Parking for work in downtown Albany? (Lancaster, Hamilton: to live, buses, health)

[kangarooster]

What is the parking situation for people who work in downtown Albany? I'll be working in the empire state plaza (state health department) and am trying to decide where I want to live for an easy commute. It looks like parking might be a real pain in that area. I'd love to live somewhere more rural, but if parking is out of the question then I'd have to consider being on a bus line.

I'm not from the area at all and I've never had to worry about parking before. It's all very baffling to me.

[Junie Moon2009]

When I worked at the Empire State Plaza I used to park on Madison Avenue or on those little streets that run north off South Swan Street...Hamilton, Lancaster, Chestnut. If I got to the area after 7:45am I'd have to circle a little bit to find a spot and sometimes (and in nice weather, good for a little walk) farther north on Madison or on Dana Avenue. I never had much of a problem.

[shiver]

I'm not up on my State employee parking, but I thought there are parking lots just outside of downtown Albany where state employees park and either shuttle buses or regular buses pick up at these lots to take people into downtown. I don't know the details, but it may be something to look into.