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I am moving to Albany from Brooklyn, NY on the 19th for a new job. I rely heavily on the subway system in Brooklyn to get to places now.
This is where my office will be.
I will be staying at a nearby motel for a week until I find a roommate / apartment to stay in. But during those times and after I get an apartment, can I rely on the public transportation because even for the nearest motel , it looks like I have to walk 30 minutes to get to ! Will I be needing a car eventually or can I get by without one around this area? Also , what's the safest neighborhood / places I should defenitely avoid while looking for an apartment near my office area?
I'm a transplant from downstate. Corporate Woods is convenient as an exit of I90. I could be wrong but I can't think of a single Albany bus that goes in to the complex. You can check the bus map on their website CDTA.org. The bus from Menands at least comes close but this is not an easily walkable area. It's very hilly here and we're not known for our mild winters. Once you decide if you're going to use public transportation or drive it'll help decide where you want to live. There are 2 main areas that would be less desirable. If you're driving to and from work there are several good areas less than 20 minutes away. In other words - you'll need a car.
I haven't lived in Albany in a while, but I do recall a bus going by/through Corporate Woods to Loudon Road or Albany Shaker Road. I interviewed for a job out there once, and that is one thing I definitely remember. But I know they've merged/changed some bus routes since I left (2011).
I also think there may be apartments out on Loudon or Albany Shaker (probably the latter). I know there is an assisted living place right outside Corporate Woods on Albany Shaker (another reason why I recall the bus).
And there are a lot of apartments going in either direction from what I remember.
When I lived in Albany, I used to take the bus downtown all the time (SUNY Albany students rode free). I have to say I miss it a lot. Much more reliable than what I have access to now. There's this website called Transitly, I used it to time when the bus was coming. It was bare bones and kind of an ugly website, but still pretty accurate.
And there are a lot of apartments going in either direction from what I remember.
When I lived in Albany, I used to take the bus downtown all the time (SUNY Albany students rode free). I have to say I miss it a lot. Much more reliable than what I have access to now. There's this website called Transitly, I used it to time when the bus was coming. It was bare bones and kind of an ugly website, but still pretty accurate.
I had to check too, lan is right, 737 is the route that goes in and around the Corporate Woods park. From just past the airport through Corp Woods over to the downtown area.
And there are a lot of apartments going in either direction from what I remember.
When I lived in Albany, I used to take the bus downtown all the time (SUNY Albany students rode free). I have to say I miss it a lot. Much more reliable than what I have access to now. There's this website called Transitly, I used it to time when the bus was coming. It was bare bones and kind of an ugly website, but still pretty accurate.
Thank you so much! Now I know which bus to take. But now I have to find out which places I should look for an apartment/ room that actually has this bus going through it. Can you tell which Locations does this bus serve so that I won't have to walk 5-10 miles after the bus stop to get to my apartment after work? I know I will learn Albany map after a while. But right now it looks like alien map to me. I will have enough cash after few weeks to buy a second hand car . But until then , I have to rely on good ol' public transportation .
I think you have lots of options. The route begins close to the Pastures and parts of the Mansion neighborhoods, and it goes up State Street and then Washington to where Western and Central begin. That puts you near the popular Center Square (Lark Street) and Washington Park neighborhoods and not too far from UAlbany's city campus on Western Avenue. The bus then turns north on Northern Blvd and goes through Arbor Hill. When I lived in the Albany area 15 years ago, Arbor Hill was predominantly lower income with many blacks living in the area, but that may have changed as many areas around downtown were and probably continue to see gentrification. Also, Albany does not seem to have ever been as residentially segregated as other Upstate cities, so you will find people of different races living in most neighborhoods, even in the suburbs.
If you prefer more of a suburban lifestyle, BTW, look for apartments and rooms on Shaker Road, Everett Road, and Albany-Shaker Road or on cross roads like Osborne or Maxwell.
Nope, Arbor Hill is still predominantly black and low SES. However, I used to take the bus that ran Washington Ave and Western Ave into downtown with no problems. And the bus that ran down Washington to Central to downtown....had some crazy characters.
I lived in the Melrose neighborhood which is between Western Ave and Washington Ave, farther west and slightly north of your route. If you want suburbs go north of 90 on the bus route. If you want city, go south of 90 on the bus route. If I were you, I'd pick a place that I maybe could walk to, because lord knows plowing in Albany in winter is not what you'd expect for a capital city in upstate NY. That said, the city side of the bus route is very popular with young students. Many many many people live off of Lark, Swan, Dove, (see the theme?) etc. You may like this area (Center Square) because apparently the person who designed this area actually modeled it after some area of New York City, not sure if it was Brooklyn or someplace else.
You should pull up a Google map of the route and look around with the street view function. That will give you an idea of the areas you are working with, and the maps sometimes list apartment communities.
Oh to answer your question, basically you're looking at downtown and kinda mid-city Albany and Loudonville/Colonie and Latham out in Albany County.
Last edited by lanhvtnymd; 08-06-2013 at 08:18 PM..
Move Complete, But still need a better place to stay
Thanks to all the replies. I really appreciate it a lot. I moved on the 17th of August and been living in Albany for 2 weeks now. The only problem is that I live in the worst part of the neighborhood. It's called Sherman Street.
The day before my work started, I walked there just to see my company and get an idea of how far it is and what not. But on the way back, there was no more bus service and it was getting dark. So I had to walk from Corporate woods blvd to Sherman street on a Sunday night and I had to encounter two incidents where I was told " We don't like your kind here" quite loudly.
I just said OK, and just walked away.
Anyway, I knew this wasn't the place to live. It was only temporary. I told my landlord I will be leaving here on the 24th. I am looking for a place to live now. I want to be on the 737 bus line. That's the only bus that goes inside the corporate woods blvd buildings. If not , it's a 30 minute walk .
Where can I stay in Albany, that's near the 737 line? I guess I don't want to live so close to my office because then I will have no access to Groceries and such since I have no car. The place I am living right now has lots of stores around. I take the bus from Central avenue and lark street I believe it's called. Can you tell me where is a good place to move to from here that's nicer and yet accessible to groceries?
Thanks to all the replies. I really appreciate it a lot. I moved on the 17th of August and been living in Albany for 2 weeks now. The only problem is that I live in the worst part of the neighborhood. It's called Sherman Street.
The day before my work started, I walked there just to see my company and get an idea of how far it is and what not. But on the way back, there was no more bus service and it was getting dark. So I had to walk from Corporate woods blvd to Sherman street on a Sunday night and I had to encounter two incidents where I was told " We don't like your kind here" quite loudly.
I just said OK, and just walked away.
Anyway, I knew this wasn't the place to live. It was only temporary. I told my landlord I will be leaving here on the 24th. I am looking for a place to live now. I want to be on the 737 bus line. That's the only bus that goes inside the corporate woods blvd buildings. If not , it's a 30 minute walk .
Where can I stay in Albany, that's near the 737 line? I guess I don't want to live so close to my office because then I will have no access to Groceries and such since I have no car. The place I am living right now has lots of stores around. I take the bus from Central avenue and lark street I believe it's called. Can you tell me where is a good place to move to from here that's nicer and yet accessible to groceries?
I'd recommend the Center Square neighborhood of Albany, it's very walkable and has a lot of fun things to do. It's very close to the 737 bus line. Read more here: Lark Street - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Move Complete, But still need a better place to stay
