AOA birthday drawing: 677 Prime, Adirondack Food & Wine Fest via the Giddy Up, Bilinski's, Tierra/Madison Theater

AOA8 drawing 677Prime composite

Drawing's closed!

It's AOA's birthday week. And you could get the presents! To celebrate eight years of AOA, we've pulled together a whole bunch of great Capital Region stuff and we're holding a different drawing every day this week.

Today's drawing -- a package of things that are best shared: Dinner, movies, snacks, a food and wine festival. One winner will get:

+ A $50 gift card for 677 Prime
+ A pair of tickets to the Adirondack Food and Wine Festival with transportation on The Giddy Up bus
+ Eight packages of assorted Bilinski's sausages
+ A pair of $25 Tierra gift cards (usable at the Tierra Farm Store, Madison Theater, and Tierra Coffee Roasters)
+ A pair of tickets to this weekend's Collette Michaan Quartet jazz concert at The Madison Theater ($20 each

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

What's your favorite Capital Region thing to share?

Maybe it's a dessert, maybe it's a view, maybe it's an experience, maybe it's a little known fact. Just something about this area that is fun to share with others.

We'll draw one winner at random. That person gets the whole basket of prizes.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 1 pm on Thursday, April 7, 2016 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by midnight on Thursday and must respond by 10 pm on Friday, April 8.

Comments

Time with friends.

An annual vacation at a not too faraway magical place.

A lovely pot of tea

Freihofer chocolate chip cookies.

That the giant eye sore building in albany used to be a.giant refrigerator

A home cooked meal sourced with local produce.

Adirondacks

Cycling food and drink tour of Albany and downtown Troy via Hudson bike trail.

Regional food spots and the museum; the Egg

Time with my nieces and nephew :-)

the roadways with bikers!

A beer at Pour House!

the roadways with bikers!

New York State Museum!

Ted's Fish Fry!

Death Wish coffee, Peppermint pigs, and info of great places to go in the area.

My absolute favorite thing to share when anyone comes to the area is Thacher Park!

During the summer we almost always take out of town friends to play disc golf in Schenectady Central and then to Jumpin Jacks for some ice cream!

The Cohoes Falls. No one really knows about it and it's so beautiful.

I love sharing the Troy Farmer's Market experience with friends who have never been. :)

A beer with friends

Tulip Fest

Local events... It's the best way to give visitors a taste of Albany!

All of the locally owned businesses.

The view from the overlook at Thatcher Park!

Share the Good News about Grace Fellowship

All of the locally owned businesses.

The food! Lots of excellent choices. Ala Shanghai, Madison Cafe, Taiwan Noodle and Peck's Arcade are some of my favorites.

I love to take new visitors to the area to Oakwood Cemetery, Peebles Island, and Cohoes Falls. Spectacular natural views, but also a bit a of a subtle history lesson that helps you to understand how my little bit of the Capital Region developed

The great food at some of the best restaurants and pub hopping on upper Broadway - Druthers, Wolff's Biergarten, CH Evans Brew Pub, The Olde English Pub, etc.

The Indian ladder trail at thatcher park

I like to share alloveralbany.com

Thacher Park and cider doughnuts.

The Troy Farmer's Market

Apple picking and everything else that goes with it. My South Georgia peach of a husband is slowly turning into an Upstate NY Apple.

Love to share the Troy Farmer's Market with people from out of town. It is the best!

Views along the Hudson...

A big plate of Olde English Pub fries and dipping sauces.

Indian food at Parivar. It's a little random, but it's so so good.

I like bringing my downstate family out into nature when they come to visit!

A donut at Indian ladder farms … with someone who has the patience to wait in the line for me!

The Santa speedo run

I love to share boxes of apple cider donuts from Cider Belly with co-workers at early morning meetings!

A year or so ago I started bringing home Nine Pin cider to all the holidays. My dad is a huge fan now and I love bringing the small batch flavors to try.

Macarons from the Placid Baker in Troy or the view from my third floor apartment on Lark. Perhaps both at the same time.

I'm new to the area so I haven't see all the Capital Region has to offer but I've brought family to the Pine Bush Preserve and the New York State Museum.

Albany's Washington Park and Troy's farmer's market. And if we're going to the market, we might as well visit Troy's Washington Park.

Cider donuts!

A beer at the Point!

Cheesecake Machismo cheesecake & cider belly donuts!

The wonderful local craft brews, ciders and spirits.

A Boston Shake from Jim’s Tastee Freeze!

Live music at Upstate Concert Hall and the Hollow

Nine Pin Cider

Time with my daughter trying out all of our great local ice cream stands.

Baby Animal Days at Indian Ladder Farms. I loved going before I had a kid and love it even more now that I can watch my child interact with the goats, chicks, a calf, a lamb and more. They're open for a week and we go at least three times -- bringing anyone I can convince to come along each time.

I like bringing people to Landmark Theater which was the Spectrum for the experience and there delicious desserts and popcorn.

I love to share the overlook at Thacher and the fire tower at Grafton. We've got such great parks here.

Rainy day: The State Museum
Sunny day: Washington Park

Raspberry sauce with mozzarella sticks. I consider it our chief cultural export.

Syrup! I send small containers of the Extra Dark maple syrup from Windy Hill Farm in Berne to all corners of the country.

Tiny hot dogs and Nine Pin.

All the great street festivals (like Lark Fest)

I frequently share a story about the old NYS Museu and the Episcopal cathedral. I've read that the two men in charge were in a pissing match to secure the better of the two plots of land. Clearly, the museum won out, which explains why a beautiful cathedral like it is kind of hiding back there...

And Stewart's ice cream.

Philly Vanilla from Stewart's.

My favorite thing to share in the Capital region is the outdoors. So many beautiful places to go hiking and enjoy nature.

Ice skating with friends at Empire State Plaza

Troy Night Out

The Summer!

The Summer upstate is the best. Our summers include: Paddling, Farmer's Markets, and drinking outside.

A walk around Buckingham Pond

Soft Hot Pretzels at Beer Belly

Locally made food and beers with friends!

A pint of Young's Double Chocolate Stout with friends at Olde English!

I really enjoy road biking all around the Capital District!

I love sharing music with people. The hollow is the perfect venue to see new bands play!

Cheesecake from Cheesecake Machismo

A day at Saratoga Race Course

The road. Just wish everyone else shared back.

🚲

An afternoon with friends at the Victorian Stroll in Troy in December.

Running the trails

Soft Hot Pretzels at Beer Belly

Nine Pin Cider, Albany Pump Station, and Albany Distillery - whether we are bringing out of town guests to do a tasting or welcoming new neighbors with a bottle or 6-pack, we are proud to show off the areas best local brews.

I love sharing a Frankencake from Cheesecake Machismo when relatives come to Albany.

The track and beautiful Saratoga

Honest Weight cooking classes- fun, free, and always informative!

Brunch on the patio at City Beer Hall! A night at The Fountain. A drive to Indian Ladder Farms and Thacher Park.

Some Buddapesto

The Schenectady Greenmarket - visitors are always blown away by the size and quality of the vendors.

The Troy Farmer's Market!

Cheesecake Machismo!

golden harvest cider donuts!

Beers and wings at the Ruck

A walk down the new, paved bicycle trail.

View at thatcher park!

My favorite capital region thing to share is the local architecture. I like to take guests on walks around the city and point out the markers on the buildings indicating the year they were built or someone notable who lived there.

My teenaged sister, while walking past some of Center Square's loveliest brownstones during a visit, proclaimed "it feels like we're walking through New York City."

Cider belly donuts!

Nine Pin Cider!

Apple picking at Indian Ladder Farms.

One of our parks- Thatcher, Washington. So pretty!

NinePin Cider! Followed by the race track, best to combine them and bring some cans to watch the horses run.

The view of downtown from East greenbush

Nipper!

My beautiful Hudson River! Peebles Island or Henry Hudson Park

Bicycle rides around town with my loved ones.

Cider Belly doughnuts!

outdoor recreation and live music in the summer

Appetizers and beer flights from beer belly!

Lake George, up by Bolton. So peaceful and clean. We are lucky to have it.

A trip to the Troy Farmers Market, year-round!

I love sharing the views of the architecture with out of town guests while taking them on a tour of local food culture.

I love sharing the Capital Region Pride Festival with people. It is such a good time that celebrates the diversity of our city. Between the fun events leading up to the day and that the actual parade/festival in the park its one of the best things to do in the summer.

My love of winter and snow!

Ice Creme at Snowman!

Tierra Farms Honduran Coffee!

A beer at The City Beer Hall with friends!

Cider Belly donuts

Views at Thacher park, the Egg, cider donuts

Chatham Brewery beer, especially Farmer's Daughter.

A slice from Cheesecake Machismo and a walk around my beautiful neighborhood to "burn off the calories."

Hiking in the Adirondacks and Kayaking on the Hudson

The 4th of July Fireworks and Festivities at Empire State Plaza

Sharing the incredible nature, trials, waterfalls, hiking opportunites all around us - from the Catskills up to the Adirondacks - forever wild to share with the world

Apple picking at a local orchard and fresh apple cider doughnuts!

Stewart's ice cream and tours of the Capitol

The autumn colors

The views at Thatcher State Park, where I was married. Beautiful year-round.

mini hot dogs, Troy Farmer's Market and cider donuts

Walks around Albany Rural Cemetery

Our abundant bike paths!

Giant cookies from Bake For You!

The tulips in bloom at Washington Park !

anything from Crisan

Local beer!

I love to share the good food!

A White Chip and Cranberry Cookie from Bake for You!

Ditto what others have said: the view from thatcher park! It's a beauty!

Sharing a concert at EMPAC!

Capital Region bike paths

Alive @5

A nice sunny afternoon strolling through Saratoga, checking out the stores, eating, and enjoying a cocktail!!

Mayor Jennings tanning bed.

Ice cream from moxies

Trees in autumn.

Saturday morning breakfast at Illium in Troy, then food shopping and socializing at the Troy Waterfront Farmer's Market. And if the weather's nice take a stroll along the river.

Chinese pork buns from Hong Kong Bakery and the Indian food from Aashiana! My two favorite places to get food in the area. I also love showing people around Empire Plaza in the Spring :)

Mastrianni Rolls!

ice cream at Scoups

The music! We have some of the best musicians and music venues!

All the great ethnic grocery stores.

My favorite thing to share is pizza at The Fountain on New Scotland Ave.

Cheesecake brownies from Cardona's.

Canoeing and fishing on one of several lakes in the region!

Cheese from the Cheese Traveler!

Peeples Island.

cider belly donuts!

Sushi from Shogun in Albany

A cider from Nine Pin

A pint of local beer from the Merry Monk

bike ride down on the trail on the Hudson river

View from Thatcher park and walking through the water falls on a hike

raspberry oatmeal pancakes from madison cafe

Thatcher Park and the Honest Weight Food Coop

Architecture! The State Education Building, Empire State Plaza, the Stockade Area in Schenectady, Saratoga Race Course, to name a few.

Nachos and beer!

A nice hike through one of the many local spots - Thacher Park being my fave!

Tulipfest

Would have to say the views from Thatcher Park.

Cheers,
Chris

Pizza at the Fountain, Wings from the Ruck, having a drink out on the patio at Druthers in Saratoga....so many places to share with friends and loved ones!!

Birthday boots at biergarten

Ragonese!

Mini Tacos at Bombers!

Plates of little hot dogs.

Walking from my apartment to work!

Sweet summer nights in Saratoga

A delicious meal by the river at Jumpin Jacks

Only a portion of my list: Apple cider doughnuts from Lakeside Farms in Ballston Lake, a walk on Broadway and surrounding streets in downtown Saratoga, a coffee and bagel from Uncommon Grounds, a movie at The Spectrum followed by dinner at New World Bar and Bistro......

Conversations with fellow bar patrons.

The view of downtown Albany from Thacher Park

I always like to share a walk around downtown with visitors and share our opinions on the architecture.

I love to share Bombers, Cider Belly, and New World Bistro!

A pizza at the fountain.

The Hudson by boat

How quick you can get from the culture and activities in the heart of downtown (any of the big three), out to the vistas of our rural areas (of which we have a bounty). Such an under appreciated asset.

The Troy Farmers Market.

Troy Farmer's Market

Sunday dim sum with the family, followed by shopping together for weird and wonderful foods at the Asian markets on Central Avenue.

Congrats on 8 years guys! I like to share AllOverAlbany to newcomers to our area. I also like to share Stewarts Ice Cream:)

A cruise on the Dutch Apple, so we can take in the sights and some local history. I never get tired of it, and guests always love it.

Tacos at Ama Cocina!

Troy's downtown charm to my friends where the primary coffee shop is Starbucks.

recommendations on music at Last Vestige

I like to share my love for art, especially painting and ceramics.

The surrounding environment such as the Hudson River.

Morning breakfast at the Saratoga Flat Track and enjoying the evening walking around Downtown Saratoga

Tacos at Ama Cocina!

The history

Delicious Italian at Cafe Capriccio

I like showing off all the unique food & drink options. I often take out-of-town friends on "the EPCOT tour of Albany" - El Loco, Olde English, Wolff's Biergarten, Barrel Saloon.

Empinadas from Empinada Llama!

a big ice cream sundae from Stewarts with my 3 year old Daughter!!

I love to share the Troy Waterfront Farmer's Market. I take everyone who comes from out of town to visit!

A delightful sub from Andy's Italian Food and Deli and with my husband Alex!

Laughter ... Comedy Works and Funny Bone

Cocktails at the Speakeasy!

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