Items tagged with 'schenectady'
Schenectady during the Super Bowl
The video embedded above is a GE commercial that the company says will run during the Super Bowl on Sunday -- it highlights the turbine factor at GE's campus in Schenectady, along with some of the people who work there.
The spot's cinematography is good -- the turbines looks like sleek sculptures. Not as good: the odd turn in the last third about how the turbines make Bud beer possible.
The company says it will be playing two commercials during the game broadcast, the Schenectady spot and one about an appliance factory in Louisville (embedded after the jump). They both put emphasis on the fact that GE is building stuff -- and employing people -- in the US. (Possible subtext: don't just focus on taxes...)
Earlier on AOA: President Obama at GE in Schenectady
Tacos at La Mexicana Grocery & Restaurant
Tacos from La Mexicana, from left to right: chorizo, chicken, carne asada.
Arriving at Oakland International Airport, the first thing I used to do was head to one of the taco trucks near International Boulevard. There are a lot of things I miss about living in Northern California, and the humble street taco tops the list.
Up until recently it's been unrealistic to expect a decent taco in the Capital Region. I know some people like Bros, and when the only choices were Bombers and Bros, Bros won handily. But the texture of their soft corn tortilla is just off, and you can't have a good taco when the tortilla is wrong.
After all, a taco is merely two small corn tortillas, with a little bit of well-seasoned meat, topped with onions and cilantro. Salsa verde or salsa rojo can be squeezed on top. On the side should be a wedge of lime and a few slices of radish, but ideally there will be pickled carrots and jalapeno peppers as well. From a taco truck out West, this could set you back a whopping $1.50.
The tacos at La Mexicana Grocery in Schenectady will cost you an extra fifty cents, but you get to eat them inside, on a real plate, with table service, all while watching Mexican TV or listening the jukebox filled with Mexican tunes.
There are six different tacos to choose from, including the one that stole my heart.
Power lunch
Rather exclusive.
If you were in the running for "best lunch spot" this week, we're sorry -- Katelyn has you beat. Her winning spot: right behind the famous General Electric sign in Schenectady. Yep, the one on top of a building.
Katelyn works for GE and won the lunch way up there through an office charity auction that benefited a scholarship fund.
Bonus facts: The sign has been in place since 1926, is 168 feet long, and costs $15,000 a year to light. [Daily Gazette]
Haunted Stockade Tours
The 1st Presbyterian Cemetery, resting place for ghosts of the Stockade.
We're just about a week away from Halloween. It's that time of year when everyone seems to be looking for a way to scare themselves silly (as if political campaigns aren't enough).
These ghost tours of the Schenectady Stockade may not leave you quaking in your boots, but they'll certainly entertain you, freak you out a bit, and get you in the spirit of the season.
Pupusas at Flores Family Restaurant
It's like a Salvadoran grilled cheese.
Everyone loves pupusas.
Okay, maybe not the lactose-intolerant or the gluten-free set. But if you can eat the component ingredients, which primarily involve cheese and cornmeal, it's a no-brainer. It's like a Salvadoran grilled cheese sandwich. Or perhaps you would like to think of it as a quesadilla pocket. I always likened it to an arepa with a more fine-grained cornmeal exterior.
But it's not just cheese. Pupusas come in a variety of flavors. You can get them with pork, beans or loroco, as well. Never had loroco? Well, you will.
Brush up on a few Spanish phrases, and get yourself down to Schenectady, pronto.
TOP 2011: Round 2: Schenectady
Round 2 of the 2011 Tournament of Pizza, sponsored by Sunmark Federal Credit Union, rolls along to Schenectady. The pizzerias facing off in this round of pepperoni pizzas:
Marino's (Schenectady) vs. 5th and 50
How we got here: Marino's posted a solid 70 in opening round pool play. 5th and 50 squeaked into the second round by winning the tie break with Mario's after both posted 68s.
This is an interesting matchup -- Marino's is the returning overall TOP champ. 5th and 50 won Pizzageddon (or whatever it was called) at Proctors and scored well in the first round.
We head back to Anthology Studio on State Street in Schenectady for the tasting...
Haircuts at Paul Mitchell School in Schenectady
The Paul Mitchell
I have always hated my hair. When I was a kid, it was the wrong color (I was the only red-haired kid), and today, even though redheads are all the rage, it's always the wrong style. Not to mention the fact that I always wait too long to get a trim, and end up with what I call "Pumpkin Head."
I recently decided that finally, as I near the age of 40, it was time to do something about my lackluster locks. I wanted style. I wanted glam.
But where to go? I'm too intimidated and self-conscious to go to a high-end salon, and I'm too much of a cheapskate to spend that kind of money. I just do NOT understand how people can shell out $100 or more for a haircut. I clip coupons for crying out loud!
The answer came to me as I was planning an event in downtown Schenectady.
TOP 2011: Round 1: Schenectady
The next stop in the the Tournament of Pizza -- sponsored by Sunmark Federal Credit Union -- is Schenectady.
The pizzerias in the opening round pool competition of cheese pizzas:
Returning champ: Marino's - Schenectady
Crowd pick: Pizza King - Schenectady
Renee's pick: Mario's - Niskayuna
Committee pick: 5th and 50 - Scotia
This is probably the toughest bracket in the tournament. There's the returning overall champ (Marino's), a former finalist (Pizza King), and a newcomer that won a different contest (5th and 50).
The judges -- plus our guest judge -- gathered at the lovely Anthology Studio in downtown Schenectady...
Bubbles and hugs in Schenectady
Weeee!
We happened upon what was, for a few minutes at least, easily the happiest place in the Capital Region Wednesday afternoon in Schenectady.
Why? Bubbles and hugs.
Photos of Irene flooding in Schenectady
Heartbreaking.
At one point Sunday, officials were projecting that Schenectady would see record flooding -- a once in 500 years flood.
Thankfully, the Mohawk River relented before reaching that mark. But there was still a lot of water. And the Stockade -- one of the Capital Region's greatest neighborhoods -- got hit hard. Walking around Monday afternoon it was heartbreaking to see so many of the picturesque streets half-filled with water.
The good news: the water was already receding. And when you're more than 300-years-old, what's a little (or a whole lot) of water? The Stockade will bounce back.
Many photos from the Stockade -- and a few from Jumpin' Jack's in Scotia -- after the jump.
Letterman: "People in Schenectady can suck it!"
Last night Rose Byrne, who's in The Place Beyond the Pines, challenged David Letterman to spell Schenectady. He was (haltingly) successful -- and in triumph exclaimed, "People in Schenectady can suck it!"
Ms. Byrne, who replaced Greta Gerwig in the role of Bradley Cooper's character's wife, also talked about the reception the stars of the film have gotten in Schenectady -- mainly people going nuts for Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, and Eva Mendes:
They have to barricade these women who are there screaming, you know, "Bradley! Ryan!"
And then when I open door, they're like "Bradle... who the f is that?" And then just go back [to texting on their phones] ... It puts me in my place.
Schenectady, you need to get on this. You can swoon all you want over Cooper and Gosling. But Rose Byrne totally deserves some screaming.
[via TU Movies]
Earlier on AOA:
+ Waiting for Gosling
+ An exclusive interview with Ryan Gosling's motorcycle
+ Say "Schenectady"
The Wizard of Schenectady
Steinmetz -- with Einstein, Tesla, Langmuir and others -- in New Jersey in 1921.
The Smithsonian's "Past Imperfect" blog has a post about Charles Steinmetz -- the "Wizard of Schenectady" -- this week is that is completely jammed full of awesome. A clip:
He stood just four feet tall, his body contorted by a hump in his back and a crooked gait, and his stunted torso gave the illusion that his head, hands and feet were too big. But he was a giant among scientific thinkers, counting Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison as friends, and his contributions to mathematics and electrical engineering made him one of the most beloved and instantly recognizable men of his time.
In the early 20th century, Charles Steinmetz could be seen peddling his bicycle down the streets of Schenectady, New York, in a suit and top hat, or floating down the Mohawk River in a canoe, kneeling over a makeshift desktop, where he passed hours scribbling notes and equations on papers that sometimes blew into the water. With a Blackstone panatela cigar seemingly glued to his lips, Steinmetz cringed as children scurried away upon seeing him--frightened, he believed, by the "queer, gnome-like figure" with the German accent. Such occurrences were all the more painful for Steinmetz, as it was a family and children that he longed for most in his life. But knowing that his deformity was congenital (both his father and grandfather were afflicted with kyphosis, an abnormal curvature of the upper spine), Steinmetz chose not to marry, fearful of passing on his deformity.
The post was written by Gilbert King and it's a good, quick read of Steinmetz's story. It includes a bunch of great little stories, including one of our favorites, about Steinmetz and Henry Ford (as the story goes, Steinmentz sent Ford what may be the greatest invoice in the history of consulting (or perhaps it was GE, the story has a lot of variations)).
The term genius gets thrown around a lot -- but Steinmetz really was one. And a total character.
Tangent: There needs to be a comic/graphic novel/TV series/something in which Steinmetz's genius scientist/engineer identity is a cover for being some sort of superhero.
(Thanks, Brandon!)
photo from the Franklin Township Public Library collection via Wikipedia
Messing with Schenectady
Chris Churchill recently checked the Wikipedia entry for Schenectady and found an interesting "fact" about the origins of the city's name -- specifically that it's "derived loosely from a Mohawk word for 'dress in layers.'"
Of course, that's not true. The edit was made August 4 at 6:24 pm by user RalphMonster -- the first contribution recorded under that name. It was corrected (with the actual origin) just 8 minutes later by Wknight94, who has a significant record of contributions -- in fact, he/she has the highest number of logged changes to the entry.
The correction was uncorrected (if that's the word) Monday at 4:07 pm, about a half hour after Chris noted the odd "fact." The new version: "The name 'Schenectady' is derived loosely from a Mohawk word for 'church hill,' or 'near the church hill,' or 'place beyond the church hill.' The user: 518Snark, who seemed to be having some fun based on Chris' name. (It was 518Snark's first contribution.) The entry was re-corrected at 11:15 pm Monday by a user who did not login, but whose IP address does have a history of contributions.
Anyway, everyone knows that Schenectady means "place where people swoon over goslings."
Something wicket this way comes
But can they take all 10 wickets in an innings?
When I was a boy, we played in the street. Stickball and street hockey, running bases, touch football. Even though there were perfectly good lawns and parks, we just sort of liked the street. Maybe it was the curbs, which were like built-in sidelines. Naturally, you had to look out for the storm sewers that swallowed countless balls, pucks, and Frisbees -- and oh yes, you had to watch for cars -- but the street was our playing field.
I don't see kids playing ball in the street much anymore, even at the dozens of basketball hoops that line our suburban neighborhoods. There are three hoops on my block alone and I've never seen a basketball being shot at any single one of them. They stand like monuments to the idea of sports. Go figure.
But things are different on my street these days. And the kids aren't playing the old reliable
standbys: they're playing cricket.
From Schenectady to Antarctica
The USS Bear, the ship on which Anthony Wayne sailed to Antarctica.
This is great: a 95-year-old Schenectady man now has a landmark in Antarctica named after him. "Wayne Head" -- a rock headland on Horseshoe Island just off the Antarctic Peninsula -- has been named for Anthony Wayne. [Daily Gazette] [USGS]
Wayne was honored for his service during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition in 1939, Richard Byrd's third Antarctic expedition. Aboard two ships 125 men sailed to Antarctica to take surveys and build bases. Wayne served on the USS Bear, a steamship that had been built in 1874 to sail icy waters. The Bear is, according to a Coast Guard site, "probably the most famous ship in the history of the Coast Guard."
From a 2010 story by the Gazette's Sara Foss about Wayne and his trip to the Antarctic:
Wayne said he decided to go to Antarctica because it sounded like an exciting adventure.
"I thought, 'Who the hell goes there?' " he said. "It was something new. I was never sorry I went, but I was glad I came back. ... I thought I'd never survive. It was all frozen ice. There was snow 20 feet high and icebergs all over." The scariest part of the trip occurred when the ship got stuck on the ice and the men had to wait several days for the ice to separate and a channel to open. ...
Wayne said Byrd selected him for his crew because he was in excellent physical shape and, as a native of upstate New York, accustomed to cold weather.
Wayne showed Foss film he shot during the trip -- and it's awesome. Seriously, go watch it on the Gazette site (it looks like it's not behind the paywall). It shows Byrd, the ship, icebergs, penguins, seals, whales, sled dog teams, and this huge vehicle that looks like something you might drive on the moon.
Anthony Wayne is now the last surviving member of the expedition. [Daily Gazette]
A map showing Wayne Head is embedded after the jump. It's a short 7646 miles from Schenectady.
Mitch Messmore: from Schenectady to Beirut and, eventually, back
Mitch Messmore takes the Capital Region art scene very seriously. The Schenectady native has spent the past several years championing local art and attempting to bolster the arts community through his work with various organizations. In 2007, back when cities started getting the art walk bug, he founded Art Night Schenectady. This was just after he became the chairman of the board of the Capital Region Initiative Supporting the Arts and just before he was named the executive director of the Upper Union Street BID. He's also been involved with Upstate Artists Guild, Existing Artists and the Schenectady Photographic Society, just to name a few.
In November of last year, Messmore moved temporarily to Beirut to be with his wife while she is there working on a SUNY research project. You might think that while he is living in the Middle East, Messmore's penchant for local art would have at least been put on the back burner, but the multi-media artist has remained as active and committed as ever, continuing to run Art Night Schenectady via Skype, email and phone with the help of a posse of volunteers.
Now, Messmore has launched Art Night Beirut as a sister organization to the one in his hometown. His exhibiting his abstract paintings at a Beirut gallery. And he's thinking about how to turn the Capital Region into the cultural hub of the Northeast...
Why you should tip your pizza delivery guy more
A map of attacks on food delivery people, 2008-2011.
This past weekend in Albany's Center Square neighborhood a pizza deliveryman for Soho Pizza was the target of what must have been a terrifying attack. From the Albany Police Department press release about the incident:
At approximately 1:10 a.m. James Kehoe, 25, was attempting to make a food delivery for Soho Pizza to 172 Jay Street. He was approached on the street by the first suspect who told him "hold on my brother will be right out with the money". A second suspect came from across the street and wrapped his arm around the victim's throat and threw him to the ground. A third suspect then walked up behind Kehoe and placed what appeared to be a handgun to his neck and told him not to scream or he would get shot. The first suspect then reached into Kehoe's pockets and stole his money and cell phone.
The APD says the suspects fled the scene after getting the money and phone. A search of the area, including a sweep by a K-9 team, came up empty.
You might not think that being a food delivery person is a dangerous job, but attacks on them are not uncommon in Albany and other Capital Region cities. In fact, there have been six incidents just this year.
Concerned and curious about about the frequency and locations of these attacks, we gathered reports of the crimes from the past four years, organized them by date, and mapped them.
Slices at Pizza King
A broccoli ricotta slice from Pizza King.
This is a town where pizza loyalties run deep.
For some, they've been going to The Fountain since they were a kid, and to these folks that is the very definition of pizza, no others need apply. Depending on the neighborhood you grew up in, The Fountain could be replaced by The Orchard, Smitty's, The Purple Pub, DeFazio's, Popes, Ralph's, etcetera.
Others have come here from downstate, and are continually frustrated that nothing they try even comes close to the pizza heaven they've left behind. Luckily, I don't think we host a major population of displaced Chicagoans or New Havenites. Nor do we have a lot of people hankering for the Old Forge pizza they remember growing up in Pennsylvania.
So with all of these considerations, how can I possibly put one slice above all the rest? Especially when it failed to win the Tournament of Pizza (in which it competed three times)? Well, there are several reasons. But there is one thing that clearly sets Pizza King apart from the rest of the pack, and that is focus.
The story behind the little anti-frackers
A rally of little anti-frackers.
After tracking the spread of the little anti-fracking protests from Schenectady to Albany to Troy, we now know who's behind the tiny campaign.
Her name's Nancy. She's from Schenectady. She outed herself in a comment last week -- and we followed up with a few questions...
Scouting the places beyond the pines
There were a few reports this week that pre-production crews for The Place Beyond the Pines, the movie starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, were scouting locations around the Schenectady area.
Jason tweeted that the film's director, Derek Cianfrance, actually stopped by his house Thursday. And @BUNKRE shared the flyer a location scout had left on his house in the Old Niskayuna neighborhood. That's the flyer on the right -- there's a bigger version after the jump.
The flyer says crews are "tentatively scheduled" to film in the neighborhood sometime in September. And the description of the film:
Luke [Ryan Gosling] is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son. But when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer [Bradley Cooper] their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational feud. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a rich dramatic thriller that traces the intersecting lives of fathers and sons, cops and robbers, heroes and villains.
It's not any more far-fetched than Angelina Jolie jumping from trucks while being chased by the CIA with the Albany skyline in the background.
By the way: the name Schenectady comes from a Mohawk word that roughly means "beyond the pine plains."
Say "Schenectady"
INT. GOOGLE MARKETING CONFERENCE ROOM
A MARKETING EXECUTIVE is sitting at a conference table with a staff of marketers.
MARKETING EXECUTIVE
We need a city name that a lot of people will recognize, but one that they'd never be able to spell if their lives depended on it.
Tiny protests against fracking
Abby was in Schenectady Sunday for the Greenmarket and noticed these tiny fracking protestors. She says there were dozens of them hiding around the State Street/Jay Street area.
A bunch of the tiny anti-frackers are after the jump.
As Abby said in an email: "Yes, had too much fun finding these..."
Very Important (scientific) People
GE has posted images from the guest book for the company's original research center in Schenectady (GE Global Research is now in Niskayuna):
While its beginnings were humble, it didn't take long for scientists and inventors from around the world to flock to the Research Lab to see what GE was working on. And each famous mind that visited would stop at Willis Whitney's desk to sign the VIP guest book. The book sat at Whitney's desk from 1914 to 1935, and the signatures are a veritable Who's Who of inventors, physicists, chemists, physiologists, and businessmen -- including 9 Nobel Laureates.
The collection of people who stopped by the place during its first years is remarkable. Among the names signed in the book: Bohr, Marconi, Pavlov.
photo: GE Reports
Schenectady County Horticulture Education Center
Good things come from the Schenectady County Horticulture Education Center.
Good in the form of thousands of flowering plants that go back into the community, job training for adults who need assistance, and horticultural classes for the general public.
It's tucked away in Schenectady's Central Park, but its impact on the community is everywhere. And you can be involved too.
For sale: the "oldest" house in Schenectady
When you're 284-years-old, what's a decade-or-two age difference.
The "reputed oldest house" in the city of Schenectady -- the 284-year-old (or so) Yates House in the Stockade -- is for sale. The list price: $389,000.
Apparently there's some question as to whether the Yates House is actually the oldest house in Schenectady. The Brouwer house on North Church Street might be a few decades older. Researchers from the Cornell Tree-Ring Lab concluded the Yates House was built sometime in 1727 or 1728, based on core samples take from beams in the basement. (In the same study they report the oldest part of the Brouwer House dates to 1730.)
The Yates House has been added on to many times. It's now 3,462 square feet with four bedrooms and a "large eat in kitchen," according to its real estate listing.
Update April 13: The Times Union talked with the owner of the house.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Getting reacquainted with Schenectady's Stockade
+ The oldest building in Albany?
+ The oldest house in Saratoga Springs
... said Jenna about The quintessential Capital Region food?