Planning our Move to Beautiful Albany, New York
by MOLLY STAITE
As native New Yorkers and devoted Yankees fans, there was nothing in this world that would pluck my husband and me away from New York City. But when my husband got the job offer of a lifetime in Albany, we began the unthinkable task of moving away from the hustle and bustle of The Big Apple.
Our first task was of course to find a place to live in Albany. So we hopped on a plane one Friday evening and planned a fun-filled weekend of apartment hunting. Luckily, my sister has lived in the Albany area since college, so she was able to meet us at the airport and be our hostess for the next couple days.
She pulled up at the terminal in her new 2008 Chevy Malibu and though it was one of the most adorable sedans I had ever seen, I was a wondering if our luggage would fit in such a sporty-looking car (especially since I wouldn��t exactly call myself a light packer). But to my surprise, our luggage fit with room to spare and we were off in no time!
That night my single sis took us to some of her favorite Albany hot spots. My expectations were low �C (how could this city have the posh night life of NYC)? But to my surprise Albany was pretty fun! The three of us had a memorable night cruising around the city and enjoying the lights along the Hudson in the spunky Chevy Malibu.
The next day, we dropped my sister off at work, grabbed a map of the Albany area and began apartment-hunting. Turns out we didn��t even need the map thanks to the Malibu��s OnStar �C making it easy to find our way around town. We checked out an apartment near the Washington Park area downtown, which was beautiful and would be close to my husband��s office. Then we headed further out of town to explore the New Scotland Ave neighborhoods. These apartments were nice, but perhaps not big enough in terms of the amount of room we��ll need.
After exploring just about every corner of Albany (and multiple apartments) the day was winding down. I don��t usually jump at the chance to drive anywhere, but the Chevy was so much fun to drive, I made my husband sit in the passenger seat (much to his dismay) while I took the wheel. We picked up my sister and ate dinner at this fantastic local place near the Visitors Center called the Quackenbush House. As the oldest building in the city, this quaint restaurant allowed us to experience some of Albany��s history and culture!
After much deliberation, we decided to go with the first apartment we visited downtown. So, the next day we hopped in the Malibu one last time and signed the papers to our new home before heading to the airport and back to NYC.
My husband and I have come to the conclusion that Albany has much more to offer than we originally thought, so moving should be a great change for both of us. And I can��t wait to visit an Albany Chevrolet dealership once we move and pick out my very own Malibu (Lord knows I wouldn��t want to live in Albany without one).
--- About the Author: Molly Staite is a native to New York City and a freelance writer for many local magazines and online publications. She writes articles on a variety of subjects such as travel, entertainment and the auto industry. For more information about the Chevy Malibu visit www.lookatchevy.com.
