Capital Region Residents Want More Out of Their Cities

The most common thing you hear about Albany, NY and the surrounding Capital Region area is that there isn't anything to do.

So what can we do about that? What could we do to make the Capital Region more enjoyable for the fine people who call this area home?

On Monday night ESPN announcer Rebecca Lobo said the quote heard round the world. "Good luck finding something to do in Albany." She was of course speaking about some sort of activity to do after the NCAA tournament wrapped up.

Read More: Broadcaster Blasts Albany Regional

I did my best to try and stick up for the City of Albany, where I live and love it here, but it was met with a resounding "not good enough." I was mostly shocked to hear so many people in the area complaining about the place we live. There wasn't a lot of hometown pride going on, which surprises me.

After I saw the feedback from folks around the area I decided to ask the question - what do you want in the Capital Region as something to do?

While some of the answers were helpful, other answers were not. I'd like to point out that every city in the country has crime. That is never going away, but it does appear Albany's crime rate is improving. According to US News, Albany has a lower crime rate than most similar sized cities. They also named it the #17 place to live in the state and #47 place to retire. I think many people could really benefit from looking at the glass half full.

Some suggestions we got for the Albany area were:

• More affordable activities for families
• More free events around the city
• More large scale live sporting events
• Bring back clubs and bars like back in the day
• More concerts
• More updates to our local museums

One of the best suggestions I saw was to build a massive riverfront park. We kind of have that with Jennings Landing, but besides Alive at Five I feel it is underutilized. The Empire State Plaza has a lot of amazing events all summer long - and most are free to attend.

People want minor league sports

I understand that this area is hungry for its own sports team. Many commented saying they would like minor league baseball, basketball, and hockey. We do have a fantastic team in the ValleyCats and the Albany Firewolves have been a great addition. The Patroons are also still playing as well. We have these things, you just have to attend them to show them that we want them.

Affordability

Obviously things could be better financially for most of us. Many of the family fun things are pricy. I would love to be able to take my kids to Billy Beez or a trampoline park more often but at the cost it has to be a special occasion. The Capital Region is loaded with some amazing parks for families during the warmer months. The Crossings, Cook Park, Elm Avenue Park, and so many more.

I will say, it would be amazing to have a giant indoor play area for kids in the winter months. Could even double as a venue for family events.

Is our area perfect? No. I would challenge anyone to show me a place that is. This is our home and we love it. I've lived here my whole life and I'm not going anywhere.