Upstate NY

[sarchivist98]

Originally Posted by MarysPoppins

I find a bigger problem here the amount of people who SMOKE cigarettes. It's a culture shock to see people from 13-up to elderly constantly puffing away. It's like they never heard most of NYS health educated population has given up cigarettes.

You should be more concerned your kids pick up this habit if you move to the area. People don't blink when Mom is out carrying her baby on her shoulder while puffing away on her ciggies. That was something I have not seen since 1987 when my eldest nephew was a baby!

I think this is more common in the rural areas in the Capital District. I don't see much smoking at all in the wealthier suburbs, like Bethlehem and Niskayuna. (Unfortunately, one of my fellow PTA members who is also a parole officer says that those richer towns are the ones where students are much more likely to use illegal drugs, especially at a young age.) I live in Albany and don't see it much. There certainly aren't any school designated smoking areas like their were in my Boston-area high school back in the good old days!

Smoking is banned in all public buildings, including bars (is this statewide, or just Albany County?), and many people from other parts of the country think we have it "out for smokers," so I guess it all depends on what you are used to.

People here have more of a live-and-let-live attitude than in bigger northeast cities like Boston or NYC, which also may be part of the reason MarysPoppins is surprised that people don't show more outrage.

[MarysPoppins]

Originally Posted by sarchivist98

Smoking is banned in all public buildings, including bars (is this statewide, or just Albany County?), and many people from other parts of the country think we have it "out for smokers," so I guess it all depends on what you are used to.

People here have more of a live-and-let-live attitude than in bigger northeast cities like Boston or NYC, which also may be part of the reason MarysPoppins is surprised that people don't show more outrage.

Thanks for your angle. I try to live and let live but I find smoking very sickening. It causes me to get migraines.

Unfortunately there are as many rabid smokers as anti-smokers and they feel THEIR right to smoke is more protected than our right not to smoke. I don't know what to say in that respect....no one is more important in the law.

Anyhow, OP, let's carry on and not make this about smoking.

[kathybrj]

We live outside of Saratoga Springs and it's maybe 30 minutes to Lake George going up 9n through Corinth. LG is ok in the summer I guess- it's not a big draw for us- too much of a carnival atmosphere for us. In the winter it pretty much closes up. My aunt lives there and she gets a bit of cabin fever during the late fall-winter months.

I actually like Bolton and Bolton Landing. There are a couple of nice little restaurants and shops along the main street. It's very quaint.

Good luck!!