All About Troy, New York - Part II

Ok...The beautiful colors and that incredible window to the right. Must I say more?

Once again, the colors.

This one totally reminds me of my days in France...love it!

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In the previous post, I mentioned how taken I was with the architecture in Troy and here are some photos I took of these yummy buildings. Oh, and I must give a shout out to the awesome folks at one very good Mexican restaurant located at 465 Madison Avenue in Albany called "El Loco Mexican Cafe". I was sooooooo ecstatic with my delicious meal. Then, I turned around and saw all the accolades they've received for their food. In a conversation I had with my friendly waitress (did I mention that people in this area are super friendly?), I was told they'd been there since the 80's! The 80's people! I guess that alone says how good the food is. By the way, it's 7pm and it has been snowing all day in my part of Massachusetts. Incredible... and beautiful!

All About Troy, New York - Part I

A few months ago, I read a posting on Craigslist advertising for W. Mass artists to come to Troy, NY to partake in their monthly art festivities called Troy Night Out. Since I'm always looking for somewhere cooler to live, I took a wee jaunt to Troy over the weekend to see what was up and this is what I found:

Firstly, friendly people. I know people who couldn't give a flip if people are friendly or not but this is number one on my list of things to look for when considering an environment in which to live. The folks of Troy didn't disappoint.

The architecture also had the wow factor for me. I'm talking old, brick brownstones (which I love, love, love) and these cool rowhouses (that's what I call them). I've seen the inside of some of these places on Craigslist and they were just incredible. High ceilings, tin ceilings, moldings, charming character beyond belief AND exposed brick... exposed brick! I'll be posting some pics I took of these beautiful buildings soon.

I also found this wicked cool, indie gallery called Kismet Art Gallery (www.kismetartgallery.com/) and the shop proprietors, Michael + Christina are super friendly and should be very proud to filling a need in the community for an indie gallery and shop. The space is huge and they've got a diverse, happening selection of handcrafted goods that range from art to plush dolls. The gallery space is large also. Thanks guys for the info on Troy and the stickers (seen above).

Troy also has a large farmer's market (www.troymarket.org) that doesn't close down for the winter. How awesome is that? It goes indoors for the cold months and returns outside in the spring. And the list of participating food, herb and artisans is truly impressive.

I'm told by all I've spoken to that Troy Night Out (www.troynightout.org) which is held the last Friday of every month is HUGE and this month's happenings on February 29th, will mark the one year anniversary of this great event, which will make it even more special. The last thing I'm going to say about my visit is that the art community seems to be rather supportive, which ain't easy to come by folks, so to all the artists and supporters of the arts, keep up the great work! :)

Dame Shirley Bassey

I have very recently discovered You Tube (I know...I know...I always come late to the party) and, as a result, have rediscovered the immense talent that is Dame Shirley Bassey. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this outrageously talented woman, she is a Welsh singer who has had a career spanning some 50 years. There are still people in the states who don't know her but I can't imagine anyone in Europe not knowing the voice behine three James Bond films that include Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. Her voice is huge....HUGE and she just turned 71 last month! Take a look at this beautiful woman. She seems to defy age and time and everything we're told we're supposed to be and look like at a certain age. Don't be mistaken, she works out and who knows how many years she's been doing so but the photos speak for themselves. She has remade the Pink song "Get The Party Started" and the whole concept for the video is incredible! The bottom most photo is from that video. Check it out on You Tube and if you don't already know her, introduce your ears to the moving, controlled, immense, intense voice of Dame Shirley Bassey. Happy Friday! :)

New, Updated Look

I haven't posted in a bit due to computer issues. For some reason, I've lost all of my uploaded photos, some of which I've had uploaded for years. While I try to figure out how and where to retrieve them, I will leave you with a new, updated look for Polyester Junction and some fun paintings that are part of a public art project that I'm currently working on. (The only reason I can share these pics is because they were scanned in. I really don't know where all my photos went. Thank goodness for scanners). Enjoy!