All Over Albany

Breweries, wineries, and distilleries of New York

2013-05-21T19:12:23Z

Today's map: The breweries, wineries, and distilleries of New York State.

We created this map based on data recently posted by the state. It includes big breweries and distillers, but also microbreweries, farm wineries, and cider producers. Check it out in large format -- where there's also a legend for the map.

To some extent, this is just sort of map gawkage. But it does highlight certain patterns...

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The alligator man

2013-05-21T18:05:19Z

After receiving a heads up about Albany Library trustee candidate Jose Lopez -- YouTube-described follower of "fascism" (as well as flag orderer) and "alligator man" -- Kerry contacted us to basically ask: Is this for real? Well, he's on the ballot. And as for whether he's for real... well... this Metroland article about Lopez might shed some light on that. Lopez is one of two candidates for the open trustee spot -- John D. Davis is the other. Polls close at at 9 pm tonight.

Telling the story of Valentine's

2013-05-21T17:25:48Z

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]]> Currently up on Kickstarter: No Pepper, a proposed documentary to tell the story of Valentine's, the music club in Albany.

TG Branfalt Jr, the one-man crew behind the project, posts that the doc was prompted by the expanding footprint of Albany Med and other new development in the Park South neighborhood -- which, as a few people have speculated, could eventually include where Valentine's sits. He continues:

Personally, Valentine's was where I went to punk rock shows over a decade ago. It was the very first place my first band played out. I played there almost monthly for a couple years with my second band. They always treated us well and I have yet to hear about Howard or Mike treating the bands poorly.

They've been a home for those miscreants, myself included, who don't dig the downtown or Lark Street scene in Albany.

My goal is to tell the story and explain the history of the venue through the lens of those who love the club. The club will always hold a special place in a lot of hearts.

He's looking to raise $6,500 for the project. Funding ends June 19.

(Thanks, Jess)

Swim lessons for adults?

2013-05-21T15:45:48Z

Says Jona on Twitter:

it's official, I need to learn how to swim #swim. ... I know how to swim to save my life, but not compete. thanks!

There are two types of answers for a "swimming lessons for adults" question:
+ Lessons for basic swimming.
+ Lessons for people who already know how to swim a bit, but want to get better/faster for exercise or so they can compete in events like triathlons. (Sounds like what Jona's looking for.)

Either type of lesson can be hard to find if you're an adult. (Swimming lessons often seem to be geared toward kids.)

So... have a suggestion on either account? Please share!

Swimming season will be here soon.

photo: Flickr user Thomas R. Stegelmann (cc)

Lights up the room

2013-05-21T15:22:15Z

]]> A hypothetical "small living room."

]]> Useful: The Lighting Research Center at RPI has launched a website with a bunch on information on lighting homes. The site includes patterns for lighting spaces, as well as details on different types of fixtures and bulbs.

That might not exactly light you up (oof), but lighting can make a big difference. Switching out the harsh ceiling light in the middle of a room for lamps can make the space feel a lot better.

The most interesting part of the site for us is the section that includes an interactive calculator for comparing the cost and energy use of different lighting sources in a room. The calculator lets you change the numbers around based on variables such as usage and wattage and anticipated life of the arrangement.

For example, the LRC figures lighting a small living room with incandescents costs on average $53 per year; with CFLs, it would cost $15; and with LEDs $21. (Even though LEDs are more energy efficient than CFLs, the bulbs themselves cost a lot more.)

image: RPI Lighting Research Center

Silver apologizes for handling of sexual harassment case, woman accused of soliciting donations for cancer she didn't have, 20 for $1 million

2013-05-21T14:05:34Z

Today is school budget voting. Don't know where to vote? Check with your district's website.

An "uncharacteristically contrite" Sheldon Silver apologized for the handling of complaints of sexual harassment against now-former Assemblyman Vito Lopez. He also proposed a group of changes to Assembly sexual harassment polices, among them making all Assembly members and supervisory staff mandatory reporters of harassment. [TU] [NYDN] [NY Assembly]

Andrew Cuomo again criticized Silver's handling of the situation Monday. A Democratic Assemblyman from the Buffalo area took the rare step of announcing he was leaving the chamber's Democratic conference in protest. But Silver, "a master of wielding the levers of power at the Capitol," always seems to find a way to sail through the crisis. [State of Politics] [Buffalo News] [NYT]

The Chemung County sheriff says reps for county sheriffs around the state weren't summoned to the Capitol recently to discuss changes to the NY SAFE Act, as they thought -- but rather for Andrew Cuomo to tell to stop speaking against the gun law. [TU]

What's left of St. Patrick's in Watervliet: a pile of bricks. [TU]

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It makes us happy to know that there's a Kazoo Museum in New York

2013-05-20T21:50:03Z

]]> At the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa.

]]> Noted and filed under road trippage: There is book titled Unknown Museums of Upstate New York, by Chuck D'Imperio. Blurbage (links added):

Unknown Museums of Upstate New York is an informative and entertaining guide to the rich resources available at fifty small, often overlooked, regional museums. Even those familiar with the upstate area will likely have never visited and perhaps never heard of some of the treasures this guide unearths, such as the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, the Kazoo Museum, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage and Museum. D'Imperio tells each museum's story, in light of its cultural and historical relevance, and he provides a wealth of information about the museums as places of interest to visit, not just to read about.

One of the museums in the book is the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa -- but, of course, that is not unknown to you.

D'Imperio really seems to have honed in on niche. Among his other books: Monumental New York! A Guide to 30 Iconic Memorials in Upstate New York and Great Graves of Upstate New York

[via North Country Public Radio]

book cover: Syracuse University Press

We Can Fix It!

2013-05-20T19:05:11Z

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]]> Check it out: We Can Fix It!, a comic novella by talented Troy artist/illustrator/writer Jess Fink, is out this month.

The work is autobiography with a twist: Fink travels back in time in an attempt to help her former selves. It results in some fantasies we've probably all had -- like providing her younger self with the comeback to an insult. But it also prompts her to re-examine how she acted and why. And, of course, not everything goes as planned. It is at turns funny, charming, and intense.

Or, as Fink summarized it to us one time: "It's part autobiography, part sci fi, part make-outs and farts jokes."

Here's a good write-up about it at io9.

We Can Fix It! is available in both hard copy ($14.95) and digital ($6.99).

Among Fink's other work is Chester 5000 XYV, a comic and graphic novel about a Victorian-era man who creates a sex robot for his wife -- with unexpected results.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Jess Fink has created the best book about Victorian robot sex that we've ever read
+ The often-imitated Jess Fink

images: Jess Fink / Top Shelf

Where to get a good steak?

2013-05-20T17:40:02Z

Collins asks via Twitter:

Good Albany steak/filet recommendation? Other than Prime

The "other than Prime" part is a little like asking "What are some traditionally successful baseball teams -- other than the Yankees?" But it's good to get some suggestions beyond the places that get mentioned all the time.

And our quick take on steak: Considering steak is one of those things we don't order often, we tend to avoid filet. You know, if you're going to order a steak, order something with a lot of flavor -- a ribeye, hanger, something like that.

Got a suggestion? Please share.

Earlier on AOA: Ask AOA: The best burgers in the Capital Region? (2010)

photo: Flickr user quinn.anya (cc)

NYS Summer Writers Institute 2013

2013-05-20T16:05:26Z

Claire Messud

The schedule is out for this summer's New York State Writers Institute's public readings series in Saratoga.

As usual, there are a bunch of names you'll recognize. The readings are in the evenings on the Skidmore campus -- they're free and open to the public.

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Aurora

2013-05-20T15:40:23Z

Thanks to a few recent coronal mass ejections from the sun, the aurora was invisible in New York State over the weekend -- resulting in this fantastic photo from Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks. (And another aurora photo from a Saratoga parking lot.) Here's Spaceweather.com's gallery of recent aurora photos. [via Upstate NY Weather]

My Exit: Jen Acuna

2013-05-20T14:45:00Z

Each week with My Exit our friends at WEXT give us a chance to check out what's on the playlists of people in the Capital Region.

Today's guest DJ, Jen Acuna.

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Rensselaer County clerk sealing all pistol permits, Vito Lopez resigns, UAlbany students fighting suspensions over house parties

2013-05-20T14:19:29Z

What remained of St. Patrick's in Watervliet Friday evening.

]]> Citing cost and lack of staff, Rensselaer County clerk Frank Merola says he's sealing all pistol permit records in the county so that his office doesn't have to deal with keeping track of which people opted out of having a public record under the NY SAFE Act. Merola describes the opt-out provision as an unfunded mandate from the state. He says his office has received about 2,000 opt-out forms. [TU] [News10]

Niskayuna and South Colonie are among the few school districts statewide looking to get voters to approve a tax cap override Tuesday. Local school districts are continuing to cut positions in an attempt to balance budgets and fit under the tax cap. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Assemblyman Vito Lopez resigned effective this morning following multiple calls for his expulsion from the Assembly because of sexual harassment allegations. Lopez says his resignation is not an admission of wrongdoing and he did it for "for the sake of my family, for the sake of my close friends and for the sake of my own health." The situation has also cast a critical light on Sheldon Silver. [State of Politics] [TU] [NY Post] [NYT]

Said one of the attendees at the memorial service for the father and three children killed recently in a Schenectady house fire, which authorities say was arson, trying to make sense of the situation: "It's senseless." Said one of the service's speakers to the crowd: "It's a sad day for us when a child doesn't meet his first birthday. It shouldn't happen like that. But it does happen like that." [TU] [Daily Gazette]

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The week ahead

2013-05-20T01:15:00Z

The Electric City Couture runway show is at Proctors Friday. This is from a recent shoot for Kristina Collins, this year's lead designer, called "Pining for Spring" taken at the Charles F. Lucas Confectionery. Photo: OEProPhoto.

]]> Here are a few things to keep in mind, look forward to, or keep busy with this week, from the weather (damp), a bigger boat, cooking, Dirty Wars, hidden gardens, fashion, Saratoga, DMB, music...

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This week was brought to you by

2013-05-18T17:00:00Z

]]> 52 graduate programs-- one for you.

]]> This week in AOA was brought to you by bagels, cheese, cicades and beer. Yes, one of those things is not like the others.

Know what else it was brought to you by? Yep,Advertisers! Like the College of Saint Rose, offering 52 Graduate Programs with a purpose. Programs include: MFA in Creative writing, MBA, Computer Information Systems and more.

The awesome advertisers below support your Capital Region information habit. They've also got great products and services, so check them out when you can.

If there's something you want to pass along to the AOA Crowd, we can help get you started. It's easy and affordable. Just send us a note at advertising@alloveralbany.com.

Stuff to do

Mop and Bucket Improv Company, where making stuff up isn't lying - it's a gift for fiction. You can catch their shows every Friday at 8pm Underground at Proctors, every Saturday at The Comedy Works. They also teach drop-in classes every Saturday morning at Proctors.

+ The Hellions of Troy Roller Derby.

+ The Albany All Stars roller derby.

+The Albany Institute of History and Art's exhibit of Currier and Ives prints continues this weekend.

Stuff to learn

Arts Center for the Capital Region, starting a beginning swing dance, Lindy-Hop and blues class on June 11.

+The Weekend MBA program at UAlbany. Get your MBA in 22 months, while you work.

Stuff to Try

The Capital Region Ultimate Disc Association, Albany's premiere ultimate frisbee league, is accepting new players for its summer league.

+Albany Public Library's mobile app --find locations and hours, check your library card account, learn about upcoming events, download eBooks, audiobooks, music and more. Check ISBN bar codes on books, DVDs and CDs to see if the library owns what you're looking for.

+ Get a FREE MONTH of Wink High Speed Internet Service from Tech Valley Communications. Enter this code when you sign up for service at: www.winkinternet.com: w1n87k0

Food and Drink

The patio is open and the wine is flowing at the Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark.

The Cheese Traveler, a purveyor of fine, hand-crafted domestic and imported cheeses mad by small producers by cheesemakers using Old World traditions. The Cheese Traveler offers a broad selection of artisan cheeses of all styles from the three major milks - cow, goat, and sheep - to compose a perfectly balanced cheese plate or to select a choice few for delightful snacking. All cheeses can be tasted before purchase and are cut to order by knowledgeable cheesemongers.

+All Good Bakers, Albany's farm to bakery cafe. Now serving croissants and pain au chocolat every day, made with our own fresh, grass-fed, cultured butter and NY stoneground flour from North Country Farms.

+Show those Grads some New World Bistro Bar love this weekend! They'll be serving up an awesome 'down-home' brunch buffet this Sunday, May 19th from 11AM-4PM that is sure to please even the heartiest of appetites. Bring the whole family -- there will be something for everyone! Call 518.694.0520 for reservations.

+ City Beer Hall has great food, a fantastic rooftop deck, and a Saturday and Sunday brunch starting at 11AM.

+Mingledonated 100 percent of their Dining Out for Life Day sales to The Aids Council of Northeastern New York.

+ Honest Weight Food Coop has all the best flavors of the season.

Helpful stuff

+Capital District Physicians Health Plan, offering Cafe Well, a social network to help you get well and stay well.