The City of Albany is going to be a test review to see if it posts. Since yesterday my photos have…read morenot been posting on Yelp. The last app update was four days ago. I'm very sad. As for my state capital I think it's beautiful. I've never been unhappy with our state government. As a low income senior citizen I don't pay taxes in my state. I feel our governor always works well with my City of New York. There you go! I'm a fan and if you live here you may be a fan too!

If you like parking tickets and school zone violations this is a great city to add some tax to your…read morealready unbelievable amount of taxes due. Come to visit the capital and get a 50 dollar parking ticket when the sign says free parking after 3pm. Why not drive around and explore the city. Feel free to drive through one of the 20 ,20mph, school zones with speed cameras. Summer when school isn't in session, doesn't matter, they still are school zones. O by the way the deliberately obscure the former blinking zone lights so you are not aware of the school zone. Have another 50 dollar ticker for the thrill. I'll avoid this run down dump like the covid vax going forward.

I wanted to see Moby and made my way down to Lark after 2pm. I wasn't sure what to expect or how it…read morewould be made as Moby is know for electronic music. But it was amazing. Moby is kind of a dork and would say after every song "thank you, thank you very much" intoning almost none of the soul contained in the music. Soul there was, Moby is near genius in the color of sound. Grabbing a rhythm and riding it out, exploring it from angles and giving it dimension. The band was amazing, violin, vocals huge drums and keyboard made the future of music. The crowd started a little stiff but everybody was dancing by the end. Wrapped and surrounded by an incredible sound system all of the tens of thousands of people who were there on an amazing September day were having a good time. I'm usually kind staunch about my personal space and I had to throw that right out the window. It was friendly however and Albany cool was in full display. Except for the dude right in front of me. I don't know what the hell he was on but was totally out of control. Going from Maori warrior to cheetah in the grass dance moves. He was spasmodic and epileptic and we tried to crowd surf him away. But he wouldn't go. He was directly channeling music into movement and that was scary. Larkfest is a highlight of Albany.

Not sure on details about when this event happens, but i was fortunate enough to be in Albany…read moreduring Lark Fest. Live bands, vendors, food and a packed street in front of the park. A lot of fun for a Saturday afternoon.

Buckingham Lake/Pond (depending on what site you check) is in the middle of a quiet suburban area…read morein Albany. There's a path around it to stretch your legs and/or those of your canine companions - circle it twice and you've walked 1 mile. The playground area makes this a popular neighborhood destination. The fountains were active today (it's a warm day in February with some ice cover), but the ducks were.

Very pretty walk in the middle of stately housing. Even when walking through a mist it's ok since…read moreit's mostly shaded. Half mile around.

Great experience! Got our wristbands quickly and were on our way to tastings immediately. All of…read morethe breweries' servers were super polite and friendly. It was nice to chat about all their different beers, history, and what they'll be doing in the future. And then we met Mill House Brewing - they are awesome! I got to talk to one of the owners and he gave me great advice as a home brewer. I'm hoping to see a lot more from them upstate. It was a much quieter and refined event than a lot of beer 'tasting' events. There was great food in between booths/tables to enjoy between tastings. Had a great time.

Not quite as good as last year: a tasting contest doesn't really make for much of a spectator…read moreexperience, to be honest. A couple of real stand-outs, with the clear winner being Mill House - their double IPA was a clear best of show and the staff were the most friendly; the new brewery at Indian Ladder also impressed. Otherwise, not much beyond the basic tasting this year, but a perfectly enjoyable tasting with a large variety of brewers in any case.

Came here with coworkers for a business dinner, and from the outside you'd never expect how great…read moreit is inside. The restaurant itself is smaller and broken up into different rooms, which actually makes for a really nice, more intimate dining experience. The service was top notch. The staff and our waitress were incredibly attentive very professional and always right there when you needed something without being overbearing. As for the food, everything we had was excellent. I ordered the duck, and having it prepared in different ways including as a sausage was honestly amazing. The eggplant appetizer was on another level, and the grilled octopus was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. I also had an espresso martini, which was made really well. To top it all off, the pistachio cake for dessert was the perfect finish. Overall, this place is truly top notch great food, great service, and a great experience all around. Definitely worth checking out.

Cafe Capriccio never disappoints. The food is always top notch, the service is friendly and…read moreattentive but not overly so. The clientele is a mix of professionals from nearby businesses and NY State, people in the Capital region on business and tourists visiting all the amazing sites Albany has to offer. Next time you are in the Hudson Valley you should check it out!! Go for a good meal, stay for the awesome desserts

$300 to eat on a plastic tablecloth on Valentine's Day, not even a candle on the table. I'm…read moreembarrassed I suggested the spot to my date. The experience felt stingy and rushed. I'm sad because I loved this spot and I'm disappointed the quality has gone down so drastically. Portions were very small and the food didn't taste special or interesting. The octopus came out room temp and had been sitting out. Entres lukewarm. The drinks were by far the best part of the meal and it took half an hour to get them. Service was all over the place but they get a pass because it's Valentine's Day. Do yourself a favor and try Rosanna's instead.

RESERVATION ONLY * WOW! What an amazing meal! Best carbonara I've ever had. Husband ate all of his…read morevodka pasta with chicken. High quality ingredients. Lovely glasses of wine. Service was great. You can tell the people working here take care of their space. Someone was always cleaning. Tiramisu was light and flavorful. What a great gem in Albany.

Ah, good old Wolf Road, always evolving. I don't get back home too often, but I seem to always see…read morenew businesses popping uphere. Chain burger joints seem to be the new craze on this strip. Luckily some of the oldies like JT Maxie's, Denooyer Chevy and others are still around! Most people don't realize this busy Capital Region road used to all be farmland a mere 60 YEARS ago. My mom grew up in the South Colonie area, it has got to be wild to have experienced how much this has changed. I think there MAY be one private residence left on this road. I was looking through an old book on Wolf Road while I was home in the 518. It's by Naylor, Platt and Platt, I imagine the Colonie Town Library would have a copy. I was skimming the book and found out that a country club once stood where Colonie Center is. I lived in Albany 30+ years and it's amazing how much that mall has evolved, it's now quite nice for this region. I remember the Herman's sporting good store on Wolf Road, that moved to Colonie Center and is now long gone. I miss the days when we had Papa Gino's across from the mall! I remember driving by Jerry's Bike Shop and Cranberry Bog often as a kid, hard to believe these spots are no longer there. Platt's Deli was another popular Wolf Road institution, that was replaced by Bucca di Beppo (if I remember correctly). It's amazing how many businesses have come and gone over even just the last 20 years. 2012 brought us Trader Joe's, which has horrible parking nation wide and even in Smalbany too! I'm not quite sure why they placed this popular store in such a congested area! The traffic on Wolf Road is to be avoided at Xmas, but after living in Los Angeles, I now snicker when my friends complain about this thoroughfare.

People demonize Wolf Road all the time. There are some folks who say that they avoid it all costs…read more Others won't patronize a business if it chooses to open up a spot on this commercial stretch in Colonie. They are missing out. Sure, to the untrained eye it can look like nothing but a parade of chain restaurants. On the south end there's IHOP, PF Chang's and The Cheesecake Factory. On the north end there's Moe's, The Outback Steakhouse, and Red Lobster. And there's a lot more in between. And during peak traffic hours, it can come close to resembling a small downstate traffic jam. All joking aside, it can be some of the worst traffic in the region. But Wolf Road has its good sides too. My love for Trader Joe's is well documented, and its convenient back entrance makes the Wolf Road business accessible to anyone clever enough to use it. Then of course there is the Hong Kong Bakery and Bistro. We don't have very many authentic Chinese restaurants in the region, but this is one of them. And I've heard there are good Chinese dishes on the menu at Buffalo Wagon too, although I have yet to try any for myself. Subbers is on Wolf Road too, and if you are a fan of mozzarella sticks, you have to try their take on the form. Ted's Fish Fry outpost also offers delicious fried treats that aren't from a nathional chain. Lemondrop was revealed to have tasty boba tea. I've got to get there and order one half-sweet. And the shop also has some of the tartest tart yogurt around. And lucky for me, that's just how I like it. Off almost everyone's radar is U Mundu E Ca, the Italian market that just hosted a pop up dinner featuring locally famous chefs Brian Bowden and Mark Graham. I'm not sure if it makes up for the evils of Buca di Beppo around the corner, but it certainly comes close Benson's Pet Center is there too, which is another great regional business that has nothing to do with food. Of course there is no getting around that this small strip of activity has two Starbucks. But one of them has a fire place and the other has a drive through. So, in a way, they are totally different. The truth is, that I don't instinctively hate chains or malls either. Some of them are fine. I love great coffee, but I occasionally go for the convenience of Starbucks. The wings at The Ruck are my favorite in the region, but once in a while I'll get a hankering for a breaded wing from Hooters. Honest Weight is a fabulous store, but Whole Foods has my favorite prosciutto and great salami sliced to order. And thanks to Wolf Road and Colonie Center, we even have a Tesla super charging station. I get the problems of businesses leaving the cities and moving to the suburbs. I understand how communities can improve with rich retail areas that encourage walking over driving. And I value those things. I really do. But I'm not so blinded by them that I can't see the good in this far too reviled road.

Only open Friday and Saturday! Wonderful, try them!…read more We thought it was closed but NO, we love this place.

This review isn't of the food here, because I haven't had the food. It's a review of the cocktails…read more Sometimes in my reviews I mention that I don't know much about the cuisine that I'm reviewing and you should take my opinions with a grain of salt. That won't be the case here, because I'm a big weird cocktail nerd, and I'm putting my hands on your shoulders, looking you straight in the eye, and telling you that cocktails at 288 are very, very good, and not in an I'm-grading-on-a-curve-because-there-aren't-many-places-around-here-serving-truly-good-cocktails kind of way. The drinks here are well-balanced and tasty, but also INTERESTING, which makes this end of Lark Street with 288 and The Savoy officially the best place to get legitimately good and creative cocktails in the Cap District. The cocktails at 288 are good because the bar manager, Emmanuel, is an absolute pro: he was the reason that the cocktails at the late, lamented Speakeasy 518 were the best around, and now he's brought his expertise to 288. He's working with a much smaller bar here, but describing your favorite flavors to him and letting him surprise you is still a great idea. If you want to order off of the menu, the Commodore #2 (with house-made grenadine) might be my new official drink for fall/winter 2021. Really, though, you should just order whatever looks good, and be prepared to end up ordering another.