Around Town: Troy

Summer Festivals in Troy

hanset — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:05:55 +0000

Troy abounds with music, art and food in the summer. There was something to see, smell, touch, eat, hear and enjoy all down River Street on June 20 at the 6th annual River Street Festival (above). Within a five block area we visited the Farmer’s Market (a great stop for breakfast) and watched the street artists create with chalk their masterpieces for the sidewalk painting contest. We were awed by the amount of talent displayed at The Arts Center’s pre-jury fence show in the gallery and purchased a funky t-shirt for a Father’s Day gift. If you missed it, there’s more to come for summer fun in Troy…

Rockin’ on the River – Wednesday Evenings, June 10-July 29 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Location: North of the Green Island Bridge)
Farmers Market every Saturday at River Front Park. www.troymarket.org Mid week markets are held on Wednesdays, at Monument Square from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at the market place on Hill Street between Washington and Liberty Streets in Little Italy from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. http://www.troyneighborhoodmkt.com/
Troy Night Out – A monthly arts and culture event on the last Friday of every month in downtown Troy from 5-9 p.m.
Troy Pig Out – Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19. Kicks off at 11 a.m. for great BBQ to taste, music and family fun in Riverfront Park.
Uncle Sam Parade – September 13 food, entertainment and fireworks at dusk.
Third Annual Chowderfest – Sunday, September 20 River Street. Starts at 10 a.m.

For more details you can visit www.visittroyny.com.

Got Soup?

hanset — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:20:53 +0000

Homemade “soup of the day” tops the menu at many local eateries this time of year. You can find anything from unique vegetarian blends to the traditional chicken noodle. Here’s a mini-list of my favorite local eateries with soups of the day: Daily Grind 272-8658, Spill’n the Beans, Café Deli-icious 271-8787, Flavours 266-9253, Illium Café 629-0004 and Gelateria Lisa 833-6778. Of course, if you go to Gelateria Lisa, you may decide to forget the soup and just have a taste of their “true artisan Gelato,” which is truly awesome.

Address Listings for most of these can be found at:
http://www.sage.edu/aroundtown/troy/dining/

Write in your favorite if you have one that isn’t listed here…

Say Om

gallae — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:05:15 +0000

I dropped by a yoga class after work yesterday, taught here in Troy by Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, an adjunct professor in Sage’s Creative and Performing Arts Department. It felt wonderful and I can’t wait to try it again…and I don’t have to wait a whole week, because there are a variety of classes available walking distance from campus–and on campus (Fridays, 12:35, Robison Gym!)

For more information on nearby yoga and pilates classes, visit:

The Peaceful Center of Troy (across from the Daily Grind) also has yoga classes, but I haven’t been able to get their webpage to load.

The best wednesday thing to do!

hanset — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:12:28 +0000

The Troy Neighborhood Farmers Market located at the Little Italy MarketPlace, on Hill Street between Washington and Liberty streets in Troy. Wednesdays, 3-6 PM. It’s just a few blocks from the Russell Sage campus – the people are friendly – there’s fresh LOCAL produce, baked goods, textiles, Troygirl/boy Tshirts, and local cheeses. Frank Sinatra often sings from the boom box sitting in the parking lot… it’s got to be one of the nicest little Farmers Market around.

Urban Hikers Climb The Approach

hanset — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:06:07 +0000

The Approach is the name for the set of granite steps connecting downtown Troy to RPI beginning on 6th Street behind the hotel that’s been renovated every which way to serve as a dormitory for RPI students. Urban hikers climb the steps and pause just below the EMPAC (Electronic Media Performing Arts Center), which grows on you after a time. There, on 8th Street, hikers are treated to a view that looks out as far away as the Heldeberg Mountains on a clear day. It’s a favorite trek for urban hikers, especially those who work in Sage’s communications department. At lunch you’re apt to come across an art director, media relations maven and trepid photographer huffing and puffing and sweating at the top and then continuing to climb higher onto RPI’s campus before winding down, around and back to the view beneath the EMPAC (Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center). The Approach was dormant for years but has been revitalized and reopened, serving as a footpath connecting 6th and 8th streets. Make sure if you get to the top you turn around and look out over Troy and beyond. And then turn back around and keep climbing.

If You Have Ever Wondered How to Knit or Need a Refresher

staths — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:50:31 +0000

The Paper Sparrow is on River Street – near Monument Square

You can walk there from Sage!
The Paper Sparrow is now offering knitting classes right here in the shop! Both beginner and advanced beginner classes are available.

Class name: Beginners knitting
Instructor: Linda Lange
Cost: $40
Class time: Wednesday, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24 from 6:00 – 7:30pm
Class length: 4 weeks
Class description: For beginners or those knitters who want a refresher course on the basics. Students will be provided with needles, yarn and a class handbook.

Class name: Advanced Beginners Knitting
Instructor: Linda Lange
Cost: $40
Class time: Wednesday, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24 from 7:45 – 9:15pm
Class length: 4 weeks
Class description: This class is for those knitters who have completed the beginners knitting course or knitters who are familiar with the basics of knitting but would like to move on to the next level. Students of the advanced beginner course are invited to bring a pattern of interest to them or a pattern can be provided if needed. Students are also asked to bring their own yarn and needles.

Classes are expected to fill up quickly.
To register, please call Kate at 518-272-7227.

WAMC’s Linda Norris Auditorium-

staths — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:16:58 +0000

I have recently discovered a great place to see a concert in Albany. It is the WAMC’s Linda Norris Auditorium. It is a very small venue located on Central Ave. This week I went to see Rasputina – a neat 3 piece group that consists of 2 cello players and a drummer. My favorite part of their music is when the lead singer plays her cello using a distortion pedal. It makes the instrument really loud and electrified!

check out their site for upcoming shows. http://www.wamcarts.org/

Tanglewood – close by

staths — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:13:46 +0000

One of the great benefits (I think) of living in upstate NY is all of the arts and cultural events that exist. Sometimes it is hard to decide what to do next. Yesterday, I went to Tanglewood to see the band Wilco play. If you haven’t been there before – it is a beautiful park-like outdoor concert venue (sort of like SPAC). The sound quality is great because the ampitheatre was originally designed to be the summer venue for the Boston Orchestra. Tanglewood is in Lenox, Mass. only about an hour drive from Sage. It is really close to the Normal Rockwell museum (more on that later) and the Kripalu Yoga center.

Le Marche Vert

gallae — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:10:32 +0000

The Introduction to The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper, begins, “The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who wake up thinking about what they’re going to eat for supper, and those who don’t.”

I am the first kind of person.

And while I love grocery shopping in theory (contemplating what I am going to make for dinner, based on what looks fresh and delicious during a leisurely visit to the market), I dislike it in practice (playing bumper carts with everyone else in the region trying to squeeze one more errand into their evening commute and still get home in time to prepare something reasonably healthy and delicious by 7 p.m.)

The other morning as I woke up, I made a mental inventory of my refrigerator and cupboards, trying to figure out if I had enough “pieces” of a dinner to allow me to delay my shopping trip for one more day. Then I remembered Le March Vert on Broadway here in Troy—about two blocks from campus.

French for the Green Market, the shop carries gourmet ingredients as well as prepared food, pastries and gelato. I picked up bar-b-que chicken and small containers of potato salad and grilled vegetables for about $13 in about 5 minutes — less than I would have spent at the grocery store in money or time! It fed two (with leftover potato salad) and most important, it was all delicious.

Where everybody knows your name

ballas — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:44:36 +0000

No, it’s not Cheers, it’s Troy’s oldest restaurant, and one that still delivers a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. Manory’s Restaurant, established in 1913, is situated on the corner of Congress and Fourth Streets (across from Key Bank), just two blocks west from the corner of campus. I’ve been there twice this week, and both times I was beyond satisfied.

The first visit was due to a craving for french toast. They didn’t just have french toast, they had several delightful and sinful varieties! That’s when I discovered the most extensive breakfast menu I’ve seen in a long time (served all day). I’m a huge fan of the breakfast meal, so I fell in love. And even though there wasn’t a “fruit cup” on the menu, they fixed Kevin the Webmaster a beautiful cup of fruit at his request.

My second visit was for lunch, and I witnessed just how much of a truly “neighborhood diner” Manory’s is. The wait staff was unbelievably friendly and laid back, and greeted many of their customers by name, catching up on the news of each other’s lives. My waitress, Jen, was fantastic in helping me decide what to eat, once again offering something not exactly on the menu: the Biggie Salad, but with chicken tenders sliced up on top. And their honey mustard sauce was the best I’ve had in awhile.

And they serve raspberry sauce with their mozzarella sticks! Mmmm. (We just had an office discussion the other day about the rarity of places that serve razz sauce with mozz sticks.)

On both visits, the patrons were a mix of obvious locals who knew each other, college kids, cops, and seniors. It wasn’t crowded, so you could be served right away, but it was always busy enough to feel… busy, in a cheerful, having-conversations-across-the-room way. And when I mentioned that I work at Sage, Jen shared her sadness at learning of the passing of another Sageite, Aggie Stillman, who frequented Manory’s and was always so cheerful that Jen never suspected she was ill. That is how we all remember Aggie.

One more delicious discovery: they have an Ice Cream Shoppe menu. Where else in Troy can you get a sundae?*! For only $2.99, you can get an “old fashioned sundae,” with two scoops, one topping, whipped cream and a cherry. Or for $3, you can get a shake or a soda. But if you’re feeling in the mood to really splurge, they have a list of to-die-for “super sundaes” for $5.99, or even a mega-sundae for two for $9.99.

Well, I’d love to stay and write more, but I feel a craving for ice cream coming on… I’m off to Manory’s again!