Albany really should be a beautiful small city right along the Hudson River. The waterfront freeway is an absolute travesty - so much wasted prime real estate. Great video, though!
Really appreciate this channel and the research that goes into a short, informative video! Other important cities contributing to the capital region area, which have suffered in the economic shifts, include Rensselaer, Troy, and Hudson. Despite the downturns in its preeminence, there's so much to appreciate about its history, educational hubs (e.g. SUNY Albany, RPI), and recreational destinations like Saratoga Springs. My friends always give me a reason to keep coming back to visit and discover something new.
@@robfreeman5783 people will pronouce the a.l. as Al (like the man's name). As said in the video, the correct way to pronounce the a.l. is like the word all.
I remember being in the Albany airport in the early 1960's and just being blown away by how little it was. I was used to airports like Newark, Boston, and even Cleveland and could not believe that the CAPITAL of New York state had a one room, cinder block airport! It has since grown, of course, but is still only served by 9 airlines, and 5 of them are niche airlines! Crazy. Right now they are undergoing a massive construction phase adding a mall to the upper level. I'm not sure what will be the value of this, but it has been making it very difficult to access the few flights that pass through Albany. The city itself is old, confusing, and has little to offer. Not exactly a "destination"
Nys was lovely farms Athens ny wanted the political leadership capital and it was denied by whome idk the stupid the criminal the new world order of 1900. Controlling everything in secret mob. Nwo controls our leaders thinks for us hides and covers up real crime everyday for decades.
You really hit the nail on the head regarding Albany's rise and fall. It's still struggling with crime and poverty, but it's still the third-best region to live in (after NYC and Buffalo) due to its proximity to the Adirondacks, Catskills and the Hudson Valley. The tech industry has benefited the suburbs more than Albany itself. Still, the city is hanging in there, thanks to all the government offices occupying the Empire State Plaza and the State Office Campus uptown. Albany will never be a destination city, but that's okay. If it can invest in its poorer neighborhoods, it could be a better city overall.
I’m from Albany. It was a decent place to grow up and I’d be open to moving back. It’s got some close attractions like Lake George, Saratoga, hiking, camping, lakes, etc. Will it ever become a major metropolis destination city? Probably not, but for what it is, it’s not that bad of a place to live and work.
I read in the 80s Albany had the Albany Colonie Yankees, a AAA affiliate of the NY Yankees, as well as a minor league basketball team coached by Phil Jackson, a former player of the Knicks who went on to coach the Bulls. Plus Mike Tyson fought there or just outside Albany when he was getting started.
The basketball team was the Albany Patroons, they were part of the CBA, and yes Phil Jackson was their coach at one time. He lead them to the 1984 CBA Championship.
Albany is definitely on the rise. It’s still the butt of many jokes my fellow”steamed hams” but unlike most of New York and New England right now it is experiencing steady growth. Housing prices are going crazy and we might be getting a soccer stadium.
I thought that before the pandemic, but the shutdown took a large toll on Albany. Crime, homelessness and panhandling have skyrocketed. We've seen two movie theaters go, CVS's go and now the College of St Rose. I like a lot of things about Albany but recognize the shutdown really hurt it
Last thing we need is a giant stadium used twice a month with more parking garages to accommodate it. Get rid of 787, create a beautiful park running along the Hudson. Affordable housing, small businesses. Light rail connecting Troy and Albany. THAT would help Albany rise, instead of enriching developers
@@jhconnor88 in order to have affordable housing you need developers. In order for developers to build they need a reason. (Making money.) There's a lot of vacant residential real estate in Albany. But the drugs and vagrancy makes it undesirable and unprofitable to develop. While I am skeptical of your 787 park plan, if done right , maybe I could embrace it.
@@seanabbins5481 That's the fundamental problem Sean: housing as a commodity. Profit should not be the incentive for essential goods (and human rights) like housing. This is why capitalism will never deliver quality, safe, affordable city living for all. Housing is a public utility and should be treated as such
I heard about this sport field and it's great but you know what if they can't get a grip on all the senseless murders and people owning guns that aren't registered and just killing each other drugs then we don't deserve a soccer field when dead ppl are not able to enjoy it or lifelong injuried people. All this from decades long organized unneccessary treason and other serious hidden crimes.
I just recently went to a concert at The Palace theater I thought I'd hit the bars after but downtown was totally abandoned and little scary on foot. shocking to see how bad it is now.
Albany has been through tough times but I think it was always better off than a lot of other New York cities because the state capitol kept and always will keep a lot of jobs in the area
The weather in Albany, at least compared to other Northeastern locales, isn't all that bad, especially in recent years. I haven't had to use my snowblower at all for the past two winters, and we didn't have an official heat wave until September in 2023.
I think Albany and its metro area, along with many other cities in the US, should grow and develop. This should curb the housing deficiency crisis and make housing more affordable overall.
the decline of albany is DIRECTLY attributable to GE pulling out most of its production in Schenectady. this basically gutted the entire capital district.
I asked people in Albany if they used the term "Steamed Hams" from the Simpsons skit. They said no. I figure it was to poke fun at Massachusetts. Most upstate nyers call them chowderheads cause the way they drive and cause clams is a northeast thing. I didn't like Albany bc of its bureaucracy, the toll roads, and overly vigilant overly funded state troopers. Met many good Albany citizens thou, and they have some great unique shops.
Several thing happed to make Albany decline. 1) in the sixties, the race riots and tensions made Albany a not safe place after business hours. 2) the interstates and shopping malls out side of the city made it safer to shop in the evening than to take chances on downtown North Pearl St. or Central Ave. 3) Governor Rockefeller gutting Forty square blocks of downtown, destroying complete neighborhoods to build his Grandiose Empire State Plaza.4) Building The interstate along the river front cutting off the city from the river. 5) Governor Mario Coumo telling the country’s poor people if you come to NY we will take care of you. Turning NY into the tax and spend capital of the country. taxing the life out of the working people to support millions of people that became enslaved to the welfare system and enslaving the working people to support all the Social service agencies and Thousands of staff and assets needed to run the come here and live for free, vote for me System. Many people have left NY and Albany because a working person can keep more of their hard earned money by living elsewhere. 6) Today you can include Albany politics criminal friendly laws and the fact that hard working law abiding citizens only get hot air lip service from the Politicians. Criminals go free and the politicians brag about closing empty prisons, (Empty because they have made it almost impossible for judges and the criminal justice system to lock criminals away to keep good people safe). As well as denying good people the right to defend themselves ,families, friends and property. All the while supporting the criminals.
I was born in Albany, but I don't remember living there because I moved to Jacksonville, Florida when I was a 1 year old. Only have visited the city twice in my life, the first was when I was either 10 or 11 years old. The second was just a few month ago while I was driving after visiting my parents in Syracuse to my home in Orlando. Just visited the Corning Tower and the State Capitol both times.
I'm from/live in Poughkeepsie, and I lived in Albany for 6 years up through 2022. (I was even there last week attending to grad school business) I-787 that cuts the city off from the riverfront baffles me. I drove on it 8:30 am on weekdays frequently and NO ONE was on it. I'm already skeptical of limited access highways through city centers, but if it doesn't have traffic in rush hour...what's the point?? IIRC, I-90 and 787 North of downtown gets the heavy traffic. It should be easy to level 787 in Albany City limits and make it a city avenue with lights like it does on the north end in Cohoes. Get all the pedestrian traffic to the river.
That's just not accurate. 787 is always busy, especially at rush hour on weekdays. The city is ringed by highways and 787 is an important part of it. How would people get to work in downtown or off I-90 if it was taken down? I remember when Route 32 was the only road between Cohoes/Watervliet/Troy and Albany and it took forever to make the trip. I live in Albany and had to go to Waterford this morning, a 15 minute trip on 787.
@@petesplacestuff4781 That's the Garbage Plate, and that is a Rochester thing. I haven't come across a restaurant in Albany that serves it since 2012, and they stopped selling it.
Albany has so much potential but terrible politics and typical democrat one party control kills economic growth and makes it an undesirable place for people to settle. Anyone born in Albany since the 2000s seem to want to leave....Damn shame. Schenectady's downtown is outpacing Albany in terms of development and night life. Albany's political leaders should be ashamed of themselves.
As someone that is currently in there office in Albnay ny and lives in Guilderland(superb outside albany) I will say that yeah this is a pretty mid place to live hahah
Been here 23 years for work…. So so so very sad….has so very much going for it… the most beautiful architecture… parks…. Easy access to nature Boston berkshires nyc etc… but I have spent my life waiting for improvement…. Hasn’t happened… if anything going backwards with regards to poverty-crime-murder-gun violence-drugs-homeless… the usual culprits in modern day USA… couple of expensive suburbs…that are 99% white….and completely dissociated from the city…. Scary times ahead… restaurants closing more than opening… crippling taxes…tracks of the city abandoned forever… really really sad…. Coukd be something special…. Cannot base an economy only around government welfare food stamps and coffee shops…again breaks my heart
Albany really should be a beautiful small city right along the Hudson River. The waterfront freeway is an absolute travesty - so much wasted prime real estate. Great video, though!
Agreed 787 really ruins what should be a lovely neighborhood.
Really appreciate this channel and the research that goes into a short, informative video! Other important cities contributing to the capital region area, which have suffered in the economic shifts, include Rensselaer, Troy, and Hudson. Despite the downturns in its preeminence, there's so much to appreciate about its history, educational hubs (e.g. SUNY Albany, RPI), and recreational destinations like Saratoga Springs. My friends always give me a reason to keep coming back to visit and discover something new.
I'm born and raised in Schenectady, it's nice to hear a nonlocal pronounce Albany and Schenectady correctly.
tbh...how tf else would someone pronounce them!?
@@robfreeman5783i live in Amsterdam and no one says it right
@@robfreeman5783I'm gay
@@robfreeman5783 people will pronouce the a.l. as Al (like the man's name). As said in the video, the correct way to pronounce the a.l. is like the word all.
The narrator is from Rome, not far away.
Principal Skinner once proposed a trip to Albany.
His assistant secretly loves it up there.
Grampa Simpson was once voted the most handsomest boy in Albany, New York too.
I remember being in the Albany airport in the early 1960's and just being blown away by how little it was. I was used to airports like Newark, Boston, and even Cleveland and could not believe that the CAPITAL of New York state had a one room, cinder block airport! It has since grown, of course, but is still only served by 9 airlines, and 5 of them are niche airlines! Crazy. Right now they are undergoing a massive construction phase adding a mall to the upper level. I'm not sure what will be the value of this, but it has been making it very difficult to access the few flights that pass through Albany. The city itself is old, confusing, and has little to offer. Not exactly a "destination"
Nys was lovely farms
Athens ny wanted the political leadership capital and it was denied by whome idk the stupid the criminal the new world order of 1900. Controlling everything in secret mob. Nwo controls our leaders thinks for us hides and covers up real crime everyday for decades.
this is called albany international aiport. not sure which part is international lol
Hey, there’s flights from Canada…
You really hit the nail on the head regarding Albany's rise and fall. It's still struggling with crime and poverty, but it's still the third-best region to live in (after NYC and Buffalo) due to its proximity to the Adirondacks, Catskills and the Hudson Valley. The tech industry has benefited the suburbs more than Albany itself. Still, the city is hanging in there, thanks to all the government offices occupying the Empire State Plaza and the State Office Campus uptown.
Albany will never be a destination city, but that's okay. If it can invest in its poorer neighborhoods, it could be a better city overall.
I’m from Albany. It was a decent place to grow up and I’d be open to moving back. It’s got some close attractions like Lake George, Saratoga, hiking, camping, lakes, etc. Will it ever become a major metropolis destination city? Probably not, but for what it is, it’s not that bad of a place to live and work.
I’m in the suburbs just outside Albany. 3 hours from NYC,Boston, and Canada with beautiful scenery all around. Great schools. Can’t beat it.
Awesome video! The rise and fall of cities over time really fascinates me.
I read in the 80s Albany had the Albany Colonie Yankees, a AAA affiliate of the NY Yankees, as well as a minor league basketball team coached by Phil Jackson, a former player of the Knicks who went on to coach the Bulls. Plus Mike Tyson fought there or just outside Albany when he was getting started.
The basketball team was the Albany Patroons, they were part of the CBA, and yes Phil Jackson was their coach at one time. He lead them to the 1984 CBA Championship.
@@jpguitar34 thank you !!!
Yes, the Patroons. Some Patroons players like Mario Elie would play in the NBA
You are correct !
I remember all of them. Mike Tyson was always in the area . He liked the strip joints !
@@doug2078 LOL no doubt, haha
Albany is definitely on the rise. It’s still the butt of many jokes my fellow”steamed hams” but unlike most of New York and New England right now it is experiencing steady growth. Housing prices are going crazy and we might be getting a soccer stadium.
I thought that before the pandemic, but the shutdown took a large toll on Albany. Crime, homelessness and panhandling have skyrocketed. We've seen two movie theaters go, CVS's go and now the College of St Rose. I like a lot of things about Albany but recognize the shutdown really hurt it
Last thing we need is a giant stadium used twice a month with more parking garages to accommodate it. Get rid of 787, create a beautiful park running along the Hudson. Affordable housing, small businesses. Light rail connecting Troy and Albany. THAT would help Albany rise, instead of enriching developers
@@jhconnor88 in order to have affordable housing you need developers. In order for developers to build they need a reason. (Making money.) There's a lot of vacant residential real estate in Albany. But the drugs and vagrancy makes it undesirable and unprofitable to develop. While I am skeptical of your 787 park plan, if done right , maybe I could embrace it.
@@seanabbins5481 That's the fundamental problem Sean: housing as a commodity. Profit should not be the incentive for essential goods (and human rights) like housing. This is why capitalism will never deliver quality, safe, affordable city living for all. Housing is a public utility and should be treated as such
I heard about this sport field and it's great but you know what if they can't get a grip on all the senseless murders and people owning guns that aren't registered and just killing each other drugs then we don't deserve a soccer field when dead ppl are not able to enjoy it or lifelong injuried people. All this from decades long organized unneccessary treason and other serious hidden crimes.
I just recently went to a concert at The Palace theater I thought I'd hit the bars after but downtown was totally abandoned and little scary on foot. shocking to see how bad it is now.
would love a Reading, PA video. My birthplace (and sadly in 2010 listed as the poorest city in the USA by one major nationwide news publisher)
Pass through here all the time on Amtrak heading to Manhattan & NJ.
Albany has been through tough times but I think it was always better off than a lot of other New York cities because the state capitol kept and always will keep a lot of jobs in the area
The weather in Albany, at least compared to other Northeastern locales, isn't all that bad, especially in recent years. I haven't had to use my snowblower at all for the past two winters, and we didn't have an official heat wave until September in 2023.
Well done !!
have you done a video of Jersey City; I read it's gone through a lot of transformations
@@davidcarbone3385 yes you can find it on my channel
I think Albany and its metro area, along with many other cities in the US, should grow and develop. This should curb the housing deficiency crisis and make housing more affordable overall.
I was born In Albany and always lived in Albany my entire life
Do you have any milestones on your channel?
@@kennypalermo9071 what do u mean exactly?
@@forgottenplaces9780 The milestones
What happened? Nothing. Exactly hahah.
If I'm not mistaken I believe Key Tower is the tallest building in the Midwest outside of Chicago.
Well Albany you are an odd city, but I must say, you steam a good ham.
the decline of albany is DIRECTLY attributable to GE pulling out most of its production in Schenectady.
this basically gutted the entire capital district.
"Let's Party Albany" just set the bar too high. There's no going back.
The Car centric city planning ruined the economic potential of many cities in the U.S. Just wide rivers of roads and highways everywhere.
It was abandoned by state government who went all out nyc and Long Island.
The birthplace of the steamed ham.
Patented Skinner burgers. Old family recipe.
I asked people in Albany if they used the term "Steamed Hams" from the Simpsons skit. They said no. I figure it was to poke fun at Massachusetts. Most upstate nyers call them chowderheads cause the way they drive and cause clams is a northeast thing.
I didn't like Albany bc of its bureaucracy, the toll roads, and overly vigilant overly funded state troopers. Met many good Albany citizens thou, and they have some great unique shops.
@@TSnowy23 hams is the very beginnings of Albany and the passenger railroad and trapping fur animals.
I drove through Albany the other day.
It's the Harris walz signs they got everywhere. That's what happened
Several thing happed to make Albany decline. 1) in the sixties, the race riots and tensions made Albany a not safe place after business hours. 2) the interstates and shopping malls out side of the city made it safer to shop in the evening than to take chances on downtown North Pearl St. or Central Ave. 3) Governor Rockefeller gutting Forty square blocks of downtown, destroying complete neighborhoods to build his Grandiose Empire State Plaza.4) Building The interstate along the river front cutting off the city from the river. 5) Governor Mario Coumo telling the country’s poor people if you come to NY we will take care of you. Turning NY into the tax and spend capital of the country. taxing the life out of the working people to support millions of people that became enslaved to the welfare system and enslaving the working people to support all the Social service agencies and Thousands of staff and assets needed to run the come here and live for free, vote for me System. Many people have left NY and Albany because a working person can keep more of their hard earned money by living elsewhere. 6) Today you can include Albany politics criminal friendly laws and the fact that hard working law abiding citizens only get hot air lip service from the Politicians. Criminals go free and the politicians brag about closing empty prisons, (Empty because they have made it almost impossible for judges and the criminal justice system to lock criminals away to keep good people safe). As well as denying good people the right to defend themselves ,families, friends and property. All the while supporting the criminals.
The irony of key bank going to a city that would also become well known for its wht happened status. No offence, Forgotten Places.
I was born in Albany, but I don't remember living there because I moved to Jacksonville, Florida when I was a 1 year old. Only have visited the city twice in my life, the first was when I was either 10 or 11 years old. The second was just a few month ago while I was driving after visiting my parents in Syracuse to my home in Orlando. Just visited the Corning Tower and the State Capitol both times.
I'm from/live in Poughkeepsie, and I lived in Albany for 6 years up through 2022. (I was even there last week attending to grad school business)
I-787 that cuts the city off from the riverfront baffles me. I drove on it 8:30 am on weekdays frequently and NO ONE was on it. I'm already skeptical of limited access highways through city centers, but if it doesn't have traffic in rush hour...what's the point?? IIRC, I-90 and 787 North of downtown gets the heavy traffic. It should be easy to level 787 in Albany City limits and make it a city avenue with lights like it does on the north end in Cohoes. Get all the pedestrian traffic to the river.
That's just not accurate. 787 is always busy, especially at rush hour on weekdays. The city is ringed by highways and 787 is an important part of it. How would people get to work in downtown or off I-90 if it was taken down? I remember when Route 32 was the only road between Cohoes/Watervliet/Troy and Albany and it took forever to make the trip. I live in Albany and had to go to Waterford this morning, a 15 minute trip on 787.
BRAWLIN'
"What can be, unburdened by what has been" since when has New York one of America's largest states?? WTF....don't know geography i guess?
Largest in population…. Not that hard to figure out.
Born and raised in Albany, I don't even recognize that place anymore, Democrats destroyed a once proud city
Democrats have mostly run Albany since to beginning of time. It’s the liberal democrats as of late that turned this town upside down.
ah yes bc republicans are so good at governing places like West Virginia and Mississippi.
It’s because of that trash can dish that they eat!
@@petesplacestuff4781 That's the Garbage Plate, and that is a Rochester thing. I haven't come across a restaurant in Albany that serves it since 2012, and they stopped selling it.
@@RobertJonas-ub2vv Excelsior Pub serves garbage plates
Karma
Albany has so much potential but terrible politics and typical democrat one party control kills economic growth and makes it an undesirable place for people to settle. Anyone born in Albany since the 2000s seem to want to leave....Damn shame. Schenectady's downtown is outpacing Albany in terms of development and night life. Albany's political leaders should be ashamed of themselves.
and Schenectady is controlled by Republicans?
"Just because I'm listening doesn't mean I care"
Homer J Simpson
@@b.t.2796 what a nice comment of you. :)
Jealous of your videos
The Democrats have also ran Albany into the ground!
No they haven't.
@@lja996 🤣🤣🤣…. You must be a comedian!
You got to be a Republican👹
@@lja996 prove it!
pick your favorite city in the US. It's probably run by Democrats.
It's gone so downhill I heard they started calling Steamed Hams 'Cheeseburgers' 😒
As someone that is currently in there office in Albnay ny and lives in Guilderland(superb outside albany) I will say that yeah this is a pretty mid place to live hahah
It's superb ! ! ! !
What happened?..oh that’s easy!…Democrats!
Technically you’re actually right, the 19th democratic machine under Dan O’connel and Mayor Corning was insane.
Democrats. That's what happened.
There - fixed it for you.
Been here 23 years for work…. So so so very sad….has so very much going for it… the most beautiful architecture… parks…. Easy access to nature Boston berkshires nyc etc… but I have spent my life waiting for improvement…. Hasn’t happened… if anything going backwards with regards to poverty-crime-murder-gun violence-drugs-homeless… the usual culprits in modern day USA… couple of expensive suburbs…that are 99% white….and completely dissociated from the city…. Scary times ahead… restaurants closing more than opening… crippling taxes…tracks of the city abandoned forever… really really sad…. Coukd be something special…. Cannot base an economy only around government welfare food stamps and coffee shops…again breaks my heart
Don't blame the people who live in the suburbs, blame the people who ran the city into the ground by allowing crime and bad behavior.
@@schalitz1 If it was allowed, it wouldn't be crime.