Downtown Glens Falls has been undergoing a bit of a renaissance as of late. Toward the end of the recent boom, some of the Saratoga development money moved north to where they figured the next “it” place would be, Glens Falls. A couple of condo projects opened with much fanfare, but did about as well as most condo projects did at the end of the boom, and went back to the bank. No matter, there are many other positive things happening for downtown. Many of the old store fronts have recently been purchased and the buildings refurbished. A number of new shops and fantastic restaurants have opened in the last couple of years, and are doing well despite the condo bust. I will take you on a tour of my hometown, show you some of what’s happened, and highlight some of my favorites.
On a recent rainy Saturday, our friends, Rick and Roseann Pollock from Burlington VT, came down for a visit. Tani and I took them to downtown Glens Falls for lunch. We ended up at The Chocolate Mill on Glen Street. The Chocolate Mill’s pastry chef, Jessica Vollkommer, was recently named one of the top ten pastry chefs in America by Dessert Professional magazine. If you visit the shop and check-out the pastry counter, you will see why. But frankly, while the food is good and the pastry is beautiful to look at, I prefer the place we go to over in Salem, Steininger’s. Afterward, the ladies went shopping, there are some nice boutique type shops that have been opening in downtown, and, Rick and I went to Davidson Brother’s Brew Pub to enjoy a fine craft brew, or two. We decided that on their next visit, we’ll eat lunch at Davidson’s, more our speed-so to speak! Later we walked around a bit to show them all that’s happening downtown. We took them by our favorite place in downtown for dinner, Bistro Tallulah. I have never been disappointed with a meal at Tallulah’s. Right across the street is downtown’s newest restaurant, The Blackwatch. I haven’t eaten there yet, but the chef is well thought of. The chef, Jason Baker, features a local farm-to-table approach to the menu as well as a chef’s tasting menu. I do plan on checking them out soon and will add a bog on our experience. One of the better things to come to downtown, is the Adirondack Theatre Festival. ATF runs a six week season from late June through end of July and is the only professional summer theatre in the Capital District, Saratoga and Adirondack region of upstate New York. They typically feature 3 mainstage productions, including a late night cabaret. It’s worth checking it out if you like the theatre. Another good place to eat is The 132 Glen Street Bistro. Chef Kevin Bethel opened his doors early, before much of the recent development happened in downtown. Kevin features good food in a casual atmosphere at a reasonable price. It’s been a favorite of our’s for a long time. There are many other things happening downtown such as museums like The Hyde. The Hyde currently is featuring a show of Andrew Wyeth works, has in it’s permanent collection such famous artists like Renoir, Rubens, Seurat, Picasso and Rembrandt, to name a few. There also is a children’s museum, The World Awareness Museum, and a local history museum, The Chapman. There is also Coopers Cave, that was memorialized in James Fennimor Cooper’s classic American novel, Last of the Mohican’s. There is a viewing platform of the “cave” under the bridge that spans the Hudson River between Glens Falls and South Glens Falls, on the SGF side of the river. As a kid, we used to play on the rocks, dive into pools and crawl through the cave. You can’t get there anymore, sorry. That’s all for now on this trip.
Outside the Chocolate Mill Cafe and Raul's Mexican next door. Raul's has good Mexican according to the chef/owner of Bistro Tallulah.
Inside The Chocolate Mill Cafe
Rick & Roseann waiting on lunch
A wet view north on Glen St/Route 9.
Looking west on Hudson Ave and the Round-a-bout. Hey, it was a big decission whether to have a round-a -bout or not. Also you are looking toward The Mill Condominiums, where you can rent an apartment from the bank if you want?
Looking north on Ridge St or 9L
Our fav downtown eating establishment
The Wood Theatre on Glen St, where ATF holds it's shows
