Back to Growth
-
9/6/2011
I used to seriously dislike living near here. The town used to be falling apart, with no future, and not much to do. It has changed greatly in the past decade, from going to plenty of empty, miserable store fronts to being a hustling small downtown area full of neat shops with unique goods, run by friendly business owners. My favorite coffeeshop/cafe is right in the heart of the area, the Rock Hill Bakehouse, complete with a DVD and book library that you can borrow from, and fun open mic nights. There is a theater, a small arts community in multiple buildings, and the library has since remodeled and is very welcoming (although often too loud for reading) with a good selection and tons of interesting programs by various local organizations.
Even better, it isn't a far drive to the Adirondacks, and there is plenty of good hiking right around Lake George. Lots of locals have gotten into various forms of recreation, and the bike trail that cuts through Glens Falls is worth checking out.
Shopping isn't too bad, the Queensbury business district is nearby. The Aviation Mall has mostly died and doesn't have much to offer, but the shops near Lake George are worth checking out, and you can go to Saratoga or Albany for goods like clothing. If you like bigger chains (especially for restaurants), those keep popping up around here.
The worst part is trying to find a high-paying job around here so that you can afford all of these things, and this has been a long-standing problem here, even before the economy went bad.
lindsey | Fort Ann, NY