How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Albany
Every year, Albany celebrates its Irish citizens with parades and celebrations that take place all across the city. Here are just a few:
The Parade
On the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day, the city of Albany holds a parade and a family festival. It begins with a mass at 9 a.m., and then the parade begins at 2 p.m. The festival is a new addition, and it takes place from noon to 4 p.m. in Academy Park, just across from City Hall.
Pub Crawls
On both the Saturday before and the big day itself, Albany organizes a pair of pub crawls that cross the city. You can start the crawl at any of the bars and pubs participating, at least as long as you register first and get your armband and map, but you do need to be 21 to take part. The crawls both begin at 5 p.m., and they continue up until closing time.
Collar City Kilt Fest
Over in Troy, the Saturday after St. Patrick’s Day is the day of the Collar City Kilt Fest. The festival includes a 5k run (kilt optional), a costume contest, and a pub crawl on a chartered bus. To get the full experience, make sure you buy a City Pass for access to the Kilt Crawl, discounts, and beer tastings.
St. Patrick’s Day is a great time to celebrate whether you’re Irish or not. And while it helps to be 21 or older, even kids can have fun when the time comes to honor the Irish saint.
Image via Flickr by marco monetti
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3 Tasty Tacos in Albany
Tacos are a popular menu item in Mexican restaurants, and Albany has a variety of places where you can get them. Here are some of the tastiest tacos in the Albany area.
Drunken Shrimp Scampi Taco
You’ll get a modern take on classic street food at Ama Cocina. Their drunken-shrimp “scampi” tacos have the flavors of tequila and chipotles, and they serve them with shredded cabbage and scallions.
Grasshopper and Beef Tongue
Head to Oaxaquena Triqui for tacos whether you want lunch or dinner. If you are up for trying something new and have a sense of adventure, they have grasshopper tacos and cow tongue tacos. While exotic tastes like this are not for everyone, this place sells them like hotcakes. For a more traditional meal, their carnitas tacos have loads of flavor, and they serve them with onions and cilantro in a soft tortilla.
Authentic Steak Tacos
Head to El Patron Mexican Grill & Cantina on Central Ave for a huge variety of tacos, but make sure to try The also serve an authentic steak taco with chopped steak, onion, and cilantro. This is garnished with lime and radish and served on a soft corn tortilla. You can also try the soft carnitas taco or the Baja tacos.
If you are in the mood for some delicious tacos, make sure to head to one of the local Albany restaurants. You can try something new or stick to the tried and true Mexican flavors.
Image via Flickr by The DLC
2 Reasons to Go to Your Dealership
Technically, you could spend your entire car-owning life without visiting a dealership. However, while a dealership can’t offer any unique services, there are plenty of reasons to rely on a dealership instead of someone else.
Buy a Car
Buying a car is obviously what a dealership is there for, but you can also buy cars online, through a classified ad, or through a friend. However, unlike most friends and private sellers, dealerships have the advantage of having a full service shop full of trained professionals who need to stick to a certain minimum standard. Used cars sold through a dealership are usually in much better shape than ones sold privately because of this. On top of that, a dealership is the only place where you can buy or lease a new car.
Service and Repair Your Vehicle
The things you have to do regularly for a car, like replace the oil and other fluids, swap out the wiper blades, put in a new air filter, and replace the battery, are all easy to do by design. Not everybody has the time, tools, and space to learn how to do these things, but you can find plenty of shops, garages, and neighbors who do. What makes dealerships stand out are the OEM parts with nationwide warranties, the factory training the mechanics usually get with the dealership’s vehicles, and the high-tech tools that fill the service garages.
You don’t have to go to a dealership, but there are plenty of reasons you should anyway.
Image via Flickr by Elliot Brown
3 Road Trip Destinations From Albany
As the weather gets nicer, it’s fun to hit the road and visit new places. If you’re looking for places to road trip to from Albany, NY, check out these exciting destinations that are easily drivable.
Tanglewood, MA
Tanglewood, Massachusetts, is the perfect spot to visit if you love music. It’s home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the summer months, so you can catch outdoor concerts at a venue that’s nestled in the Berkshire Hills. The upcoming concerts this summer will include music from well-known films, such as “E.T.” and “Jaws,” along with famous composer John Williams. Tanglewood is about 45 minutes from Albany.
NYC
Upstate New York has a different feel from the City, so head to Manhattan for a bustling and exciting road trip. Once you arrive, you may want to ditch your car and rely on cabs, the subway, or your own two feet for transportation, since parking isn’t easy and often comes at a high cost. Check out attractions that are off the beaten path, like sampling a true New York slice or visiting the Top of the Rock to see unbelievable views of the city skyline.
Montreal
Grab your passport and drive over the border to Montreal, a Canadian city that has a lot of history and culture. Before you leave, you may want to brush up on your French since it’s the official language. It hosts a variety of festivals and events throughout the year and is home to museums, night clubs, restaurants, shopping areas, and much more. From Albany, the trip is about 220 miles.
With so many exciting places within driving distance of Albany, start planning your next road trip to make memories and enjoy time with your loved ones.
Image via Flickr by Marcela McGreal
Destination Nissan would like our customers from Albany, Schenectady, Latham, Saratoga, and Clifton Park, NY to know that we are going to be releasing a Research & Review page featuring the 2017.5 Nissan Murano. On this page you will be able to read up on all of the important details that this model has to offer including trim levels, starting MSRP, EPA estimates, safety features, convenience features, and much more. Once you finish browsing through the facts on this page we invite you to make your way over to our dealership and take this exciting and stylish new SUV out for a test drive and really get a feel for what it is made of. Keep checking back here for an announcement once this page has been released.
February Specials At Destination Nissan
February is the shortest month of the year which means that there is less time for you to take advantage of our February New Vehicle Specials here at Destination Nissan. That is why we want to invite all of our customers from Albany, Schenectady, Latham, Saratoga, and Clifton Park, NY to head on over to our dealership as soon as possible and get yourself into a new 2017 Nissan Sentra, Altima, Rogue, and Pathfinder or 2016 Nissan Altima. We have some incredible offers available for each of these models and you can find out more about them when you make your way over to 770 Central Ave in Albany, NY 12206. We look forward to helping you find the perfect new Nissan!
2017 Nissan Rogue Page Released
You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the 2017 Nissan Rogue this year. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, Destination Nissan invites you to check out our newest page featuring the SUV. Our Research and Review pages are dedicated to filling you in on every detail and feature of our vehicle lineup. Here, you’ll discover each trim level and their performance, safety, and standard features along with starting MSRP and EPA estimated MPG. Once you’ve decided which 2017 Nissan Rogue you’d like to test drive, visit us at 770 Central Ave in Albany, NY 12206.
Clean Your Car This Winter
We know our Destination Nissan customers near Albany, Schenectady, Latham, Saratoga, and Clifton Park NY know a thing or two about winter. But did you know that the weather conditions are more than just a driving inconvenience for your vehicle? The salt, snow, and dirt that inevitably collect on your car over the winter don’t just look bad, they’re detrimental to your vehicle. That’s why it’s more important than ever to take proper care of it during the winter. We have four suggestions below!
Winterize with Wax – Applying a layer of wax to your vehicle is an affordable, simple thing you can do to protect your vehicle from salt, snow, and winter grime. It provides an extra layer of protection.
You Missed a Spot – Road salt, which causes vehicle rust, tends to accumulate behind the wheels, the front grille, and the quarter panels. Make it a point to check these areas and clean them regularly to avoid any rusting.
Wash It Down – Standing outside in the dead of winter washing your vehicle doesn’t sound very appealing, and it might even sound like a waste of time. But trust us, in a few years, you’ll thank us. Rinsing your ride of the winter grime every other week will prolong the life of your car and improve its resale value. So whether you’re washing it by hand, using a power washer, or stopping by an automatic car wash, you’re helping your vehicle in the long run. One more thing! Try to wash your car on warmer days to avoid the water freezing.
Switch It Up – Snow, mud, and salt can also damage the interior of your vehicle if you’re not careful. Buy some custom fitted rubber mats to protect the floors.
If you’re looking for more tips on vehicle maintenance and car care, keep up with the Destination Nissan blog!
Woo, Kevin. “Why Washing Your Car in Winter Is Important.” YourMechanic Advice. N.p., 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2017. <https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/why-washing-your-car-in-winter-is-important-by-kevin-woo>.
2017 Nissan Altima Page Coming Soon
Destination Nissan wants to let everyone from Albany, Schenectady, Latham, Saratoga, and Clifton Park, NY know that the 2017 Nissan Altima is here and ready to be test driven. We’re creating a new Research and Review page that will detail every feature and function of the 2017 Nissan Altima. This page will be arriving on our website soon so stay up to date on our blog!
2017 Nissan Rogue is Family Car of the Year
For the second year in a row, the Nissan Rogue has won the prestigious Cars.com “Family Car of the Year” award! Nissan’s best-selling model received an interior and exterior refresh, along with more safety technology, a hybrid performance model, and more flexible seating options.
The Cars.com editorial staff wrote of the 2017 Nissan Rogue, “Flexibility is key when it comes to managing family life – from road trips to school carpools, the Rogue is ready. If you need more seating capacity than what you’d find in a two-row small SUV, but aren’t ready to make the leap to a full-size model, the Rogue is worth a look. With its optional third row, it’s a versatile choice for shoppers who need an SUV that can accommodate a large family at a low price. It’s not just about people, however; two-row versions have a handy cargo-management system that helps separate and organize the cargo area.”
Test drive the 2017 Nissan Rogue at Destination Nissan today!
“Nissan Rogue Named “2017 Family Car of the Year” by Cars.com.” Nissan Online Newsroom. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2017. <http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/nissan-rogue-named-2017-family-car-of-the-year-by-cars-com>.
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