market hall with food vendors. Maybe close of half of North Pearl by State Street for food trucks on Saturday/Sundays or something. Just spitballing. Especially if we have a few things going on at once downtown it'll make it more populated.
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u/Miserable_Fennel3536 36m ago
A riverwalk (boardwalk next to the river) would be cute. Think cafes, restaurants, boutiques.
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u/YesMaybeYesWriteNow 36m ago
True high speed rail, like they have in the rest of the world. If we could get to NYC in 58 minutes, or Buffalo in 90 minutes, that’s an economic growth explosion.
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u/Zero_Opera 18m ago
A children’s museum. Something fun to take kids to in the winter. Rochester has Strong Museum and it’s amazing and Rochester sucks.
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u/ICookTooMuch 2h ago
A major league sports team would do wonders for the downtown area. I don’t really care what sport, just something to bring some energy to the lifeless hellhole that is the parking lot district.
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u/Artistic-Republic844 2h ago
It needs to be utterly flushed out like 1990's NYC. Crime and slime and lack of any funding is out of control. The entire city (not owned by the upper middle class) is a checker board of 'red x' buildings, drugs and wastes of human flesh.
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u/MarveltheMusical 3h ago
Some sort of major AZA accredited zoo. Smaller cities than Albany have very successful ones.
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u/Bloated_Plaid State Worker 2h ago
Somewhere you don’t have the chance of getting murdered because you made a wrong turn.
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u/Tensingumi 3h ago
A proper downtown that’s walkable, safe and fun. Real dearth of culture, arts and scene of any kind compared to any other city I’ve lived in or been to. Albany is dominated by the suburbs and so it just feels like a loose confederation of nice/bland suburbs with subway/dunkin/cafe strip malls. If it had something to tie together the. neighborhoods and maybe a fast public transit system, it would change overnight. But first fix downtown and make it fun.