All Over Albany

What I miss about the Capital Region

We miss Jess.

It's been a little over four months since I packed up my belongings and my dog and drove west to California. After finishing graduate school in Chicago and applying for jobs there and all over the East Coast, I got frustrated with the rejections and decided to start applying to random places out west. I ended up landing a gig in a little surfing city that's perhaps best known for being the fictional Santa Carla in that 80s classic The Lost Boys. These days I spend my time marveling over the myriad species of succulents and palm trees that grow around me, listening to the siren song of the sea lions, and chastising myself when 45 degrees in January seems cold to me.

Santa Cruz is a small city, smaller than Albany, about an hour and a half south of San Francisco and at the tail end of the Silicon Valley. I live two blocks from the ocean and there are awesome taquerias a-plenty. Still, lately I've been feeling a little homesick. Sure, that's largely due to missing friends, family and AOA, but there's a lot I miss about living in the Capital Region.

The Honest Weight Co-op
I'm fortunate to live in a place with lots of good grocery stores. In fact, it's remarkable to me how many there are in a city this size, from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's to independent natural foods stores like New Leaf Community Markets and Staff of Life, to places like Costco and Safeway. Yet, what's almost shocking, is that we don't actually have a co-op, where a good portion of the workers are members. And while I know the cheese packaging has its detractors, I've yet to develop a rapport with any other cheese counter person like the one I had with Gustav at Honest Weight.

Blackened string beans at New World Bistro Bar
Maybe I'm a little biased because I lived very close by for a few years, but there really is little better way to unwind from a long day of work than a plate of blackened string beans and a glass of Malbec (or in warmer weather, a Hendrick's lemonade) at the bar. Armed with the latest issue of Harper's, this was definitely one of my favorite solo pastimes, as well as being one of my favorite alternatives to traditional happy hour. I could never choose my favorite Albany-area bartender -- that's akin to "Sophie's Choice," -- but Nick at New World definitely ranks pretty high.

The Delaware Ave neighborhood
The Friendship Garden at School 18, Cardona's, the Spectrum, the aforementioned NWBB, the farmer's market and more. I loved living in this neighborhood. It always felt like such a real, old-timey kind of neighborhood, if that makes sense. And if you haven't checked out the Friendship Garden, you definitely should once spring comes. Yes, my mother is the teacher who runs it, but even if she weren't, I'd be impressed. Seriously. Alice Waters would be proud.

The libraries
Santa Cruz is a broke county! The libraries here have terribly reduced hours and a small selection. My neighborhood library in Chicago had a rather dismal selection, decor straight out of 1981, and was on the list slated for closure. When I lived in Albany, I never realized how spoiled we were by having comparatively good libraries. The APL is no NYPL, obviously, but it's a lot better than many other public library systems. If you haven't been in some of the newly-revamped branches, you are missing out.

Diversity
I'm trying to think how to put this delicately. Okay. Santa Cruz is not a city of ethnic diversity. We have a sizable Hispanic population, but other than that, it's not exactly a very diverse place. You have to drive over the hill for that... which brings me to the next thing.

Californians' devotion to cars
Okay, I guess this is really more of a complaint about the Left Coast than it is an Albany attribute.

Asian Super Market
'Nuff said? I've got taquerias aplenty here but for ingredients for sushi or noodle soups, I really need to head over the hill to San Jose. The Japantown markets are nice, but I still miss the Central Avenue store.

Troy architecture
Even after living in a city with some of the most gorgeous buildings around (Frank Lloyd Wright was from just outside Chitown!), I still think that the Collar City boasts some of the coolest architecture around.

The legends
Uncle Sam came from Troy. I mean, really, how can you top that? Santa Cruz was briefly known as the murder capital of the world because of a spate in which no fewer than four serial killers spent some time here, but that's a far more dubious honor than being the birthplace of Uncle Sam. And toilet paper.

The Capital Hills Golf Course in winter
This is the best place to walk your dog in the winter. It's just such a lovely place, even for non-dog-possessing folks. To me, it's best when there's a good layer of snow, which again, is something I never would have imagined that I'd miss even a tiny bit. There are gorgeous parks out here, but I definitely won't be trotting through snow-covered hilly trails anytime soon.

Jessica Pasko is our favorite Albany expat. She's now a staff reporter at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. She also blogs about gluten free food at Life of my Mouth.