[King1990]

Albany NY.

Albany capital of New York also known as Dirty Albs.

Hey guys just call me Q.J This is my first data sheet wanted to give back to the community for helping me improve my game and getting out of my comfort zone, wish I had found this this my first year. Lived in Albany for 4 years and was in a Fraternity so I was well connected party scene wise. I’ll be working in NYC if anyone ever wants to meet up.

The Women

Mostly college chicks from around New York (long island and the city) with a few international students and out of state students most girls range from 4-8. You’ll find mostly white girls at bars mixed with some black and Spanish. Asians tend to stay with Asian.

Day game

S.U.N.Y Albany: you can find most girls on campus around Collins Circle you can approach most girls here and they will talk to you. The campus is open to the public.

Cross Gate Mall: girls from all the schools around the area congregate here as the bus drops them off easy to approach and you can always game the workers as they are bored and love conversation.

Colonie Center: More locals from Colonie, Albany and other parts of the area. High school students but can find some milfs here

Saint Rose college: Locate DT(down town) the campus is mixed into the town you might not even notice you in it, go to the library (need a card to get in) most girls are chill 66% female so they don’t mind guys talking to them.

Night life

Night live in Albany is ether bars, house parties and venue parties, games wise treat it as any other college town for meeting girls.
Bars are the best on dollar Tuesday beers, Thursday and Saturday.

Varsity: these bar don’t ID hard so you’ll find a lot of underage students mostly freshmen and sophomores (about 60-70% white girls the rest mixed) best on TH,Friday.

Western tavern (WT’s) and Madison pour house (Madison pub) : ID harder mostly sophomore and junior girls (about 60-70% white girls the rest mixed) Both of these bars have dollar Tuesday Best on Tuesday,TH

Stouts, Lion heart, Pearl street pub and Lark street: these are the best bars for 21+ and older you find it about 50% white and the rest mixed. Best on Saturday and Friday

House parties: just follow the group of students walking downtown mostly on Washington, Quail and State Street around 10:30 – 11:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. If you want to go to a specific race like Asian or black just send me a message or post on the thread and ill give you an address

Venue parties: are thrown by the schools or frats look at their insta and FB to find out about what’s going on. Friday and Saturday.

If you guys want me to add anything or have questions feel free to ask and ill update the sheet every so often.

[Excelsior]

Good sheet.

Definitely a highly overlooked city as most either a) don't realize Albany exists ("I thought NYC was the capital? No? Must be Buffalo then!") or b) know it exists but do not realize how large a college town it is. Between SUNY Albany, Union University, Skidmore, SUNY Cobleskill, Siena, St. Rose, HVCC, SCCC, Russell Sage, and RPI, the area is filled with schools (the economy depends in large part on said schools and government employment). That means lots and lots of young people and a party scene that can surprise you with how vibrant it is for a city its size (and it's a little bigger than people think too - over 1 million in the wider metro area). Quite a few of the Bostonian peers I talk shit to from time to time (because I don't rate Boston) are surprised to learn that Albany's nightlife generally runs until around 4AM, as compared to Boston where closing is 2AM (in practice, more like 1:20-1:30AM with most folks already starting to head home by 1:45 or so). You can get a lot more mileage out of a night out in Albany than you can in many places on the basis of that alone.

Certainly worth a look-see for those who enjoy college towns as a worthy alternative to the usual suspects (Ann Arbor, Madison, etc). 9/10, WVA (would visit again).

[Rang off the Pipe]

Just to clarify, some of these places that the OP mentions aren't downtown but rather in other neighborhoods directly to the west (like Pine Hills and Center Square). Most of the off-campus students actually live in Pine Hills, hence the house parties. I wouldn't recommend walking between neighborhoods at night simply because of time wasted and also because of possible safety issues. There are many taxi companies in Albany charging their own prices for a trip anywhere in the city limits. I've seen quotes as low as $7 and as high as $12. Most of the buses stop running around midnight, but one can get a day pass for $4.

[Rang off the Pipe]

Albany as of 2016

I didn't feel it was necessary to make a new topic, since there's already this topic and the one by Don Pelayo. And while some of the information from the people in those topics is good, other stuff is simply outdated and refers to a better Albany. Yes, that's right, a better Albany. If you ever want a great example of deterioration of nightlife in the US, look no further than this place.

As I'll explain a bit more down below, nightlife, which was a saving grace of Albany, has shrunk so drastically within the last 10 years thanks to the closures of multiple bars around the city. But not only that, police have cracked down on parties so much each and every weekend in the "student ghetto" that there are simply very few large-scale parties held by college students nowadays. Heck, many of the students just seem to accept this and merely get drunk in their own houses or at bars. The raging, inclusive fun has been sapped for reclusive binge drinking.

Overall, I would say that the two biggest problems with Albany are: lack of volume and lack of attractive chicks. Among the locals you'll find no shortage of overweight and over-tattooed women, and the few attractive women are usually either surrounded by orbiters/family or already taken. Like in many places across upstate NY, people tend to know each other through social networks and family and stick to those quite strongly. Because of this, Albany is more like a large town than an actual city, despite its size. The students are definitely better targets but you won't find a ton of stunners.

Day Game

Albany itself generally sucks for day game because there just isn't much volume of foot traffic.

Downtown seems like it would be good but more often than not there just aren't many people walking around on the weekdays. And of the people walking around, most are middle-aged and older (state employees or otherwise). A few tourists are on Empire State Plaza (which has great views and a nice ambience), but maybe once in a blue moon have I seen anybody worth approaching.

Washington Park is nice, but not many people frequent it. It's a great place to take a date but I wouldn't devote my time to here.

Lark St. is not worth going to during the day strictly for gaming, so don't bother. Neither is Pine Hills, although St. Rose is a relatively open campus and has cute chicks who are walking around. That school has a strong female/male ratio in its student body.

SUNY Albany is far and away the best place to day game within the limits of the city. It has the largest volume of attractive girls and I'm sure someone like Giovanny would like this environment. It's even possible to run approaches during the evening since the "academic podium" is so well lit and folks tend to move around. People are generally open to conversation, albeit perhaps a bit standoffish (this is still the northeast US). There is ethnic diversity but most of the students hail from Long Island with lesser representation from NYC, the Hudson Valley, and upstate NY. Not many Asian chicks, and the few that there are tend to be international and stick to themselves.

Crossgates Mall and Colonie Center are the two major areas for shopping/mall day game. They are just outside the city limits of Albany and attract people from nearby towns as well as students.

Night Game

Downtown



Pearl Street Pub-The institution known as "Pearl Street Pub" has been around for a while, but it recently moved into the building where it is now located (formerly Jillian's). The first floor is a bar that's open all days of the week, and the second floor is a club-type environment that opens on Saturday. Saturday is far and away the best day for this spot since a ton of students as well as some locals decide to go to the one place that could be considered a mainstream club in all of Albany. The second floor has a $5 cover and bottle service. Getting here before 11:30 ensures a short wait, and typically 4 AM is when the doors shut. However, ratios tend to worsen throughout the night and people start flowing out around 2 AM to catch a taxi.

City Beer Hall-This is a gastropub but on the weekends it attracts more people. The crowd here is much more local (hardly any students) but groups tend to show up on the weekends (especially Saturday). The age groups range from mid-20s to even older but there tends to be some attractive chicks that show up. On Saturday there is a DJ on the second floor. 2:30 closing on Friday and Saturday.

There are some other smaller bars on Pearl Street but the two spots above are the most active places on a weekend night that are downtown. One place I didn't mention is Stout, which I've never been to, and isn't at all downtown. Supposedly it gets plenty of people on Friday but the Warehouse District is so logistically bad that you'll have to use a taxi either going there or leaving for somewhere else.

Lark St.



Lark St./Center Square is supposed to the "hip" part of Albany. At some point in the past it was I suppose, but now it’s merely a relatively quiet commercial corridor with some older apartments and sketchy characters.

Bombers-This is a restaurant in the daytime, but at night there is a smaller section with a bar. Great margaritas and a good place to start a night or maybe pop in late. Only worth going to on weekends and generally not for long.

Lionheart Pub-This place, in my opinion, is the best bar for running game in Albany. It's a weekend spot, but better on Friday than on Saturday. The talent here is consistently good and it's a mix of locals and professional students from the nearby medical center and law school. This is also a good place to run conversation game because the music isn't too loud.

Pine Hills/"Student Ghetto"



This neighborhood used to be the epicenter of student nightlife in Albany, and in some ways it still is. However, it is a shell of its former self. I can count 4 or 5 bars within the area that closed within the last 5 years.

The Pub-On most weekends this place isn't too active but Tuesdays and especially Thursdays this spot will fill with undergrad students predominantly from UAlbany. Ratios generally aren't very good and it can be tricky to run conversations here with the excessively loud music.

Washington Tavern-This place is an institution in the city of Albany, having existed at some location in the city since 1884. The bar is great and the staff is cool, but in terms of gaming, it's real hit-or-miss. The only days worth going are Tuesday and Friday when they offer certain beers for $1. Tuesday is almost all undergrads while Friday is a more mixed crowd. Ratios aren't always the greatest here but attractive students tend to show up, though usually with their typical groups and orbiters. The back side becomes a large dance floor, especially on Tuesday, but it's nothing full strength like you'd see in a club.

Varsity Lounge-Friday and Saturday spot, but they charge a $3 on Friday (not sure about Saturday). There is also a large outdoor area in the back, but I don't bother with this place as I just don't like it very much. As with the other two places above, ratios are predominantly male.

House Parties-The vast majority of students, all being upperclassmen, live in the trapezoid that is formed by Western Ave., Partridge St., Madison Ave, and Lake Ave. That segment is truly what comprises the "student ghetto" although some folks can also be found north of Western Ave. until Washington Ave. The students share this part of Pine Hills with a primarily working-class black population and their families, but some of the people around here are on the unsavory side. Crime used to be much worse in these parts and there are still occasionally drug busts.

On weekend nights there are a few house parties but not as many as there used to be. The few open ones often charge guys $5 and it would be wise to have a posse of girls. Usually this isn't worth it because the parties often suck and typically get broken up by the continuous presence of cops that patrol each and every weekend. The stretch of Hudson between Ontario and Quail (the same block of the Kegs and Eggs Riot of 2011), is where the patrol is most fervent.

Stuff tends to die down around 1:30 because all of the UAlbany students that live on campus (freshmen and sophomores) have to catch a bus back to their campus or they're stuck taking the taxi to cover the 3 miles. That being said, there are people walking around on weekend nights, and so running "street game" can be effective as people are generally open to chatting.

Events (Autumn)

Pearl Palooza-Once a year in September a stretch of Pearl St. downtown is closed and two concert stages are set up. A lot of locals descend upon this spot for somewhat contained revelry. This is a precursor to...

Lark Fest-Lark St. is closed to traffic on one Saturday in late September for this event in which all the vendors set up stands and all the bars are open. It's basically one big day party as just about every young person is drunk and one of the few times that undergrad students will actually be in this area. This is also perhaps the only time worth going to Café Hollywood or any other bar on the street not named Bombers.

Oktoberfest-A week after Lark Fest in the Warehouse District. I've never been to this, but it seems like a similar setup as the other two festivals above.

[Aer]

(11-24-2016 03:33 PM)Rang off the Pipe Wrote:  

Albany as of 2016
(snip)

Can attest to all of this. Incredible datasheet. Probably went to school with you.

Albany is an incredibly fun city for anyone between the ages of 21-25. (18-21 with a fake). I can't even count how many times I've had an amazing time at Pearl Street Pub (just call it PSP) and Barley's when it still existed. As RotP mentioned, Washington Tavern can be quite hit and miss, but usually it's a good base level spot. Are all the spots on Madison Ave still opened too? I'm not too sure since you didn't mention.

And one can never forget the legendary Smokin' Bull. RIP

http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/...iolations/



I'd like to add that I haven't been to Albany since 2015, but I can attest that the city's nightlife was going downhill. Admittedly, when I first got to school there, it was pre-Kegs and Eggs. I went through it all there and I remember the extreme levels of police on the streets in the ensuing years. Kegs and Eggs was one ridiculous time though.

Anyway, I'm at anyone's disposal for anything Albany related also.

[Rang off the Pipe]

(11-27-2016 12:22 PM)Aer Wrote:  

Are all the spots on Madison Ave still opened too? I'm not too sure since you didn't mention.

The only places I know of on Madison Ave. in Pine Hills are The Pub and Junior's near Allen St. (which I haven't been to). From what I understand since living here and gathering intel both in-person and online, a lot of places in both Pine Hills and on Pearl St. closed down within the last 5 years or so. You mentioned two of them (Smokin' Bull and M. Barley's), but there was also Legends, Madison Station, Jillian's, and Envy Lounge which are all gone. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed one or two.

[Rang off the Pipe]

Now that I've been actively involved in online game for almost a month now, I think it's time for me to contribute on that end.


Online Game

This assumes that you've got good photos as BlurredSevens and many others have suggested in the past.

Tinder: This seems to have the most amount of people on it at around maybe 1000. The vast majority of them are undergrads although some locals and grad students use it too. The talent is what one would expect for the typical school in upstate NY (so rarely 8 or above but lots of 4-7) with predominantly white chicks. I'm also including people from schools outside of Albany in this. Siena, RPI, Union, Sage, and HVCC are nearby but not within the city of Albany.

I've had a few matches (20-40) but have never been able to convert to anything except 1 date. My online game has only really started developing so there's a lot of room for improvement. There are also factors beyond my control, and I do personally think Albany just isn't a great place for my look when it comes to online stuff.

Bumble: This has probably half the amount of people that Tinder does and maybe less. However, the vast majority of people are grad students or work in some capacity at one of the two main hospitals (St. Peter's and Albany Medical) in the area. There is some crossover with Tinder but not that much.

OKCupid: Don't bother. There's nothing but fatties and unattractive folks on here.


Edit: Putting online game aside for a bit here, I'd like to mention that Washington Tavern on Fridays has attracted a lot more students now than it used to. They only added the $1 special for that day a few months ago but now everyone seems to be aware. Also, Lionheart Pub has become real hit-or-miss and people are almost always in mixed sets. It's tough to justify sticking around there for too long on a Friday.

[Rang off the Pipe]

Here's a bit of an update on the area, although much of this post will be about two cities outside of Albany, albeit still within the capital district.


Albany

Not much has changed since my previous data sheet. Albany still sucks in general but here are some key things to keep in mind if you ever find yourself stuck here or passing through.

Mainstream nightgame is basically Stout on Friday night and City Beer Hall or Pearl Street Pub on Saturday. Pearl Street Pub is going be the closest thing to a club (bottle services, high bitch shields) although it has gotten a bit rowdier the past few years. There are now metal detectors, security is more aggressive and impatient, and more fights tend to break out. They now also collect a $5 cover just to enter the building, so it's not just the 2nd floor like previously. The crowd is still predominantly students with a healthy proportion of locals.

If you want purely students, Tuesday and Friday at Washington Tavern and Tuesday and Thursday at The Pub are still the spots. However, good luck dealing with the tight Long Island social circles.

The three biggest outdoor events are Lark Fest (late September), St. Patrick's Day weekend (mid-March), and Tulip Fest (mid-May). Lark Fest is easily the best of the three in terms of girls.


Troy

About 10 miles north of downtown Albany is the riverfront city of Troy. In the late 1800's and early 20th century, it was a prosperous hub of manufacturing and related industries. However, like many such cities, it later declined. In recent years it has experienced a bit of a revitalization and the downtown area has plenty of restaurants, some good bars, and a nice park by the Hudson River. The historic area has a cool feel because of all the cast-iron buildings, but like many cities in the capital district, it has its share of dilapidation and shady characters.

Oh, and apparently the person who inspired the icon of "Uncle Sam" was a resident a Troy. You'll see a number of references to Uncle Sam in signs around the city.


There are plenty of small bars around Troy, but I will mention 4 that will have the most people.

Wolff's Biergarten-This is a restaurant by the day but at night it just becomes a full-blown bar. The first floor has a bar and tables for groups. The second floor has a wall with dart boards and tables where people can play "water pong". It's real easy to socialize on the second floor. This place gets locals and RPI students. This is a good place to start a night since the second floor closes at 1 AM and the whole places closes at 2 AM.

Bootlegger's on Broadway-One room is a standard bar with tables but then there is a larger room with a dance floor and music. Once again a mix a locals and students from RPI and Russell Sage (all girls school in Troy). If you like to dance and don't need to talk as much, this is your place. This spot will have the most volume in the area and largest space. Closing at around 3-4 AM if I'm not mistaken.

The Ruck-Popular bar that is open until 4 AM every day. There is a shuffleboard in the back which could be good for meeting people, but this probably isn't the greatest spot to run game except maybe on Saturday when they have music. This isn't the biggest of places.

O'Leary's-This place actually isn't in downtown Troy but up the hill on 15th St. within striking distance of RPI's campus. If you want students, this will be your spot, although as a school focused on STEM, RPI is predominantly male. However, unlike SUNY Albany, RPI isn't overrun with ice queens from Long Island, so you'll probably have more traction on your approaches.

Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs, fondly and simply referred to as 'Toga' among some of the locals, is one of the nicest areas in all the capital district located about 35 miles north of downtown Albany. Driving through the city, you will see astounding mansions, nice shops and restaurants, and of course the historic racetrack that Carly Simon mentions in her song "You're So Vain". There's plenty of money in this city and the surroundings areas and it's really obvious. During the 'track season', which runs from the middle of July to Labor Day, the population swells from all the visitors.

The city is not nearly as packed or fun outside of the track season, but it's still worth checking out and doesn't have the run-down feel that you'll see in Schenectady, Albany, or Troy.

All of the following places are on Caroline St., which is pretty much where everyone goes out. I'll list the more notable places on the street below. Places start to close between 3-4 AM.

Spa City Tap and Barrel-One-floor bar with two areas. One area has a bar with televisions and a space for live performances. The other area has a pool table, dart boards and another bar.

Saratoga City Tavern-Multilevel building and each floor has a different setup and feel. The first floor is like a sports bar. The second floor is like a dive bar. The third floor is like a living room. The fourth floor, often called "Boom Boom Room" is like a club and has a DJ. And above all the floors is a roof that's open when the weather is nice.

The Reserve-This is your generic club in a basement. Dress accordingly. No cover as far as I know.


People that go out in Saratoga Springs are mostly locals, although generally nicer dressed and more well-off than the ones you'll see in many other places in the capital district. There are students from Skidmore College (a nearby liberal arts college) that show up but they're not a very large presence.