Squeezing the last out of summer: Jason Steven Murphy

Jason Steven Murphy.jpg

Jason Steven Murphy (skfl)

It finally hit us the other day that summer is almost over (yeah, we're trying not to think about it too). So we thought we'd take a week to enjoy a little of the season before it's gone.

For tips on how to wring the best out of the last of summer in the Capital Region, we checked in with a few friends who always seem to be doing interesting stuff. And we figured we'd share their answers.

Today's tips come from Jason Steven Murphy -- aka "skfl," mild mannered P.R. guy by day, VJ, writer and planner of fantastic parties by night.

About Jason:

I'm the PR + Marketing Project Manager at EMPAC in Troy, as well as resident VJ + gibberish writer for the goodship crew , who put on the Troy Night Out Afterparty and so forth. Other than that, I'm frequently seen on the streets of Troy with my wife and dog (exercise!), or curled up on the couch with a wild stack of comic books from Aquilonia.

What should we make sure we squeeze in before the end of the summer?

Eating or drinking outside!

Perhaps it's the epic winters and being trapped indoors for months at a time, but once it gets warm, there is nothing like hitting a place with outdoor seating for a bite or a beer. The deck at the El Mariachi on Hamilton Street is a definite favorite (tequila is definitely summer-tastic), but Brown's (particularly near sunset) is also nice. Drive-in eateries like the Country Drive-in in Clifton Park are also key.

Also -- eating ice cream outside. Snowman, Moxie's, Poppy's - if it's got peanut butter or cookie dough in it and it is plopped into a cup, I'm sold. And call me crazy, but it all just seems to taste better outside.

Bike rides!

My wife and I just got bikes from the Troy Bike Rescue, and while it stinks to lug them up and down the stairs of the apartment, there is something about the wind running through your hair when you pick up some speed. It also makes for some interesting discoveries while looking for new destinations that don't involve heading up a massive hill - we just found a nice park in Green Island that has free music every Wednesday and a lovely view of Troy + the Hudson.

Comments

that skfl sure loves his comics. curry freeze in rotterdam is next on the list! the non-hill bike rides around here are pretty awesome. i hope we can get in on one of tamara flanders classes sometime because we are missing out on some rules. what about the produce? right now the saturn peaches and orange cherry tomatoes are rocking us! [i suppose we could be having this conversation in person, but going through the AOA comments is fun.] go capital district summer!

Summer isn't the end of everything. Bike up from downtown, turn left to peebles Island, and bike over the bridges to waterford smelling all the fall smells, you'll be sold in no time. Oh almost forgot, the number of groundhog models are also a reason to come through north troy.

Say Something!

We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.

What's All Over Albany?

All Over Albany is for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. In other words, it's for you. It's kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who can help you find out what's up. Oh, and our friends call us AOA.

Search

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine