All Over Albany

Next stop is where, exactly?

The TU recently deployed a group of "intrepid" reporters to ride CDTA buses throughout the region. The short story: the bus isn't so bad, but "a stunning lack" of schedules and signs makes for some confusing rides. Somewhere, Qualities of Life in Albany is probably yelling something along the lines of, "Yes! Exactly! That's what I've been saying!"

The thing that was really news to us was way down at the bottom of the story. Apparently you can schedule "a CDTA travel trainer, who can accompany new customers and help them learn the ropes on the spot."

What? If people need a coach to help them ride the bus, that's probably a pretty good indication that the schedules and signs need improvement.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Local transit info now on Google Maps
+ Trippin' with CDTA

Mudders morning at the track

Breakfast in the grandstand

Well, we got up early, grabbed the camera and headed out to Saratoga to watch the thoroughbreds work out and get pictures of onlookers with snazzy hats. But the weather gods had other plans. Sure, the horses were out doing their thing, and there were plenty of diehards with coffee, pastries and pink sheets, but the rain kept most of the fancy hats away.

Yep, it's a good day for "mudders" at the flat track today. Still, it's opening day at Saratoga, so there was plenty of stuff to see. Here's what we saw:

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The Melting Pot

When a Hooters goes, um, belly up at the mall, what do you follow it up with? The obvious answer is -- of course -- "chain fondue."

The new Melting Pot at Crossgates opens today. It appears to be a little different from the usual mall fare. The restaurant's only open for dinner. It takes reservations. And it's a bit on the expensive side ($60 for two people).

Anyone have Melting Pot experiences from other cities? Come on, dish. We'd love to hear if an $18 pot of melted cheese is worth it.

Become a Saratoga know-it-all

There might be one or two things to say about this place.

From the Editors: With the return of track season in Saratoga, we figured we'd drop some conversational currency about the Spa City on you. Impress your friends over drinks at the Adelphi! Fill that awkward silence with out-of-town guests! Be a know-it-all! We'll feature a new fact/tidbit/historical note each day about Saratoga from now until September. Here's the first...

Quick, what's the oldest sporting venue in the United States?

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CEO Bruno, legislator uses "judo hold" on tenant, commissioner says Schenectady cops need their gas guzzlers

Today's the opening day at The Track. Bring an umbrella.

Papa Joe's got a brand new bag. As expected, Joe Bruno has taken a job with CMA Consulting, an IT company. He'll be the CEO of the company. CMA has done millions of dollars of business with New York State over the last few years -- and watchdogs are saying Bruno should get "ethical guidance" from the Commission on Public Integrity. But Bruno says his goal at CMA is to expand the business and doesn't plan to focus on drumming up new contracts from the state. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [NYT]

Brian Scavo, the Albany County legislator who's been charged with stalking a woman, will be appearing in court this week after an alleged scuffle with a tenant. Apparently one man's "judo hold" is another's "choking." [TU]

Wayne Bennett, the Schenectady Public Safety Commissioner, has put the brakes on a recommendation that the city replace some of its Crown Vic police cruisers with more fuel efficient cars (the current cruisers get 8 mpg). Bennett says the cars get terrible gas mileage because they're always idling in order to provide power to officers' laptops and radio. He also says alternative cars aren't big enough. [Daily Gazette]

Numbers game

As both Kristi and Steve have pointed out, CNN and Money have named Albany the 15th best place for singles, based on population percentages and quality of life. But maybe that should be qualified a bit. As we found out earlier this year from running the numbers, the Capital Region's a great place if you're a single guy -- maybe not so much for the ladies out there.

- Tue 2:45 PM - 1 comment

The Capital Region's newest ugly building?

It's like a tomb. A tomb for parking.

We hate to say it, but this has gotta be the ugliest new building in the Capital Region. It's a parking garage going up at the Patroon Creek office park. The word "monolith" comes to mind, but somehow that's not quite right -- monolith would imply at least some sort of style or restraint.

No, this thing just sits along Washington Avenue in Albany like an enormous slab of concrete with a few holes punched out of it. We can only hope the plans include something, anything, to add some life to it.

In the meantime, someone page Jim Kunstler -- we may have a new eyesore for him.

Raisin bread from the Rock Hill Bakehouse

Breakfast. Or lunch. Or a snack. Or whenever.

Somewhere along the line raisin bread went the wrong way and ended up at this overly sweet, gooey place, all swirls of cinnamon and sugar. And there's nothing wrong with that exactly -- but when you want a good piece of toast it's just not the thing. Thankfully, the Rock Hill Bakehouse has avoided this wrong turn.

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The Round Lake Pipe Organ

The little village of Round Lake is home to one of the biggest pipe organs in the country. It's also one of the oldest pipe organs in the country.

Turns out the village once served as a Methodist meeting camp in the late 1800's. The organ lives in the Round Lake Auditorium, which at one time was used for church services. Today it's used for concerts, antique fairs, plays and other village events.

Organ experts will tell you this impressive instrument with it's massive array of sounds is a Ferris three-manual tracker, but really, do you know any organ experts? We don't either. So we checked into a few interesting details ourselves . Here's what we learned.

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Wall Street trouble could lead to state shortfall, Schenectady to buy back guns, UAlbany student held in Iran, express train to NYC could be arriving soon

David Paterson issued another warning that the state will be facing a significant financial shortfall this year because of the slowing economy. Problems in the financial sector, and thus Wall Street, are expected to take a big bite out of state revenues. [TU]

Schenectady will use state money to fund a gun buyback program that will also offer reward money for tips leading the seizure of illegal guns. The buyback program will give people $100 for every illegal gun turned in. [Daily Gazette]

NYRA is still in bankruptcy and it sounds like it won't be emerging any time soon. The org was just granted its sixth temporary racing extension by the state. [Daily Gazette]

A UAlbany public health student and his brother -- both doctors -- have been detained in Iran. The brothers had been working on HIV/AIDS prevention programs in their home country. [TU]

An express train from the Rensselaer station to New York City could begin service this fall. [TU]

The rewards for info leading to the arrest of the people involved in two brutal cat killings in Troy are growing -- they're now at $4,500 and $2,000. [Troy Record]

According to a state report, second home buyers and "suburban gentrification" are pushing up home prices in Saratoga, Washington, Warren and Greene counties. The report also says the biggest real estate issue facing Troy, Schenectady and Albany are the cities' abandoned buildings. [TU]

An energy expert has told the City of Schenectady that it should dump its Crown Victoria police cruisers for more fuel-efficient cars. The Crown Vics currently in use get just 8 miles per gallon. [Daily Gazette]