This has the potential to be the most poorly designed theater I've seen in my entire life. The bar…read more(and merch tables) in the lobby create an unusable passage with people trying to come in the front doors, trying to get drinks/merch and you can never tell which line is for what. They have like 3 toilets for the entire venue and you'll spend a chunk of your time waiting in line. I think the restrooms are original to the building (1920s) The sound system looks to be Meyer Leopard arrays with 900-LFCs and Rivage PM5 for the house console - so that's ripping! Only redeeming quality

I've been to this venue a few times for different events, (comedy or a concert) and all times have…read morebeen very pleasant. The seats are comfortable and the view from the seats on the ground level are all decent. I've been where we sat at the last row on the ground level and I've visited where we had seats closer to the stage. The lines aren't crazy long, and the security works pretty quickly to move things right along. They do sell cocktails and snacks. I love that this venue is right in the middle of the city with plenty of public tranportation options. The fees have always been reasonable and cheaper if you pay at their box office. This is definitely a venue I would attend future events at based on my prior experiences.

The Hyde Park Free Library is a beautiful stone building at the corner of Main St. and Albany Post…read moreRoad (i.e. U.S. 9). Don't let its size fool you, it is much bigger than it looks because of the upstairs and basement. It can feel a little cramped up front because of the front desk and a usually-full table, plus several racks of videos and DVDs and such for view or rent on the left. Books, magazines, reference materials will be to the back. They also have several good meeting or breakout rooms. Years ago, when I was a tutor for Literacy Volunteers of America, I used some of these rooms. They are very quiet. As part of the Mid-Hudson Library System, access includes access to other libraries in the area. That's good because this library frequently does not have literature I'm seeking. But copies of the books can be easily located using the Library System website or services, and a book can be transferred here from any other participating library in a day or two. Parking can be challenging on a busy day. The library does not have a lot, and on some days you are competing for parking spaces on Main St. with spillover parking for the Town Hall across the street.

When I was a kid, I always was forced to come to this library as my parents thought it had a bigger…read moreselection of books, but now that I'm grown up to adult, I don't think the same way. In my recent travels, I came in here on a whim but came out with absolutely nothing (in terms of adults, there's little to no books on my topic areas and those that were there were all reference copies). However, while it's kids section is still down a flight of stairs here, this place has plentiful books. (I took a quick peek). About the only thing almost useful here were the music CD section up near the door. I almost borrowed to CDs but at the last moment chickened out. Although when I got here, I initial plan was to use the computers and scram, when I came in the door and looked towards the computers, the librarian recognized my intentions and asked for my name - which is okay with me. I couldn't believe that out of 4 computers in the main lobby, none of them were in use. (Later, I did see someone in the room for additional computers, but that's beside the point.)

Town of Oyster Bay NY had a special weekend last week. Saturday May 31 was really the day to go…read morewhere everything was up and running from the reunion and reenactment of the Rough Riders to a boat trip in the afternoon at the dock Water front Center West End Avenu in the Park, to so many activities for the day. NOTE: do look up their website for exact details... I didn't. Dang**[. I had thought the reenactment was both days, not just Saturday. So, Sunday when I went nobody knew anything including the people at the dock house for an afternoon boat ride. However on a quiet June 1 Sunday I did get to see Teddy Roosevelt (actor) himself ,a very kind man, an enjoyable presentation from actor Patrick Falci( with help from his wife Joan at the slide projector) who was in the 1996 Rough Riders movie and 1997 Tv show with the same name. Note: if you're a history buff check it out! And a presentation from Head Librarian and curator Sue Sarna showing the - in the works - TR museum being build in N. Dakota( July 2026) a must see for buffs. Stopped by OB RR museum, Hive Market, Once upon a Stuffie, TR bully bar and Sweet tomatoes. It was the flip side for a quiet nice day in Oyster Bay.

I am giving this town hall a 5-star rating. for overall customer service, politeness and…read moreexpiditing tasks. I went in for a marriage license with my fiance. We previously contacted this town hall to get required documents we needed to be married in New York since we are residents of Florida. We dealt with Jenn and Georgia and they were both very courteous and helpful. We stopped in today to get our certificate for marriage with all required documents and the whole process took about 20 to 30 minutes if that long it was a very pleasant experience thank you very much Georgia and Jenn.

Anyone who grew up in Connecticut heard the story of Charter Oak - when those mean British tried to…read moretake the Connecticut charter, the colonists were about to hand it over when suddenly, the lights went out! In the ensuing melee, the sacred charter was spirited out the window and hidden in a Hartford oak tree. Then the teacher glosses over the fact this was symbolic at best, and Connecticut was as much a part of the American revolution as the other colonies, and yadda yadda yadda the oak tree went on to sire heirs. This tree is one of them. On the Cornwall green, across from town hall, is an unassuming tree and a plaque. May it have many happy additional years overseeing the modest amount of traffic in the area.

Unfortunately I had to select one star because zero is not an option. I have had multiple dealings…read morewith the town and few have been pleasant. I will start with the building dept.- the woman receptionist will not acknowledge you until you say something after standing awkwardly in front of her for a few minutes. She then acts as if your existence is inconvenient to her and is on a total power trip. The head inspector is just miserable. The assessor's office is full of those on said power trip. They know that you need things from them and if you are not in the town's "circle of trust" then you don't deserve the towns services. A group of small town know it alls sums up the group at the town hall building. All except a very nice 90 year old woman who is the tax collector. She is cool and accounts for the only star!! Don't move to this town.

What a treat!! It's apx an hours ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson and worth every minute…read more This is such a cute quaint Village with shops, restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream, a sandy shore, cafes, with some being water front with great views. We especially enjoyed the olive oil/balsamic vinegar store. It's completely walkable with tons of pedestrian crosswalks. One day was not enough to explore all it has to offer. There are also public restrooms, so always helpful.

The Village of Port Jefferson has been our home for over 25 years…read more Over the years I have seen business open and close, People chasing Pokemon characters as well as the annual Charles Dickens festival. This has always been a welcomed festival. There are horse drawn carriages, people roasting marshmallow and of course the cast of Dickens characters just popping up everywhere. The waterfront is a big Port jefferson draw. People enjoying grabbing an ice cream cone and seeing the ferry shuffle back and forth to Connecticut. There is the Martha Jefferson ferry which offers 2 hour tours during the summer. There are also fishing party boats as well as the town boat launch for personal boaters. A few years ago, I was starting to get annoyed on Saturday mornings. Once I finished my morning errands, I like to swing by Starbucks and grab a cup of to unwind. During the summer, all of the street parking is taken and Starbucks was packed. Now, I order my specialty coffee with my app and head towards the waterfront to sit on my bench and enjoy the scenery. My kids loved going to Rocketship Park, my dogs love coming with me to town and shopping the Sunday Flea Market. Village of Port Jefferson has been an integral part of my family. Maybe one day I'll have grandchildren, bring them to Starbucks for a kids Hot Chocolate and take them to Rocketship park.

This is a pretty nice dog park. It is located with a whole park complex that includes several paved…read morewalking trails, a pool area, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and fields. We have only explored the dog park area, which consists of two fenced in areas (one for "large" dogs, the other for "small" dogs) to run around in. A gazebo which provides some shelter from the sun is located in between both of the areas, and the fence runs through it. Like all dog parks, as the season wears on the grass slowly gets worn away and the gazebo gets dirtier. The cleanliness of the grass itself is entirely on the responsibility of the dog owners to pick up after their pets. I haven't had too much trouble here in that regard. Water is available for the dogs to drink, but bring a bowl (though some are usually here).

Colonie sometimes gets a bad rap…read more Perhaps because the most obvious symbol of the town is Wolf Road where it seems like all the national chain restaurants open shop to the detriment of our regional culture. Traffic gets snarled up on this arterial too, which makes it a place that some people avoid like the plague. But some of my favorite things in the region are in Colonie. Yes, there's Trader Joe's, which I am still ever thankful decided to open up an outpost in Albany. But Parivar on Central Avenue with its back-of-store kitchen is an amazing place to get delicious Indian street-food served without pretense while catching up on a bit of Bollywood and picking up some dried lentils and spice blends for home cooking projects. And it's not just the exotic ethnic places in Colonie either. Because this town is the home of Ralph's Tavern which has been feeding families wings, pizza, and mozzarella with melba for generations. In the summer there is Scoups ice cream, which is just about adjacent to The Crossings. The latter is probably the single best outdoor playground for young kids in the area, even though I wish it had more shade. And during the growing season, The Crossings plays host to a farmers market. For a suburb of Albany, this town has a lot going on.