OK, since it won't do as much to boost Nassau's image given the ingrained attitudes there, let's just have them build it in Hartford! It would do wonders for us......

Tycoon, I honestly doubt that this would change anyones impression of Nassau. At least those of New Yorkers. Nassau is just a never ending sea of housing attatched to the highways and the LIRR. Most people work in the city or in the service industry. Also most people stick to their own local area. If you are from Glenn Cove you mostly just drive up and down glenn cove road and into the city. You rarely go other places on long Island except to visit friends or maybe to tanger/splish splash in Riverhead or jones beach, The exception is going to an Islanders game and I guess this project would change the view there, but when people go to a game they dont interact with the surrounding area and I do not see that changing much no matter what is built. I lived on long island for about 20 years and have been to NC several times, but in my day to day life, and in the day to day lives of every long islander I know, the only place that matters is "the city"

I should also add that I hate Charlie Wang for the ugly ass building he built at SUNY Stonybrook while was a student there.

This is a pretty damn impressive project. I'm not that familiar with LI but I would guess that this would go a long way to raising the profile of Nassau.

I'd really like to see Poughkeepsie be the first urban gem on the upper Hudson River.

even though the city is sorda on the decline there is VERY beautiful and rich architecture.

im attending this fall as a transfer student and i'll also be dorming.

the only complaints ive ever heard about UB from friends is that its too big and that some of the teachers don't speak english so well... many of them are from india. however, im told once you move beyond you're gen. ed. classes and really get in to your curriculum that the size shrinks tremendously (down to about 30 students in a class).

I grew up in Rochester so let me give you the rundown. Buffalo-if you want nightlife go to Chippewa St. A whole bunch of bars and clubs open till 4AM.
Rochester-Take a walk around downtown preferrable on the west side of the genesee. There is a lot of older and interesting architecture around the W.Main and State St. area. Also check out high falls about a mile north of here on State St. It is an actual 100 ft. urban waterfall. Pretty cool. East Ave. is also worth a drive down. You can see all of the old money in town as well as visit the Internationl Museum of Photography if you desire. Also you can drive north on State St.(it becomes Lake Ave.) all the way up to Lake Ontario.

Finger Lakes- Check out Canandaigua and Geneva. They are both nice small cities on the tips of Canandaigua and Seneca lakes respectively. You could check out one of the wineries also. Bully Hill, Niagara, and Widmer are the larger ones. Depending on the time you have Watkins Glen and Ithaca are nice to visit as well but they are a little more off the beaten path.

Rochester has plenty of lodgings. I don't see why you would have any problem finding some. There are also a lot of reasonable motel/hotels. (except for downtown of course)

And if thats not enough, if you have time, take a drive through the Adirondacks. They are awesome. There is also a ferry to and from Burlington that crosses Lake Champlain. Have fun!!

Hi and thanks for reading.
I'm off on a Upstate New York trip in mid-May and am researching things to see and places to stay right now.
What I'm certain of:
Train to Cleveland from Chicago, stay the night, rent a car and drive to Buffalo
Stay the night in Buffalo (Friday, probably the hostel)
Maybe head to Niagara on Saturday to meet with Toronto relatives
Monday (21st) in Burlington, Vermont
Tuesday (22nd) in Troy
Fly out on Friday (25th) from Cleveland

The major roadblock I'm hitting is accomodations for the Saturday night (either Rochester, Syracuse or anywhere between) because the Syracuse region is ridiculously expensive and, for some reason, mostly booked for that night.
Also, that Wednesday (23rd), I want to stay in the Finger Lakes area but have no idea where because there are just so many little towns to search through. Any hints?

Also, anything of interest to be seen in the way of Urban Design/Living in the Upstate cities? The Rochester subway system has always interested me greatly, but I know it's off-limits. And I plan on sampling the nightlife in Buffalo as the 4am thing fascinates me (but I won't be staying out that late).
Any other advice?

Thanks in advance.

Buffalo & WNY is Dying !
540,000 YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE LEFT WESTERN NEW YORK
SINCE 1990 ! WOW !
Keeping the hometown talent home
By DAN HERBECK
News Staff Reporter
3/4/2007

Ashley Simmons is a bright, articulate Buffalo State College senior who doesn't want to leave for someplace like North Carolina or Las Vegas after she graduates.
"I do not want to move," Simmons said Saturday. "[But] for my generation, job prospects in Western New York are diminishing daily."

John Hoskins Jr. and John R. Koelmel are successful local businessmen who don't want her to leave.

They all spoke with passion at a Buffalo rally sponsored by the Unshackle Upstate coalition, a group of business leaders who want New York State to change the way it does business.

The rally was held in Buffalo's Curtis Screw Co. plant on Thielman Drive, with about 100 people in attendance. They are on a tour to take their message to Albany.

Some sobering economic statistics were discussed, including the fact that 540,000 young people have left Western New York to seek better opportunities since 1990. High state taxes and laws unfriendly to business created one of the nation's most expensive business climates, speakers complained.

But there were also glimmers of hope among some members of the group, who said they are beginning to feel that change really can happen in Albany.

A tentative agreement to reform the state's workers' compensation program, announced last week, is a sign of good things to come, said John Hoskins Jr., president of Curtis Screw.

He said he was "very encouraged" when the Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer and state legislators announced a proposal that could cut the costs of workers' compensation by 15 percent.

"We've got a governor who's only been in office a couple of months, and already he's making good on a couple of campaign promises," Hoskins said. "That's good news."

Hoskins' company makes parts for automobile transmissions and steering systems. Curtis employs about 400 people at its three plants in Buffalo, North Carolina and Connecticut. About 260 of the employees are in Buffalo.

According to Hoskins, his workers' compensation expenses in Buffalo are more than six times higher than what he pays in North Carolina.

"In New York State, it costs me $1 million for 260 employees," Hoskins said. "In North Carolina, for the same number of workers, it would cost $150,000.

"I grew up here. I want to do business and employ people here. . . I do everything I can to control my own company's costs, but the government-controlled costs make it very difficult to compete."

Andrew J. Rudnick, president of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, urged lawmakers to do everything they can to make sure the workers' comp bill is not watered down before it is voted on in Albany later this year.

Unshackle Upstate comprises 40 business and trade organizations, representing more than 32,000 companies that employ more than 1 million people across upstate, Rudnick said. Over the next three days, he said, the coalition will sponsor rallies in Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton and Albany.

"The message we're pushing is that we want our economy moving, not our people," Rudnick said.

In addition to changes in workers' compensation, the coalition has six other priorities, including reform of the state's $42 billion Medicaid program, overhauling state laws that increase labor and job safety costs, an increase in the availability of low-cost electricity in Western New York and improvement of the state's economic development efforts.

New York State has the highest state and local taxes in the nation, the group notes, adding that the cost of doing business in New York is higher than any other state except Hawaii.

The group outlines each of these issues on its Web site, unshackleupstate.com, and it has begun a new billboard and lobbying campaign, Rudnick said.

Formed early last year, the group wants state officials to enact reforms that specifically target problems outside New York City and Long Island.

Simmons, 21, of West Seneca, is a public communications and political science major at Buffalo State. She said she loves the Buffalo area, wants to raise a family here but feels she'll probably have to move elsewhere to find a good job after graduation.

"We care about our future, and we care about finding jobs," she said.

Those words hit home with Koelmel, chief executive officer at First Niagara Bank. He said he and his wife have a 23-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter. "The next generation is needed to carry our region forward in the years ahead," Koelmel said. "We can't continue to allow politics and egos to be the reasons why more progress isn't made."

The only lawmakers to speak at the rally were State Sen. Mary Lou Rath, R-Williamsville, and Assemblyman Robin L. Schimminger