Megabus - I was lured by Megabus' ads for $1 trips. Online there were fares that started at $1 but it depends on your destination, time of day and when you book. I ended up paying $9 (including all taxes and fees) for a return trip from the city to Albany.
*TIP: Megabus advises that passengers arrive at least 15 minutes before departure. I arrived about 20 minutes earlier and there was already a line but I still managed to get the front seat on the top deck so head in earlier if you want your pick of seats or you're with a group and want to sit together.
Henry Kab - As soon as I disembarked at Albany, Renssalaer there were a few cabs around. I got into a cab with another couple (which is not unusual to split fares in Albany) and a very friendly and knowledgeable cab driver who was a local. He worked for a company called Henry Kab and I would recommend them for value, service and restaurant tips (see Shogun below).
He did have this unusual sticker on the dashboard though!
The Egg - This is a theatre and venue for live music. I saw Conor Oberst here a few months ago and one of the first things he said on stage was, 'I've never played in an Egg before'. Check out their website for listings of performances. It's also just a great building to see from the outside and impossible to miss amongst the perpendicular buildings on Empire State Plaza.
Empire State Plaza - The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza is a complex of several state government buildings in downtown Albany, New York. The complex was built between 1959 and 1976. It was too large to capture in one photo but you get the idea.
New York State Museum - This museum is at the South end of the Empire State Plaza and is a great free museum with a large range of displays.
Recently, they had these notable items on display: A fragment of moonrock collected by Apollo 17 from the moon:
A fossil of a mastodon;
The original set of Sesame Street (who knew it would up in Albany?); and
A huge collection of fire trucks used in NY including this old one:
Towne Place Suites by Marriot (Medical Center location) - This was a great hotel if you want larger rooms and an apartment style suite that included a fully-equipped kitchen. The hotel is fairly new and clean and the staff were friendly and welcoming. It's close to everything despite the description of its' location as 'Medical Center'. I recommend this hotel for value and location to restaurants and cafes on Lark Street (see below).
Hotel Albany - This hotel is older in terms of age and style. It's only 1 block from Empire State Plaza. It's more in the downtown area amongst offices.
RESTAURANT AND SHOPPING AREAS:
Most of the restaurants that sounded interesting were on or around Lark Street including Shogun (corner Madison Street) and Caffe Vero (corner Hudson).
It's a long street and there are also a range of shops on it but they were mostly small ones. There are 3 big malls about 15 minutes away if you want chain stores and movies: Stuyvesant, Crossgates and Colonie Mall (newest). I did not go to these but just listing it here FYI.
Shogun - This place was recommended to me by Mr Henry Kab and he was right - it's great. The place is funky and modern. There's a bar where they serve saketinis and the menu has a range of Japanese and Thai dishes on it. Sushi was the star though as their sushi bar testified. I had the 3 maki combination with California, salmon and tuna rolls, which came with miso soup for $14. Awesome sushi but the miso was very watered down.
The Daily Grind - They sell freshly roasted and ground coffee here which lured me in. The cafe itself was very rundown, cramped and not a great spot to dine in. The menu listed a range of all day breakfast and lunch items that were mostly sandwiches. I ordered the house corned beef hash with peppers, served with 2 eggs and toast ($7.95). Let's just say I left most of it on the plate. I did not even order a coffee after that so it may be great coffee. Let me know!
As you can see there are cool things to check out if you're in the area and looking for some food and fun but you need to seek them out. Hopefully, I've made that a bit easier for you.
(Photo of the cobbled Lark Street with the sun beaming down)
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