There are a lot of misconceptions about Troy. Whether it’s from students, staff members, or J. Random Person, I keep hearing that there’s nothing worthwhile in Troy. This just isn’t true.
Despite what you may have heard, there’s more to Troy than the Wal-Mart on Hoosick Street. There are hundreds of great businesses all over Troy. In the second section of this very issue, you’ll find the Troy Business Guide, complete with lists, addresses, and phone numbers of nearly any type of business you can think of.
Troy has most of the major fast food chains, and in addition to those, you’ll find a vast selection of other restaurants of all types, from Italian to Indian, with everything in between.
In the downtown area, you can find dozens of businesses, from pizza parlors to antique stores, with a large variety of specialty shops; some of these, such as Gino’s and J-Ma’s are even owned and operated by RPI students and alums.
If you head north from the downtown area, you’ll run into North Troy, also known as Lansingburgh; to the south you’ll find South Troy. Both extend for several miles, and they have very unique businesses that you won’t find elsewhere.
Not far off from South Troy, near Hudson Valley Community College, you’ll find the brand new Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, where you can see the Tri-City Valley Cats, an affiliate of the Houston Astros. They still have a few games left this season and are definitely worth checking out. Several other businesses have recently opened in that area in response to the new stadium, and many will even run specials on game nights.
If you venture up Hoosick Street towards Wal-Mart, be sure to check out some of the other stores there too. While you can get more or less everything at Wal-Mart, you can get many things you are looking for at some of the specialty stores in the area where you’ll find exceptional customer service that Wal-Mart just can’t deliver.
Of course, there are several great business right here within walking distance from campus along 15th Street, and its recent designation as an Empire Zone by the state will hopefully encourage even more businesses to move in.
If you’ve got a car, hop in it and just go for a ride to explore. If you don’t have a car, take a ride on the bus (schedules are available at http://www.cdta.org). It’s free with your ID and it can take you to almost any place you want to go. There are many things worth your time and money in Troy, so don’t miss out!
