I hail from Albany, New York. No, it's not the most exciting place in the country. And yes, it is sometimes referred to as "Smallbany," with its population falling just below 100,000.
But leaving home for college has made me realize that Albany ain't that bad after all. It's got a great location -- four hours or less from three major cities, as well as Hanover! Allow me to shed some light on my hometown.
A few things we need to clear up regarding my place of residence. I live in Albany. Not in Latham, not in Delmar, not in any of the other suburbs -- I live in the city proper. The distinction is one that many Albany-area people overlook -- a pet peeve of my father's that I have inherited. When someone says he's from Albany, my dad pushes the question further. "Well, actually," the interrogated subject confesses, "I'm from Niskayuna." This is an insult to my father. In his eyes, and now in mine as well, if the person lives in a suburb like Niskayuna, he does not have the right to say he's from the city of Albany. I know that people who say they're from Albany when they're technically not only do so out of convenience. It's easier to give Albany as your place of residence than name some place that people have not heard of. Still, I propose that in this instance, the answer, "I'm from outside of Albany," is the correct one. Be on the lookout for those Albanian wannabes. There are several lurking on this campus.
People from New York City may boast that the Big Apple is the best city in the state, but that is obviously an attempt to ignore the fact that it's not the capital. For the jewels of New York State do not end at the George Washington bridge.
What have we got that makes Albany a capital capital? We have Pulitzer Prize-winner William Kennedy, author of "Ironweed" and other books. We have an architectural phenomenon called "The Egg" -- you'll know it when you see it. (I am honored to say that I have performed on one of the stages inside this giant ovum.) We had the longest-lived political machine in the United States. In fact, government classes around the country study Albany's democratic machine. We have the New York state museum and the majestic capitol buildings. We have quaint Dutch architecture. We have some of the best water in the country, so good that the mayor once talked about bottling it to sell around the nation. We have 316 years as a chartered city under our belt.
As the saying goes, "We've got it all in ALLbany."
Albany has its own mystery, too. Understandably, many Albany residents are state workers. Not so understandable is what all these state workers do. Several of my parents' friends work for the state, yet even my parents cannot give me an explanation of their jobs. It is almost an unspoken rule in Albany that if you ask someone what she does and she responds "I work for the state," then you stop your questioning right then and there. It's an intriguing situation (but not so intriguing that I want to become a state worker after graduation).
Many a time I have bemoaned the fact that my parents chose Albany to set up home. And I'm not planning on living there myself post-Dartmouth. But still, here's a hats off to my hometown.
