A Night in Utica. Best Chicken Riggies & Greens + other stuff (New York: hotel, high school)
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.
Howdy,
I will be spending the night in downtown Utica during the last week of May on an extended road trip, passing through on my way to the Adirondacks and Vermont.
My plan is to spend the night at Hotel Utica downtown. This will be a weeknight, not sure when I will be in, but I do get into town in time for dinner since I want to try the famed Chicken Riggies (with a side of Greens) for dinner.
Not at the hotel, but a place that you all could recommend....a place the locals thing is the best spot for this local dish.
As part of this visit I want to take a quick driving tour of Utica....been reading a bit on the history (two books one on the ethnic geography, and the other on the architecture..."Utica, A City Worth Saving"...., and it sounds like I can plan out a neat drive-through some old ethnic areas (Italians on the east side and Poles on the west)...a social row mansion district..(Genesee Street?)..and also to see if some of those big old textile mills are left. Might try to visit the FX Matt Brewrey, since I think its still in Utica (and I like beer)...so maybe getting out of the car a bit, too, to walk around. I would like to walk around downtown a bit after I check in....not sure if anything is open late on a weeknight in Utica?
So, sort of interested if you could recommend a good place to get..maybe... baked goods, like a good Italian or maybe Polish bakery. I've run across these places in spots like Syracuse, Lowell Mass, New Britain, Conn, etc, so am thinking Utica might have this two.
Oh...two final things
1. Any good coffeeshops around (the kind that serve cappucinio, etc) ?
2. A good short order place that is open either 24 hours or early in the morning (as in 6 AM or 7AM)
where I could get coffee and such to start off with....?
Oh, geez, forgot, how far (travel time) is Rome, NY? I sort of want to take a quick side trip there to see the place and the old Griffiss AFB. I worked with folks from Rome, sort of interested where they're from....
Oh, geez, forgot, how far (travel time) is Rome, NY? I sort of want to take a quick side trip there to see the place and the old Griffiss AFB. I worked with folks from Rome, sort of interested where they're from....
Rome is only about 15-20 minutes from Utica to the west. Perhaps you could check out the Oneida Nation's Turning Stone Casino/Resort a little bit further west too.
Villages like NY Mills, Yorkville and Whitesboro are known for their Polish populations, especially NY Mills.
South Utica is a nice area of the city, with some businesses on Genesee Street south of Parkway/Burrstone Road, into the village of New Hartford. Its zoo is off of Parkway east of Genesee too.
You may like these places too and Bleecker street is essentially where many of the Italian bakeries/establishments are, but the street/area is pretty diverse now: New Florentine Pastry Shop - Utica, NY | Yelp
I have heard really good things about the food at the Franklin Hotel in Rome. Very old-school, cash only. They have Greens Vescio which is pretty much Utica Greens. Vescio's Franklin Hotel
I have heard really good things about the food at the Franklin Hotel in Rome. Very old-school, cash only. They have Greens Vescio which is pretty much Utica Greens. Vescio's Franklin Hotel
I second that in regards to Holland Farms. Good Half Moons.
I never knew that about the Franklin Hotel and I have also heard good things about this Rome restaurant: The Rome Savoy > Home It is near Rome's Little Italy corridor along East Dominick Street.
I'm by the Hotel Utica now. It's not in the best area. Not certain death bad but ugly. Walking distance will be mostly strip clubs and crack bars. If those are your thing you hit the mother load.
A short drive gives many more options. I can't stand riggies but if you like them you picked the right place cause they are everywhere. I think Delmonicos has them and while that is a small chain place the Utica location is corporate headquarters and by far the nicest. That would be a three minute drive. Also great is Aqua Vino which is across the street.
Holland Farms is roughly the same distance the other way. If you wanna make sammiches for the road there rolls are the best.
Griggs will be a let down. Really nothing left of the base. If you don't know where it was you could drive through it and not even know it.
The utica train station is worth seeing. Look at the building not the crowd. It's a bus station also so avoid times the welfare crowd is heading to the county building to re-cert and you will love it.
Griggs will be a let down. Really nothing left of the base. If you don't know where it was you could drive through it and not even know it.
The utica train station is worth seeing. Look at the building not the crowd. It's a bus station also so avoid times the welfare crowd is heading to the county building to re-cert and you will love it.
Actually, Griffiss has the metro airport, the new Rome Free Academy(the city's high school) and the Griffiss Business Park. There is some old housing, but much of it is still empty, if I remember. Welcome to Griffiss International Airport! | Oneida County, NY
Right. You would drive by a small airport, a school and a couple banks and a hotel. Doesn't really give the feel of being on a place equipped with our nuclear strike force.
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.
