Upstate NY trip report
 

Back from a trip to upstate NY. My first time in Albany, Saratoga, New Paltz.
We also took a cruise ship on Lake George.

Albany - fun to see it after seeing it on TV 30+ years of living in NY. Nice architecture. 2 wedding photo shoots took place... even in the cold! Pretty impressed, and do recommend it, but not in the cold.
Saratoga - interesting, but not a must see.
New Paltz - I say skip it, not much to see.

Lake George cruise - a tough call. The Fall foliage is peaking, but it was the last cruise of the season. Thus, if you want Fall foliage from the lake, rent a boat. But, the cruise was 2 hours of people shoving in a tight space, not much to eat, and small bathrooms. I say for the price, noise level, wind, cold, bad food, and not much to see skip it.

You should have gone a little further north, to the Adirondacks around Lake Placid and Schroon Lake and the surrounding area.

It's very beautiful up there.

Wish I'd known you were headed up this way - could've given you an insiders view of what to see/do in LG and Saratoga.

Agree that tour boat ride on Lake George is a must skip.

Saratoga in the fall is a much quieter place compared to summer. It's not so much a place to see, but rather a place to enjoy the various smaller things there are to do around the area.

Be sure to come back in the summer when there is a lot more going on, and I don't mean just the races!

Adirondacks, simply the most beautiful place in the country. Hiking, boating, skiing, anything to do while enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the fresh air and peace.. Couldn't live with out it!! Looking for good food head to Café Adirondack!

Go to Saratoga when the ballet is doing a summer show and/or when the horses are racing or head to the National Battlefield park for more interesting things to do there.

The City of Troy, just 15 minutes northeast of Albany, has the most spectacular architecture in the Capital District region. Wish you'd had a chance to see it.

Too bad you missed peak foliage and weather. The temps in the north country were in the mid 70's the whole time we were away in southern Utah the first 2 weeks of Oct. Just had our 1st frost this week at my house which is halfway between Albany and Lake George, more or less.

Hey emalloy - do you live up this way?

Downtown Saratoga is so inviting, historic, lots of fun shops and restaurants. Surprised you didn't like it.

Downtown Saratoga is also a sleepy, quiet town on a cool fall day, so I can understand how it can not spark interest for someone passing through.

The streets are vacant right now.

Not sure what architecture in Troy you are talking about sharondi? My usual into to Troy is the apartment building at 6th & Peoples before I head up the hill to RPI.

sharondi, We live in CT but have friends in Albany and have visited Saratoga with them.

We're waiting for your TR from your Utah trip.

J62 - you really need to check out downtown Troy.

"The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly shaped, 96-acre area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the country" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to mid-20th centuries. These include most of Russell Sage College, one of two privately owned urban parks in New York, and two National Historic Landmarks. Visitors ranging from the Duke de la Rochefoucauld to Philip Johnson have praised aspects of it. Martin Scorsese used parts of downtown Troy as a stand-in for 19th-century Manhattan in The Age of Innocence."

You can read a good deal more about Troy's historic districts and many buildings listed on the National Historic Register on Wikipedia.

The Gurley Building and Troy Music Hall are Nat'l Landmarks. About a dozen other downtown bldgs are listed on the Nat'l Historic Register.

Downtown Troy has a thriving arts district and many small shops and eateries housed in some pretty cool old buildings. The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market is the largest, most successful in the Capital Region and runs year 'round. The last Friday of every month is Troy Night Out featuring art, music, food throughout Downtown. Dozens of other events take place in Troy throughout the year - you should check out the Victorian Stroll in early December in downtown Troy.

It's funny how we often know so much about places we visit but tend to overlook the gems right in our back yard. I've worked in Troy for 20+ years and have watched it blossom into a really amazing little city. I hope you'll take some time to come down off the hill and check it out.

emalloy - If you're ever in the area, let me know. I'll meet you in Troy and give you a tour! Hope to post a TR this weekend. We had a fantastic trip and even had breakfast with Dayle!