Ask a Local
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PHOTO : COURTESY OF RHONDA BELLUSO ; ( LARK STREET ) COURTESY OF LARK STREET BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
Ask a Local
Originally from a small town in Illinois , Rhonda K . Belluso has lived on and off for nine years in Albany , where she shares a 1929 Tudor-style home with her husband , son and stepson . A former environmental lobbyist , she owns and operates her own public relations and marketing firm , RC3 Communications .
I love Albany ’ s small-town feel . It ’ s great bumping into friends at a coffee shop or grocery store , and my neighborhood is the best . While many things about Albany have changed , a lot is the same . There ’ s new , exciting development around Albany Medical Center and in the Warehouse District , but along South Manning , toward my neighborhood , it ’ s as charming as when I first drove there , in 2001 .
For brunch , we love Café Madison ( get there early to avoid the lines ). For lunch , we like El Loco or El Mariachi . Our go-tos for dinner are Druthers , The Pump Station , New World Bistro and Capital City Gastropub . Jack ’ s Oyster House is a nice treat or one of the old Italian restaurants downtown like Lombardo ’ s or Café Capriccio . For coffee , we walk to Tierra Roasters or drive to Emack & Bolio ’ s , which has delicious confections .
I encourage guests to visit in warmer weather for the fun festivals like the Tulip Festival and the Alive at Five concert series . Track season is fun too , so we ’ ll do a picnic at Saratoga Racetrack — just 30 minutes north .
FUN FACT
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Before being named for the English Duke of Albany in 1664 , the Dutch called the settlement Beverwijck , meaning “ beaver district ,” since the critters ran rampant . Before that , the Mahicans called the area Pempotowwuthut- Muhhcanneuw , or “ the fireplace of the Mohican Nation .”
In winter , we go to the New York State Museum , which has a giant carousel , or go skating at the Empire State Plaza Ice Rink ( it ’ s free , minus the skates ). And there ’ s always a concert or play we can see at The Egg , Palace Theater or Upstate
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Concert Hall .
Out on a Lark
From quaint coffee shops to gargantuan festivals , Albany ’ s Lark Street has it all .
By Brian PJ Cronin
It ’ s a 10-minute cab ride to Lark Street from the Albany- Rensselaer Amtrak Station , but once you ’ ve arrived , you might think you wound up in Greenwich Village . The brownstones , wide stoops and cobblestoned , tree-lined cross streets make it easy to see why this neighborhood has been nicknamed “ the Village in Albany .”
Lark Street ’ s intimate scale and turn-of-the-century architecture isn ’ t the only reason for the comparison . It ’ s also the Capital District ’ s premier neighborhood for artists , musicians and the LGBT community ( the Pride Center of the Capital Region , America ’ s oldest continuously operating LGBT center , is nearby on Hudson Avenue ). Coffee lovers have a choice of old-school coffee shop Daily Grind , which has roasted its own beans since 1976 ; newcomer Stacks Espresso Bar , where every cup is served atop a miniature wooden cutting board next to a glass of sparkling water ; or Brew , which not only roasts its own beans , but sells a staggering array of craft beers as well .
Diners can travel the world over the course of just a few blocks , with Greek , Japanese , Thai and Italian restaurants , and there ’ s even a vegan deli . Plus , there ’ s Chinese for every budget , from the 100-seat Cantonese restaurant Rain , which serves dim sum on weekends , to the equally popular , miniscule take-out joint Amazing Wok , a neighborhood staple for over 20 years . But the best value can perhaps be found at Bomber ’ s , which serves brick-sized burritos filled with everything from Southern fried catfish to red-stripe marinated pork . Getting the biggest bang for your buck isn ’ t just Bomber ’ s mission statement , it ’ s its origin story as well : It was founded in 1997 with the winnings from a particularly spectacular run at the poker table in a nearby casino .
Lark Street ’ s galleries and studios stay open late on the first Friday of every month , but those looking for a bigger party should stop by in June for the annual Art on Lark Street Festival , when the street is turned over to artists , painters , sculptors , crafters and 20,000 eager patrons . It ’ s New York State ’ s second-largest street festival , but it ’ s dwarfed by the biggest one of them all , which is also held on Lark . LarkFEST manages to cram up to 80,000 people on its blocks on a September Saturday for national indie musical acts like Matt and Kim , Moby and Lower Dens .
The crowds and talent for LarkFEST may seem like they ’ d be more at home in New York City , but for the Empire City , it ’ s just another warm-weather Saturday night , and everything will be over in time for another quiet Sunday morning of fresh roasted coffee and dim sum in one of the state ’ s most beloved neighborhoods .
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