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.