While in most cases it is difficult to identify a cohesive student opinion on a given topic, the state of the City of Troy is not one. Anybody who has spent more than a couple weeks at RPI can argue that all students wish Troy were more like a college town than the way it is; they want more local businesses that cater to young people. Most say they would love to walk downtown to shop rather than drive over to Crossgates Mall or Wolf Road. Few of these, however, would take the time to patronize the businesses Troy offers now. Students cannot hope to change the commercial environment in Troy without supporting existing commerce.
Obviously, new businesses will only move into an area where they believe they can make money, so businesses of the type that students are looking for will only move in if money is already being spent downtown. At present, the only businesses that enjoy a large and consistent student patronage are pizza places, bars and liquor stores. Music shops, clubs, restaurants, bookstores, clothing stores, movie theaters, and the like are not going to try to compete with businesses in Albany that already see student patronage when they cannot be guaranteed of student business.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with what Troy has to offer. There is more to see than just downtown, but start there and simply walk around. Before you buy something online or drive somewhere else, browse through the business directory that FYE has available online at http://fyeweb.fye.rpi.edu/update.pl and see if you can buy it in Troy. Even if you are just going out for a drink, try one of the downtown bars other than the Ruck or Elda’s. If you are going out for dinner, give somewhere in Troy a chance instead of driving to Wolf Road. There are several great places within walking distance of campus that many students do not even know about.
Many complain about the environment that RPI is in, but few want to do anything about it. The answer is simple enough: If you want to spend money in an area, people will show up to take it.
