Beautiful modern statue of real life person Uncle Sam! The small park is in Troy, NY close to the…read morewaterfront. Several plaques to read. Parking. Bus stop. Benches to sit. Review: 5+

Troy's Uncle Sam [Troy NY]…read more Keep your eyes open or you might miss this shiny silver statue of the Uncle Sam Monument who stands facing River Street. The statue identifies him as "Uncle Sam Wilson." The inscription on the statue says that he was born in Arlington MA. He was a New York meatpacker who supplied barrels of beef to the U.S. Army (who were preparing to go to war with Canada) during the war of 1812. Rations of meat were uncommon back then and when asked who supplied it "Uncle Sam" was mentioned. The barrels were stamped "U.S." and since then the kindness of Uncle Sam and United States were associated. He is buried in Troy NY at Oakwood Cemetery. Other inscriptions on the monument says: Troy's Citizen - America's Uncle The big thing is not what happens to us in life But what we do about what happens to us. U S of AMERICA N A C M Originated during War of 1812 L E This was a nice statue with a cool history behind the man. Review #3013

What a lovely, peaceful, happy place in the beautiful village of Kinderhook. I could/often do spend…read morewhole afternoons here. XOXO.

The renovated library is beautiful and the staff is always incredibly friendly and helpful. Just…read moredon't forget your earplugs / headphones--unless you're in the quiet room--it is VERY NOISY!

I apprcate all police officers for their hard work and efforts that they do for us citzens in…read moreamerica i care about all cops chiefs swat teams commanders too thank you for everything that you do for our streets and our country i respect all Police Officers all of you are the best thing that ever happend to this world stay safe and good work to all cops and chiefs New York State Police 5 stairts for your amazing hard work that you do for us in this world police is the best police have a good weekend stay safe and all of you are doing a good job thank you officers have a good rest of your day thank you

They need to train the recruits and current officers how to deal with members of the public who are…read moredeaf. Snatching a deaf women's phone out of her hand while she is doing video relay for directions at the airport is not only unprofessional, it is frightening, especially when you have a semi automatic rifle around you torso. What worse is since that is her main way to communicate by video relay or text, the idea of losing it is scary too. A complaint will be filed.

Wonderful, friendly, helpful librararians can get you whatever you need. Nice children's library…read more Be sure to check out the Williamstown Historical Museum in the back of the library.

This is one amazing sight!…read more It's a gigantic granite monument that rises up nearly 100 feet high in the center of downtown Troy- more or less where River Street, 2nd Street and Broadway collide. It was dedicated way back in 1890 to remember the soldiers and sailors of Rensselaer County who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. You'll see an ornate 4-sided granite base with all sorts of plaques and sculpted panels, a 50-foot granite column, and an attention grabbing 17 foot tall bronze statue of the Goddess Columbia who is standing on a cannonball and holding a trumpet and a sword. Quite the multi tasker she was! Some of the inscriptions on the base include the dates "1776", "1812", and "1861-65" . You'll see the words "To the Men from Rensselaer County who fought for Their Country on Land and Sea." The bronze sculpted panels are gorgeous -you'll see infantry, cavalry and artillery scenes and a sweet picture of the naval battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac (look at the way the artist captured the motion of the waves). The monument was rededicated in 1991 and has a place of honor in downtown Troy, which was vibrantly alive when I was there yesterday. Downtown was crowded with a terrific Farmers Market.

A lovingly restored and maintained historic home, with a one-room school house, a large barn, and…read morelots of history to explore and learn.

Cute little historic complex, which I'll describe in detail below, that pays its way for the Town…read moreof Colonie as a reception hall specializing in weddings. I can't comment on the weddings but it looks like a very good value for a small wedding and a charming, spacious setting. The historic complex has three main "attractions". The first is the Pruyn House itself, an odd combination of a federal brick and greek revival mansion, built in the first third of the 19th century for Casparus Pruyn and family. Pruyn was the agent/collector for Stephen van Rensselaer III, the last Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, the feudal remnant of the Dutch empire in the US that lasted in its odd legal form until the middle of the 19th century. It is not the main site of business, but it does speak a bit to the social history around the Patroonship system. There are interpretive placards in each room, including one on the Anti-Rent Wars that broke up the Patroon system finally. Most of the rooms have period furnishings in them, although not a full restoration, and as such it's a nice illustration of 19th century elite living but not exactly a full recreation. The upper floors have rooms that double as offices for the curators, so there are also modernized touches around. Even so, it's a moderately interesting look. There's not a lot of interpretation but enough to figure things out. Outside the main house is a lovely flower garden, and two more buildings. One is the Buhrmaster Barn, an early 19th century barn that was moved from a position close to the Mohawk River, and the old Verdoy school, which was moved from its location near Route 7 in 1995. The barn is used for receptions and programs, and has some very interesting intact woodwork but is, well, you know, a barn used for wedding receptions. It's nicer than a real barn but not as interesting. The Verdoy school house, though, is one of the best intact one-room school houses in the area, and they have a few desks and some props (I can't call them artifacts) left out, which I am guessing are used for school groups to come in, with some modern seating. It's worth a peek inside - the kids enjoyed playing school for a few minutes - but it's not a complete re-creation either. It's all free (donations accepted) and despite the relative lack of interpretation it should be of interest to those interested in local history, old houses, or just a pleasant walk around some grounds. There are picnic tables and a big open space in the rear, and I don't know if they care if you come and use it as a picnic spot, but I would recommend it as such if you're looking for one in the area and want to spice up your stop with a little history.

This is a great spot to come for a walk and it does connect to the nearby bike trail that goes from…read moreAlbany to Watervliet. My mom loves coming here to walk her Shih Tzu. Various historical signs are placed throughout the park, so it's a fun place to explore a bit. I went recently for the first time last fall, I had driven by this spot many times and never stopped. This would probably be a good place to take a child that is learning to ride a bike. The only negative is that there aren't any restrooms.

This park is really nice. They have a paved sidewalk that goes around the whole park so theres…read morealways joggers. It's also pet friendly and they usually have some soccer goals. Nice open field with a few trees and benches.

Regulatory Reform Governors Office of…read more The Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform (GORR) improves the State's regulatory process by assisting State agencies in the development of regulations that are supposed to be well conceived, understandable, and based upon adequate input from the parties affected. We the people, business owners and on and on, are the "parties ". I had a hard time rating this government business. They're busy keeping up with the current situations but there's a lot of old regulations that need review. Either clean up the regs or do away with the archaic garbage that's on the record. Let's face it, from the time you take a breath, until the day you take your last breath, there's a regulation involved. They regulate the air cleanliness and the burial process. Now we have the Covid process! I'm sure we will have mixed feelings about the new vaccine and/or test verification system. I remember in 1968 when I went to Europe for the first time I carried a health card I had to get from my local health department. It had proof I had the required inoculations necessary to travel abroad. I'm telling you this so you know, this is nothing new we are facing. I'm glad my state is taking a huge step forward in the process. I've downloaded the app. After my second vaccine I will go to the website to obtain my QR Code. (If you're not familiar with the Q. R. Code read my DENSO review.) You enter the code into the app on your phone and you're good to go! I'm looking forward to attending a ball game first thing as it is outdoors. Maybe eventually I'll be comfortable with returning to the theater or a indoor arena for sports or concerts. Regulations are a part of life and I'm all for being prepared! I hope to have a little more living to do! How about you?