 kmccarthy, Mon, May 7th, 2007 OK, I love living here. I like that it’s suburban without the oppression of a really big city. I love that there are nature preserves all over the place. I love that New York, Boston and Montreal are all an easy drive away. I love that it’s pretty affordable here. I’ve even gotten used to the fact that people are reserved until they’ve seen you at least three times in the same place – be it school, church or your workplace. But I will never get used to the lack of signs. Once again, I set out for a local big store to buy a reasonably priced piece of furniture. I knew that I needed to be at the intersection of 90 and 787. I’ve been there before; I can see it in my head. But then on 787, the usual questions. Not the Empire State Plaza exit, I knew. Maybe head to the Corning Preserve? Clinton Avenue? Too late, and I ended up in Menands. No problem, I like snaking through North Albany and imagining life there just after the war, when big families moved in and out of apartments, schools and corner stores. All of which didn’t help me find my destination, which I finally did with a little nosing about. The way home was easier, and I felt bad for the people in the car from Virginia, peering at a map, picking up speed with what I imagined was relief when there was finally a sign for 787. I have the same problem getting to the big sports arena in town. I always end up missing the correct one-way street and having to double back. These clearly aren’t enormous problems, and maybe they’re more indicative of my mid-life memory issues than the area’s signage, but sometimes it really seems to me that the main impression the Capital District leaves is that really it doesn’t want people to come here. blog comments powered by Disqus  |
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