I grew up in the northernmost part of New York. We considered everything south of Albany “downstate”. I realize that if I tried to convince someone from Manhattan or Brooklyn that Coxsackie was part of downstate New York they’d laught themsleves silly. (But look at a map - the North/South divide of New York state runs north of Albany.)
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Pit
Why did I leave? Nothing personal about Cooperstown, just that there are not a lot of career prospects in a town of 2,000 people and 10,000 cows. It is a beautiful place though.
Is that anything like a downed water buffalo?
I’m originally from Plattsburgh, which is about as “upstate” as you can get before you hit Montreal. I go there to visit for a couple months each year, so it still feels like ‘home’ to me…I certainly prefer it Roanoke, VA, which is where I’m stuck at the moment. Gotta love the North Country
I was referring to the so-called Capital District. I’m sure you’ll agree that Watertown is a different animal entirely. Heck, you can practically spit to Canada from there, and the lake effect can be sort of harsh.
I’m with you on the New York=New York City thing too. When I was in Georgia once I was talking to a guy about turkey hunting and he asked me “how do you hunt around all them tall buildings?”
Where?!?! I’m from Brasher Falls (Pop. about 300), which is near Massena and Potsdam. I’m in Troy now and it always makes me giggle when the local newscasters refer to Lake George as “The North Country”. We always called it “Downstate”.
Being from Northern New York, it was cold enough to close school when I was in junior high. Back in 1983, we had a new Superintendent of Schools from NYC, who closed school when it was -40 degrees. But, he was criticized for it because we were so used to going to school in the cold*, so the next day when it was -42, school was open.
*And I walked to school–usually with a wet head, too! :eek:
I’m so sorry.
Ooooh but, Famous Lunch is in Troy. That place with the little hot dogs. My husband and I would go often and order up a plate of 20 of those babies. Mmmmm.
Like Roland Orzabal, I’m from the opposite side of northern New York; Clinton County (specifically Dannemora). I know Brasher Falls though; I went to college in Potsdam.
Which brings up another skewed downstate point of view. I’ve often run into people who consider the five boroughs to be seperate continents (local TV stations, for example, will give each borough its own weather report). But then these same people upon hearing I’m from Plattsburgh will ask if I know their third cousin who also lives upstate - in Watertown.
Hi there!
There was an A&P plant here in Horseheads but its been closed for as long as I can remember (I moved here in '95). They recently sold it to put in…wait for it…a SuperWalMart! Which means they’re going to close the existing WalMart that’s nary 5 miles from the site!
I had also heard that the reason they had such a hard time selling the property was the fact that there was improperly disposed hazardous materials inside the plant, but that could be heresay.
I haven’t heard of the American-La France building, so I’ll assume its gone until I check with my in-laws tonight. Stay tuned for more updates.
I had no idea about the Close to Home cartoonist, but I’ll have to check into some of the back strips and ask around for you. I wouldn’t be suprised if he was, for some reason the local media has a hard time promoting anybody that is actually accomplishing anything :rolleyes:
The civic center you’re thinking of might be the Clemens Center (downtown), or you also might have seen the performance at the Elmira College Domes where they have the hockey games and used to run the Mark Twain musical extravaganza.
My hubby graduated from EFA in '93, but I think his aunt might have attended EFA in the 80’s…
And to all the Watertown Dopers - I grew up there, braved 18 years of ridiculous snow and even more ridiculous wind chills, and everyone that walked to school in
-40 weather is telling the truth. Luckily, I rode the bus.
As an aside: any former Watertownites find it absolutely hilarious what other, more southern NY cities will close school for…like 1.5 inches of snow? :smack: They have no idea…
On the subject of school closings: Those of you in the Capital District would probably recognize the name of my school district; Ichabod Crane has always been notorious for closing if somebody’s afraid they might see a snowflake.
Albany has some really nifty neon signs that I always meant to take pictures of, but never got around to before I moved away. I would still live up there, except that I hate shovelling snow, Gunslinger wants to stay in Texas, and it seems like there are almost no jobs up there - especially for newspaper people. The Times Union is the only big one and the smaller papers are mostly twice-weeklies - although the daily Hudson Register Star could really, REALLY use a copy editor, judging from the quality of their output.
Has anybody ever eaten at the Miss Albany diner? A real little 1920s “railroad car” diner? Gun and I are going back home for my sister’s wedding in July, and we hope to make it up to Albany to visit the state museum, get my mom to buy me clothes at Crossgates Mall, and maybe grab lunch at Miss Albany and dinner at Friendly’s.
Heh. Yeah, we always complained about Ichabod Crane (we were in East Greenbush Central). “How come those kids always get to stay home and we always have to go to school?”
Which signs do you mean? If I can remember my camera I’ll snap 'em for you and e-mail them to you.
On the other hand, we very rarely got a full spring break; those snow days had to be made up somewhere.
I can’t remember the name of the street - Madison Avenue, maybe? It’s near the place where 787 veers off from I-90; there’s a little McDonald’s, and then several roads where you turn right and go up a hill, towards the capital. There’s a restaurant called Lombardo’s on the right-hand side of this road, and on the left-hand side there is a very, very old radiator shop. The sign and the building and the shop in general always intrigued me but I could never figure out how to park on that hill to get a picture. Actually, all of Madison Avenue (if that’s the road I’m thinking of) has nifty neon. There’s a lot of stuff from the '30s through the '60s floating around Albany that nobody ever bothered to take down. The detail on the Armory is gorgeous. There are lots of architectural doodads that would make great photographs. I wish we would have time on our mini wedding vacation.
I’ve been to the NYS Museum once. I was completely amazed at how nice and huge it was. We spent half the day there and didn’t even get through the entire first floor. Of course that probably had something to do with me sitting at the Sesame Street exhibit for half an hour to watch the full program. (I’m still a kid sometimes.)
Any body got any suggestions on something that my husband and I could do on the weekends? Neither one of us drink or like clubs and I don’t want to spend too much money.
[RPI alum]
Oh great, now you’ve got me feeling homesick for Troy. EEEEEKKK!!!
[/RPI alum]
I work about a block from there, in the old RCA building–the one with the giant statue of Nipper on top. It’s a really cool-looking diner, but I haven’t eaten there yet.
And, Exgineer, thanks for your pity. I definitely need it. And I’m sorry about your place of residence, too. I did some audits over there and I don’t know which is worse, Troylet or Skankectady! 
::looking at Exgineer’s location again::
Exgineer,
Why did I think you were in Schenectady?!?! Did you move or am I mental? :smack:
Yup, that’s it.
Amazingly, there is so much upstate New York in Florida:
Altamonte (Springs)
Lake George
Troy State University
and the company that manufactures Ticonderoga Pencils is headquartered in Heathrow, FL.
Heh. Nutty Bunny, I used to live in Schenectady. You think Schenectady/Skanknectady is funny? Try pronouncing “Skaneateles” without having people fall over laughing. Better yet, show them the word and ask them to pronounce it on their own without your help. Your turn to laugh at 'em.
We lived in Niskayuna for about 10 years. I don’t think I was ever warm 
. Nice friendly place to live but toooooo freaking cold. Also an RPI alum.
Funny thing my kids were in grammar school when we moved to a warmer region. It snowed, I swear only .75 in., and the kids came in from the bustop and said school was closed. I called bullshit, but they insisted they waited until 3 different adults stopped at the bustop and told them to go home before they did. Damn if they weren’t correct, school was closed but not for one day but three for Christ’s sake. I now know that if a single flake is predicted (NOT actually seen) schools in this area are closed.
Upstaters feel free to scorn the snow-phobics, hehehehe.