Getting to the Collar City

Circumstances — a combination of wife’s employment and elder daughter’s education — are leading us to spend a significant amount of time running north to Troy. Surprisingly, this is just not practical by bus. Even though we live 15 minutes south of the Collar City, all buses require us to cross the river to Albany, change buses at least once, and then travel up and across the river again, a trip that cannot take less than an hour by bus and sometimes takes longer. Our other options? Cross the river (twice), using I-787, or go the slow way up Route 4 on our side of the river. It’s only about a 25-minute bike ride, by the way, but not really safe or practical for a teenager; too many high-speed interactions and then the maze of city streets in South Troy.

In 1850, the bicycle, bus and automobile hadn’t been invented, yet there were still three options for getting from Albany to Troy:  stage, steamboat, and railroad. (Not to mention getting on your own horse). Hell yes, I’d pay 12-1/2 cents for a steamboat ride up the Hudson.