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It's Utica. It's your mistake if you move to Utica and expect an abundance of nightlife, concerts and clubs. I'm not going to move to Dallas and then blast it for being hot.
Also, you obviously have a different definition of character than I, because if you ask me, Utica has much more character than a lot of cities that most likely fit your criteria. The fact that the Olive Garden is the Italian restaurant you associate with Utica, a city filled with exceptional, real Italian food, tells me you probably went in with a closed mind.
Also, I believe that they have a Ballet company and Symphony, with Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute and the Stanley Center for the Arts on Genesee Street. They also got an AHL team back for next season as well. So, there are some things there.
Must be pretty recent too as the Olive Garden just opened in Utica two weeks ago.
And Utica is loaded with great places to eat. In fact since its one of the past places being taken over by chains if one acts fast its oome of the best places to eat.
I was amused to read someone thinks Syracuse is worse than Utica.
Utica is better than it used to be, it has a lot less of a bad vibe going anyways. But it's low on the economic totem pole of New York cities. Excluding NYC, probably the best economies are first Albany, second Rochester or Syracuse, third Buffalo, fourth Utica, fifth Binghamton and on down. Ithaca probably would place around fourth as well.
On the other hand, nightlife seems to decrease as you cross the state from west to east, even though in both Buffalo and Albany last call is later than most of the rest of the state - Buffalo seems to have more and more happening night life than what I've seen in Albany. But my sample is small.
Personally I want to get out of New York entirely and leave the whole mess behind.
I was amused to read someone thinks Syracuse is worse than Utica.
Utica is better than it used to be, it has a lot less of a bad vibe going anyways. But it's low on the economic totem pole of New York cities. Excluding NYC, probably the best economies are first Albany, second Rochester or Syracuse, third Buffalo, fourth Utica, fifth Binghamton and on down. Ithaca probably would place around fourth as well.
On the other hand, nightlife seems to decrease as you cross the state from west to east, even though in both Buffalo and Albany last call is later than most of the rest of the state - Buffalo seems to have more and more happening night life than what I've seen in Albany. But my sample is small.
Personally I want to get out of New York entirely and leave the whole mess behind.
Actually, Ithaca is probably the best out of the bunch or is second, as of now.
Not based on the events I do; in fact the event I used to do in Ithaca no longer exists because the people hosting it couldn't make money because the attendance got lower and lower each year. Sales wise though it was on par with Rochester when it's good or average Buffalo.
My favorite Utica story came from a guy who worked at the railroad shop back in the day when the public projects still stood along the south side of the main line, west of where the Union Station is, east of the Aud. He tells how you could hear a rat-a-tat-tat-tat on the side of the building, up high, a few times. Then one of the guys comes running from out of the building and does a baseball slide under a partly open overhead door. He's running for his life because that sound was some idiot firing off an illegal automatic machine gun over in the projects.
Now who knows if that's true or not, but that was a bad area, I was through it a couple times. Even now it's somewhat iffy, but it's a step up from Corn Hill.
I also knew a guy who lived there who something like 10 years ago was beaten half to death and left in the woods - not by some gang or drug dealers, but by the goth crowd, because they thought he was a snob when he accidentally bumped into one in the mall there.
Yeah, Utica was a pretty bad place, but about four, five years ago a lot of the bad vibe went away.
Not based on the events I do; in fact the event I used to do in Ithaca no longer exists because the people hosting it couldn't make money because the attendance got lower and lower each year. Sales wise though it was on par with Rochester when it's good or average Buffalo.
My favorite Utica story came from a guy who worked at the railroad shop back in the day when the public projects still stood along the south side of the main line, west of where the Union Station is, east of the Aud. He tells how you could hear a rat-a-tat-tat-tat on the side of the building, up high, a few times. Then one of the guys comes running from out of the building and does a baseball slide under a partly open overhead door. He's running for his life because that sound was some idiot firing off an illegal automatic machine gun over in the projects.
Now who knows if that's true or not, but that was a bad area, I was through it a couple times. Even now it's somewhat iffy, but it's a step up from Corn Hill.
I also knew a guy who lived there who something like 10 years ago was beaten half to death and left in the woods - not by some gang or drug dealers, but by the goth crowd, because they thought he was a snob when he accidentally bumped into one in the mall there.
Yeah, Utica was a pretty bad place, but about four, five years ago a lot of the bad vibe went away.
That area was Washington Courts housing projects, which was emptied and torn down about 5-10 years ago or so. Former SU Basketball player Dale Shackleford and former MLB player Dave Cash grew up there. I think they have been trying to market the area for development.
Just wanted to throw this out there. I am from maryland and come north every year to the barneveld area. I think this part of the world is absolutely beautiful
There's nowhere in NY State worth living. Best place to live is Pensacola, Florida on the nice open water. Agree?
Or Tampa area
I'm going to have to agree with you on this! Over taxed, corrupted, no incentives to stay. And they keep giving business huge tax breaks just in order to lure or keep them in the state.
If Remington was smart they should have pulled out of there and went to some state that was 2nd amendment friendly who'd legislatures did knee jerk to keep their constituents happy!
But back to the topic.
I lived there most of my adult life, I left when I was 30 and that was probably 10 or so years to late! But when I was 21-23 I had a small efficiency apartment on Court St. between Lenox and York. You could leave your door wide open at night and not worry about a thing. No days from the news I get from family is that part of the city is a war zone. And from what I read on the online version of WKTV and the OD that good part of the city a war zone! Come on shooting from passing cars in broad day light at a common intersection, Oswego and Sunset?! Really? The cops are baffled and can't solve the crimes that do happen. I don't know if it's a lack of care or if they're really scared!
I left the state in '08 again should have left along time before that. I ended up in Indianapolis. Really nice city. And it's got that small town feel in a big city. The winters are on the average mild high 30's to low 40's. Not all sunshine like Florida but for some reason I need that change of the seasons.
The powers that be keep trying to dress up the city and it's like putting perfume on a pig. It might smell nice but it's still a pig.
Word or warning and advice : Leave this place alone! Don't go there!
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