<\/p>\nAdd Preferred Source<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot to put on any one person\u2019s shoulders. If Albany is less fun than it used to be, there are many contributing factors, including changing habits and rising social isolation. (Get off the internet, kids. There\u2019s a big world out there.)<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
But Applyrs talked about making Albany more lively during the campaign, and, when I posed the topic of \u201cfun\u201d to her on Wednesday, she embraced the topic and the need for change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe it\u2019s a mentality and a mindset,\u201d she said, noting that she often hears from residents who believe Albany\u2019s glow has dimmed. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that loud and clear, and we are putting muscle into putting the lights back on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Applyrs said her transition team includes a commission on nightlife charged with studying how to, well, boost the city\u2019s nightlife. And Applyrs noted that she\u2019s trying to set a different tone just by being herself. \u201cA new vibe in an old city\u201d was how she put it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On election night in November, for example, her campaign gathering was a real party, with Applyrs among those sweating on the dance floor. And the next mayor noted that her inauguration is planned as a multiday festival complete with a mayor\u2019s ball, a kids’ party and a gospel brunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
The idea, Applyrs said, is about Albany celebrating itself. It\u2019s about trading pessimism for optimism. It\u2019s about feeling good about New York\u2019s capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some readers may consider all of this frivolous, and, when compared to safe streets and schools, maybe it is. But good cities aren\u2019t just places to work and sleep. They are places to gather\u00a0\u2014 where friendships and community are built and strengthened, and where small businesses can thrive as \u201cthird places\u201d that help us care about a city.<\/p>\n
Albany still makes it too hard for those places to open and survive. Business owners say the city doesn\u2019t often feel welcoming, and some have chosen to go instead to Troy, Schenectady, or even\u00a0Latham.<\/p>\n
To be clear, fun isn\u2019t just about nightlife or college students.\u00a0Albany offers too little for families. You may have noticed that. Applyrs, with\u00a0two young children, certainly has.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
She said that when her family visits a new city, she searches for family-friendly activities\u00a0\u2014 with a preference toward the inexpensive. She told me she knows the importance of giving families something fun to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again, in a city with many problems and priorities, that might sound frivolous. But I\u2019d argue that the dearth of family activities is ultimately a drain on the economy, because it keeps parents from wanting to live here and makes it harder for companies to attract workers. An Albany that\u2019s more fun would be better for the region. It would be better, period.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I probably shouldn\u2019t end this column without mentioning the $400 million that Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed toward Albany\u00a0revitalization. Some of that money will go toward giving the New York State Museum a makeover, to which I say, \u201cYes, please, and it\u2019s about time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rest of the money will be spent on \u2026 alas, we have no idea, given all the secrecy, although we do know that a downtown stadium for soccer and other events is among the proposals. Would a stadium district make Albany more fun? Absolutely, if it succeeds, but that \u201cif\u201d is significant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t clear, though, whether Applyrs will have much of a say in determining how the\u00a0Hochul money is spent. That\u2019s a story yet to be told.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Albany has a new, relatively young mayor\u00a0\u2014 Applyrs is 44\u00a0\u2014 who wants\u00a0the city to be more vibrant. For the good of the city and region, wish her\u00a0luck. Let\u2019s have some fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Albany Mayor-elect Dorcey Applyrs celebrates with supporters on Election Night with a real party on Nov. 4\u00a0at LaSerre…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[30394,33237,844,610,9,11,10,49,51,50,12522],"class_list":["post-75309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-alco","tag-column-churchill","tag-latestnews","tag-local","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news","tag-opiniontu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}