Everything I know about Troy, I learned from Mary Panza

A flower grows in South Troy

Ok, maybe that isn’t 100% true, but she really did get me started on my Troy education.  When I first moved to Albany almost 25 years ago, I received some advice from a childhood friend regarding Troy.  He said, and I quote, “Troy is the armpit of the Universe.” I was uncertain exactly what that meant, but seeing as how I didn’t have a car, Troy wasn’t an area that I planned to explore with any haste anyway.  No problem.

But, then I met Mary Panza, South Troy denizen extraordinaire, and began venturing across the river.  We generally ended up at her sister’s house, where we consumed fantastic quantities of eggplant and pasta, all bathed in the senior Mary Panza’s fabulous red sauce.  My personal opinion began to form about the collar city – Troy was ok with me.

Since that time, I’ve been pulled to Troy for their superior Farmer’s Market, beer and music venues, restaurants and unique shops.  I learned to never move a folding chair left in the street and to maintain a sense of the river’s location to navigate the grid of one-way streets.  I like Troy – there, I said it.

Last night I intensified my like of Troy to a level of affectionate love.  Granted, the company I was in was a definite factor, but the charm of Troy is strong and it has never looked better. Speaking of looking, our evening began at the beautiful and historic St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands. Photographer and TU blogger, Chuck Miller, had an event to celebrate the opening of his stellar photo exhibit.  The images he captures are primarily local and demonstrate a keen eye for both lighthearted humor and thoughtful observation.  Cool venue, great show, get there before it’s all gone.

Plenty for two – with leftovers for lunch!

Our next stop was DeFazio’s in Troy for some real pizza.  Everything about this joint charms me – the almost magical way the simple ingredients combine for a pizza that is the best I’ve ever had outside of NYC, the politeness of every person who helped to take care of us, the black and white tiled floor, and the red convertible the delivery guy drives.  Everything!  We went with an antipasto and a small pizza with olives and prosciutto.  The antipasto is substantial (served with crunchy garlic bread) and the small pizza was the perfect size for 2.  I think we may need to try the pasta next time because we witnessed a plate of it being served and were practically in need of restraints.  Have any of you ever had their pasta?

The pizza is all that.

We ended the evening with a visit to the Charles F. Lucas Confectionary around the corner from Monument Square, in downtown Troy.  I would feel guilty about not getting to this place sooner, but I believe last night was the first time I’ve been in Troy since this fantastic place opened.  I have to say, it isn’t as if I’ve been missed, because the joint was positively jumping!  The waves of guests entering and departing during our 90 minutes there, was impressive.  We had a tour of the space by the owner, Vic Christopher, and I can’t say enough about the vision he and his wife, Heather, made into a dreamy reality for us all to share.  Wow.  Our bellies were full of pizza and cappicola, but the beautiful glass of Cote du Rhone rose’ Vic brought my way was exactly the crowning touch to a memorable May evening.  I am incredibly enthusiastic about this project. the additional related grocery store business in the preliminary works and the new-to-me term “reclamation construction.”  Troy is a lucky city to have landed such super smart and cool entrepreneurs and I imagine myself finding my way to the Collar City with previously unimagined frequency.

Armpit of the universe?  Au contraire – more like the heart of the Capital District.  Let’s hope our next Albany mayor fosters the kind of growth Troy is now experiencing – and that Mary invites me over for eggplant really soon.

Gala is my 2nd favorite word for “party.”

A close second, I might add.  Just for the record, my most favorite is “fete,” but enough of language.  Here are the pictures which tell a thousand words!  Seeing as how everyone at the fete event looked like a million bucks, let me add a few additional words of the text variety:

• This was a really fun crowd with many familiar faces.  Not one person declined to pose for a picture and I didn’t hear a single complaint while I worked the crowd.
• The staff at the Hilton Crowne Plaza Albany Hotel were all professional and pleasant.
• It was fun shooting pictures of some of the same people from Thursday’s event.  It didn’t feel indulgent or redundant – the faces you see in both photo sets are the faces of the folks who make the restaurant industry happen.
• The Times Union merged my two galleries with another set of photos taken during Friday’s Grand Tasting event – you’ll know mine by the credit in the caption.
• Personal shout out to a former student and his lovely fiancee* ~ It made my night to see you!  And I told you that you weren’t a Republican – thanks for listening.

*two French words in one post – Mon dieu! That’s 3…

From jingle bells to a masquerade gala

Yep, just another day in the life.  December dawned with an appropriate and picturesque dusting of snow, pretty to look at, but not necessarily fun to run on.  I thought the Jingle Jog 5K began at 9:00, but since 10:00 was the actual time, I had plenty of time to stretch and mentally prepare to run at a cautious, slow pace.  You know, slow down and enjoy the run, Christmas Pandora and all.  I was wearing my new UnderArmour compression shirt, and I have to say, it really did keep me warm as my base layer.  The crowd was festive, with Santa and the Grinch represented in the pack of participants and I started at a nice even pace.  I came this close to injuring myself when I rolled my ankle in the first 1/2 mile, but pressed on and was able to run fairly comfortably to continue the race.  I finished 141st out of 446, with the not particularly stellar time of 30:08, but the time wasn’t important, especially at a time of the year when time is so precious.  It was a wonderful way to start this month of holidays and festivities.

I didn’t take photos, but here’s a gallery of the event from TU photographer, Michael P. Farrell.

After an afternoon of making cookie dough, doing laundry and running errands, I found myself gussied up and heading to the State Room for Albany Center Gallery’s 35th Anniversary Masquerade Gala.  I was seriously concerned about the parking situation with the huge UAlbany-Sienna basketball game at the TU Center, but did well on State Street only having to mince step for a couple of blocks on my ace-bandage wrapped ankle.  (Thank you, to my friend, for taking care of my war wound.)  The State Room was pleasing to the eye in every direction and the guests were creatively attired – a good looking crowd, I’d say.  Check out those photos here.

Walking back to my car, I captured this shot of the Capitol.  Ah, Albany!

Blocks of conversation at BUILT

Saturday night was the Historic Albany Foundation’s annual art auction/fundraiser hosted at the stunningly beautiful (and really well-lit, Nick) Cathedral of All Saints.  This was my 3rd time to attend this event and it just keeps getting better!  The crowd is always uniquely and colorfully dressed and it is an absolute feast for the eyes (and ears!)in a thousand different ways.  Here’s some of what I heard as I worked the room stalking photographing folks…

“The art is the best I have seen!”

“I have a Ragsdale in my bathroom”*

“The food is terrific!”

We in the DelSo are very proud of our own Ken Ragsdale whose spectacularly detailed drawing won the top prize in this juried event!!  Laura Glazer’s charmingly re-purposed glove also was very deservingly honored.  Please read Chuck Miller’s post for much more intelligently expressed information about the show and the works which were displayed – and successfully auctioned off.  Kudos also need to be given to Nicole’s Catering which did a wonderful job with the food and service – way to represent our neighborhood, guys!

I shot a SEEN gallery for the TU and you can check those photos out here.  I feel awful for not snagging a picture of Ken, but I did capture a photo of Laura Glazer looking as fabulously tall as ever.  Look out, Ken, I’ll get you next year!

*Ok, this was actually something I said to silence the two men bragging about the Ken Ragsdale pieces they have hung in their homes.  It worked.  And I do.

Immediate impressions – Champagne on the Park

 

Stunning setting.  Beautiful people. Delicious food.  Great vibe.  Rocking music. 
And a young man who made me feel like Gina Davis in Thelma and Louise.
Ah, Albany,I love you!

Pink House Pottery

NOT Janine’s real house!  image: http://www.atopdoll.com

When Janine and Matt had their DelSo residence painted last year I wondered if that shade of pink was reeaally what they were going for.  Once their daughter was born, however, I understood.  Paint your house pink and you will have a girl baby – even after two boy babies!  Apparently the fact that my house was white and red, wasn’t quite enough to make pink. 

Prior to the birth of their third child, Janine, a certified art teacher, taught pottery at the Albany Art Room.  The closure (and anticipated eventual re-opening) of the Art Room coincided beautifully with the arrival of some pink in the DelSo neighborhood and it seems that Janine has been enjoying her time at home planning her next artistic endeavor – Pink House Pottery.  We’ve already established our neighborhood as a great place to live, eat and shop.  It only seems natural to begin developing our area as a place to explore the arts.  I mean, the Spectrum is already here as well as Davey Jones Locker and my wonderfully talented artist neighbors, why not a pottery place, too?

Janine is competing to  win an All Over Albany – Sunmark Credit Union Startup grant of $1500 to turn her dream of having a basement studio for sharing her love of clay into a reality.  Voting ends Friday so get yourselves involved by clicking here and supporting Pink House Pottery!

Built

who doesn’t love a luminaria?

For the second year in a row, I volunteered to pour wine last night at the Historic Albany Foundation’s annual event, Built.  This silent auction and art exhibit highlights the use of vacant buildings in Albany and is a wonderful fundraiser, as well as being a really fun night. Mark Brogna, from Capital Wine and Spirits who donates the evening’s wine offerings,  originally roped me in last year and I enjoyed myself so much that I asked him this year if I could participate again.  The attendees are seriously the nicest group of people I’ve ever taken care of – “What, no more Pinot Noir?  Ok, I’ll have Merlot!”  I’m talking mellow and happy and appreciative. And, did I mention artfully dressed?

This year’s festivities were held at the Cathedral of All Saints. Despite my having spent my first 2 years living in Albany less than a block from this magnificent edifice (if I gush a little it’s just to make up for neglecting to give this building its due respect previously), I am sheepishly confessing to never having been inside it prior to last night. The cathedral is absolutely stunning and I think it is the ideal location for this event – can’t wait til next year! My awesome neighbors, Lori Hansen and Ken Ragsdale were honored (along with Mark Brogna and John McLennan) for their contributions to Built over the last 10 years, which made the night that much more special. Way to represent the DelSo! The food, rumored to have been catered by the Lily and the Rose (confirmation, anyone?)  looked terrific and the brownie I indulged in met my criteria, which is – it must be able to be stuck back together in chocolate gooeyness.

A highlight for me, in addition to having some fun taking these pictures for the Times Union’s SEEN gallery and the generous number of compliments I received on my vintage dress, was finding myself within a circle (natch) of women described by Lori Hansen as being “powerful women.” A year ago, I felt very much like an awed witness to the contributions made by fantastic local women like Lori, Laura and Elissa, among countless others.  I am kind of amazed that a year later, I have been included in the same sentence as these ladies.   Built?  Yeah, I’d say I’m very much enjoying this life under construction.