Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Good luck with your upcoming move. Most important thing for you to do is to take Mightyqueen's advice and know how to pronounce Colonie. No better way to tell someone you're not from the area by butchering that.
Ok, so now that you know how to pronounce it, what gets me to post is that you asked about Guilderland. It is correct that Guilderland is upper middle class to affluent, and it's also a real pain in the butt to drive through. I dread every life event that requires me to pass through Guilderland in some capacity, because for whatever reason it brings out the bad-to-awful driver out in all of us. Route 20 is dreadful.
About seven years ago, I considered Deer Valley as well and actually toured an apartment. It is a nice community, far enough way from the annoying Route 20 to not be too worried about it. The apartment that I view, which was a two bedroom seemed a little too small for my liking, and while I liked the community and the staff made a favorable impression on me, I opted not to pursue Deer Valley any further. They will proudly boast, however, that they have a lot of long term residents, so they must be doing something right if that is the case. You might like it though with your outdoors interest, I think it might be a fit for you. I wonder about that price range though.... I think it was in the 800's when I was looking at it seven years ago.
Cohoes.... Don't do it. You're too far.
Take a peak at the town everyone forgets about on Albany CD: East Greenbush.... not the worst drive. 25-30 minutes, but avoids 87. Another intriguing fit if you like the outdoors vibe.
Asking for live music is getting ahead of yourself, this is Albany after all. SPAC is pretty awesome there, I will attend may concerts there, the problem is that its not a year round thing.... which is Albany's entertainment problem. It holds its own in the summer, but for the rest of the year, it flat out stinks.
I'd recommend where I am from, Ballston Spa, but you don't want that drive in brutal I-87 rush hour in the winter.... or the summer.
I think you and Deer Valley can be a fit if the price is right.
Good luck with your upcoming move. Most important thing for you to do is to take Mightyqueen's advice and know how to pronounce Colonie. No better way to tell someone you're not from the area by butchering that.
Ok, so now that you know how to pronounce it, what gets me to post is that you asked about Guilderland. It is correct that Guilderland is upper middle class to affluent, and it's also a real pain in the butt to drive through. I dread every life event that requires me to pass through Guilderland in some capacity, because for whatever reason it brings out the bad-to-awful driver out in all of us. Route 20 is dreadful.
About seven years ago, I considered Deer Valley as well and actually toured an apartment. It is a nice community, far enough way from the annoying Route 20 to not be too worried about it. The apartment that I view, which was a two bedroom seemed a little too small for my liking, and while I liked the community and the staff made a favorable impression on me, I opted not to pursue Deer Valley any further. They will proudly boast, however, that they have a lot of long term residents, so they must be doing something right if that is the case. You might like it though with your outdoors interest, I think it might be a fit for you. I wonder about that price range though.... I think it was in the 800's when I was looking at it seven years ago.
Cohoes.... Don't do it. You're too far.
Take a peak at the town everyone forgets about on Albany CD: East Greenbush.... not the worst drive. 25-30 minutes, but avoids 87. Another intriguing fit if you like the outdoors vibe.
Asking for live music is getting ahead of yourself, this is Albany after all. SPAC is pretty awesome there, I will attend may concerts there, the problem is that its not a year round thing.... which is Albany's entertainment problem. It holds its own in the summer, but for the rest of the year, it flat out stinks.
I'd recommend where I am from, Ballston Spa, but you don't want that drive in brutal I-87 rush hour in the winter.... or the summer.
I think you and Deer Valley can be a fit if the price is right.
Thanks for the detailed post. I will certainly check out SPAC's summer event calendar to see their offerings.
I'm also into smaller, more obscure rock/blues-rock bands that perform shows at hole in the wall bars and venues. Just given the size of Albany, and the presence of several universities and colleges, I would assume there's some of that to be had.
You're right about Deer Valley's pricing. The 1-bed unit I'm looking at is $920/month, so it's outside of my original price range. The fact that Deer Valley is lenient on "mixes" of the typically restricted breeds is the aspect that's winning me over though.
Over the phone I explained to the manager that I have a "bull terrier mix" (which is the description on his vet paperwork), and she asked for some photos of him. Essentially, as long as mixed breeds don't appear to be a full bred pit bulls, Rottweilers, etc., then they are seemingly fine with them.
So, the leniency on accepting my dog, and the 6 mile drive from my future office, on which I can easily avoid 87, are the two most important factors for me. From there, everything else is secondary.
What's dreadful about Route 20? Does it become stop-and-go at rush hour? I've mapped out directions from the apt to the office, and 20 is given as a section of the route. For a 6 mile commute, Google Maps says it's around a 12-14 minute drive. Does that sound reasonable? I know Google doesn't necessarily account for traffic volume.
Thanks for the detailed post. I will certainly check out SPAC's summer event calendar to see their offerings.
I'm also into smaller, more obscure rock/blues-rock bands that perform shows at hole in the wall bars and venues. Just given the size of Albany, and the presence of several universities and colleges, I would assume there's some of that to be had.
You're right about Deer Valley's pricing. The 1-bed unit I'm looking at is $920/month, so it's outside of my original price range. The fact that Deer Valley is lenient on "mixes" of the typically restricted breeds is the aspect that's winning me over though.
Over the phone I explained to the manager that I have a "bull terrier mix" (which is the description on his vet paperwork), and she asked for some photos of him. Essentially, as long as mixed breeds don't appear to be a full bred pit bulls, Rottweilers, etc., then they are seemingly fine with them.
So, the leniency on accepting my dog, and the 6 mile drive from my future office, on which I can easily avoid 87, are the two most important factors for me. From there, everything else is secondary.
What's dreadful about Route 20? Does it become stop-and-go at rush hour? I've mapped out directions from the apt to the office, and 20 is given as a section of the route. For a 6 mile commute, Google Maps says it's around a 12-14 minute drive. Does that sound reasonable? I know Google doesn't necessarily account for traffic volume.
This may partially explain why you were considering Cohoes, as the Cohoes Music Hall has some events that may fit what you are looking for. This may help in that regard: https://www.palacealbany.org/
Thanks for the detailed post. I will certainly check out SPAC's summer event calendar to see their offerings.
I'm also into smaller, more obscure rock/blues-rock bands that perform shows at hole in the wall bars and venues. Just given the size of Albany, and the presence of several universities and colleges, I would assume there's some of that to be had.
There's no shortage of that. I was thinking more along the lines of bigger shows, but Albany is a good spot for that, like to say, due to the college presence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blues&rhythm
You're right about Deer Valley's pricing. The 1-bed unit I'm looking at is $920/month, so it's outside of my original price range. The fact that Deer Valley is lenient on "mixes" of the typically restricted breeds is the aspect that's winning me over though.
Over the phone I explained to the manager that I have a "bull terrier mix" (which is the description on his vet paperwork), and she asked for some photos of him. Essentially, as long as mixed breeds don't appear to be a full bred pit bulls, Rottweilers, etc., then they are seemingly fine with them.
So, the leniency on accepting my dog, and the 6 mile drive from my future office, on which I can easily avoid 87, are the two most important factors for me. From there, everything else is secondary.
While some faces have likely changed, I really did like the property manager I spoke to at Deer Valley. If that price can work for you, then I think it should be option #1. Good luck!
You're also very close to the Albany Pine Bush area, which I think you will absolutely love. http://www.albanypinebush.org/
Quote:
Originally Posted by blues&rhythm
What's dreadful about Route 20? Does it become stop-and-go at rush hour? I've mapped out directions from the apt to the office, and 20 is given as a section of the route. For a 6 mile commute, Google Maps says it's around a 12-14 minute drive. Does that sound reasonable? I know Google doesn't necessarily account for traffic volume.
Route 20 is always busy, but isn't stop and go. The problem is that people forget how to drive on this road, for some reason. There's no other road in the area where I feel I have to be so alert to survive avoiding an accident because of an idiot out there. Because of SUNY nearby and the state office campus nearby, I venture to think it's a haven for distracted drivers, or visitors who have no idea where they are, and will do unsafe maneuvers out on the road, coupled with the (dare I say it), Guilderland retirees who will drive fifteen miles under speed limit in the left lane. You just have to be on your toes. 12-14 minutes is reasonable and likely, it'll just feel like 20 minutes or more.
From you're description I'm envisioning you're office somewhere either near New Karner Road, or maybe the Clark Industrial Park. If that's the case, and you end up in Deer Valley, 20 is a minor component of you're drive and its primarily 155. 155 is fine.
OP, stop relying on apps to figure out your commute. Apps aren't going to be able to give you an idea of the traffic volume. I don't know about the other people posting here, but I am a Capital Region native who never left, which gives me 42 years of knowledge and experience about the area.
I also have experience driving in different areas and local highways during rush hour, including 15 months driving from Schenectady to Menands for work. 32 miles RT, and I never got home before 5:45 PM although I got off work at 5:00. I lucked out getting a place 2.5 miles from work 9 months ago, in Watervliet.
No, Route 20 is nowhere near as bad as I-87, but it, along with Route 5 (Central Ave/State St) is famous for being crowded and stop and go during rush hour, and even on the weekend.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
SPAC is pretty awesome there, I will attend may concerts there, the problem is that its not a year round thing.... which is Albany's entertainment problem. It holds its own in the summer, but for the rest of the year, it flat out stinks.
