# Troy (New York)

Troy is a city in Rensselaer County, New York located northeast of Albany. Its nicknames include "The Collar City" and "Home of Uncle Sam." As a result of its unique history, Troy still has what is widely considered to be the best-preserved big-city 19th-century downtown in the country.

## Understand

Troy was a major city during the early years of American industrialization in the first half of the 19th century, with iron, ironware, steel, flour and textile manufacturing among the industries that flourished in and around Troy throughout the boom times of the entire 19th century. Troy continued to have some very productive industries through the 1920s, but during Prohibition, its bootlegging industry was probably the most famous in the area. Starting not long after World War II, most of Troy's industries increasingly either fled to the South, where the cotton for the textiles is grown, unions were weaker and wages were lower; or to the West, which was by that time closer to most of the mines that were still productive; or simply went out of business. Then, when U.S. industries went bust starting in the 1960s and 70s, Troy went even further into a depression, losing population and having the feel of being lost in time. Since there was no monetary profit in tearing down buildings in Troy and replacing them with modern highrises, they were just left alone until the early 1960s, when public opposition to a plan to raze some historic buildings downtown prompted successful applications to preserve buildings and later entire districts of Troy as landmarks. Troy has since revived to a significant degree, with numerous buildings in its Central Historic District being restored.

## Get in

By plane, fly into Albany International Airport. If you visit via train, the nearest Amtrak station is Albany-Rensselaer Rail Station. The Greyhound bus drops you off in downtown Albany's Greyhound terminal, from which you can take CDTA bus #22 to downtown Troy.
Troy is easily accessible by way of I-87 North, exit 7. It is also well connected to local highway 787 from exits 7E, 8 and 9E.

## Get around

Public Transportation CDTA (Capital District Transit Authority) serves Troy as well as Albany, Schenectady and (to an extent) Saratoga Springs. For full information on bus routes and schedules, visit the CDTA website at CDTA.org. Many of the cab companies in Troy serve Albany as well but may have different fare structures. Cab fare from downtown Troy to downtown Albany is approximately $30.

## See

* 42.710014-73.6989611 Burden Iron Works Museum, 1 East Industrial Pkwy, ☏ +1 518 274-5267. Schedule a tour for a crash course in area history.
* 42.764383-73.6668622 Oakwood Cemetery, 186 Oakwood Avenue (Going on Hoosick St, turn North on Oakwood Avenue (Rt 40) and go for half a mile), ☏ +1 518 272-7520. Daily 8am-7pm. A very large cemetery with many monuments, mausoleums, and statues. Among the interred is Samuel Wilson, considered a possible namesake of the "Uncle Sam" character.
* 42.720485-73.6804173 Poesten Kill Gorge Park. literally means "foaming or puffing stream" in Dutch, powered mills in the gorge for more than 300 years. The waterfall is located in a peaceful, secluded location in the middle of the city of Troy. The gorge can be viewed from a visitors' lot off Linden Avenue, between Pawling and Spring Avenues.
* 42.730616-73.6913944 Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, 30 2nd Street, ☏ +1 518 273-8945.
* 42.731511-73.6931565 T'was the Night Before Christmas historical marker, 225 River St. The poem A Visit from St. Nicolas that begins with "T'was the night before Christmas" was first published in The Troy Sentinel, a local newspaper, on December 23, 1823 and is memorialized in this marker.

## Do

Aside from the specific listings below, it's great just to walk around the historic district and look at the buildings.
* 42.753358-73.6814251 Sanctuary for Independent Media, 3361 6th Avenue, ☏ +1 518 272-2390. The Sanctuary for Independent Media is a telecommunications production facility dedicated to community media arts, located in an historic former church. The Sanctuary hosts screening, production and performance facilities, training in media production and a meeting space for artists, activists and independent media makers of all kinds. The diverse films, talks, showcases and music events in 2010 included a talk by bestselling "Blackwater" investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill; music from emerging Afropop star Bassekou Kouyate and his band from Mali; a multimedia presentation by author Scott Christianson on Harriet Tubman's heroic 1860 slave rescue in Troy; filmmaker Alex Rivera screening his acclaimed sci-fi adventure "Sleep Dealer"; and the weekend Bike!Bike! Northeast celebration of bicycle culture.
* 42.751597-73.6809922 Troy Bike Rescue, 3280 6th Avenue, ☏ +1 518 328-4827. Open Shop Mondays 5-8PM. Troy Bike Rescue is a collective of people in the capital region committed to removing bikes from the waste stream and getting them back on the streets. Operating on a volunteer basis out of donated spaces in both Troy and Albany, they are part of an international movement of "community bike projects" - using bicycles to create community.
* 42.746981-73.6669853 Frear Park, 2701 Lavin Ct, ☏ +1 518 270-4553. 247-acre 18-hole public golf course, hockey arena, and outdoor playgrounds.
* 42.724159-73.6840834 Prospect Park, 65 Prospect Park Rd, ☏ +1 518 235-7761. 80-acre city park which includes 14 tennis courts.
* 42.759869-73.6753115 Knickerbacker Park & Ice Arena.
* 42.695164-73.6806596 Tri-City Valleycats, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, 80 Vandenburgh Avenue. The Valleycats are nearby Troy's minor league baseball team. The team is a Single A team that competes in the New York- Penn League (NYPL). The major league team associated with the Valleycats are the Houston Astros.
* 42.732092-73.6908717 Captain JP Cruise Line, 278 River St., ☏ +1 518 270-1901. The Captain JP can accommodate up to 600 passengers and is by far the most lavish vessel in the Capital District. The Capt. JP II has three climate-controlled enclosed decks, along with full service bars and dance floors on each deck. They regularly feature live entertainment on the music cruises and also hold private events.

### Events

* Rockin on the River. Wednesday evenings June to August
* Victorian Stroll: . Historic downtown Troy is transformed into a bygone Victorian era in December each year. (date needs fixing)
* Troy Farmers Market, Monument Square on River St (49 4th Street in Winter). Saturdays 9AM-2PM. One of the largest markets in the Capital District, every Saturday in downtown Troy. Good restaurants, farm vendors, craft vendors, occasionally live music. (updated Jul 2018)

## Learn

* 42.73-73.67751 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street. Very highly regarded engineering and technology University as well as the location of The Lally School of Management
* 42.6958-73.68352 Hudson Valley Community College, 80 Vandenburgh Avenue. A part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system

## Buy

Troy boasts many shopping venues, including a few each of Redbox, Walmart, Goodwill, Radioshack, and a few other brand names. It also has many unique stores and specialty shops, such as antiques, promotional items, art supplies, healing techniques, and murals.
* 42.744585-73.6431941 Brunswick Plaza and Brunswick Square, Hoosick Road. Retail parks, including Walmart, Price Chopper and a number of food chains.

## Eat

* 42.745131-73.6839671 The Ale House, 680 River Street (just north of Hoosick St.), ☏ +1 518 272-9740. A pub well known for its big and crispy Buffalo style chicken wings. They offer patio seating on warm nights and frequently host live bands on weekends. Worth a stop north of Hoosick for the nicely priced brews, consistently perfect chicken wings, and lively neighborhood atmosphere. (updated Nov 2015)
* 42.735989-73.6758632 Ali Baba, 2243 15th Street, ☏ +1 518 273-1170. serves affordable and generously portioned Turkish and Greek dishes. Their enormous lavash bread is baked on site in an impressive brick fire oven.
* 42.746776-73.6833953 Bella Napoli Italian Bakery, 721 River Street, ☏ +1 518 274-8277. is one of two branches (the other is in Latham). Feast on Italian style cookies, almond horns, cakes and freshly baked rolls and breads.
* 42.723253-73.6906144 DeFazio's, 266 4th Street, ☏ +1 518 271-1111. makes homemade pasta and award-winning pizza, as well as their own sauce. Adjacent to the small restaurant (just a couple tables, take-out also available) is a small Italian grocery store where you can buy DeFazio's pasta, sauces, and goods in jars.
* 42.734547-73.6891935 Dinosaur BBQ, 377 River Street, ☏ +1 518 308-0400. It has become a favorite, with several locations throughout New York. Expect hearty portions of Southern-style barbeque ribs, jerk chicken, fried green tomatoes, and a mighty spicy macaroni and cheese. Dinosaur is located right on the river and was flooded badly in September 2011 by Tropical Storm Irene; restoration took place in less than two weeks. Varied and affordable beers on tap, outdoor seating and live music on weekends make it a very popular spot year round.
* 42.731503-73.6903486 Greek House, 27 3rd Street, ☏ +1 518 272-6058. If offers gyros, souvlaki, burgers, salads, etc. Smart people pass on the Greek fries and substitute the delicious zesty lemon potatoes.
* 42.738128-73.6771187 Green Shell, 120 Hoosick Street, ☏ +1 518 272-1300. Itis one of many area Chinese takeout joints sandwiched between discount shops in a strip mall, but the excellent food and generous delivery radius make it stand out among the crowd.
* 42.728941-73.6896568 I Love, 125 4th Street, ☏ +1 518 274-0071. It is the only late-night pizza place you need patronize after a long night at The Ruck.
* 42.743096-73.6485379 Plum Blossom, 685 Hoosick Road (in Brunswick), ☏ +1 518 272-0036. A very popular Chinese sit-down restaurant that tries to change up the typical Chinese-American classics (to varying degrees of success).
* 42.77253-73.67446810 Snow Man, 531 5th Avenue, ☏ +1 518 233-1714. It is a seasonal ice cream stand in Lansingburgh on Fifth Avenue. Expect long lines, diabetes-inducing serving sizes and monster creations like the "Boston Shake," an ice cream sundae floating atop an ice cream milkshake.

## Drink

* 42.735792-73.687681 Brown's Brewing Company, 417 River Street, ☏ +1 518 273-2337. It is a highly rated and very popular craft brewery and pub-restaurant that has been supplying the Capital Region with ales, lagers, stouts and more since 1993. The Taproom is a comfortable spot for after-work drinks and dinner on warm evenings. Amid the myriad reviews singing its praise lie some complaints that their lines are not always clean, but Brown's offers an undeniably chill and laid-back experience, with lots of weekly/monthly events, theme dinners, and a great patio. The nacho starter is a meal for three. You can find Brown's beers at local supermarkets. (updated Nov 2015)
* 42.730338-73.6921642 Footsy Magoos, 17 1st Street, ☏ +1 518 720-8115. It doesn't have a sign on either side, so ask a plugged-in local where to find it (hint: it's downtown on 1st St). Once you find it, enjoy a relaxed bar with tabletop games, Skee-ball (will cost you 25 cents), cool bathroom decor, and a cozy enclosed patio out back.
* 42.756634-73.681913 The Irish Rover, 1 102nd St (on 102nd and 2nd Ave in Lansingburgh). A hole-in-the-wall with questionable patronage, but their Skee-ball is free.
* 42.728392-73.6906144 The Ruck, 104 3rd Street, ☏ +1 518 273-1872. It functions primarily as a "last stop of the night" bar, but their Buffalo wings (and "wing fries" - French fries drowning in an artery-clogging mixture of buffalo sauce and bleu cheese) deserve a shout-out. Stop by between 6-8PM on Friday evenings and wait patiently by the counter for free wings at happy hour! stays open late - until 4AM - and almost everybody ends up there at the end of the night. Their selection of beers on tap is excellent, with lower prices than a lot of competing bars. Thursday night is "Pint Night" and patrons get $1.00 off each pint purchased. Late weekend nights usually mean at least one fight inside or outside The Ruck. Don't look for buybacks from the bartenders.
* 42.735305-73.6878035 Ryan's Wake, 403 River Street, ☏ +1 518 270 WAKE (9253). A fairly generic bar with a superb location and a big patio. It gets very crowded in the summer whenever there's an event by the marina (e.g. Rockin' On The River).
* 42.730344-73.6909356 Franklin Alley Social Club, 50 Franklin St, ☏ +1 518-326-1972. W 5PM-11PM, Th 5PM-midnight, F Sa 5PM-2AM. Unique retro cruise ship-themed bar replete with bocce and shuffleboard courts, arcade games, and a menu of comfort food, some of which involves tater tots. Local craft brews on tap and in bottles or cans, along with unique cocktails. (updated Feb 2020)

## Sleep

* 42.738747-73.6715651 Hilton Garden Inn Troy, 235 Hoosick Street, ☏ +1 518 272-1700. Ample meeting space, free parking, and the Recovery Sports Grill is on site. (updated Nov 2015)
* 42.733766-73.6889852 Best Western Plus Franklin Square Inn, 1 4th Street, ☏ +1 518 274-8800. Reasonable sized rooms but has a slightly old furniture feeling. Free basic breakfast that is edible. (updated Nov 2015)
* 42.75196-73.6809813 Olde Judge Mansion, 3300 Sixth Avenue, ☏ +1 518 274-5698. Bed & Breakfast

## Go next

* Albany, the state's capital, is a 15- to 20-minute drive across the river and slightly south.
* Peebles Island State Park (in Cohoes). A 5-10 minute drive from downtown Troy. Take Second Ave to 112th St and turn left onto 470 by the Stewart's. Meander through the woods, see some white-tailed deer and bald eagles, and walk across the bridge from Cohoes to Waterford.
* Pittstown State Forest. A few miles east of Brunswick and a peaceful escape from concrete and brick.
* Rensselaer
* The charming town of Saratoga Springs is about a 40-minute drive north on I-87.
* Watervliet