All Over Albany

What exactly is this sign supposed to mean, "Troy is the new Brooklyn?" I don't get it.

... said Luke on Mar 12, 2009 at 6:45 PM | link

I live in Troy. Bed-Stuy maybe. Williamsburgh it ain't.

... said Erik on Mar 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM | link

I'll tell ya what it means... we'll be tripping over those damned mini-Hummer style baby strollers just to get a coffee and all be forced to wear tight pants and ironic t-shirts!

... said Sandor on Mar 13, 2009 at 8:40 AM | link

I'm not sure about the bagels, but Troy's hipster cred rose significantly when I moved away.

... said Naomi on Mar 13, 2009 at 8:44 AM | link

I know they have a pretty kick ass derby league!

You can check them out all summer at Frear Park!

... said Miss Ida on Mar 13, 2009 at 9:22 AM | link

Troy is the new Dove Street. It still has a way to go, but at least it's not the new Henry Johnson Blvd. anymore.

... said B on Mar 13, 2009 at 10:01 AM | link

There is nothing in this entire region that will come anywhere close to Brooklyn.

... said zen on Mar 13, 2009 at 7:34 PM | link

Back in February local photographer/art reviewer/critic David Brickman noted in his blog Get Visual that he considered Troy to be the the Brooklyn of the Capital District specifically because of its "walkability and friendliness to artists." See http://dbgetvisual.blogspot.com/2009/02/celebrating-spaces.html

... said Bob on Mar 15, 2009 at 9:45 AM | link

Is Albany the new Manhattan?

... said Alex on Mar 15, 2009 at 1:25 PM | link

Puh-lease.

Troy is not even similar to Brooklyn. There is nothing to do, see, or eat in Troy.

It's barely worth a day trip from other parts of the capital region.

... said Jennifer on Mar 16, 2009 at 10:31 AM | link

re: Jennifer - while i do think calling troy the new brooklyn is bewildering / potentially incorrect / totally irrelevant, it apparently has been a while since you have wandered on over here - as there is actually stuff to do, see, and even eat in troy these days. a quick gander at AOA's listings of what is happening on the weekend will usually point towards stuff to do, plus all those open signs on restaurants (even a few on sunday! who knew...) would mean you can stuff your gullet while you are out doing and seeing (perhaps even hearing and smelling - be careful / mindful with the touching, i would say).

or you can stick in your house / apartment / houseboat / cardboard box with internet (upscale!) and glower - your choice.

skfl (who is coming up quick on a decade in this little town)

... said skfl on Mar 16, 2009 at 11:03 AM | link

Where's a walkable grocery store? Am I too unfamiliar with Troy?

Jennifer- do you live in Troy? When did you go to Troy? Let me guess, you went once and wrote it off. There is plenty to see and do and eat in Troy and the area around it. There are great shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants. It's worth a day trip and you should give it a better shot. Just don't have such a crappy attitude about it next time.

... said Katherine on Mar 16, 2009 at 11:10 AM | link

Troy is the new Brooklyn like Lark St. was/is the new Greenwich Village back in '95 or whenever? I must live in "Jersey" up on Allen St.

... said Alison on Mar 16, 2009 at 12:18 PM | link

walkable markets in troy are still a stumbling block - uncle sam's is decent, but the produce selection is small / uneven, and the hours are not really convenient for working folk. the price chopper in watervliet is surprisingly close, but walking about the route 2 bridge with heavy bags is iffy. thankfully, i hear there is a co-op opening soon right in downtown - i have my alarm set for some time in 2019 (holding my breath until then, naturally).

... said skfl on Mar 16, 2009 at 1:23 PM | link

In the 5 years that I have lived upstate I have wandered over to Troy many times, ever hopeful am I...and I stand by my (perhaps too harshly stated, I will admit) assertion that Troy is to Brooklyn as marshmallows are to tofu.

~Brooklyn girl, born and raised.

... said Jennifer on Mar 16, 2009 at 1:25 PM | link

I heard about the Troy co-op as well albeit it was a few years ago. I thought for sure it was open by now? A walkable grocery store kept some friends of mine from moving that way.

... said Katherine on Mar 16, 2009 at 1:44 PM | link

it say here - http://troyfoodcoop.com/ - that it is slated to open in 2008, though is seem to remember them thinking it would be even earlier when the idea was first pitched. i seem to remember it becoming 2009 a few months ago - hence setting 2019 as a reasonable goal...

... said skfl on Mar 16, 2009 at 2:27 PM | link

@skfl: that Troy is no Brooklyn, right, but no need to bother answering to Jennifer, she was trolling.

There are obviously tons of things to see, eat and experience in Troy; one of our best concert venue, a fantastic classical concert hall, EMPAC, Troy Night Out, a sprawling cemetery, scary flock of crows, a derby team, a nice photo center, a good market, etc. And I'm not even from Troy. You would have to live blind-folded in a barrel stuck at the bottom of a freakin' cave guarded by giant were-bats to ignore that.

... said -S on Mar 16, 2009 at 2:32 PM | link

I'm a troll because I don't think Troy is comparable to Brooklyn? Okay.

And the examples you give of what make Troy so fabulous include a cemetery and flocks of crows? For real?

... said Jennifer on Mar 16, 2009 at 8:05 PM | link

@Jenn: no, but close. obviously. for real.

... said -S on Mar 16, 2009 at 10:52 PM | link

There are beagles in Troy. I cannot believe that nobody made the connection about Brueggers being founded in Troy.

... said Rupty on Apr 15, 2009 at 10:06 PM | link