Schenectady, once called the city that lights and hauls the world, is in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Approximately 20 minutes from New York's capital of Albany, Schenectady is best known as the birthplace of General Electric and for Proctor's Theater. Schenectady has also been working on a successful project to revitalize its downtown.
Get in
By car
Schenectady is approximately 24 km (15 miles) northwest of Albany, New York. It is accessed from the NYS Thruway (I-90) at exits 25 and 26 which are the two ends of Schenectady's connector interstate of I-890. It can also be accessed from I-87 via 4 lane surface routes of NY 7 (I-87 exit 6) and NY 5 (I-87 exit 2)
By bus
Greyhound Bus Lines 22 State St, 1-518-346-6113, The bus station is about a block from Schenectady County Community College. It is in a fairly safe area just a few blocks from the main downtown area.
Capital District Transportation Authority, 1 518 482-8822 . CDTA offers scheduled bus service 7 days a week. See CDTA's website for bus schedules.
By train
Amtrak connects Schenectady with New York City (3 ½ hours) and Buffalo (5 hr) via its Empire Service up to five times per day. The Adirondack and Maple Leaf travels between Montreal (7½ hr) and Toronto (7 hr) respectively, to New York City, once per day. The overnight Lake Shore Limited from Chicago also stops here. Finally, Ethan Allen Express runs between Rutland, Vermont and NYC. Additional trains run between New York City and Albany-Rensselaer station, 20 miles away.
- 1 Schenectady station, 332 Erie Blvd. Newly reconstructed in 2018, the centrally located station features a waiting room with basic amnestis and ticket offices.
Get around
See
- 1 the Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci), 15 Nott Terrace Hts, 12308, ☏ 1 518-382-7890, fax: 1 518-382-7893. Tu - Su 10AM - 5PM. The Museum of Innovation and Science (formerly the Schenectady Museum) & Suits-Bueche Planetarium celebrate science, invention, and imagination. The museum explores the area’s rich technological heritage, with some of the region’s finest interactive exhibits. The museum also has an extensive General Electric collection. $7.50-10.50 (planetarium extra).
- The Stockade, north of Union St. downtown along and near the Mohawk River. The Stockade historic district is one of the older residential neighborhoods in the U.S., with about 40 structures dating back to the Revolutionary War era or even earlier. Strongly recommended for lovers of early American architecture.
- 2 Nott Memorial Hall, Union College.
Do
- 1 Proctors Theatre, 432 State St, ☏ 1 518 346-6204. Proctors is the Capital Region's premier theater for Broadway shows and more. Large plays such as Phantom of the Opera have played here. Free garage parking and lower ticket prices make this an excellent alternative to NYC's Broadway. Proctors has been remodeled and has excellent reviews.
- ViaAquarium, 93 Campbell Road, 12306, 1 518 280-5100. ViaAquarium is a for-profit aquarium built into what used to be known as Rotterdam Mall. It boasts 37 exhibits including over 2,000 creatures spanning 25,000 square feet.
Buy
- Jay Street, Jay Street between State St and Franklin St. Jay St. is a collection of unusual shops and restaurants. If you're looking for places you wouldn't find in a mall this is a good, albeit unusual, place to shop.
Eat
- 1 Glen Sanders Mansion, 1 Glen Avenue, Scotia, ☏ 1 518 374-7262. M-F 11:30AM-2PM, M-Sa 5PM-10PM, Su 10:30AM-1PM and 4PM-9PM. Steeped in history dating back to 1658, the main dining room features double Dutch doors, with hand made hinges and original fireplaces.
- 2 Tara Kitchen, 431 Liberty St, ☏ 1 518-708-3485. Moroccan restaurant.
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Parker Inn, 434 State St # 1, 12305 (Next to Proctors), ☏ 1-518-688-1001. $149 - 325.
- 2 [dead link]The Stockade Inn, 1 N Church St, ☏ 1 518-346-3400.
Go next
| Routes through Schenectady |
| Buffalo ← Utica ← | W   E | → Albany (Rensselaer) → New York City |
| Buffalo (Depew) ← Utica ← | W  E | → Albany (Rensselaer) → Boston/New York City |
| Buffalo ← Little Falls ← | W   E | → Albany → Boston/New York City |
| END ← Binghamton ← Oneonta ← | W  E | → END |
| Utica ← Little Falls ← | W  E | → Albany → END |
| Rome ← Little Falls ← | W  E | → Cohoes → Waterford |