I may have misssed someone posting these, so pardon me if they have already
been mentioned.  I would strongly recommend Holmes & Watson as a meeting
place for Hockey-L'ers, I think it has the best atmosphere, and it is
convienent for the RPI people.  If anyone has specific interests, send me a
note (before March 30th) or call me (518-279-4139).  There are lots of other
places I know about.
 
Unfortunately, it looks like I will be away during the week :-(, but I will
be back for the finals.
 
Albany: Madison Avenue - Lark Street - Central Avenue Area
 
    There are a number of eating and drinking places along this route.  I'll
    mention a few of them that I know something about.  NOTE: parking is
	tricky, but not impossible in this area.  This area is walking distance
	(5-10 blocks) from the rink.
 
    Downtown Athletic Club - a bar with a dance floor
    QE2 - punk, live performances & dancing
    Lark Street Tavern - quieter, food is served (I think)
    El Loco's - mexican resturant, crowded on Friday and Saturday, but good
    Half-moon cafe - vegetarian food, folk music, quite rustic
    Hurley's - good Buffalo-style chicken wings, beer
    The Daily Grind - nice coffee shop
	Ben & Jerry's - Power Ice Cream
 
	Washington Park is also a nice place to walk around in if the weather's
	nice.
 
Albany: Around the Knick Arena
 
    Panfilo's - alledgedly owned by a couple of Clarkson grads, the place to
                be if Clarkson goes all the way...
    Chinese Place - pretty good and reasonable prices
	Pizza Place -     "      "   "       "       "
 
Albany: Capital
 
    For those who like government, New York State has the largest
    per-capita!  The capital area is quite impressive, especially the
    capital building itself.  Sometimes, there is an exposition in the
    concourse, which is a long hallway stretching between the capital
    building and the State Museum, one level underground.  Its worth
    seeing the concourse just to see how big it is.  This area is located
	between the rink and the Lark Street area.  Wear good shoes if want to
	explore the capital area thoroughly.
 
Troy
 
    Holmes & Watson - a great selection of exotic beers, nice atmosphere
    Cape House - nice resturant
 
Airport
 
    Three malls: Crossgates, Northway, and Colonie Center.  My favorite is
    Crossgates.  There is a good chinese resturant, the China Pavilion, near
	the Desmond Americana hotel.
 
Lake Placid
 
    This is 2.5-3 hour drive from the Albany area.  A possible destination
    for those of you who would like to take an extended trip on Friday.  I
	can tell you alot more about this if you need more information.
 
Vermont
 
    Most of the bigger ski areas will still be open in early April.  You may
	also like the drive through Bennington and "historic" route 7a to
	Manchester.  Lots of nice scenery, and good shopping too.  A round trip
	to Manchester would be about 4 hours.