A Slice of...Albany, NY

Hi, my name is Crystal (aka CAPow!) and I've lived in or around Albany, NY for most of my life. After spending a few years in Boston and Brooklyn, I ended up back in my hometown because it is not only an affordable place to live, but also an AWESOME place to live! The number one reason I'm thankful I made the decision to move back is meeting M. We've been together almost 4 years now, and I can't imagine my life without him! Let me tell you a little about what we love to do in Albany!


There are a lot of diners in and around Albany, and we've made it our Sunday tradition to go get a diner breakfast. We try to hit all the places we haven't been, but our all time favorite diner in Albany is the Miss Albany Diner. It's a vintage diner car, and was actually used in the filming of the old Jack Nicholas movie, Ironweed. But besides looking really cool, we love it for the gourmet breakfasts and the sassy waitresses!


We also love that Albany is an old, historic city. There are so many cool old buildings, it gives the city a touch of old school class!


M. plays bass in a local rock band, so another thing we love about Albany is going out an supporting the local music scene. The bar we most often end up at is called Valentines, they are a rock and roll institution in our town, and one of the most supportive bars for the local scene.




Our first date was at a little divey sushi place called...Sushi House. Ever since it's been our go-to place for fast, affordable, delicious sushi. And for some reason, every time we go there they are playing the same Sting album on the stereo, it's part of the charm. I almost can't eat sushi anymore unless sting is serenading me in the background.


Our absolute favorite part about living here is something that isn't actually IN Albany, it's a short drive up the Northway, and it's only around for a short amount of time every summer: track season at Saratoga! We love packing a cooler for the day, hanging out with friends, and trying to pick a few winners. This past season we made it to closing day, which also happened to be Labor Day. And I picked two long shot winners in the 3rd race! It was an exciting day!