Metroland

Keeping Sharp

I am trendy only by accident. Sometimes I’ve been in a place for years and the retro-seekers catch up. (Hats, for example.) Sometimes we arrive independently. It seems that I am no longer as alone in my passion for the Blackwing pencil as I was when its manufacture was ended. The choice of many illustrators from the 1930s on, it also attracted a fan base of writers (Steinbeck among them) and composers (Bernstein, Sondheim).

They are now manufactured by Palomino, and I have stocked up. I like to draft the stories I write by hand. As Sondheim points out, the soft pencils need frequent-enough sharpening to keep you from drowsing. And the sharpener itself is an impressive two-stage affair in which you first achieve a rough-hewn cone, then, in the second hole, hone it to a potentially lethal point.

I can’t say that it’s improved my writing. But it feels good to get away from the computer every now and then.

Metroland Readers Poll '15: Goods and Services

 

Best Optical Store

1. Empire Visionworks

2. DiNapoli Opticians

3. LensCrafters

The recently rebranded Empire Visionsworks is your favorite, but local mainstays DiNapoli was a strong second.

Best Appliance Store

1. Sears

2. John D. Marcella and Son Appliances

3. Lowe’s Home Improvement

Sears may be struggling, but its Kenmore line of products clearly remains popular.

Best Antique Store

1. Silver Fox Salvage

2. Trojan Horse Antiques

3. Aunt Katie’s Attic

Only a handful of votes separated these perennially popular Albany, Troy and Scotia businesses.

Best Bookstore

1. Barnes & Noble Booksellers

2. The Book House

3. Market Block Books

The last standing national bookstore chain may have won, but it was close. And the Book House and Market Block—which are twin heads of one local bookseller—got the most votes combined.

Best Comic Book Store

1. Earthworld Comics

2. Aquilonia Comics

3. Zombie Planet

Earthworld is your superhero source for superheroes.

Best Garden Store/Nursery

1. Hewitt’s Garden Centers

2. Faddegon’s Nursery

3. George’s Market Nursery

If the top three finishers in this category were trees, then Hewitt’s would be the sequoia.

Best Florist

1. Lark Street Flower Market

2. Emil J. Nagengast Florist

3. Frank Gallo & Son Florist

Lark Street comes up roses in this category, but there was strong support for both Nagangast and Gallo. We’re wondering, what happened to former winner Price Chopper?

Best Kitchen Store

1. Different Drummer’s Kitchen: The Cook’s Resource

2. Lowe’s Home Improvement

3. Williams-Sonoma

Different Drummer’s is an all-round gourmand’s store—and you know it.

Best Furniture Store

1. The Old Brick Furniture Co.

2. Taft Furniture

3. Huck Finn’s Warehouse & More

Low prices were first in voters’ minds in this category.

Best Pet Supply Store

1. Benson’s Pet Center

2. PetSmart

3. Healthy Pet Center

Local, independent chain Benson’s edged out PetSmart in this popular category.

Best Gift Store

1. Wit’s End Giftique

2. Maggie’s Gift Shop

3. Romeo’s Gifts

More than 26,000 square feet of selling space gave Clifton Park’s Wit’s End Giftique a clear edge.

Best Wine/Liquor Store

1. Empire Wine & Liquor Outlet

2. All Star Wine & Liquor

3. Exit 9 Wine & Liquor

Our readers enjoy an adult beverage now and then (and again). We know because this was one of the most popular overall categories.

Best Women’s Clothing Store

1. Macy’s

2. Kohl’s

3. Truly Rhe

Times change and retail stores come and go, but Macy’s almost always wins. Props to Troy’s Truly Rhe for a solid showing.

Best Men’s Clothing Store

1. Macy’s

2. Kohl’s

3. Enigma Co.

We’re sensing a pattern here: Macy’s, Kohl’s, and an interesting indie shop in Troy—this time, the Enigma Co.

Best Children’s Clothing Store

1. The Children’s Place

2. Kohl’s

3. GAP Kids

When it comes to dressing your fancy brats, the national chains are seemingly unbeatable.

Best Consignment Clothing Store

1. Plato’s Closet

2. Goodwill

3. (tie) Polkadots, Salvation Army

Only Plato’s Closet and Polkadots are consignments stores. Plato’s is geared to teens, Polkadots caters to children; Plato’s wins. 

Best Sporting Goods Store

1. Dick’s Sporting Goods

2. (tie) Empire Mountain Sports, Goldstock’s

4. Play It Again Sports

The big chains may be overrepresented in this category, but local legends Goldstocks are hanging in there.

Best Head Shop

1. Northern Lights Smoke Shop

2. Orion Boutique

3. Déjà vu

Each establishment has its partisans, but Northern Lights heads the list.

Best Cigar/Tobacco Shop

1. Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe

2. Edleez Tobacco

3. Smoke Shop

Your perennial favorite—Habana Premium—wins again.

Best Holistic Shop

1. Crossroads Gifts & Wellness

2. Honest Weight Food Co-op

3. Hippies, Witches, & Gypsies

Crossroads in Schenectady specializes exclusively on health, wellness, and divine inspiration, and apparently inspiring readers to maximize their voting.

Best Art Supply Store

1. Arlene’s Artist Supply

2. Michael’s

3. Savoir Faire

Arlene’s wins big again—and with a large overall vote total reflecting the store’s high standing in the arts community.

Best Bicycle Shop

1. Downtube Bicycle Works

2. Plaine and Son

3. Troy Bike Rescue

The Downtube folks are the experts at all things cyclist, recognized by readers with their yearly win.

Best Toy Store

1. Toys ’R Us

2. G Willikers

3. Ta Da!

Wow, Toys really are Us, going by their voting score. But if you want something really special, why not try the locally owned runners-up?

Best Jeweler

1. Hannoush Jewelers

2. Kay Jewelers

3. Northeastern Fine Jewelers

It was close, but the family-run Hannoush Jewelers edged out the national chain.

Best Day Spa

1. Kimberley’s A Day Spa

2. Complexions Spa for Beauty & Wellness

3. (tie) White Sands Massage Spa, Roosevelt Baths

For our readers, Kimberley’s in Latham has the magic touch.

Best Musical Instrument Store

1. Parkway Music

2. Drome Sound

3. (tie) Guitar Center, Collar City Guitars

Parkway Music turned it up to 11, proving that they meet your musical needs with a 100-vote victory margin.

Best Apple Orchard

1. Indian Ladder Farms

2. Goold’s Orchards

3. Golden Harvest

Indian Ladder in Altamont won by a bushel load. That Rosie (the Highland heifer) really knows how to get out the vote.

Best Farmers Market

1. Troy Waterfront/Winter Farmers Market

2. Schenectady Greenmarket

3. Saratoga Farmers Market

Is it the selection? Is it the location? Is it the live music? Is it the fact that you’re guaranteed to run into someone you know? With the Troy Farmers Market, it’s all of the above.

Best Produce

1. Honest Weight Food Co-op

2. Troy Farmers Market

3. (tie) Price Chopper, Hannaford

They’re both so good that we’re guessing Honest Weight beat out TFM because it’s indoors year-round.

Best Shopping (Plaza)

1. Stuyvesant Plaza

2. Clifton Park Center

3. Mohawk Commons

A wipeout. Not. Even. Close. Stuyvesant Plaza dominated this category by more than 300 votes.

Best Shopping (Mall)

1. Colonie Center

2. Crossgates Mall

3. Wilton Mall

On the other hand, while Wilton Mall was a distant third, your loyalties to Colonie Center and Crossgates are more closely divided.

Best Shopping (Downtown)

1. Troy

2. Saratoga Springs

3. Albany

You really enjoy the compact, pedestrian-friendly downtown retail offered by Troy and Saratoga. Sorry capital city: Albany wasn’t in the running.

Best Shopping (Outlet)

1. Lee, Mass.

2. Lake George

3. Woodbury Commons

Lee has a lower sales tax. Lee wins.

Best Supermarket

1. Price Chopper/Market Bistro

2. Hannaford

3. Honest Weight Food Co-op

The perennial winners are one-two again, while Honest Weight, looking more like a supermarket in its new location, takes third. But really, have you people ever tried Shop Rite?

Best Health Food Store

1. Honest Weight Food Co-op

2. Whole Foods

3. Uncle Sam’s Health Food

Honest Weight was once the only real health food store in the area; 35 years later, and they’ve once again won this category by a landslide.

Best Record Store (Used)

1. Last Vestige Record Shop

2. River Street Beat Shop

3. FYE

As interest in new vinyl grows, so does your craving for classic vinyl. And Last Vestige wins with its mind-blowing selection. There was plenty of love for Troy’s RSBS, too.

Best Video Game Store

1. GameStop

2. Pastime Legends

3. Jay St. Video Games

The national chain with the ubiquitous mall locations won, but Pastime Legends and Jay St. both received strong support from gamers.

Metroland Readers Poll '15: Arts

 

Best Movie Theater

1. Spectrum 8 Theatres

2. Regal Colonie Center Stadium 13 & RPX

With its wide-ranging booking and amenities, the Spectrum is one of the biggest vote-getters in any category. There’s no number three because most of you just wrote “Bowtie.” There are two Bowtie cinemas and their booking is quite different—specify, people.

Best Museum

1. New York State Museum

2. Albany Institute of History & Art

3. MASS MoCA

The NYSM has to reflect the diversity of New York state’s arts, nature, culture and people. And according to you, they do it very well.

Best Art Gallery

1. Albany Center Gallery

2. (tie) Upstate Artists Guild, MASS MoCA

4. The Hyde Collection

Their gallery exhibits strive to showcase regional artists, and their community events bring art to the streets of the Capital Region. We’re guessing that’s why ACG won.

Best Local Performing Arts Organization

1. Saratoga Performing Arts Center

2. Capital Repertory Theatre

3. Proctors

The breadth of SPAC’s programming more that made up for the fact that their season only lasts part of the year. Capital Rep was a strong second-place finisher.

Best Live Theater Venue

1. Proctors

2. Capital Repertory Theatre

3. Palace Theatre

Proctors won this in a landslide. There is no competing with full-on productions of hit Broadway shows.

Best Comedy Club

1. The Comedy Works

2. Brew Ha Ha Comedy Showcase

3.The Van Dyke

The Comedy Works has two clubs, but received more than 10 times the votes. We’ll attribute it to how they alternate big-name bookings with local showcases.

Best Drive-In Movie Theater

1. Malta Drive-In

2. Hollywood Drive-In

3. Jericho Drive-In

It’s awesome that the region has so many vintage drive-ins, and readers agreed with a big voter turnout for this category; however Malta Drive-In was the winner (maybe there was a surge from chip-fab workers).

Best Children’s Arts Program

1. Steamer No. 10 Theatre

2. Arts Center of the Capital Region

3. Theatre Institute at Sage

A hearty salute to our neighbors across Western Avenue: Steamer No. 10 has made theater come alive for generations of kids.

Best Local Arts Hero

1. Tony Iadicicco

2. Ralph Renna

3. Andrew Gregory

Artist, gallerist, and inventive promoter of the arts from the Hudson to the Mohawk, Tony Iadicicco, executive director of Albany Center Gallery, is clearly your hero.

Best Local Visual Artist

1. Michael Oatman

2. Tony Iadicicco

3. (tie) Alex Waters, Robert Guille

Troy-based multi-media artist Michael Oatman can add recognition by local readers to his long list of accolades.

Best Local Filmmaker

1. Mike Feurstein

2. (tie) Jamel Bosley, Brett Parker

4. Bhawin Suchak

Mike Feurstein, auteur of the four-volume How to Unmake a Bully series, received the volume of votes.

Best Local Fiction Writer

1. Jill Starling

2. William Kennedy

3. Dennis Mahoney

Jill Starling’s topical St. Agnes’ Place apparently resonated with readers for an upset win over perennial favorite William Kennedy.

Best Local Non-Fiction Writer

1. Brett Parker

2. Paul Grondahl

3. William Kennedy

Apparently blogger and non-fiction writer have become synonymous because Brett Parker, a movie blogger, wins this category for the second year in a row, squeaking ahead of author Paul Grondahl, whose latest non-fiction book is These Exalted Acres.  

Best Local Poet

1. Brian Dorn

2. Mary Panza

3. (tie) Jay Renzi, Elizabeth Gordon

The muses were on the side of Brian Dorn this year.

Best Local Solo Musician

1. Erin Harkes

2. Anthony Fallacaro

3. Frank Palangi

The votes were in long before Harkes graced our cover last week: She’s your favorite singer-songwriter.

Best Live Music Venue

1. Saratoga Performing Arts Center

2. Vapor Nightclub

3. Upstate Concert Hall

With beautiful surroundings and with a schedule that runs from major rock bands to world-class classical, it’s no wonder that SPAC is the favorite venue.

Best Dance/Nightclub

1. Vapor Nightclub

2. The Fuze Box

3. Waterworks Pub

Bigger is better when it comes to dance clubs, as Vapor steamed ahead of the runners-up.

Best Open Mic

1. Trick Shots Billiards

2. The Rustic Barn Pub

3. McGeary’s Pub

This was the closest vote total this year in any category, with only one vote separating first from second and second from third place.

Best Art Event

1. Art on Lark

2. Troy Night Out

3. 1st Friday Albany

The yearly Art on Lark, which focuses primarily on art, is your art fair of choice by a wide margin.

Best Country Band

1. Skeeter Creek

2. Big Sky Country

3. Yankee Holler

When it comes to having a loud and loyal fan base, nobody tops Skeeter Creek. Nobody.

Best Local Blues

1. The Accents

2. Bent Rail

3. Holly & Evan

It’s hard to peg the Accents as a blues band when they cover everyone from Rose Royce to Robin Thicke, but the voters have spoken.

Best Local Jazz Band

1. The Chronicles

2. Dylan Perrillo Orchestra

3. Brian Patneaude Quartet

This is probably the second-closest outcome in any category. And while most of you can’t spell “Perillo” or “Patenaude,” you know what you like.

Best Local Punk Band

1. The Last Conspirators

2. The Erotics

3. Slaughterhouse Chorus

Hard touring old-school punk-rock band the Last Conspirators seriously rocked the vote.

Best Local Hip Hop Artist

1. Sean Reid

2. MIRK

3. Masai ATG

Sean Reid (aka DJTwofifty) just edged out your longtime fave MIRK to win this category.

Best Local Rock Band

1. Wild Adriatic

2. Hard Soul

3. Super 400

We love all of your choices. Well done, voters.

Best Local Indie Rock Band

1. Yankee Holler

2. Where’s Alex

3. Wild Adriatic

Skeeter Creek couldn’t touch Yankee Holler in this category.

Best Local Cover Band

1. Skeeter Creek

2. Yankee Holler

3. Big Sky Country

Skeeter Creek: They’re a little bit country; they’re a little bit rock & roll. Yankee Holler weren’t far behind, though.

Best Local Metal Band

1. Maggot Brain

2. (tie) Let Go Daylight, Wartime Manner

4. Dynamite Pleasure Chair

We’re wondering how many votes Maggot Brain got just for their name.

Best Local Hardcore Band

1. Brick by Brick

2. Wartime Manner

3. Aggressive Response

Troycore forever: more than a slogan as Troy metalcore act Brick by Brick racked up the votes.

Best Local Club DJ

1. Mike Cestaro

2. Kendrick DJ Debonair Ricci

3. DJ Trumastr

Newlyweds gave this category an edge, since DJ Mike Cestaro, who does a lot of weddings, won by a slim margin.

Best Comedian

1. Erin Harkes

2. Greg Aidella

3. Jaye McBride

The old line is that musicians really want to be comedians, and vice versa. Harkes actually manages to succeed at both.

Metroland Readers Poll '15: People and Places

 

Best Park

1. Washington Park

2. The Crossings

3. Thatcher Park

Whether due to the festivals, the tulips, the dog park, the neat way the light hits the trees at just the right time of day or, simply, its easy access for a quick sunlight picnic with a stealth bottle of wine in the middle of your work week, Washington Park crushed this category. 

Best Playground

1. The Crossings

2. Central Park

3. Washington Park

Pretty much everyone agrees that the best playground can be found in Colonie. We totally get why: They have some solid equipment and that cool, springy turf.

Best Day Trip

1. Lake George

2. New York City

3. Saratoga Springs

It warms our hearts to see an old-school, legendary upstate playground like Lake George take first place.

Best Bike Ride

1. Mohawk-Hudson

2. Corning Preserve

3. Zim Smith

We trust our readers on this one. You guys are a bunch of bike-riding fools and, according to you, the Mohawk-Hudson is twice as bikeable as the Corning Preserve.

Best Running Trail

1. Corning Preserve

2. (tie) The Crossings, Mohawk-Hudson

4. Zim Smith

However, when it come to running, you’re only slightly less enthusiastic in your preference for the Preserve.

Best Hiking/Nature Trail

1. Thacher Park

2. Five Rivers

2. (tie) Pine Bush, Plottenkill

Just can’t beat the Indian Ladder Trail. And no one did. You would much rather hike Thacher than even the educational Five Rivers Trail in Delmar.

Best Rock Climbing

1. The Edge

2. Albany Indoor Rock Gym

3. Thacher Park

We don’t know if we can condone rock-climbing at Thacher (is that even allowed?), but we’re pretty sure it’s safe at your other favorite spots.

Best Gym

1. Planet Fitness

2. Vent

3. Best Fitness

You all LOVE your P-Fit. But we wonder how often you actually go.

Best Tattoo Artist

1. Dustin Horan

2. John Abbott

3. Eric Brown

You’ll find No. 1 at the Dead Presidents Lounge in Albany, No. 2 at Ms. Dixie’s Tattoo and Pin-Up Parlor in Troy, and No. 3 at Impulse Tattoo in Glenmont. In case you’re looking.

Best Yoga/Pilates

1. Heartspace Yoga

2. The Hot Yoga Spot

3. Good Karma

Heartspace and Hot Yoga took this category easily, but Good Karma is the only local studio with a “flight center,” where students can do upside-down yoga.

Best Golf Course

1. Saratoga National

2. Frear Park

3. Van Patten

Local golf lovers don’t all care about fancier amenities such as those offered by the courses in Saratoga and Clifton Park, they’re just as happy to play on the municipal course at Frear Park in Troy.

Best Miniature Golf

1. Pirate’s Cove

2. Funplex

3. Oasis

Arrrr. . . . Oh, and by the way, Oasis in Troy has been closed for over a year.

Best Skiing/Snowboarding

1. Jiminy Peak

2. Gore Mountain

3. Whiteface

This was definitely a fantastic year for snow sports (if not for our collective seasonal affective disorder), and you overwhelmingly preferred to visit Jiminy and Gore to make the most of all that powder.

Best Ice Skating

1. Empire State Plaza Ice Rink

2. (tie) HVCC, Swinburne Park

We agree that it’s pretty awesome to ice skate right on the Plaza, but were surprised that the other indoor rinks didn’t get a little more love.

Best Bowling Alley

1. Playdium

2. Uncle Sam

3. Spare Time

This was a close one. Rock’N Bowl, Blacklight bowling, galactic bowling. Pretty much anywhere you can consume copious amounts of beer and call it a sport, right?

Best Pool Hall

1. Trick Shots

2. Golden Cue

3. Diamond 8

Golden Cue might be one of the oldest pool halls in the Northeast, but Trick Shots is by far your favorite place to sink your balls.

Best Bar

1. The Ruck

2. The Barrell Saloon

3. McGeary’s Pub

Y’all really, really love the Ruck. For so many reasons.

Best Hook-Up Bar

1. The Ruck

2. (tie) The Lionhart, Stout

4. Bootlegger’s

This was a landslide. Best bar, best beer, best wings AND best tail.

Best Gay Bar

1. (tie) Oh Bar, Waterworks Pub

3. Rocks

We love these places too, but where are the gay bars outside of Albany?

Best Wine Bar

1. Lucas Confectionary

2. Wine Bar & Bistro

3. Mio Vino

Its big, big win shows, again, that Lucas Confectionary has become a central part of the happening scene in Troy.

Best Happy Hour

1. The Ruck

2. (tie) McGeary’s, Bombers Burrito Bar

4. Wheatfields

The Ruck’s the one when work is done. What with all the beer and wings and hookin’ up.

Best Bar Staff

1. McGeary’s Pub

2. The Ruck

3. (tie) Finnbar, Brown’s Brewing Company

Tess Collins and her staff are friendly, fun and great at their jobs. That’s why they always win here.

Best Strip Club

1. DiCarlo’s

2. Nite Moves

3. Double Vision

Newly reopened and reenergized, the “new” DiCarlo’s is as popular as the “old” DiCarlo’s.

Best Sports Venue (Spectator)

1. Times Union Center

2. Joseph L. Bruno Stadium

3. Bleecker Stadium

Given that the TUC is home to Siena basketball and Albany Devils hockey, this was a lot closer than you’d expect. Why? The Tri-City ValleyCats deliver a great night at the ballpark. A nice shout-out from Twilight League baseball and Metro Mallers football fans, too.

Best Bar/Restaurant to Watch a Game

1. Recovery Room Sports Grille

2. Wolf’s 1-11

3. The Ruck

The name says it all: This popular chain is where you go to watch the big game(s).

Best Trivia Night

1. The Ruck

2. Bombers Burrito Bar

3. Nanola

Who’s the “Canadian sprint canoeist” born in 1946 who has the same last name as the winning establishment in this category? Wolfgang Ruck, of course.

Best Public Official

1. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko

2. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan

3. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Have we got a Democratic readership or what?

Best Citizen Advocate

1. Alice Green

2. Masai Andrews

3. Angelica Clark

Institutionalized racism was the civil rights issue this year, and your favorite advocates were all involved in organizing Capital Region responses to events in Ferguson and elsewhere. Dr. Alice Green took first, no doubt, due to her many years of service as founder and executive director of the Center for Law and Justice, and countless other achievements and recognitions in the areas of civil and criminal justice as well as community organization.

Best Animal Advocate

1. Steve Caporizzo

2. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

3. Brad Shear

With his Pet Connection segments and off-air charity work, the ABC 10 meteorologist is generous in his efforts on behalf of animals.

Best Local Charity

1. Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

2. (tie) HUGS, Rescue Mission

4. Ronald McDonald House

You love your pets just slightly more than you hate cancer and homelessness.

Best Swimming

1. Grafton Lake

2. Lake George

3. YMCA

Outdoor lake swimming wins. The YMCA has that year-round thing going for it, but it also has all that chlorine.

Best Campground

1. Moreau State Park

2. Lake George

3. KOA

Go north, young men (and women). When the Capital Region goes camping, we like to get the hell outta town.

Best Suburb

1. Delmar

2. Colonie

3. Clifton Park

Compact, old-school Delmar wins again. And why not? Location, amenities, shopping and public transportation options are all first class.

Best Downtown (Living)

1. Troy

2. Saratoga Springs

3. Albany

Troy is the happening place to live, and you think so by a wide margin.

Best Downtown (Partying)

1. Troy

2. Saratoga Springs

3. Albany

Troy’s margin of victory was slimmer in this category. You may not afford to live in Saratoga, but you can apparently afford to drink there.

Best Up-and-Coming Neighborhood

1. Troy

2. Downtown Schenectady

3. Delaware Avenue, Albany

An entire city is not a “neighborhood.” Y’all are Troy crazy.

Metroland Readers Poll '15: Media

 

Best Local TV News

1. WNYT NewsChannel 13

2. WTEN News 10 ABC

3. WRGB CBS 6

NewsChannel 13 is still number one. ABC News 10 is still number two. We’re surprised, however, that CBS 6, who present the most technologically sophisticacted newscast in the market, didn’t do better.

Best Local TV News Anchor

1. Elisa Streeter

2. John Gray

3. Benita Zahn

NewsChannel 13 won the overall “best news” category, but ABC 10 swept the individual categories (plus Twitter). What does this mean? Beats us. We do know, however, that this recognition for Elisa Streeter is well deserved and long overdue.

Best Local Meteorologist

1. Steve Caporizzo

2. Bob Kovachick

3. Paul Caiano

ABC 10’s “Cap,” who is celebrating 25 years as a meteorologist in this market, was your overwhelming choice.

Best Local Sportscaster

1. Liana Bonavita

2. Rodger Wyland

3. Marisa Jacques

When ABC 10 and Fox 23 merged their news operations, Bonavita was one of the few Fox anchors (along with John Gray) kept on. Clearly, this was the right decision.

Best News Radio Station

1. WAMC

2. WGY

3. 100.9 The Cat

It’s another big (and well-deserved) win for WAMC Northeast Public Radio and their multi-state news operation. News director Ian Pickus and company should take a bow.

Best Talk Radio

1. WAMC

2. WGY

3. Talk 1300 AM

You can’t get enough of Joe Donahue, the Roundtable panel and Vox Pop, can you? With WGY, your support for Chuck & Kelly and Joe Gallagher is duly noted. And as for Talk 1300, I guess y’all are too liberal for Paul Vandenburgh.

Best Local Music Radio

1. WEQX

2. WEXT

3. Fly 92.3

The voters have spoken: Keep on doin’ what you’re doin’, WEQX. Public radio’s WEXT was a strong number two.

Best Local Radio DJ

1. Kevin Richards

2. Jake Allen

3. Brian Cody

Our voters dig that modern country sound: Kevin Richards edged out fellow 100.9 The Cat DJ Jake Allen for number one.

Best Local Publication

1. Metroland

2. Times Union

3. The Daily Gazette

Thanks, again. You’re too kind.

Best Local Arts Coverage

1. Metroland

2. Nippertown

3. Times Union

No, really, stop it. Thanks!

Best Local Print Journalist

1. John Gray

2. Paul Grondahl

3. Jordan Carleo-Evangelist

ABC 10 anchor John Gray’s weekly column in The Record wins him this category again. Strong showings for TU aces Grondahl and JCE, too.

Best Local TV Commercial

1. Fuccillo

2. Mohawk Honda

3. Catseye Pest Control

Billy’s still huge.

Best Local Website (News)

1. Times Union

2. All Over Albany

3. News 10 ABC

The TU’s web presence still tops the local media community for breaking news.

Best Local Website (Community)

1. All Over Albany

2. Keep Albany Boring

3. Nippertown

Go ahead, AOA, feel the love on your 7th birthday. You dominated this category.

Best Local Website (Arts)

1. Nippertown

2. All Over Albany

3. Keep Albany Boring

With respect to arts, however, Nippertown doubled AOA’s vote total.

Best Local Website (Music)

1. Nippertown

2. CRUMBS

3. Captial Underground Radio

Breaking concert news, reviews, photos . . . Nippertown is On It.

Best Local Podcast

1. CRUMBS.net

2. Capital Underground

3. A Small American City

Hard to believe CRUMBS is closing in on its 20th anniversary—which predates the invention of podcasts.

Best Local Blog

1. All Over Albany

2. Table Hopping

3. Keep Albany Boring

Another solid win for AOA.

Best Local Twitter Feed

1. Lydia Kulbida

2. Kevin McCashion

3. Cinephilny

We agree: ABC 10’s Kulbida, with her wide interests and quick wit, writes terrific tweets. As for number two, nobody knows #troycrazy like McCashion. Nobody.

Metroland Readers Poll '15: Etcetera

 

 

The free-for-all category in which our readers muse sagely and rant wildly

Best use of public funds

Albany Public Library, CDTA, infrastructure, education, housing, Troy’s new snow emergency plan, Albany Convention Center, Alive at Five, Albany Barn, keeping Ladder 1 open, roads, moving Hoffman’s Playland to Albany, indict Silver, support for the arts, red light cameras, Troy’s Riverfront Park, blowing up the Wellington Annex, “is this a trick question?

Best misuse of public funds

Andrew Cuomo, Troy’s King Street demolition, New York State Legislature, “University at Albany cutting humanities,” red light cameras, politicians, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver, Albany’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Tappan Zee Bridge, suburban sprawl, “paying to move Hoffman’s to Huck Finn’s,” Schenectady Metroplex, “Governor’s Mansion not being used.”

Best way to lure people to the Capital Region

Saratoga Race Course, LarkFest, Albany All Stars Roller Derby, more Trader Joe’s locations [editor’s note: you TJ’s people aren’t satisfied, ever, are you?], arts, candy, casinos, “change the road signs,” colleges, craft beer,  jobs, “legalize it,” lie, lower taxes, mini hot dogs, music, outdoor festivals, political drama, advertise our proximity to other places,

Best time to be had in the Capital Region for under $10

Empire State Plaza summer concerts, Tri-City ValleyCats, Alive at Five, Troy Night Out, classic movie nights at the Palace Theatre, Peebles Island State Park, New York State Museum, Caffe Lena’s open mic,  Troy’s Rockin’ on the River, “Redbox and stay home,” Spectrum 8 Theatres, Empire State Plaza Ice Rink, “ice cream cones at Jumpin’ Jacks while listening to the free concert series on the water,” Washington Park.

Best place to see and be seen

Troy Farmers Market, Saratoga Race Course, “that inane ‘Were You Seen’ feature on the Times Union site,” Lucas Confectionary, Alive at Five, PearlPalooza, Lark Street, “Oliver’s Beverage Center around 4 PM on Fridays,” SPAC, the Joe, UAlbany women’s basketball games, Washington Park’s Knox Street Mall, “I’m too old for that shit.”

Best thing that could happen to Albany

Wegmans, BusPlus Purple Line, stop the bomb trains, arrest Cuomo, bury I-787, aquarium, “the WonderBeards break big,” light rail, skate park in Washington Park, “the Empire State Plaza never happened,” restore historic sites, “people stop bitching about the Empire State Plaza—that place is awesome,” more parking, more concerts, IKEA, impeach Cuomo, “SPRING!!!!”

Best thing that could happen to Troy

Less crime/drugs/murder, BusPlus Blue Line, movie theater, better bus service, “the whole ‘next Brooklyn’ thing could fade away and Troy could just be thought of as cool on its own,” aquarium, “the mayor would fix the water pipes—dick,” Uber, “WonderBeards go platinum,” waterfront development, “new mayor—where are you Harry, we miss you!”

Best thing that could happen to Schenectady

Casino [editor’s note: this is happening, right?], the casino falls through, “pave the damn roads,” skate park, less crime/drugs/murder, GE resurgence, downtown grocery, “oust Gary McCarthy,” Wegmans, socialism, land bank, “knock down I-890 and bring back Pleasant Valley Park,” gentrification, meteor/asteroid, more parking, earthquake, zeppelin service, retail stores.

Best thing that could happen to Saratoga Springs

Affordable housing, “it’s perfect,” longer track season, nothing, no more horse racing, more parking, “stop building condos and fairly tax the ones we already have,” stop sprawl, Chick-fil-A, cigar bar, “don’t change,” bike lanes, Kid Rock, “remove pokers from residents’ asses,” more poor people, slow growth, “stop being so snooty,” more opera, Wegmans.

Best thing that happened in 2014

Paul McCartney at the Times Union Center, Wellington Annex implosion, Albany Barn opened, Schenectady casino announced, Cider Belly Doughnuts, “eating chicken at the Flying Chicken (see also 2013 and 2015),” The Neighborhood That Disappeared, Union College NCAA hockey championship, Whole Foods opened at Colonie Center, “WonderBeards played at Gug’s a few weeks ago” [editor’s note: not bad, dooders], Kathy Sheehan inaugurated, Republicans took over the state senate, Dance Flurry festival.

Best reason to live in the Capital Region

Affordability, quality of life, change of seasons, the people, Troy, proximity to other places, music scene, Nipper, history, “all the atheists,” diversity, creative energy, arts, fall foliage, quality of life, the Snowman’s ice cream, WEXT, state jobs, Stewart’s Shops, global warming, “friends become family.”

Best local celebrity you’d like to date

Skeeter Creek’s Buddy Cocker, Matt Baumgartner, Trishna Begam, Jeff Nania, Julie Chapman, Mickey Rourke [editor’s note: huh?], Rosemary Armeo, Yolanda Vega, Mary Panza, DJ Trumastr, John Gray, Nipper.

Best kept secret in the Capital Region

Troy, the Malt Room, Leah’s Cakery, Kateri Peace Conference, Tivoli Preserve, Averill Park’s Town Tavern, “you don’t really have to stop at red lights,” Hudson River, Mohawk River, prostitution, “who killed Legs Diamond?”

Best [???] add your own category

Best Body Piercer: Karla Sharps (Tattoo World) and Will VonDoome (Classy Body Art); Best Doughnuts: Cider Belly Doughnuts; Best Celtic Band: Triskele; Best Medium: Katie Manning-Hilton; Best Youth Organization: Troy Boys & Girls Club; Best Cuban Food: Carmen’s Café.

 

 

 

Readers Poll Voting Ends at 5 o'Clock This Afternoon

So, last chance:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9ZFS75N

 

 

Coming this week in Metroland and etc.

It's part deux of our Holiday Gift Guide.

Theater & Performance: Paul Rapp is reviewing John Waters at the Egg; John Rodat is reviewing Ira Glass at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall; James Yeara is reviewing This Wonderful Life at Capital Repertory Theatre.

Movies: Ann Morrow's reviewing Anna Karenina; Laura Leon's reviewing Killing Them Softly.

I am reviewing Carrie Underwood at the TUC, but I'm not sure when that's running.

The kind folks at Nippertown took note of the "interesting war of words" in the comments of David King's devastating review of the Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie show at the GFCC, which also happens to be one of our most-clicked-on reviews of 2012.

Also: We are in preliminary discussions for Local Heroes 2012. If you know a hero, please submit your idea in the comments.

Survival Kit

. . . spotted at Crossgates at the Fresh Healthy Cafe.

Shop Talk, or This Afternoon on Twitter

A fortune cookie I opened yesterday suggested, in so many words, that it would behoove me to shut up. This is wisdom I should have taken to heart. If you follow Metroland on Twitter, you know that I did not follow this advice Friday afternoon.

We were criticized for 2 things we did in this week's issue: We ran a snarky, unbylined photocap of a show at Valentine's; we previewed 6 events this week--with photos--and only one of these was in the city of Albany.

After receiving Brent Gorton's e-mail Thursday afternoon (Mr. Gorton's band also performed at the show in question), in which he took us to task for this, we had an editorial room discussion and it was decided that he was right and we were wrong: We should not have run an unbylined "review" with the photo. (It was based on the comments of 2 people who were actually at the show, but that's not sufficient. Also, they weren't Metroland contributing writers, either.) We accept the blame and we will not do this again, as a matter of policy.

The second criticism is puzzling because, though our offices are in Albany, we are a regional publication. Which brings me to the subject of Metroland's coverage area.

Our coverage area is the Capital Region (Albany, Schenectady, Troy and their suburbs), Saratoga and north (including Glens Falls and Lake George), Hudson and environs, and Western Massachusetts. We also preview/review noteworthy events in cities where we aren't distributed, namely, Woodstock, North Adams, Williamstown, Verona (Turning Stone), and Northampton because we know many of our readers drive to these shows.

The previews with images were of events in Saratoga Springs; Holyoke, Mass.; Hudson; Great Barrington, Mass.; Rensselaerville; and Albany.

We also ran previews without images of events in Troy, Lake George, Hudson/Northampton (1 band, 2 shows), Saratoga, North Adams and Clifton Park.

Some weeks the preview section is Albany-centric. This week was not. We try to make it all balance out.

 

Shawn Stone

Arts Editor, Metroland