A Stranger in a Familiar Land

The phrase "let's go hang out in Schenectady" was never used much growing up, by myself or my friends.  I suppose it seemed to us, at the time, kind of like saying "let's go hang out under a bridge.  Or at Chernobyl."  In our minds, it was a post-industrial wasteland.   With ALCO gone in 1969, and GE spread globally, I'm told the population of Schenectady has declined nearly a third since 1950.  Keep in mind, the soapbox I'm preaching from has no great view itself.  I grew up in Guilderland.  Although I still love the place, I'm also aware that it's not the center of the Universe.  Not even in the same zip code. 

 And yet, here I am; An official resident of the Old Stockade for just over a month-point-five.  Even a week before I signed the lease and first moved in, I can admit that I had no intention to locate out this way.  What changed? Well, five bars within a five minute walk never hurts, but that certainly isn't a deciding factor now, is it?  It's something else instead. 

Schenectady has a pulse.  And it's only getting stronger.  

There are coffeehouses here, and they serve up a mean espresso.  Open mic nights, jam nights with plenty of local talent.  There's trivia at the bars, and art in the galleries.  Lots of it.  The food you can find is delicious and varied.  Off-broadway shows are playing at Proctors, and there's community theater to boot.  Pub crawls and dancing lessons, rock music and a Sunday market.  Oh, and the base of my food pyramid through the late 90s, Bombers, has opened another bar right on State Street.  In the same way Homer Simpson salivates over the thought of hog fat, so I do with the thought of lemon-pepper garlic wings.  Schenectady, how did I miss all this?

The Schenectady of Yesteryear.

 And so this blog was born.  Now, truth time; I know nothing about blogs, nor the culture behind it.  It's always been a bit of a strange idea to me, kind of like Crocs and Vitamin Water (Did I just alienate some potential readers before they've finished reading my first post? Told you I was new to this).  Up until this year, I couldn't figure out why people wanted to share their everyday lives with the online world.  Then I couldn't figure out why people would regularly read what was written.  But

some friends enlightened me.  Most blogs aren't about the authors, they're about the knowledge the authors want to pass on.  I'm sure you, dear reader, knew this already.  I'm apparently a bit slow on the uptake.  

So this blog is meant to explore the Electric City; what makes it tick, its beating heart.  This city has so much more growing to do, and it's got the perfect community to help it along the way.  I'll be searching out every brilliant facet I can find, but I'll be relying on you, the reader, to point me in the right direction as well.  Every now and then I'll take a look at the famous names that have come out of this town (Fact: Did you know Doctor Octopus from the Spiderman comics was born in Schenectady?).  As I get more familiar with it all, we'll start looking at local politics, movements, anything that could help make Schenectady a better place.  


I emphasize, my goal is to be a signpost at a crossroads; not telling you where to go and what to do, but to give you as many options as I can.  I'll only have an arrow or two on the post to begin with, but that number will multiply.  Any help along the way is appreciated.  I'll keep it upbeat, always.  I'm not out to slay the reputation of businesses, I will always find the positive where I go.  These posts are meant to build up a city, not tear it down.  If you think you've got a place worth visiting, do let me know.  I'll see you out there.  Thank you for reading!


Let's watch Schenectady grow again. Food. Drink. Music. Art.  It's all here... 
The Electric City Redux.